Cityscape

The pandemic has had a profound effect on many industries and organizations, including nonprofits.

Joining us this week to talk about the ripple effects of a pandemic on nonprofits, and the work her organization is doing to help them rebound is Danielle Holly. She’s the CEO of Common Impact. The organization helps nonprofits grow to achieve greater success in the communities they serve by connecting them with corporate experts.

Breathing is something a lot of us take for granted, but our guest on this week’s Cityscape says the way in which we breathe, could improve our physical health and state of mind, and not just during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Dr. Richard Brown is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and co-author of “The Healing Power of the Breath.” Dr. Brown teaches advanced breath techniques to help people relieve stress and  improve mood, mental focus, empathy and performance.

Our interview with him as part of WFUV’s Strike a Chord campaign focused on efforts to help improve our mental and emotional well-being. 

In America they’re called row houses, but across the pond in England, a row of wall-sharing homes is called a terraced house.

Regardless of what you call them, it’s part of what separates cities like London, New York, Boston and Amsterdam from places like Paris and Minneapolis.

In his new book, The North Atlantic Cities, author, planner and historian Charles Duff explores row house cities from 1600 to now. He’s our guest on this week’s Cityscape.

Jigsaw puzzles are an age-old pastime, and with more people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re seeing a resurgence in popularity.

British mapmaker and engraver John Spilsbury is credited with making the first jigsaw puzzle in 1762. He was a cartographer, and created what he called "dissected maps" to teach kids geography.

On this week's show, we’re talking with modern-day puzzle makers Adam Silver and Sarah Dickinson. They’re the founders of the New York Puzzle Company.

You can’t have a conversation about historical architecture without referencing Stanford White. He was one of the most prominent architects of the Gilded Age. White was a partner in the firm McKim, Mead and White, which built some of the most iconic institutional and domestic buildings of the early 20th century. 

White’s great-grandson Samuel G. White is out with a new book about Stanford’s work. It’s called Stanford White in Detail. Samuel is our guest on this edition of Cityscape.

The music industry still has a long way to go for gender equality. Research shows that women remain woefully underrepresented in the industry.

Enter All the Ladies, a new children's album that was created in protest of  the lack of female representation in the music industry.

The collection of 11 songs is focused on general equality, female empowerment and breaking glass ceilings. In this edition of Cityscape, we're talking with the album's creator, Joanie Leeds. 

After sitting on a jury in a trial involving a double homicide in East Harlem, Efrem Sigel wanted answers. He wanted to know more about the circumstances that led the young people involved to engage in a life of crime and violence.

The killings took place in the courtyard of the East River Houses, a public housing complex located on 1st Avenue between 102nd Street and 105th Street in Manhattan. 

Efrem Sigel recounts his experience as a juror in the trial and his subsequent examination of the link between poverty and violence in his book Juror Number 2: The Story of Murder, The Agony of a Neighborhood.

What do George Carlin, Barack Obama, Humphrey Bogart and Billie Holiday all have in common?

They all once resided on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

A new book highlights nearly 600 hundred notables who at one time or another lived on the Upper West Side. It’s called Notable New Yorkers of Mahattan’s Upper West Side: Bloomingdale and Morningside Heights. 

The author is Jim Mackin. He’s a New York City historian and founder of WeekdayWalks, which provides tours of New York City neighborhoods. Mackin is our guest on this week's Cityscape. 

A lot of names come to mind when we think of people who have shaped New York City history --  John D. Rockefeller, Edith Wharton, and Robert Moses, for instance. But there are many names you might not know. And too many of those names belong to people of color. 

Do you know the name of the person who helped desegregate New York City public transportation? What about the person who helped invent the lightbulb with Thomas Edison?

Did you know that New York City was home to the first Black doctor in the United States? Do you know his name? 

In You Should Know Their Names, we explore the remarkable stories of seven Black New Yorkers whose names we think you should know. 

The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, and black women are several times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.

Bruce McIntyre is trying to do something about that.  His partner died after an emergency C-section at a Bronx hospital in late April. He says her death is an example of long-standing inequities in the health care system for women of color.

That's why McIntyre founded the Save A Rose Foundation. It’s dedicated to shedding light on issues of maternal mortality among women of color in the U.S.

We recently talked with McIntyre about the love of his life, Amber Rose Isaac, and his efforts to prevent other families from going through similar heartache. 

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, what are the challenges older New Yorkers are facing as the pandemic rages on?

According to a new AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation report, the pandemic has resulted in an “epidemic of loneliness” among older adults.

Joining us this week to talk more about this and other issues related to the impact of the pandemic on older New Yorkers is AARP New York Director Beth Finkel.

