NYC History: Bowery Boys Archive
By The Bowery Boys
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Podcast Description
Included here are the Bowery Boys back catalog of shows from our first year. If you'd like to hear our new episodes, simply search for New York City History: The Bowery Boys and subscribe. New York City history is America's history. It's the hometown of the world, and most people knows its familiar landmarks, buildings and streets. Why not look a little closer and have fun while doing it? The Bowery Boys, Greg Young and Tom Meyers, have lived in New York for the last fifteen years and have been curious about the city since the day they arrived. Join them for a fun take on history, a "romp down the back alleys of New York City." Each week, they look into another fascinating aspect of the Big Apple -- the people, the places, its beginnings and effects on American culture.
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#65 Spooky Stories of New York | By popular demand, we return to the creepier tales of New York City history, ghost tales and stories of murder and mayhem, all of them at some point involving great American icons -- Alexander Hamilton, P.T. Barnum, Dorothy Parker and Mark Twain. Featuring a murder at a Manhattan well, a bloody slaying in rural Staten Island, the lingerings of New York's most fabulous undead, and the most haunted home in Greenwich Village! This is a Special Illustrated Edition. Just hit play and images of the things discussed will pop up on your media player. (Original version released Oct. 10, 2008) | 10/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#64 Green-Wood Cemetery | Green-wood Cemetery is one of New York's oldest burial grounds, but its development reaches back all the way to the beginning of Brooklyn itself -- in fact, to the founder of Brooklyn Heights. Find out why it took an inventive city planner with a funny name, a dead New York icon, and a few errant parakeets to make this place a beautiful, richly historical place to visit today. This is a Special Illustrated Edition. Just hit play and images of the things discussed will pop up on your media player. (Original version released Oct. 3, 2008) | 6/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#63 New York Stock Exchange | We tackle the rich history of the New York Stock Exchange in this episode, beginning with Alexander Hamilton, some pushy auctioneers, a coffee house and a sycamore tree. And find how this seminal financial institution ended up in its latest home -- that beautiful, classically designed George Post building, with a marble goddess on top who was almost too heavy for her own good. This was originally recorded back in 2008 in the midst of the big financial crisis, giving it a little extra context! This is a Special Illustrated Edition. Just hit play and images of the things discussed will pop up on your media player. (Original version released Sept. 26, 2008) | 2/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#62 Shea Stadium | The New York Mets are nice and comfortable Citi Field, but we can't overlook the great stories contained in their old home, Shea Stadium, a Robert Moses project took years to get off the ground and has been populated with world class ball players, crazed Beatles fans, and one very mysterious black cat. This is a Special Illustrated Edition. Just hit play and images of the things discussed will pop up on your media player! Originally released September 19, 2008 | 9/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#61 Pan Am Building | Special Illustrated Edition! Today it's the Met Life Building. It's been called the ugliest building in New York City. It sits like a monolith behind one of the city's most enduring icons Grand Central Terminal. But it's got some secrets you may not know about. In this podcast, we scale the heights of this misunderstood marvel of modern architecture. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 7/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#60 Five Points Part Two: The Fate of Five Points | In our second podcast on the notorious Five Points neighborhood, we see how the district changed with the influx of new immigrants and the valiant attempts to reform the seedier elements. With the new Italian and Chinese residents, the culture changed drastically, critical shifts that are still reflected in the neighborhoods of Chinatown and Little Italy today. Who was the man who helped clear Five Points from the landscape forever, and what famous park designer is associated with its replacement in the streets of downtown Manhattan? Special 'illustrated edition; original show released August 30, 2008 www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 5/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#59 Five Points: Wicked Slum | You've heard the legend of New York's most notorious neighborhood, heard the story of the seedy gangs of New York. Now come with us as we hit the streets of Five Points and dig up some of the nitty, gritty details of its birth, its first residents and its most scandalous pastimes. Special illustrated version www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 3/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#58 Delmonico's Restaurant | Before Delmonico's, New Yorkers ate in taverns or oyster houses. But the city caught the fine dining bug at this family-owned business, Delmonico's Restaurant Francais, which standardized everything you know about restaurants today. Find out about "menus", "fresh ingredients", "dining rooms for ladies" and other unusual and exotic Delmonico innovations. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 1/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#57 Carnegie Hall | How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well, we can at least show you the way through its tumultuous history, from a fortunate meeting on a Norwegian cruise ship, passed a symphonic rivalry, and into the 20th Century with some of the biggest names in classical and popular music. And forgive our pronunciation of Dunfermline! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#56 Randall's Island | The smaller islands of the East River reveal fascinating secrets of the city's past, and Randall's and Ward's Islands are no exceptions. Found out how these former potter's fields are related to the most important Olympics-related event New York City has ever seen. The cast includes a swashbuckling British engineer, Jesse Owens, Tony Bennett, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Moses, and Pearl Jam! