Wfuv's Cityscape

The Bowery in Lower Manhattan is New York City’s oldest thoroughfare. The 1.25 mile stretch has a rich and storied past with strong connections to vaudeville, beat literature and punk rock. But nowadays the Bowery’s history has somewhat faded into its present, which includes high-end shops, bars and eateries. The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors is working to preserve and protect the history of the legendary street. The Bowery Alliance recently sponsored a project involving 64 window placards celebrating the Bowery’s remarkable, but largely forgotten contributions to American culture and history. It’s called Windows on the Bowery. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with the President of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, David Mulkins.

We are a society addicted to our cell phones. Take a look around the streets of New York City and chances are the majority of people around you will be staring down at their palms, checking e-mails or texting with friends or family. But, when we spend so much time staring at that glowing screen in our palms, we’re missing out on all that’s around us, including some pretty magnificent gardens and wildlife you may be surprised to see in a city like New York. On this week’s Cityscape we’re exploring unexpected greenery and bird species in the Big Apple.

A recent study found that lawyers struggle with substance abuse, particularly drinking, and with depression and anxiety more commonly than some other professionals. Our guest on this week’s Cityscape knows all too well about problem drinking in the legal profession. Lisa F. Smith was addicted to alcohol and drugs while working at prominent New York City law firms.  Lisa has been sober for just over 12 years, and shares her story of addiction and recovery in her new memoir, Girl Walks Out of a Bar.

When you think about bath time, what comes to mind? If you’re a parent of a young child, perhaps it’s the challenge of getting your kid into the tub. If you grew up watching Sesame Street, it might be Ernie and his rubber ducky. And if you’re someone who loves the 80’s, maybe it’s the phrase “Calgon, take me away!” Bathing has meant different things to many cultures over the centuries. Doctor Paulette Kouffman Sherman, a psychologist in New York City, dives deep into the history and power of a mindful soak in her new book – The Book of Sacred Baths: 52 Bathing Rituals to Revitalize Your Spirit. She’s our guest on this week’s Cityscape.

New York City is bursting with history.  You can still see some of it with your very own eyes. For instance, you can pay a visit to what’s billed as Manhattan’s oldest house, the Morris-Jumel Mansion. But, some of the Big Apple’s history is no longer visible, like the prison where the crooked politician William "Boss” Tweed died in 1878. Greg Young and Tom Meyers are good friends who dive deep into the history of New York City in their hit podcast – The Bowery Boys. Since they started in 2007 they’ve produced more than 200 episodes, and are now making the rounds promoting their first book Adventures in Old New York. Greg and Tom recently dropped by our studios to talk about their ongoing exploration into the city’s rich past.

It can be a challenge for any kid to head back to school after summer break. After all there is something to be said for lazy days hanging out with friends at the park, beach or pool. But, summer only lasts so long, and soon kids will be trading in their beach balls for notebooks. For a lot of families in New York City, the cost of getting a child ready for a new school year can be out of reach. Enter – Operation Backpack. The initiative provides backpacks stocked with grade-appropriate school supplies to kids living in homeless and domestic violence shelters. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with the program's founder, Rachel Weinstein.

Before Central Park and before Prospect Park, there was Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery.  With its rolling hills, majestic views and beautiful monuments, the cemetery was once one of the nation’s greatest tourist attractions – right up there with Niagara Falls.  Green-Wood doesn’t pack in as many tourists today, but it still remains a popular destination. The roster of those interred at Green-Wood Cemetery reads like a “Who’s Who” of great New Yorkers. We recently dug into Green-Wood's history with a guy who knows quite a bit about it -- the cemetery's historian, Jeff Richman.

The arts can play an important role in the rehabilitation of those who’ve suffered both mental and physical trauma, from stroke sufferers to survivors of domestic violence. As part of WFUV's Strike a Chord campaign, we conducted a panel discussion at BronxNet Television.  Our guests included: Suzanne Tribe, a music therapist who works with the Healing Arts program at Montefiore Health System. Lindsay Aaron, an art therapist at Montefiore. She works with adult patients within the oncology and palliative care departments. Ariel Edwards, Community Arts Director at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, New York.  The Clay Art Center has a workshop for people living with cancer. Dolores Anselmo, someone who benefits from the Clay Art Center.

From Coney Island to Green-Wood Cemetery to Prospect Park, Brooklyn has a whole lot to offer locals and tourists alike. The borough has a tremendously rich history with a variety of vibrant neighborhoods. Many of those neighborhoods have seen a great deal of change over the years. Freelance writer Ellen Freudenheim has witnessed that changed first hand. She’s a long-time Brooklyn resident and recently completed her fourth guidebook to the borough. It’s called The Brooklyn Experience: The Ultimate Guide to Neighborhoods and Noshes, Culture and the Cutting Edge. Ellen is our guest on this week's Cityscape.

New York’s Central Park has longed provided respite from the bustling concrete jungle. The park was designed by landscape architect and writer Frederick Law Olmsted and the English architect Calvert Vaux in 1858 after winning a design competition. Central Park has a wide array of amenities from running and bike paths to a swimming pool to ice skating rinks, but it’s the park’s trees and landscapes that are the subject of a new book. It’s called Central Park: Trees and Landscapes: A Guide to New York City’s Masterpiece. The authors are long-time park enthusiast Edward Sibley Barnard and Neil Calvanese, the Central Park Conservancy’s former Vice President for Operations and chief arborist. Barnard is also the author of another book called New York City Trees: A Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area. Cityscape host George Bodarky recently took a walk with Barnard to check out some of Central Park's magnificent trees.

