NYC History in 10 Objects

Last month I blogged about an upcoming segment on WNYC's Leonard Lopate show called The Story of New York in 10 Objects. Ten objects -- both man made and natural -- that encapsulate the history and identity of our great city. They were taking nominations from listeners and whittled them down.

On today's show they revealed the final list. You should listen to the segment but here, in short, is the list:

#10-The NYC Subway Map: the nexus for transportation in NYC, how the 8.2 million people in our town get around. Without it, we'd be stuck.


#9-The Manhattan Shist: this city wasn't built on rock'n'roll but on rocks. And rocks don't just exist underneath our city but within our buildings too. Without the rocks, we'd be on the rocks (ha ha).


#8-The Wall Street Sign: not only does it tell you where you are but this sign is the masthead for the entire American financial system and, by extension, the entire American economic system. People love Wall Street, hate Wall Street -- much like capitalism itself. Without Wall Street, a huge part of our city's identity and economy wouldn't exist. 


#7-The Brooklyn Bridge: easily the most beautiful bridge in the city, it was also the first bridge to nail the city together. (Actually, when it was first constructed in the last 19th century, it nailed two cities, NYC and Brooklyn together before they became part of the same city). After this bridge was built, making transport between the cities (now boroughs) became a lot easier and the fate of both were sealed. Without this bridge, our city wouldn't be the city as we know it today.


#6-Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems: easily the oddest thing on this list. I've never read it but the it is apparently a collection of stories about our city. Without it, well, our city's voice would be diminished.


#5-18th Century Ship Excavated from the WTC Site: this old boat was apparently used as part of the original WTC site and was uncovered during its reconstruction. It's an amazing example of our city's past and future coming together -- the past and the future always co-exist in this most dynamic of towns. Without this discovery, a part of our history would still be unknown and our city would be the lesser for it.

#4-The Oyster: before bagels, before Chinese food, before hot dogs, the oyster used to be considered the quintessential NYC food. Tourists came here to see our shows, go to our museums, and eat our oysters. For obvious reasons, the oyster is no longer NYC's main culinary selling point, but it helped pave the way to make our city the restaurant capital of America. Without the oyster, our city's food history would not quite be so sterling.

#3-The Food Cart: it was invented here! You can get a hot dog, a pretzel, some nuts, a soda, some water, a donut, some coffee, even tacos and felafel's! Food carts represent the great efficiency of NYC -- little stores on the sidewalks that feed, literally, our food needs. Without food carts, we'd all be a lot hungrier and thirstier (and that wouldn't be good).

#2-Subway Token: though they no longer exist, the token was NYC's own currency. New Yorkers loved their tokens. They were an over sized, yellow, funny looking coin that was unique to NYC and actually made people excited (somewhat) about taking the subway. Without the token, a sentimental part of NYC's identity would never have existed and wouldn't be so fondly remembered today.

#1-The Greek Coffee Cup: remember these? The gorgeously designed blue Hellenic cups that contained a good old fashioned cup o'coffee (as opposed to a latte). You used to be able to see New Yorkers from all races, all nationalities, all classes, both genders, clutching their Greek coffee cups on their work, getting their much needed caffeine fix. (Doubtless these made us all a little more neurotic). Without these Greek cups and the coffee they contained, New Yorkers, well, wouldn't be New Yorkers.  

Accused NYC Madam Speaks Out

"The Godfather"@40

Can you believe "The Godfather" is forty years old? 

Forty years ago this week, this classic movie opened and changed the course of American cinema forever. It became the highest grossing movie in history up to that time, replacing "Gone with the Wind" (which had held the record for 33 years). It remade the career of Marlon Brando, perhaps the greatest actor ever, making this star of the 1950s a big star again in the 1970s. And it made the careers of Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan (amongst others).

It's also a real New York movie. Yes, it's about the mob and crimes, but it's more than that. It has a grit, a toughness, a sexiness, and an honesty that screams NYC. It takes place on the streets, in the city's underbelly, and the actors sound like they grew up and live here. This movie may have been loved around the country and around the world, but it began here. 

It also gave us some classic lines -- "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"; "Leave the gun, take the cannolis", "Sleeps with the fishes" -- amongst others that are quoted by people (like yours truly) who weren't alive when it was released.