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/5/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#55 The Evolution of Central Park | When last we left Central Park, it was the embodiment of Olmstead and Vaux's naturalistic Greensward Plan. Then the skyscrapers came. Also, how did all those playgrounds, a swanky nightclub, a theater troupe and all those hippies get here? NOTE: Please forgive my butcher pronounciation of the word Jagiello! | 9/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#54 The Creation of Central Park | Come with us to the beginnings of New York's most popular and most ambitious park -- from the inkling of an idea to the arduous construction. Learn who got uprooted and find out who the park was REALLY intended for. On the 151th year anniversary of the design of Central Park! NOTE: We pronounce the name Egbert Viele wrong. It should be pronounced Veal-E, not Vee-el Some pictures in this enhanced podcast courtesy New York Public Library collection Check out our website www.boweryboyspodcast.com for more information on Central Park. | 8/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#53 Meatpacking District | How did the land surrounding an old 19th century fortress develop into the city's mainline distributor for produce and meat? And how did it go from leather bars and transsexual prostitutes to high fashion stores and boutique hotels? Welcome to the Meatpacking District! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 5/23/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#52 DeWitt Clinton and the Erie Canal | Meet former mayor, governor, senator and privileged son DeWitt Clinton, one of New York's most successful politicians and champion of the Erie Canal. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 3/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#51 McSorley's Old Ale House | Grab yourself a couple mugs of dark ale and learn about the history of one of New York City's oldest bars, serving everyone from Abraham Lincoln to John Lennon --- and eventually even women! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 1/31/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#50 Canal Street and Collect Pond | We celebrate a year of New York City history podcasting by re-visiting the topic of our very first show. Downtown Civic Center used to have a big pond in the middle of it which provided drinking water for the island's first inhabitants. What happened to it, why is it important today and how did it give rise to Canal Street, New York's biggest traffic thoroughfare? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 1/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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# 49 LaGuardia Airport and Early New York Flight | We embark on the tale of the birth of New York City flight -- featuring a Wright brother on Governor's Island, the site of a glue factory turned Brooklyn air strip, Queens' forgotten first airport, and finally to the pet project of mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 1/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#48 The Stonewall Riots | It's the summer of 1969, and the police have raided the Stonewall, a popular gay bar in the West Village. Join us as we look at the raid, the riots, and their significance today. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#47 Grants Tomb | What's buried in Grant's Tomb? A quirky history that includes an ambitious architect, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, lots of ugly raspberry paint, and charges of prostitution and animal sacrifice! Oh yeah, and that Civil War guy's buried here too.... www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#46 Barnum's American Museum | You know PT Barnum from his circus, but he was bringing the freakshow to New York long before then. Come take a tour with us of the craziest museum to ever hit New York City. Co-starring the Fejee Mermaid, the Witch of Staten Island, Tom Thumb, the original Siamese twins, some unfortunate whales, and the strange and mortally offensive What IS It? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/23/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#45 Grand Central | Join the Bowery Boys for a commute through the history of Grand Central -- the depot, the station, and the terminal. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#44 Rikers Island | What do Salvador Dali, John Jacob Astor, Peter Stuyvesant, the Civil War, and a big pile of trash have to do with the world's biggest penal colony? We connect the dots in this history of Rikers Island. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#43 Studio 54 | You don't have to be a beautiful celebrity to enjoy the history of New York's greatest disco, from its early days as an opera and television studio, to the late 70s, full of wild parties, famous folk and a really difficult door policy. With Warhol, Minnelli, Jagger and Grace Jones in her Sunday best. It's Studio 54, are you on the list? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#42: The Triangle Factory Fire | Come listen to the strange and shocking facts of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, of a workplace tragedy that changed how New Yorkers live an work in a world of tall, flammable buildings. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/14/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#41 New York Post | EXTRA! EXTRA! Origins of New York Scandal Sheet Revealed! Post May Be Responsible For Central Park! Rupert Murdoch Property Was Once A Nest of Liberal Sympathizers! PLUS: Was there really a "headless body" in a "topless bar"? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#40 Union Square | New York's most hectic park has been the stage for massive Civil War rallies, somber funerals, passionate workers gatherings and both premier and inexpensive shopping. Today, it's got a little bit of everything for everyone. Join the Bowery Boys as they did into the history of Union Square. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#39 New York Yankees | Get ready for nine innings (or 30 minutes) of the greatest sports team ever -- the New York Yankees. Hear about their modest beginnings, their best players, and the fate of Yankee Stadium, their home for 85 years. (And I apologize in advance for this week's wonky recording sound!) www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/7/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#38 Tiffany & Co. | You'll be surprised by Tiffany's 170-year history as a vanguard in New York luxury. See how they went from selling horse whips to world class diamonds. And what makes Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast At Tiffany's particularly important to the fate of this upscale retailer? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 12/6/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#37 Henry Ward Beecher and Plymouth Church | We've never done such a saucy show -- full of sex, lies, and petticoats. Meet Henry Ward Beecher, Brooklyn Heights' most notorious resident, and find out about the fascinating and provocative history of the church that turned him into a national celebrity. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/30/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#36 Life In British New York 1776-1783 | What was life like in New York during the British occupation during the Revolutionary War? Overcrowding, prison ships, food shortages, spies ... and theater? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#35 The British Invasion 1776 | It's 1776 and revolution is in the air! Join the Bowery Boys as we tackle the British invasion and takeover of New York. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#34 Katz Delicatessen | The Bowery Boys stop for a nosh at three Jewish culinary stalwarts of the Lower East Side -- Katz Delicatessen (a movie-friendly dining experience), Russ and Daughters (a tale of herring and girl power) and the Yonah Schimmel Knishery (and its surprising connection to Coney Island). www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#33 The World's Fair of 1964-65 | It's 1964, and we're heading out to Flushing Meadows, Queens, where Robert Moses has constructed the World's Fair of his dreams -- for a second time. Join us for this tale of yesterday's World of Tomorrow... www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#32 Museum of Modern Art | The biggest surprise behind the revolutionary creation of the Museum of Modern Art is that the characters who put it together were almost as colorful as the art they championed. Tag along as we peek behind the canvas of New York's oldest temple of the avant garde. PLUS: We debut our first Bowery Girl! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/25/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#31 Battery Park and Castle Clinton | Castle Clinton, built to defend New York City from a war that never arrived, has worn a lot of hats in its almost 200 year history; it's been a performance hall, an immigration center and an aquarium! And you can find it in Battery Park, today host to a variety of monuments and made from the materials of ole Fort Amsterdam. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#30 Peter Cooper and Cooper Union | Cooper Union is one of New York City's more storied institutions, not only fostering the best and brightest of art and architecture, but playing host to presidents and activists. Also, find out a little about its amazingly resourceful founder, Peter Cooper. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#29 Brooklyn Bridge | The Bowery Boys explore the story and the family behind the Brooklyn Bridge, one of New York's most treasured landmarks -- caissons, anchorages and all. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/17/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#28 One Times Square | Times Square's New Years Eve celebration would not be the same without One Times Square and its annual ball drop. But the quirky history of this sometimes abused building reaches all the way back to the naming of Times Square and its original tenent -- the New York Times. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/15/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#27 Radio City Music Hall | Behind the glamour of New York's greatest stage, Radio City Music Hall is a story involving a toothpaste tube designer, an allergy to Brazil nuts, a hydraulic lift protected from the Nazis, and a grandstanding but forgotten man by the name of Roxy. PLUS: The Bowery Boys go backstage (figuratively) with the Rockettes. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#26 Flatiron Building | What are the Bowery Boys doing in Chicago? Just a little detour in our search for the origins of the Flatiron Building, the wedge shaped, wind producing oddity -- built as an office space in a department store neighborhood which grew to become one of the most romantic, elegant buildings in New York City. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 11/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#25 The Original Bowery Boys | For our very special 25th episode, we give you all sorts of Bowery boys -- the cultural and fashion trends of the 1840s, the notorious enemy of the Five Points gangs, and that slapstick bunch of New York actors from the 1930s and 1940s. And of course, a little bit about us! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/25/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#24 The Copacabana | During the 1940s and 1950s, any celebrity worth their weight in fame either frequented or performed at the Copacabana, a swanky nightclub known for its showgirls, its Chinese food and its mafia ties. On this mini-podcast, we take you on a night on the town with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and a rowdy table of New York Yankees. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/25/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#23 Macy's : the Man, the Store, the Parade | Did you know that the man whose name adorns one of the most successful department stores in the world was a sailor turned failed businessman? Or why Macy's Department Store ALMOST takes up an entire city block? Or how many clowns have been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade? The Bowery Boys let you in on those answers and lots of other fun facts about one of New York City's premier retailers. