The Untapped New York Podcast
12 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago -The Untapped New York Podcast is a podcast about New York City’s secrets, like how does a water tower work? Why does steam come out of the ground? Do alligators live in the subway? We impart our knowledge, interview experts, and in many cases, literally go behind the scenes. Hosted by Michelle Young, founder, and Justin Rivers, Chief Experience Officer, at Untapped New York.
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Episodes
The World of Oppenheimer: From New York to Los Alamos
February 24, 2024 13:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBThis episode is all about Oppenheimer, as the movie heads into the Academy Awards with thirteen Oscar nominations. Michelle Young and Justin Rivers from Untapped New York first delve into J. Robert Oppenheimer's early life in New York City where the character and moral beliefs of the precocious future scientist were forged. Our hosts also discover their mutual connection to the atomic bomb itself. Then, Michelle interviews Oppenheimer's production designer Ruth de Jong who is up for an Oscar...
The Jazz Age Murder that Took Down NYC
February 19, 2024 13:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBWhen the young and beautiful Vivian Gordon was found strangled in Van Cortlandt Park in 1931, the case to find her killer unveiled the dark underbelly of New York City political power and policing. In this episode, author Michael Wolraich of the new book The Bishop and the Butterfly, which the New York Times calls a “propulsive” “political thriller," recounts this story along with Pulitzer Prize winner Debby Applegate, author of Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler at the inaugural Lit Salon...
The Bronx Nobody Knows
January 31, 2024 19:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBThe newest episode of the Untapped New York podcast is out! Discover a dozen of the most interesting places in the Bronx, from the book The Bronx Nobody Knows: An Urban Walking Guide by William Helmreich, who walked every street in New York City’s five boroughs. That's more than 6,000 miles! The book was published posthumously, as Helmreich sadly passed away from COVID in 2020. His wife, Helaine, who walked much of the city with William had the book published after his death and joins us fo...
The Untold Story of Staten Island's Black Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis
January 24, 2024 12:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBThis episode of the Untapped New York podcast features a reading and interview with Maria Smilios, the author of the book The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis. Her eloquently and meticulously researched narrative non-fiction book is told with first hand interviews with the Black Angel nurses of Sea View Hospital on Staten Island. In the episode, Smilios brings to light this important but forgotten story in a moving, lyrical recounting of the brave jo...
Take the 5: George Washington Bridge Opened This Week in 1931
October 24, 2023 14:00 - 6 minutes - 4.36 MBIn this week's Take the 5, Michelle and Justin discuss the anniversary of opening day of the George Washington Bridge along with a new alligator art installation you can find in Manhattan. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.
Take the 5: BQE Shut Down
October 14, 2023 12:00 - 10 minutes - 7.62 MBWhat do all these three things have in common? Nothing except that they are all related to New York City! Welcome to our inaugural episode of Take the 5, our new weekly show of the weirdest, wackiest, wildest NYC news and other fun stuff. Hosted by Michelle Young & Justin Rivers of Untapped New York. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.
The Steam System in New York City
October 12, 2023 19:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBHave you ever wondered about those orange and white cones you see in the middle of New York’s streets with steam flowing out of them? To find out more we’ve gone straight to the source by interviewing Frank Cuomo, the general manager for steam operations at ConEdison. We’ll also speak to Mark Reigelman, an artist who used the steam system for one of our favorite guerrilla art installations ever. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hote...
The Podcast is Back!
October 06, 2023 16:00 - 2 minutes - 2.06 MBYou clamored for more episodes of the podcast and we listened! Michelle Young and Justin Rivers of Untapped New York share what's coming up, as we re-release our original episodes on our favorite New York City's secrets and add new shows, expanding the scope of the original podcast. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.
Manhole Covers in New York City
September 28, 2023 18:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBThis episode is a crash course into manhole covers 101 and why New Yorkers find them to be such curious objects. How many manhole covers are there in NYC? How are they made? Where do they lead to? Justin Rivers, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer, will be talking about his personal experience going down into a manhole. Lisa Frigand, the former Manager of Cultural Affairs at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection will also be joining us, along with Natasha Raheja, an anthrop...
The New York City Water Tower
September 20, 2023 13:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBWho doesn't love the New York City water tower? This episode, hosted by Michelle Young, founder of Untapped New York, is an exploration of how water towers work and why New Yorkers find them so endearing. Guests include artist Tom Fruin, who makes those amazing glass water tower sculptures, Larry Hoffman, a New Yorker who spent his career installing water towers, the duo behind Boundless Brooklyn who designed a DIY water tower kit that we've put in every office and apartment we've had, and h...
Pneumatic Tube Mail in New York City
September 13, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBDid you know mail used to be sent underground in New York City and other U.S. cities? Imagine an underground world where mail was zipping around in tubes beneath the incredibly crowded and busy New York City streets. That’s what was happening for over half a century 4 to 6 feet below street level. In this episode, host Michelle Young, the founder of Untapped New York, will explain how the system worked and how the technology can still be found today. Special guests: Lynn Heidelbaugh, Curator...
01: Pneumatic Tube Mail in New York City
December 07, 2020 22:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBDid you know mail used to be sent underground in New York City and other U.S. cities? Imagine an underground world where mail was zipping around in tubes beneath the incredibly crowded and busy New York City streets. That’s what was happening for over half a century 4 to 6 feet below street level. In this episode, host Michelle Young, the founder of Untapped New York, will explain how the system worked and how the technology can still be found today. Special guests: Lynn Heidelbaugh, Curato...