The history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- from wild balloon chases in the sky to kitschy celebrity appearances

What is New York without its diners, its small book shops, its curious antique stores and its historic delis? New... more

The mysterious disappearance of a young woman becomes one of the most talked-about events in New York City history.

Ghost stories from New York City's five boroughs -- from Staten Island's tombstone-toting ghost to the Hessian ghouls in a... more

Are there alligators in the sewers? Tom and Greg go deep into their favorite New York urban legends. breaking down... more

This is the story of Ida Wood, a Gilded Age belle turned recluse, who chose to withdraw from society while... more

New York City is filled with stories of people who just want to be left alone – recluses, hermits, cloistering... more

What was Times Square before the electric billboards and the Broadway theaters? What was Times Square before it was Times Square?

In 1886, during a miles-long parade celebrating the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, office workers in lower Manhattan began... more

In this episode we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Ramones' first performances in downtown Manhattan. But this also a... more

Come explore one of the most historically exclusive spaces in New York City -- the romantic and peaceful escape known... more

Follow along as Greg and Tom visit several historic cities and towns in the Netherlands -- Utrecht, De Bilt, Breukelen... more

The name Peter Stuyvesant can be found everywhere in New York City -- in the names of neighborhoods, apartments, parks... more

All roads lead to Leiden where our adventure continues with a quest to find the Walloons, the French-speaking religious refugees... more

The Bowery Boys Podcast heads to old Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, to find traces of New Amsterdam, the... more

The Bowery Boys Podcast is going to Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands for a very special mini-series. But... more

Announcing an epic new Bowery Boys mini series -- The Bowery Boys Adventures in the Netherlands. Exploring the connections between... more

The Lenape were among the first in northeast North America to be displaced by white colonists. But the Lenape did... more

The New York City subway system turns 120 years old later this year so we thought we'd honor the world's... more

The story of a filthy and dangerous train ditch that became one of the swankiest addresses in the world --... more

Few areas of the United States have as endured as long as Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood with almost over 375... more

Tom visits the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side to walk through the reconstructed two-room apartment of an African-American... more

The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s most famous novel, an enduring classic of Old New York that has been... more

Tom and Greg are joined by Kevin Baker, author of The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a... more

The Chrysler Building remains one of America's most beautiful skyscrapers and a grand evocation of Jazz Age New York. But... more

Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Refinery, built in 1882, was more than a factory. During the Gilded Age and into the 20th... more

A look at 200 years of history and culture in and surrounding Madison Square Park, one of America's most famous... more

Truman Capote's 1966 masquerade ball at the Plaza Hotel would bring together a most outrageous collection of famous folks --... more

Why is the Kosciuszko Bridge, one of New York City's most essential pieces of infrastructure, named for the Polish national... more

Maestro Leonard Bernstein is one of New York’s most influential cultural figures. He spent most of his life in the... more

Grace Church was one of the most fashionable churches in New York City for several decades in the 19th century.... more

An especially festive podcast with double the holiday fun, tracing the history of Christmas and holiday celebrations over 19th-century New... more

For decades New Yorkers celebrated Evacuation Day every November 25, a holiday marking the 1783 departure of British forces from... more

Greta Garbo in New York! A story of freedom, glamour and melancholy, set at the intersection of classic Hollywood and... more

Easter Sunday, 1886, and a new war is brewing in Gilded Age society. Are you ready to pick a side?

At the heart of New York’s Gilded Age — the late 19th-century era of unprecedented American wealth and excess —... more

A brand new batch of haunted houses and spooky stories, all from the gaslight era of New York City, the... more

The story of Theodore Roosevelt -- naturalist, hunter and conservationist -- with special guest Ken Burns discussing his new documentary... more

The rebirth of the East Village in the late 1970s and the flowering of a new and original New York... more

When Manhattan's Third Avenue El was torn down in 1955, those who were attracted to the culture of Greenwich Village... more

The history of Tompkins Square Park, a place of counter-culture, protest and pride in the heart of Manhattan's East Village.