For at least some people the word grandma still conjures up images of a little old lady sitting on a rocking chair and knitting. And while that may have been a largely accurate portrayal at one point in our history, you can’t paint grandmothers today with such a broad brush. Veteran journalist Lesley Stahl is a grandmother of two, and examines the role of grandparents in society in a new book called Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting.  Lesley joins us on this week's Cityscape to talk about her book. We also talk with another journalist whose working to shed new light on the role of grandparents in society. Her name is Olivia Gentile and she’s the brains behind a website called The Grandparent Effect.

New York City is a frenetic, fast-paced and noisy place, but thankfully there are plenty of areas to find solace in the concrete jungle, including at the New York Botanical Garden. The 250-acre site in the Bronx is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. For more than a decade, Larry Lederman, photographer and member of the NYBG’s Board of Advisors, has been observing and photographing the Garden in all seasons and at all times of day. We visited with Larry at the Garden to learn all about his work.

New York City's theatrical community has a rich and storied past. But, ask most people about Yiddish Theater and chances are they know only one show with a Yiddish connection -- Fiddler on the Roof. But, the story of Yiddish Theater spans well beyond the mainstream stage.  A new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York dives deep into the history of Yiddish Theater. The exhibit is called New York's Yiddish Theater: From the Bowery to Broadway, and is accompanied by a book of the same name. The woman behind the project, Edna Nahshon, is our guest on this week's Cityscape.

If you’re a baseball fan, there’s nothing more thrilling than when you’re favorite team advances to the World Series. Mets fans had that thrill last year. Although their hopes of winning the championship were dashed when the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals in Game Five of the series. It was a much different outcome for Mets fans in 1986. The Amazins won the World Series that year in a match up against the Boston Red Sox. But what happened after the champagne stopped flowing? A new book explores that question, looking at where life took several members of the '86 Mets after their big victory. It’s called Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets. The author is sportswriter Erik Sherman. He's our guest on this week's show.

Imagine running a highway through Washington Square Park. That could have happened. Urban planner Robert Moses put the idea on the table in the 1950s. But, then Jane Jacobs intervened. The urbanist and activist led the successful fight against the four-lane highway, as well as other Robert Moses' projects. Jacobs was opposed to the kind of city planning that involves big development and urban renewal projects that tear down old communities. She’s best known for her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs’ ideas have often been met with criticism from developers and city planners. But, a lot of planning experts agree that her work helped to shape modern thinking about Jane Jacobs would have turned 100 on May 4th. Several activities are planned in New York City and beyond this month to celebrate her life and legacy, including an event called Jane’s Walk. On this edition of Cityscape, we're exploring the life and legacy of Jane Jacobs.

New York City is known for its hustle and bustle.  In fact it’s that frenetic energy that often attracts people to the Big Apple.  Just look at how the tourists eat up Times Square. But, the city that’s known for never sleeping, does indeed doze a bit.  On this edition of the show, we’re exploring New York City before the sun comes up. Our guests include: Laurence Addeo, third-generation owner of Addeo Bakers in the Bronx Cameron Gidari, author of Manhattan Before8 Brooklyn-based photographer Gretchen Robinette

In a city like New York that’s constantly evolving, you often hear grumblings that neighborhoods just aren’t what they used to be.  You even have people who miss the old Times Square as gritty and crime ridden as it once was. Further downtown, St. Marks Place is frequently the subject of that kind of debate.  The three block stretch in the East Village has long had a reputation as being a hotspot for counterculture. It’s synonymous with names like Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol and the Ramones. But, some feel that pizzazz has been lost to gentrification.  Regardless, the tiny street has a long and rich history. Journalist Ada Calhoun grew up on St. Marks Place, and recently penned a book about it.  It’s called St. Marks Is Dead: The Many Lives of America’s Hippest Street. Ada and Cityscape host George Bodarky recently met up to take a walk through her old neighborhood. 

​​Maps have long played an integral role in society. They’ve been used to discover treasure and foreign lands, identify and locate constellations and stars, and simply to get to a relative’s house on time for Thanksgiving dinner. On this edition of Cityscape, we’re exploring the power of the map. Our guests are Becky Cooper, author of Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps by 75 New Yorkers, and award-winning cartographer, graphic designer and information architect, Stephan Van Dam. Stephan is the President and Creative Director of New York City-based VanDam Inc.

From food to entertainment, the Big Apple has a lot to offer no matter your age. On this edition of Cityscape, we’re taking a look at New York City from a toddler’s perspective.The city has a lot to offer a kid between the ages of one and three years old -- from cool museums to foreign language programs. This week we’ll pay a visit to a French for toddlers class on Manhattan’s upper East Side. We'll also check out a place that brings a little piece of country life to New York City kids.  And we'll talk with a photographer who literally set out to see what the city looked like from his toddler's perspective.

New York is one of the most photographed cities in the world. Just think about how many people you see snapping pictures in Times Square alone on any given day. On this week's Cityscape we're focusing on photo taking in New York City through the lens two specific individuals. One is no longer with us, but left a significant mark on the world of photography, as well as in other areas including women’s rights. Staten Island native Alice Austen was one of the nation’s earliest and most prolific female photographers. We'll also hear from photographer Harvey Stein. He's been shooting in the streets of New York City since John Lindsay was mayor. His latest book Briefly Seen: New York Street Life includes photographs taken between 1974 and 2014.