The Bowery Boys: New York City History facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Bowery Boys: New York City History |
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The Bowery Boys: New York City History is a fun podcast all about the amazing past of New York City. It was started in June 2007 by two friends, Thomas Meyers and Gregory Young. Each episode of the podcast focuses on one interesting person, place, or event from New York City's history. By December 2020, they had already made 348 episodes!
Contents
Discovering New York's Past
How the Podcast Started
Even though Greg Young and Tom Meyers live near New York City now, they both grew up in the Midwest. Greg is from Springfield, Missouri, and Tom grew up in Bellevue, Ohio. They met through Tom's sister, who was studying journalism with Greg.
In 2007, Greg and Tom wanted to create a podcast about New York City's theater or history. They used an app called GarageBand to record their very first podcast. It was called "NYC Cast" and was a casual chat about Canal Street, which was near Tom's apartment in the Bowery neighborhood. Tom said they just wanted to try it out and see if people would like it. The show quickly became a more focused history podcast.
The podcast's name, "The Bowery Boys," comes from their neighborhood. It also reminds people of a famous 19th-century gang called the Bowery Boys and a group of actors from old Hollywood movies with the same name.
Big Achievements and Fun Shows
The podcast has received many awards and honors over the years. In 2009 and 2011, it was nominated for "Best Travel Podcast" at the Podcast Awards. The UK newspaper Daily Telegraph even listed it as one of the best travel podcasts.
In 2013, NPR featured Greg and Tom on their "Morning Edition" program, which is a big deal! In 2014, the Guides Association of New York City (GANYC) gave them an award for "Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program/Podcasts."
In June 2016, they released their first book. It's called The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York: An Unconventional Exploration of Manhattan's Historic Neighborhoods, Secret Spots and Colorful Characters.
Spooky Stories and TV Connections
In 2017, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment gave Meyers and Young a special Spotlight Award. This award recognized their important work in helping New York City's media and entertainment industries grow.
Since 2018, they have hosted a yearly Halloween show at Joe's Pub. At these shows, they tell spooky ghost stories from New York City's past.
In 2022, Tom Meyers also co-hosted the official podcast for the HBO TV show, The Gilded Age (TV series).
Besides their podcast, Greg and Tom also lead walking tours around New York City. They have also hosted events with the Municipal Art Society and LitCrawl New York.
What You'll Hear on the Show
Most Bowery Boys episodes are like a friendly conversation between Greg and Tom. They usually focus on one specific place or person. For example, their 50th episode was about the history of Collect Pond. Their 100th episode told the story of Robert Moses.
They are also famous for their yearly Halloween episode. These episodes usually share ghost stories from New York City, some of which are very old, going back to the 1600s! Sometimes, you'll also hear shorter episodes where only Greg talks about smaller topics.