Stroll the romantic, rambling paths of historic Central Park in this week's episode, turning back the clock to the 1860s... more

The tale of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is one of New York's true epic adventures, mirroring the course of American... more

Interviews with three "new storytellers" who explore the culture and history of New York City, including Nicolas Heller (New York... more

It’s one of the great narratives of American urban history — the northward trek of New York society up the... more

This month we are marking the 160th anniversary of one of the most dramatic moments in New York City history... more

This is the story of the invention of the Pledge, a set of words that have come to embody the... more

Long-term and overnight parking used to be illegal in the early 20th century. But in 1950, street parking was legalized... more

From 1941 and 1976, dozens of young women and high school girls were bestowed the honor of Miss Subways with... more

The Brooklyn Bridge is not only a symbol of the American Gilded Age, it’s also a family tree of sorts.... more

The Broadway Musical is one of New York City's greatest inventions, over 160 years in the making! But why Broadway,... more

Pizza lovers of all kinds will find much to enjoy in this show, tracing the early origins of American pizza... more

On the rainy evening of April 18, 1912, survivors from the Titanic disaster were brought to the berth of the... more

Enter the magical world of New York by gaslight, the city illuminated by the soft, revolutionary glow of lamps powered... more

One of the great narratives of American history — immigration — through the experiences of the Irish.

The story of how Wall Street, that short little street in Lower Manhattan, became synonymous with the American financial system... more

Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's stoic portrait and one of the most valuable paintings on earth, came to America during... more

Dorothy Catherine Draper was the first woman to ever sit for a photograph — a daguerrotype, in the year 1840,... more

In this art-filled episode of the Bowery Boys, Tom and Greg look at Edward Hopper's life, influence and specific fascination... more

The Fulton Fish Market in downtown Manhattan was once to seafood what the Chicago stock yards were to the meat... more

New York City has a new landmark, a little bar in the West Village named Julius', where one moment of... more

There is much nostalgia today for the 1939-1940 World's Fair and its stranger, more visually chaotic 1964-65 World's Fair. And... more

Reflecting upon New York City restaurants from the 1990s (Mars 2112, anyone?), praising the strange wonders of Chez Josephine and... more

A.J. Jacobs, author of "The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws... more

Absinthe was one of the most popular and most mysterious drinks of the Belle Epoque and late Victorian and Edwardian... more

In 1890 Jacob Riis turned his eye-opening reporting about New York's tenement districts into a ground-breaking book called How The... more

In this special episode, we look at the history of New York City as seen through one corner of the... more

In late December 1954 Marilyn Monroe came to New York City wearing a disguise. By then she was the biggest... more

The story of how two very big cities (New York and Brooklyn) and a whole bunch of small towns and... more

Tales of mystery and the supernatural have possessed the villages and towns of the Hudson River Valley since ancient times.... more

In honor of the exciting new theater season, we're revisiting our 2011 episode on the history of Sardi's restaurant, the... more

You may have heard about the messy, chaotic and truly horrible presidential election of 1876 -- pitting Democrat Samuel Tilden... more

In the heart of Greenwich Village sits the Jefferson Market Library, a branch of the New York Public Library, But... more

Ever since Alexander Graham Bell brought his first model telephone to Manhattan 145 years ago, the telephone has helped us... more

In today's episode, Tom discusses the vast span of New York history with filmmakers and authors Ric Burns and James... more

The history of the New York City taxicab, from the handsome hansoms of old to the modern issues facing the... more

Domestic servants during the Gilded Age did more than simply maintain the mansions of the wealthy. New York City simply... more

Greg and Tom celebrate the 15th anniversary of their very first episode of the podcast -- recorded on June 19,... more

Part 2 in our Flatbush series: Tom and Greg discuss the history of Caribbean immigration to the United States with... more

There have been many different Flatbushes -- rural, suburban and urban. In today's show we highlight several stories from these... more

On this episode from our friends at "Cautionary Tales", award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp and rock legend Billy Joel come... more

The Renwick Ruin, resembling an ancient castle lost to time, appears along the East River as a crumbling, medieval-like apparition,... more

Greg and Tom head up to the historic towns of Catskill and Hudson to celebrate the Hudson River School, ... more

Tom and Greg visit Hyde Park, New York, and Springwood, the estate of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Learn about... more

What 19th century American engineering landmark invites you through nature, past historic sites and into people's backyards? Join us on... more

We wanted to present to you one of our favorite new podcasts of the year -- and one we think... more

Frederick Law Olmsted, America's preeminent landscape architect of the 19th century, designed dozens of parks, parkways and college campuses across... more

This episode focuses on the special relationship between New York City and Puerto Rico, via the tales of pioneros, the... more

Temple Emanu-El, home to New York's first Reform Jewish congregation and the largest synagogue in the city, sits on the... more

Richard Morris Hunt was one of the most important architects in American history. His talent and vision brought respect to... more