The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Tom Meyers, Greg Young

The tides of American history flow through the streets of New York City — from the huddled masses on Ellis Island to the sleazy theaters of 1970s Times Square. Greg and Tom explore more than 400 years of action-packed stories, featuring both classic and forgotten figures who have shaped the world.

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563 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes563

Newest first

Jul 19, 2024 · 58 min
The Hidden World of Gramercy Park
Come explore one of the most historically exclusive spaces in New York City -- the romantic and peaceful escape known as Gramercy Park.
Jul 5, 2024 · 1 hr 27 min
#437 Haarlem, Breukelen, Utrecht: Exploring New York's Dutch Roots
Follow along as Greg and Tom visit several historic cities and towns in the Netherlands -- Utrecht, De Bilt, Breukelen and Haarlem -- wandering through cafe-filled streets and old cobblestone alleyways, the air ringing with church bells and street music.
Jun 28, 2024 · 1 hr 21 min
#436 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: Finding Peter Stuyvesant
The name Peter Stuyvesant can be found everywhere in New York City -- in the names of neighborhoods, apartments, parks and high schools. But what do we really know about legendary figure?
Jun 21, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
#435 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The Radical Walloons
All roads lead to Leiden where our adventure continues with a quest to find the Walloons, the French-speaking religious refugees who became the first settlers of New Netherland in 1624.
Jun 14, 2024 · 1 hr 18 min
#434 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: Empire of the Seas
The Bowery Boys Podcast heads to old Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, to find traces of New Amsterdam, the Dutch settlement which became New York.
Jun 7, 2024 · 1 hr 7 min
#433 New Amsterdam Man: An Interview with Russell Shorto
The Bowery Boys Podcast is going to Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands for a very special mini-series. But before they go, they're kicking things off with the man who inspired the journey.
May 31, 2024 · 2 min
The Bowery Boys Adventures in the Netherlands TRAILER
Announcing an epic new Bowery Boys mini series -- The Bowery Boys Adventures in the Netherlands. Exploring the connections between New York City and that fascinating European country.
May 24, 2024 · 1 hr 22 min
#432 The Lenape Nation: Past, Present and Future
The Lenape were among the first in northeast North America to be displaced by white colonists. But the Lenape did not disappear. Through generations of great hardship, they have persevered.
May 10, 2024 · 1 hr 33 min
History of the New York City Subway (Rewind)
The New York City subway system turns 120 years old later this year so we thought we'd honor the world's longest subway system with a supersized overview history.
Apr 26, 2024 · 1 hr 19 min
#431 Park Avenue: History with a Penthouse View
The story of a filthy and dangerous train ditch that became one of the swankiest addresses in the world -- Park Avenue.
Apr 12, 2024 · 1 hr 35 min
#430 The Story of Flushing: Queens History, Old and New
Few areas of the United States have as endured as long as Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood with almost over 375 years of history and an evolving cultural landscape that includes Quakers, trees, Hollywood films, world fairs, and new Asian immigration.
Mar 29, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
#429 The Moores: A Black Family in 1860s New York
Tom visits the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side to walk through the reconstructed two-room apartment of an African-American couple who lived in 1870 on Laurens Street in today’s Soho neighborhood.
Mar 22, 2024 · 48 min
The Age of Innocence: Inside Edith Wharton's Classic Novel
The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s most famous novel, an enduring classic of Old New York that has been rediscovered by a new generation. What is it about this story of Newland Archer, May Welland and Countess Olenska that readers respond to today?
Mar 15, 2024 · 1 hr 9 min
#428 The New York Game: Baseball in the Early Years
Tom and Greg are joined by Kevin Baker, author of The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, to discuss the early history of the sport and its unique connections to New York City.
Mar 1, 2024 · 1 hr 25 min
#427 The Chrysler Building and the Great Skyscraper Race
The Chrysler Building remains one of America's most beautiful skyscrapers and a grand evocation of Jazz Age New York. But this architectural tribute to the automobile is also the greatest reminder of a furious construction surge that transformed the city in the 1920s.
Feb 16, 2024 · 1 hr 13 min
#426 Behind the Domino Sign: Brooklyn's Bittersweet Empire
Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Refinery, built in 1882, was more than a factory. During the Gilded Age and into the 20th century, this New York landmark was the center of America's sugar manufacturing, helping to fuel the country's hunger for sweet delights.
Feb 2, 2024 · 1 hr 24 min
#425 It Happened at Madison Square Park
A look at 200 years of history and culture in and surrounding Madison Square Park, one of America's most famous parks thanks to the performing venue which bears its name.
Jan 19, 2024 · 52 min
Truman Capote and the Black and White Ball (Rewind)
Truman Capote's 1966 masquerade ball at the Plaza Hotel would bring together a most outrageous collection of famous folks -- movie stars, socialites, politicians, publishing icons. An invite to the ball was the true golden ticket, coveted by every celebrity and social climber in America.
Jan 5, 2024 · 50 min
#424 Kosciuszko! The Man. The Bridge. The Legend.
Why is the Kosciuszko Bridge, one of New York City's most essential pieces of infrastructure, named for the Polish national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, a man who spent little time in New York City?
Dec 21, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
#423 Leonard Bernstein's New York, New York
Maestro Leonard Bernstein is one of New York’s most influential cultural figures. He spent most of his life in the city, and that’s the focus of today’s story. The creator and his urban inspiration – Leonard Bernstein’s New York.

The Bowery Boys: New York City History

The Hidden World of Gramercy Park

#437 Haarlem, Breukelen, Utrecht: Exploring New York's Dutch Roots

#436 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: Finding Peter Stuyvesant

#435 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The Radical Walloons

#434 Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: Empire of the Seas

#433 New Amsterdam Man: An Interview with Russell Shorto

The Bowery Boys Adventures in the Netherlands TRAILER

#432 The Lenape Nation: Past, Present and Future

History of the New York City Subway (Rewind)

#431 Park Avenue: History with a Penthouse View

#430 The Story of Flushing: Queens History, Old and New

#429 The Moores: A Black Family in 1860s New York

The Age of Innocence: Inside Edith Wharton's Classic Novel

#428 The New York Game: Baseball in the Early Years

#427 The Chrysler Building and the Great Skyscraper Race

#426 Behind the Domino Sign: Brooklyn's Bittersweet Empire

#425 It Happened at Madison Square Park

Truman Capote and the Black and White Ball (Rewind)

#424 Kosciuszko! The Man. The Bridge. The Legend.

#423 Leonard Bernstein's New York, New York