"The Godfathers" legacy is alive and well today. It sure doesn't sleep with the fishes (sorry, couldn't help it).

Anchors Away?

Huge news in the world of NYC local news this week.

Sue Simmons is going away ... for now. 

In the history of New York City news, few people are as iconic as Sue Simmons. For the last 32 years, she and Chuck Scarborough have anchored the local nightly news on WNBC. In the tumultuous world of broadcasting, for two people to hold the same jobs for more than three decades, is amazing. Chuck and Sue are practically household names in NYC -- more famous than the big network and cable anchors -- and they have been respected, trusted, and adored. Growing up, I learned a lot about the city in which I lived from Chuck and Sue. Their professionalism, integrity, and overall appeal was undeniable. As a little, and now a grown up, I thought they were the best.

But Sue has apparently priced herself out of her job. So she's being let go. I have no doubt that she'll pop up somewhere soon but it somehow won't be the same without Chuck and Sue putting the city to bed each night. (Never mind that Sue Simmons began her career at a time when being a black woman wasn't exactly a big asset in the competitive world of news.)

And another anchor is rising. Pat Kiernan who wakes the city up each morning on NY1 is apparently being courted to replace -- can you believe this? -- Regis Philbin! He co-hosted "Live!" with Kelly Ripa this week and rumors are swirling that he might became the permanent replacement. Which means those of us who enjoy our local Canadian import might lose him to the nation. 

Plus ca change ... 

Memo from NYC

As another presidential election year grinds on, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some presidential elections from years past.

Specifically, 1972. Forty years ago.

This is best known as the Watergate election when President Richard Nixon won an historic 49 state victory in the shadow of what became the greatest scandal in American history -- prompting the president's resignation (the first and only ever) less than two years later.

The below clip, from ABC TV on election night 1972, is fascinating. 

It's around 9:30 PM. When the clips begins, they announce that Nixon has been re-elected and that he has carried an important state -- New York. This would be only one of three times in the last forty years that New York state has gone Republican in presidential elections. The only other times are when Reagan won our state in 1980 and 1984. Otherwise New York state has gone Democratic in every other presidential election since then.

Shortly after that they announce that the Democratic candidate is currently leading in the Delaware Senate race. His name is Joseph Biden, and he's only 29 years old. Joe Biden would go on to serve in the Senate for the next 36 years and is currently the Vice-President of the United States. He'll be on the ballot again this year, in what'll probably be his last election, right below the name of President Barack Obama who was only 11 years old in 1972 (and who yours truly will proudly vote for again this year).

At about fifteen minutes into this clip, they interview John Ehrlichman, President Nixon's domestic policy advisor and one of his chief henchmen. Ehrlichman was, by this time, deeply involved in the Watergate scandal and had overseen a number of illegal activities in the Nixon White House. Of course, on this night, none of that is known to the public yet and the Watergate burglary is just a blip on the media and political radar. But soon the scandal will unfold. Nixon will fire Ehrlichman in April, 1973 and he will eventually go to jail.

In this clip, however, on this night, Ehrlichman is triumphant, declaring that this election represents a "new American majority." And when asked about Watergate, Ehrlichman says that the burglars will stand trial and that "will probably be the end of the story." 

Not exactly.

Finally, if you watch enough of this clip, you might be wondering, Where's the big board of the country lighting up in either blue or red when a candidate carries a state? Well, there is no board. Believe it or not, those big election night red state/blue state boards of the country weren't used until 1976, four years later.

So watch this clip and enjoy seeing an important moment in American history -- where a President who won his first election in 1946 (for congress) wins his final election for president 26 years later, and where a future Vice-President who will (hopefully) win his final election for Vice-President this year wins his first election forty years earlier. Two men from two political parties, whose careers together span almost 70 years of our history, having their fates meet at what turns out to be a fateful moment in the history of our country.

Astoria Park Pool ... Theater

One of my first blog posts was about the Astoria Park Pool and how awesome it is.

Now it's set to also became an outdoor theater.

Part of the pool -- right under the big diving board -- is abandoned and just basically a big hole in the ground. It's dirty and gross and useless -- so filling it in with concrete and turning it into an ampitheater is a really cool idea. 

