The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Does your personal library overwhelm your home? Are there too many books in your life -- but you'll never get rid of them? Then you have a lot in common with Gilded Age mogul J.P. Morgan!Morgan was a defining figure of the late 19th century, engineering corporate mergers and crafting monopolies from the desk of his Wall Street office. In the process Morgan became one of the wealthiest men in America -- but he did not tread the traditional path through New York high society. He preferred yachts over ballrooms.And books! There were so many books that Morgan decided to start the new century with his own personal project -- the construction of a library.Today the Morgan Library and Museum is open to the public and, as an active and thriving institution, continues to highlight the world's greatest examples of the printed word -- from Charles Dickens's manuscript for A Christmas Carol to past exhibitions on Beatrix Potter, James Joyce and even The Little Prince.Tom and Greg explore the biography of J. Pierpont Morgan then head to the Morgan Library to speak with Jennifer Tonkovich, the Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator of Drawings and Prints. And then they wander through the winding connections of buildings that comprise the Morgan Library & Museum -- from Morgan's study (and its 'hidden' vault of books) to the glorious main stacks.Visit the website for further images and informationJoin us on Patreon for extra podcasts and lots of other goodiesShare your love of the city’s history with a Bowery Boys Walks gift certificate! Our digital gift cards let your loved ones choose their perfect tour and date.Grab a Bowery Boys tee-shirt, mug or water bottle at our merchandise store.

The Rockettes are America’s best known dance troupe — and a staple of the holiday season — but you may not know the origin of this iconic New York City symbol. For one, they’re not even from the Big Apple!Formerly the Missouri Rockets, the dancers and their famed choreographer Russell Markert were noticed by theater impresario Samuel Rothafel, who installed them first as his theater The Roxy, then at one of the largest theaters in the world — Radio City Music Hall.The life of a Rockettes dancer was glamorous, but grueling; for many decades dancing not in isolated shows, but before the screenings of movies, several times a day, a different program each week. There was a very, very specific look to the Rockettes, a look that changed — and that was forced to change by cultural shifts — over the decades.This show is dedicated to the many thousands of women who have shuffled and kicked with the Rockettes over their many decades of entertainment, on the stage, the picket line or the Super Bowl halftime show.This show is a re-edited and remastered version of our 2014 show with a new introduction -- in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary celebration of the dance troupe which would become the Rockettes.Join us on Patreon for extra podcasts and lots of other goodiesShare your love of the city's history with a Bowery Boys Walks gift certificate! Our digital gift cards let your loved ones choose their perfect tour and date.Grab a Bowery Boys tee-shirt, mug or water bottle at our merchandise store.

What is Thanksgiving without the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? The annual march through Manhattan -- terminating at Macy's Department Store -- has delighted New Yorkers for a century and been a part of the American tradition of Thanksgiving since it was first broadcast nationally on television in the 1950s.Macy's began the parade in 1924 as a way to promote the new Seventh Avenue extension of their Herald Square location -- and to overshadow its department store rival Gimbel's. That first parade had many of the hallmarks of our modern parade -- from floats to Santa Claus - however it was much longer. Six miles!One major tradition is thankfully gone -- releasing the parade balloons into the air and encouraging New Yorkers to chase after them. After one near disaster in 1932 (airplane, meet balloon zebra) this curious contest was discontinued.By the late 1930s, the real world began seeping into the fairy-tale parade route, and during World War II, the parade was cancelled entirely -- a prohibition kicked off in a rather violent balloon deflation ceremony led by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.Television would change the parade -- and the holiday -- forever. With NBC broadcasting starting in the 1950s, people could tune in from across the country, creating more opportunities to promote .... everything!By the 1970s, the parade was a festival of commercialism, a beloved kitsch-fest featuring lip-syncing vocalists, ever larger balloons, morning show hosts and product placements embedded within other product placements.But harsh winds and cold could be detrimental to the balloons and, sometimes, to the bystanders. Why will you never see a Cat In The Hat balloon in the parade again?FEATURING: A cast of B and C list celebrities, thousands of out-of-town marching bands and a few favorite balloons (Snoopy, Underdog, the Tin Man and more)Visit the website for pictures and other information about the paradeRead Greg's extensive article on the New York City connections of the film Miracle on 34th Street

The energy and personality of New York City runs through its local businesses -- mom-and-pop shops, independently run stores and restaurants, often family run operations.We live in a world of chain stores, franchises, corporate run operations and online retailers that have run many of these kinds of stores out of business. But what is New York without its diners, its small book shops, its curious antique stores and its historic delis?These kinds of shops contribute to the health of a neighborhood. And today we're celebrating them with Nicolas Heller, better known to his 1.4 million Instagram followers as New York Nico, "the unofficial talent scout of New York City."But he's also helped lift up small businesses and even helped them survive through the pandemic and beyond.And now Heller's new book New York Nico's Guide to NYC, he highlights 100 of his favorite small business from all five boroughs. So we thought we'd geek out with him for about an hour, talking about our favorite small places in the city.FEATURING: Astor Place Hairstylists, Pearl River Mart, Katz Deli, Casa Amadeo, Fishs Eddy, DeFonte's in Red Hook and many, many moreAnd remember to shop local this holiday season!