The bookstore scene isn’t what it used to be, but New York City is still home to some remarkable booksellers, including Argosy Books, the city’s oldest independent bookstore and the Strand, arguably the most recognizable bookshop in the city.

In this episode, we’re diving into the story of Café Con Libros, an intersectional Feminist community bookstore and coffee shop in Brooklyn. It aims to create “a vibrant community space where everyone; specifically female identified folx, feel centered, affirmed and celebrated.” 

Kalima Desuze is the owner of the shop. She joins us this week to talk about the inspiration behind Café Con Libros, the recent “Boxed Out” campaign, and what it means to be a Black female business owner in 2020. 

2020 has been anything but an easy year -- you know with a pandemic and all. But, a little humor can go a long way.

Enter award-winning writer, illustrator, and cartoonist, Bob Eckstein. Bob has had his cartoons published in the New York Times, MAD magazine and the New Yorker.

Bob's a regular guest on Cityscape, and joins us this week to talk about what he’s been up to during the pandemic, including putting out a new book with famed New Yorker cartoonist, Michael Shaw. It’s called The Elements of Stress and the Pursuit of Happy-ish in this Current Sh*tstorm. 

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, no doubt many people want to turn back the hands of time, or perhaps move them forward. In either case, on this week’s Cityscape, we’re paying careful attention to time with a guy who knows a whole lot about it: Nick Manousas, Executive Director of the Horological Society of New York.   

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." It’s a quip attributed to writer, poet and critic Dorothy Parker. She also once said “a silver cord ties me tight to my city.” Her city being New York City.

Dorothy Parker lived an extraordinary life in the Big Apple, but what happened after she died is also extraordinary. It’s a story that was literally put to rest this summer amidst the coronavirus pandemic. 

More than 53 years after her death, Dorothy Parker’s ashes were interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. 

It’s a tale only our guests on this week's Cityscape could tell well. Kevin C. Fitzpatrick is the head of the Dorothy Parker Society. He’s also a professional tour guide and author. He along with The New Yorker Writer, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, brought Parker’s cremains to the Bronx from Baltimore, where they had been interred at NAACP headquarters. It’s quite the story! 

There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a dark cloud over New York City, and the rest of the world for that matter. But, bright spots still shine through each and every day. Among them, community gardens that have long been a place of comfort and hope for weary New Yorkers.

A new book celebrates New York City’s community gardens, as well as the people who create, cultivate and enjoy them. It’s called Rooted in the Hood. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with the author, Anna Angelidakis. 

A lot of people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic have traded their traditional workplace clothes for more comfortable and leisurely apparel -- sweatpants, T-shirts, slippers, etc. But, a new book takes a closer look at how what we choose to wear can affect how we think and work. It's called Dress Your Best Life: How to Use Fashion Psychology to Take Your Look -- and Your Life -- to the Next Level. In this episode of Cityscape, we're talking with the author, New York City-based fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen. 

Will they come back?

Midtown Manhattan, the center of business in New York City, is still looking pretty empty these days. Office workers have yet to come back in large numbers. Is the shift to working from home becoming permanent and what will this mean to corporate efforts to diversify the workplace? 

For years there’s been talk that automation and digital technology would have a tremendous impact on our nation's workforce, not only eliminating jobs, but also fundamentally changing how and where work is done. COVID-19 has accelerated these trends.  

Our guest this week is Dr. Arthur Langer, Chairman and Founder of a nonprofit organization called Workforce Opportunity Services. Workforce Opportunity Services has helped hundreds of young people from underserved and underrepresented communities, as well as post 9-11 veterans, get good jobs at companies like Prudential, Bristol Myers Squibb and others throughout the nation.  

Dr. Langer is also a professor at Columbia University,  Langer's research focuses in part on reinventing education and the US workforce. 

The W-O-S model, developed by Dr. Langer, focuses on offering support for underserved communities from the beginning of their training all the way through employment. 

Like many small businesses, Economy Candy, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, has had to pivot to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

The iconic New York City candy shop is making the most of online sales, but also going old school. They’ve stationed a pushcart outside of their store dubbed ‘Economy Candy To-Go.” And to make candy shopping super easy, they’ve been selling specially-curated candy packs since March. And yes, they now have Halloween-themed packs for the season.

We recently had the chance to catch up with the folks currently holding down the fort of this long-standing family-owned business, third-generation owner Mitchell Cohen and his wife Skye Greenfield Cohen. 

For the first time in its history, New York City’s Central Park is home to a monument depicting real-life women.