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#22 Staten Island | The Bowery Boys take on the history of New York City's most 'forgotten' borough, from its beginnings as a British outpost during the Revolutionary War to the controversy over that big stinky landfill. And we do it all in exactly the time it takes for the Staten Island ferry to take you across the New York harbor! (No really, try it.) | 10/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#21 The Astors and the Waldorf-Astoria | We're going to the 'original' Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in this podcast to hang with the filthy rich. Our guides are the styling and eccentric Astor family, the centerpiece of 19th Century New York wealth and society. Come along as we weave through a family tree of Williams and John Jacobs, not to mention THE Mrs. Astor, the one and only (even if there were really two). www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#20 United Nations Headquarters | It's the only area of Manhattan that actually belongs to the entire world (literally). Come along with the Bowery Boys as we cut the security line to uncover the true story about the unusual headquarters of the United Nations, and why they ended up in New York City in the first place. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#19 Washington Irving | In this mini-podcast, we bring you New York City's first internationally famous writer Washington Irving and his creepy tale of the Headless Horseman. We'll tell you where you can go to celebrate his life and work, and what famous Irving landmark has nothing really to do with him. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#18 Ghost Stories of New York City | A city this size certainly has its share of ghosts, and the Bowery Boys spend the spooky season with some of the most famous -- a suicide showgirl, a grumpy landowner, a womanizer theater owner and a rich spinster. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/15/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#17 New York Public Library | The New York Public Library may be one of the most revered libraries in America, but it took a far flung combination of bookworms, millionaires and do-gooders to make it into the institution it is today. Also: find out why the architectural style of the Beaux Arts sometimes reminds me of an old French prostitute. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#16 Statue of Liberty | Lady Liberty -- her torch may shine bright, but what story is she hiding under that copper-toned skin? The Bowery Boys bring you the story of the French dinner party that created an American icon. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#15 The Apollo Theater | Harlem's jewel, the Apollo Theater, has more than lived up to its promise as a place "where stars are born and legends are made." It's been the cultural centerpiece of New York for more than seven decades, not bad for a former burlesque theater. And find out which icon made his name -- and held his funeral -- on the same stage. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#14 Peter Stuyvesant | Back when New York was New Amsterdam, it was the domain of the bullheaded, pear-growing, peglegged Peter Stuyvesant, who cleaned up the city and gave us our most important street. Find out why he still matters and why he's the king of the East Village. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#13 Coney Island: 20th Century Sideshow | Come see the Wonder Wheel, the king of hot dogs, the "Freaks" in the Dreamland Sideshow, a beached whale and Donald Trump's dad -- all in one place! It's Coney Island in the 20th Century. But will it be around much longer in the 21st? www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#12 Coney Island: The Golden Age | A world of amusement starts here in New York -- Coney Island, the world's oldest and strangest collection of amusement parks, a mishmash of sideshows, concession stands, gambling halls, new-fangled rides and luxury hotels. Take a daytrip with us back to the early days of Coney Island. Hold on to your hat! Part one of a two part mega-episode. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/6/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#11 The Chrysler Building | Ah, the classic Chrysler Building! She's got style, glamour and all that jazz. But what magical surprise did she spring on New York in October of 1929? Join us as we tell the story of New York's most beautiful art deco treasure. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/5/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#10 Central Park Zoo | From an odd assortment of abandoned creatures, to one of the most notorious zoos in the world, take a tour with us through Central Park's storybook zoo. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#9 St. Patrick's Old Cathedral | The fashionable district of NoLIta happens to be home to a few ghosts as well, tucked behind the walls of St Patrick's Old Cathedral. Come with us as we unearth some info about a mysterious New York fraternal order, the occupants of a few cemetery crypts, and the origins of a legendary film director. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#8 Dakota Apartments and 'Rosemary's Baby' | Learn about New York's most famous luxury apartment building and the classic horror film set here. Plus: Lauren Bacall, Connie Chung and some dumb waiters! www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#7 Washington Square Park | Something's afoot in Washington Square Park. Join the Bowery Boys this week on an expedition through one of New York's quirkiest -- and most beloved -- parks, from Hangman's Elm to Bob Dylan. And you say there's WHAT buried in the ground underneath the park? | 10/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#6 Governors Island | New York's most under-appreciated treasure gets the Bowery Boys treatment. It's Governors Island: a fort, a small town, a prison and a Burger King ... all bought for one dollar. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#5 Blackout | Flash back to the summer of 1977, when Star Wars and the Yankees ruled, gas prices were high, a serial killer roamed the streets, and the city experienced a little convenience called the New York City blackout. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#4 Famous Dogs of New York | Take a stroll with us as we chart New York's most famous canine crusaders, from a Central Park icon to the biggest star in Broadway history ever found in a kennel. Oh, and watch where you step. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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#3 Alexander Hamilton | It's Independence Day and we're spending it with our favorite New York Founding Father -- Alexander Hamilton. The Bowery Boys visit his life, his hangouts and his New York. www.boweryboyspodcast.com | 10/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 63 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Thanks!
Very good history perspective on NYC. Also entertaining. Thanks
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