A small wrinkle -- the diving board isn't being removed. It's landmarked, and I would imagine that removing it would be a nightmare, so it'll stay. 

What's really great about this is that it shows what an efficient city NYC is. Like the Highline before it, it's a great thing that we can re-purpose and re-use public spaces and structures without destroying them. It's a wonderful thing to re-imagine the city.

It honors our past while making our future more exciting. 

Andy Warhol's New York

The first time that I ever heard of Andy Warhol was when he died.

It was February, 1987, and I had just turned ten, and some girl in my 4th grade class mentioned that he was dead. The name meant nothing to me (not many ten year old boys care about glam art) but in the passing years I learned about Andy Warhol, the artist, the man, the legend.

I learned about his iconic paintings -- Campbell Soup cans, Marylin Monroe, etc. I learned about The Factory, his downtown space where he made art and helped others to do so. I learned about his involvement in helping to launch my favorite band, The Velvet Underground, to prominence. And I learned his most famous quote about everyone being famous for fifteen minutes.

Warhol was a native of Pittsburgh (like my dad's family) who migrated to NYC as a young aspiring artist. In the 1960s, when he was producing his cutting edge art, he also became a celebrity, wearing his iconic jackets and over sized sunglasses, being seen at clubs and shows, and having lots of hangers on abuzz around him. Until his death, Warhol basically defined the New York art scene. He was New York art. 

His death was a trauma to the New York art world and it has never fully recovered from it. 

No one ever really did (or could) take his place. I suppose Warhol was sui generis -- a unique man producing unique art at a unique time, in a city that was very different from today. He could never be replaced. Back in '87, New York was still recovering from the fiscal crises, crime was high, white flight still occurring, a malaise still shrouding the town. Warhol wasn't just producing art, he was giving the city a much needed boost of confidence. A quarter century after his death, the city is much different (and much less depressed) and Warhol's work is now the stuff of art school curriculum). 

So what was his New York, what was the town that he inhabited -- and how did he inhabit it -- all those years ago?

This article sheds some light on the subject. A few takeaways about Warhol's NYC:

When he first came to NYC, Warhol practically stalked Truman Capote, so obsessed was the young artist was with the great writer's work.

Warhol was an intense, practicing Roman Catholic, and often worshiped at St. Thomas More on East 89th street (a rather uptown, bourgeois place that the downtown, hipster Warhol went).

He may have been the coolest man in town, but Warhol lived with his mother in NYC for 20 years.

He was shot by a deranged woman named Valerie Solanos but survived. You can see the movie "I Shot Andy Warhol" for the full story.  

And so much more.

Today Warhol has merged into NYC's collective memory. No longer a man, he's now one of our favorite myths. But he's still around. Oh yes -- go to Union Square and you'll see a hideous chrome statue of him. Personally, I think it does him a great injustice. 

I'm sure Andy would have loved it.  

Bursting at the Seems?

New York City has 8.2 million people within its environs. That's bigger than 40 of our nation's 50 states and many other countries. NYC is twice as big as America's second largest city, LA. 

In short, we are truly America's premiere city.

Approximately 5 million people live in Brooklyn and Queens. Half a million people live on Staten Island. And about 1.5 million live in the Bronx, and 1.5 lives in Manhattan. And more and more people want to live in Manhattan.

That's not a surprise, but where will they all go?  

That's the subject of this big article today. From a distance, the idea of more and more people living on the skinny 13-mile island is horrifying, some kind of Malthusian nightmare. One person even speculates that, with more people in Manhattan, it'll be like living in a real-life "Blade Runner" world.

But fear not! Stunning as it may seem, Manhattan actually has plenty of room for more people. More buildings are rising. More housing is being built. And although 1.5 million people live in Manhattan, that's no where near to how many people lived here more than 100 years ago when close to 2.3 million people populated the borough. 

So, although Manhattan is getting more crowded, we can deal with it ... for now.

Also, there's this lovely article about the life of Scott Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President who is also, like yours truly, a new father. He may be the most prominent man in Manhattan, and I may be a nobody who lives in Queens, but it's great to know we're united by both of us having to get up at 5 AM for baby feedings.