WFUV's Cityscape show

WFUV's Cityscape

Summary: An inside look at the people, places and spirit of New York City and its surroundings, with host George Bodarky.

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 The Brooklyn Experience | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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.

 Central Park's Trees and Landscapes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1802

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.

 Becoming Grandma | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1803

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.

 Celebrating 125 Years of the NYBG | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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's Yiddish Theater | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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.

 Life Beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1800

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.

 Play Ball! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1802

It's America's "favorite pastime." Both the Bronx and Queens are buzzing this time of year with the Yankees and Mets in action. Baseball has rich history in New York, and of course, across this great nation of ours. A new book delves deep into that history. It's written with kids in mind, but enlightening for baseball enthusiasts of any age. Our guest this week is Richard Panchyk, author of Baseball History for Kids: America at Bat from 1900 to Today.

 The Legacy of Jane Jacobs | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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.

 NYC Before Sunrise | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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

 ...Yours Truly | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1802

In the age of texting, e-mailing and tweeting, the idea of sitting down to write a letter might seem foreign to a lot of people. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with a couple of folks who want to revive the art of letter writing. We'll also check in with a Brooklyn-based artist who tosses messages in bottles in the waters off of New York City to raise awareness about the protection of wild birds. One of George Boorujy's bottles made its way from Staten Island all the way to France.

 A Walk Along St. Marks Place | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

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.

 NYC Storefronts | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1804

For mom and pop shops in New York City, high rents and competition from chain stores and online retailers can be insurmountable barriers. The city has seen many small businesses shutter their doors over the years as a result of these challenges. Over the past several years, husband and wife photography team James and Karla Murray have been photographing the distinctive facades of mom and pop shops throughout the five boroughs. Their first book of images called Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York came out in 2008. Karla and James are now out with a follow up book called Store Front II: A History Preserved The Disappearing Face of New York. Karla is our guest on this edition of Cityscape.

 First Times | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

Think back on some of your most impactful "firsts" in life — a first love, a first big career move, a first tragedy. They are all moments that undoubtedly helped to shape who you are today. On this episode of Cityscape, New York City is the backdrop for life changing firsts, including first loves, first babies and first cancer diagnoses.

 Pastrami, Pickles and Mustard | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1801

On this week's Cityscape we're taking a bite into the history of Jewish delis in New York City with the author of a new book called Pastrami on Rye. Because pickles go well with pastrami on rye bread, we'll pay a visit to the Pickles Guys on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the only pickle store still on Essex Street, which was once home to a bunch of them. And we'll top the show off with a little mustard. We'll talk with the current owner of A Bauer's Mustard, a family owned mustard company that opened in New York City in 1888.

 Everything NYC | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1800

New York is a city that has pretty much everything. But, taking it all in, well, that could be exhausting, not to mention take a lifetime. Our guests on this edition of Cityscape each have a story about trying to take in some of the "everything" the Big Apple has to offer. We'll hear from a guy on a mission to draw every person in New York City, a college professor who walked every block in the Big Apple, and a man who set out to try every slice of regular pizza in Manhattan.

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