This summer, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a statue of women’s rights pioneers Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth, made its debut on Central Park’s Literary Walk.

The nonprofit organization Monumental Women was instrumental in seeing the project through.

We talked with Monumental Women’s President Pam Elam and board member Namita Luthra about their efforts to break the bronze ceiling. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled New York City’s street vendors. With foot traffic slowed to a crawl in many neighborhoods, vendors are struggling to make ends meet, and some have decided not to return to the streets because the dollars and cents just don’t add up.

On this week's show, we’re talking with Mohamed Attia, Director of the Street Vendor Project, along with Ahmed Ebrahim, a hot dog vendor at New York’s Rockefeller Center and Alex Simon-Fox, a program officer with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The global philanthropic organization has partnered with the Street Vendor Project to employ street vendors to cook and distribute meals to communities in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Our guest this week knows a thing or two about second chances. 

When Coss Marte went to prison in 2009, he was faced with not one, but two big challenges: lose weight and discover a legitimate career upon release. Luckily for him, overcoming the first obstacle helped him find the answer to the other. Coss, a former drug kingpin, is now helping others get into shape through his fitness company -- ConBody. It markets a "prison style" boot camp based Coss' former prison workout routine. The company also provides opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals by hiring them as trainers. 

Coss is now doubling down on his commitment to helping ex-inmates turn their lives around with Second Chance Studios. It’s a nonprofit digital media company that trains and employs formerly incarcerated people in audio engineering, podcasting, video production and other in-demand technical skills.

Matt Bocchi was nine-years-old when his father perished in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. What followed for Matt was a life filled with psychological and emotional torment.

Matt got involved with alcohol and drugs after an uncle through marriage took advantage of his vulnerability and sexually abused him.

Now as we mark the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Matt is more than five years sober and the author of a new memoir titled Sway. He joins Cityscape host George Bodarky to talk about it. 

If you’re like the team at Cityscape, you’ve had your fair share of ice cream this summer. It’s the perfect treat on a hot summer day, but then again, if you ask us, it’s the perfect treat anytime. In this edition of Cityscape, we’re checking in with a unique ice cream shop that’s serving both delicious ice cream and the community at large.

Sugar Hill Creamery is located in Harlem. It’s owned and operated by husband and wife duo Nick Larsen and Petrushka Bazin Larsen. They describe the shop as “a love affair between community and food," and serve dozens of flavors of handmade ice cream and non-dairy frozen desserts inspired by their Caribbean and Midwestern cultures, as well as the Harlem community they’re a part of. 

We recently talked with Petrushka and Nick about the shop and their recent partnership with Ice Cream for Change to help fight racism.

For emerging artists, securing a residency can be transformational. And now in New York City, a new artist-in-residence opportunity has emerged in perhaps an unlikely place -- Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. 

Green-Wood Cemetery recently announced a new nine month long artist-in-residence program. The chosen artist will have the opportunity to use a private studio on the property to create art inspired by the historic cemetery. 

In this edition of Cityscape, we're talking with Lisa Alpert and Harry Weil. Lisa is the Vice President of Development & Programming at Green-Wood, and Harry is the Director of Public Programs & Special Projects. He’s in charge of all special programs and events at Green-Wood, including the artist-in-residence program. 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people have been leaving New York City for greener pastures, whether it be for a day trip or something more permanent. But, even within the big city you can find greener pastures, and we’re not just talking about Central Park and Prospect Park.

New York City is home to a working farm with animals and everything. 

On this edition of Cityscape, we're paying a virtual visit to the Queens County Farm Museum.

We'll also talk with Courtney Wade, who lives on a farm in the Catskills in upstate New York. Courtney is a chef, photographer, graphic designer and the author of The Catskills: Farm to Table Cookbook. 

New York City has long been a backdrop for television shows and movies, making it an ideal place for someone like Georgette Blau. She’s the founder of On Location Tours, an award-winning TV and movie tour company. But, one scene Georgette never expected to find herself in is the owner of a tour company in the midst of a pandemic.

In this edition of Cityscape, Georgette shares how she’s rewriting the script for her company, including creating a Friends virtual tour to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the classic TV comedy.

New York City is known as “the city that never sleeps.” But since the coronavirus pandemic hit, nightlife venues and organizations have had to go to bed, leaving venues struggling to stay afloat.

House of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn is slowly awakening from its slumber, having recently reopened for outdoor activities. But, the venue, which has been described as a mix of “Studio 54 and Cirque du Soleil” is far from returning to normal. 

We recently caught up with Kae Burke, one of House of Yes' founders, via Zoom. We talked about how House of Yes is doing amidst the pandemic, the origins of the venue, and what nightlife in New York City might look like in the future. 

