The Bowery Boys: New York City History is a travel and history podcast that was launched in June 2007 by Thomas Meyers and Gregory Young. Podcast episodes focus on the history of one person, place, or event in New York City history. As of June 2016, the Bowery Boys have produced 206episodes.
Contents
Name
Meyers and Young named their show for the notorious 19th-century gang the Bowery Boys, although on an interview with Brian Lehrer on November 2010, they also mention the comedic Hollywood acting troupe The Bowery Boys.
Format
Most Bowery Boys episodes frequently take the form of a conversation between the two hosts and are often centered on a particular place or person. For instance, their 50th episode concerns the history of Collect Pond, while their 100th episodes regards the life of Robert Moses. They are also known for their annual Halloween episode, which usually focuses on New York City ghost stories, sometimes dating as far back as the 17th century. There are also shorter episodes featuring Young alone, expounding on smaller topics.
Recognition
The Bowery Boys: New York City History was awarded the Guides Association of New York City ("GANYC") 2014 Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program/Podcasts".
The podcast was nominated for best travel podcast in the 2009 and 2011 Podcast Awards. The UK Daily Telegraph named the program among its list of best travel podcasts in 2009. NPR also featured the pair on their "Morning Edition" program in 2013.
Meyers and Young have also hosted events with the Municipal Art Society and LitCrawl New York. Their new book Adventures In Old New York was released in June 2016.