The Untapped New York Podcast

Untapped New York

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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New York's Lost Opera Houses

New York's Lost Opera Houses

New York City's lost opera houses are having their fifteen minutes of fame, thanks to the HBO show, The Gilded Age, which brought their dramatic histories to life in the most recent season. We dug into these former opera houses in our new extended episode which weaves in clips from The Gilded Age. We'll cover some of the earliest of opera houses (some of which where were Italian!), the Astor Place Opera house which inspired one of the deadliest riots in the city's history, the Academy of Music, the first Metropolitan Opera house, and our backstage tour of the current Met Opera. You can follow along with this podcast episode using the visuals in our accompanying article on Untapped New York.The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room"). All clips from The Gilded Age courtesy HBO. Opera music is La Traviata by Verdi, from PremiumBeat performed by the Human Symphony Orchestra. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

Episodes

New York's Lost Opera Houses

New York's Lost Opera Houses

New York City's lost opera houses are having their fifteen minutes of fame, thanks to the HBO show, The Gilded Age, which brought their dramatic histories to life in the most recent season. We dug into these former opera houses in our new extended episode which weaves in clips from The Gilded Age. We'll cover some of the earliest of opera houses (some of which where were Italian!), the Astor Place Opera house which inspired one of the deadliest riots in the city's history, the Academy of Music, the first Metropolitan Opera house, and our backstage tour of the current Met Opera. You can follow along with this podcast episode using the visuals in our accompanying article on Untapped New York.The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room"). All clips from The Gilded Age courtesy HBO. Opera music is La Traviata by Verdi, from PremiumBeat performed by the Human Symphony Orchestra. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The Main Streets of....NYC?

The Main Streets of....NYC?

Did you know there's a Main Street in New York City? Most people probably associate the idea of Main Street with quaint American towns and villages but New York City has not just one but five Main Streets. Join Untapped New York's founder Michelle Young as she goes on a quixotic mission to find all of NYC's Main Streets. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room"). Additional sounds by Daniel Simon and Mike Koenig. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The World of Oppenheimer: From New York to Los Alamos

The World of Oppenheimer: From New York to Los Alamos

This 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 for Best Production Design and dig into where the film was shot, how the incredible on location sets were designed, and how the worlds of Oppenheimer in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Princeton, New Jersey, were created.The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups" and "Branches"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The Jazz Age Murder that Took Down NYC

The Jazz Age Murder that Took Down NYC

When 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, a candlelit literary salon hosted in Untapped New York founder Michelle Young's Brooklyn brownstone. Get an autographed copy of the book here! The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler. Speakeasy music in this episode Shane Ivers.

The Bronx Nobody Knows

The Bronx Nobody Knows

The 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 for this fascinating conversation! The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups" and "Branches"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The Untold Story of Staten Island's Black Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis

The Untold Story of Staten Island's Black Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis

This 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 journey of the Black Angels and groundbreaking work. She also shares an audio recording of Virginia Allen, the last surviving Black Angel, who still lives at Sea View. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Michelle Young and co-hosted by Justin Rivers. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Gloom Doom Buttercups" and "Branches"). New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

Take the 5: George Washington Bridge Opened This Week in 1931

Take the 5: George Washington Bridge Opened This Week in 1931

In 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

Take the 5: BQE Shut Down

What 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

The Steam System in New York City

Have 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 ("Hotel Room", "Liarbird"), Absent Tiger ("Take it or Leave It"), and additional sounds by GoGo. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The Podcast is Back!

The Podcast is Back!

You 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

Manhole Covers in New York City

This 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 anthropologist at Cornell University who made a film about manhole covers and how they’re made. By the end of this episode, you’ll also have the answer to that famous interview question, why are manhole covers round? The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room", "Liarbird"), Absent Tiger ("Take it or Leave It"), and additional sounds by GoGo. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

The New York City Water Tower

The New York City Water Tower

Who 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 historian and playwright Justin Rivers, who knows everything about New York City. We'll even talk about a secret water tower speakeasy in New York City. The Untapped New York Podcast is produced by Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room", "Liarbird"), Absent Tiger ("Take it or Leave It"), and additional sounds by Daniel Simion. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.

Pneumatic Tube Mail in New York City

Pneumatic Tube Mail in New York City

Did 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 at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum; Luke Kingma, former Vice President at the science magazine Futurism; Justin Rivers, historian, playwright and Chief Experience Officer at Untapped New York. Music by Kittens Ablaze ("Hotel Room", "Liarbird"), Absent Tiger ("Take it or Leave It"), and additional sounds by Ben Bynum and Mike Koenig. New York City skyline in icon by Bernadette Moke, the Downtown Doodler.