It's natural to be focused on the future at the start of the year, but as a history buff, I can't help but be curious about the past, specifically the distant past of 100 years ago. So after an afternoon of time traveling via the New York Times archives and the small collection of NYC…
Continue reading ➞ What was NYC Like 100 Years Ago? Notable Events from New York City in 1923
If there was a competition for NYC neighborhoods with the weirdest backstories, Marble Hill would definitely be a strong contender for the top prize. Read about Marble Hill's neighborhood history below and then let me know which borough you think it should belong to. Marble Hill Neighborhood History Tiny by NYC standards, with around 10,000…
Continue reading ➞ The Curious Case of Marble Hill: A Neighborhood Caught Between Two Boroughs
Here are five NYC urban legends that will get you into the spooky season spirit. The Legend of Cropsey Beware, kiddos: if you don't behave, you'll be taken to Staten Island. Staten Islanders have long told tales of Cropsey, a bogeyman with a hook for a hand who kidnaps badly behaved children and takes them…
Continue reading ➞ NYC Urban Legends That’ll Keep You Up at Night
NYC's subway system is a never-ending source of fascinating things, and I'm not just talking about all the stuff that is used as fodder for Subway Creatures. With over 100 years servicing the people of New York, the subway has racked up volumes worth of stats, facts, and trivia. Let's go over a few of…
Continue reading ➞ NYC Subway Facts from the Most Basic to the Fairly Obscure
On a relatively quiet street in Flushing, Queens, an adorable yellow and red Queen Anne-style house sits surrounded by nondescript low-to-mid-rise apartment buildings. You'd think the contrast between the house and its surroundings would bring it more attention, but the Lewis Latimer House Museum exists much in the same way its namesake did: humble and…
Continue reading ➞ You Need to Visit the Lewis Latimer House Museum in Queens ASAP!
Usually when we think of Martin Luther King, Jr., we picture him in the South in places like Birmingham and Montgomery, speaking out against the segregationist laws there. We don't normally picture him up north, although segregation and discrimination were also a fact of life for people of color in the northern states. Partly because…
Continue reading ➞ Five Surprising Connections Between MLK and NYC
NYC has been led by 110 mayors over its nearly 400-year history, but most of the men who have had the honor of being "hizzoner" have long-faded into obscurity. Only a select few mayors have been memorialized, mostly with places named after them in NYC. So in honor of the city's latest mayoral inauguration, let's…
Continue reading ➞ Should These NYC Mayors Have Places Named After Them?
These days, New York City's waterfront is a maritime playground, but for most of the city's nearly 400-year existence, the waterfront used to be strictly business. Anyone who wasn't a dock worker or a passenger on a ship steered clear of the shoreline, as all the action we've come to associate with New York City…
Continue reading ➞ Where to Go to Learn About the Forgotten History of New York’s Waterfront
Washington, D.C. is the seat of the U.S. national government, but it doesn’t have a monopoly on the country’s presidential history. Believe it or not, New York City is quite presidential if you look beyond the rats and the shoebox apartments. Keep reading and I’ll prove it to you! New York City was the first…
Continue reading ➞ NYC’s Surprising Presidential History and Where to Find It