New York City has long been known for its bustling nightlife scene.

We're familiar with images of people dressed to the nines packed into posh clubs dancing the night away and jazz musicians performing before more intimate crowds at venues in Greenwich Village. But, the coronavirus pandemic has put the city that never sleeps to bed, leaving its vibrant nightlife scene in a deep slumber.

Even as the city continues to re-open, it’s unlikely nightclubs, music venues and performance spaces will return to normalcy anytime soon.

A group of individuals and venues associated with New York City’s nightlife scene have launched an emergency relief fund to help venues as they struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic. On this week's Cityscape we'll talk with Ric Leichtung, a founding partner of  NYC Nightlife United. 

We'll also hear from J.C. Diaz, president of the American Nightlife Association.

COVID-19 and AIDS are, of course, different diseases, but those who have been on the front lines in the battle against HIV/AIDS see parallels between the crises.

Our guest in this episode is Sharen Duke, Executive Director and CEO of The Alliance for Positive Change. She joins us to talk about how the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic compare to now, and the challenges New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS and other chronic health conditions are facing with coronavirus.

Today Lower Manhattan residents seeking to escape the city in the hot summer months may head to the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore, but in the 1800s, midtown Manhattan was the place to go for a quick getaway.

Between 1826 and 1833, The Mount Vernon Hotel on East 61st Street was the go-to place for New Yorkers looking to escape the hustle bustle of the city, which at the time extended only as far north as 14th Street.

The hotel is now a museum.

Unfortunately, the museum is temporarily closed to due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its virtual doors are open. Cityscape host George Bodarky recently talked with the museum’s director, Terri Daly.

For a lot of New Yorkers, the city’s parks have become sanctuaries, providing a much needed escape from the confines of their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. But advocates are concerned tough economic times ahead could mean less funding for our urban oases. 

In this episode of Cityscape we'll hear from Adam Ganser, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks and Michelle Luebke, Director of Environmental Stewardship with Bronx River Alliance. 

The curtain is coming up on some aspects of life in New York City, but you can expect it to remain down on Broadway for a while longer due to the coronavirus pandemic.  And if you’re wondering how long a while is. Well, that remains to be seen.

In this edition of Cityscape, we'll talk with Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, about the future of the Great White Way.

We'll also hear from photographer Peter Pabon, who has been traversing New York City to document life amidst the coronavirus pandemic. 

A lot of us are dealing with the challenges of reemerging into society after months of quarantine, but reentry during a pandemic poses much greater challenges for individuals getting out of prison. Enter the Fortune Society, a New York City based organization that provides essential support for people getting out of prison and promotes alternatives to incarceration.

In this episode of Cityscape, host George Bodarky talks with JoAnne Page, President and CEO of the Fortune Society. 

The coronavirus pandemic has hit small businesses across the country hard. They were forced to quickly shut their doors with no clear timeline for when they could re-open. In New York City establishments that sell food and drink were among those deemed essential, and that proved to be an accidental lifeline for one Brooklyn shop.

Jane Motorcycles in Williamsburg is not your ordinary retail store. In addition to selling motorcycles and apparel, they have a coffee bar, and because of that, Jane Motorcycles was allowed to stay open during the pandemic. They even added gourmet sandwiches and other food items to their menu in the midst of the outbreak. Citycape host George Bodarky recently talked with the founders of Jane Motorcycles on Zoom. 

Since the late 1800s, Volunteers of America has been working to assist many of New York City’s most vulnerable populations. And that effort continues today in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cityscape host George Bodarky talked with President and CEO of Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Tere Pettitt, via Zoom.

With nearly 51,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, Brooklyn is one of the most impacted areas in the hardest-hit city in the United States.

Cityscape Host George Bodarky recently talked with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams about a wide range of issues, from racial disparities in the age of coronavirus to how the city should look to shore up an economy in crisis. They spoke via Zoom.

Like many cultural institutions, Flushing Town Hall in Queens had to quickly pivot to online programming in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

While its physical doors might be closed, its virtual doors remain wide open. Cityscape Host George Bodarky recently talked with Flushing Town Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek, a self-proclaimed hugger, about how she and her institution are managing in the age of social distancing. 

New York City is full of things to see and do, but these days, well -- coronavirus! The pandemic has brought so much to a halt, including tours of iconic landmarks and historic neighborhoods.

Cityscape host George Bodarky recently talked with tour guide Jeremy Wilcox about how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting him and others in the industry. Jeremy is s a lifelong New Yorker and treasurer of the Guides Association of New York City. They chatted via Zoom.