Cityscape

When it comes to illnesses, outbreaks like Ebola, Zika and now the measles are quick to make headlines. But despite killing tens of thousands of Americans every year, C. diff often fails to gain widespread attention. Brooklyn resident Christian Lillis is working to change that.

After his mother died from complications from a C. diff bug, Lillis founded an organization to educate the public and shape policy surrounding health care-associated infections. It’s called the Peggy Lillis Foundation. Christian is our guest on this week’s Cityscape.

Before the Manhattan Bridge or the Chrysler or Empire State buildings were built, there was Garber Hardware. The business has been in the same family for five generations.

The first store was located at the corner of Horatio Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan’s West Village. In 2003, Garber Hardware moved to Greenwich Street, and has since expanded to a second location in the Chelsea neighborhood.

On this week’s Cityscape, we're going inside one of New York City’s longest-running mom and pop businesses.

C.O. Bigelow Apothecary is the oldest apothecary in America. The Greenwich Village pharmacy and shop is run by 3rd generation pharmacist, Ian Ginsberg. Ian works alongside his son Alec who is the 4th generation pharmacist at the New York City locale. C.O. Bigelow’s is a staple of the village, serving many prominent personalities since it was established in 1838. Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thomas Edison are among some of the original customers. Legend has it Edison burned his fingers while making an early prototype of light bulb and soothed them with balm from Bigelow’s. Cityscape producer Fiona Shea caught up with Ian and Alec Ginsberg, the father-son duo, and talked about what it’s like to run this well-known apothecary today.

Our lives can sometimes feel full of routine -- get up, go to work, go to the gym -- repeat. But what if you hit pause for an entire year to go on a sailing adventure? That’s what one New York City family did.

Erik and Emily Orton and their five children set sail in 2014 on a 5,000 mile journey that would take them from the Caribbean back home to Manhattan. They detail their adventure in a new book, Seven At Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention for a Life-Changing Year on a Sailboat. Erik and Emily are our guests on this edition of Cityscape.

Lucy Kalantari is a Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, composer, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Kalantari is the bandleader of Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats. The group received a Grammy this year for best children’s album. All of the Sounds is a collection of jazz-infused songs for kids and families.

Being a mother herself, Kalantari is very in touch with how kids interact with music today. We invited her to our studios to to discuss her Grammy, her professional journey, and her life as a New York City mom and musician.

From Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge to the New York Botanical Garden, New York City is home to many places that provide the perfect backdrop for a wedding.

On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with a wedding officiant and a wedding musician about their roles in helping to create the perfect day for happy couples.

We'll also talk with writer John Kenney about life after the "I Do's." Kenney has penned a collection of poems for, well, married people, called Love Poems for Married People.

New York City's identity as a cultural center is drastically changing, that's according to the founder and executive artistic director of 3-Legged Dog Media and Theater Group, Kevin Cunningham.

Cunningham has served as a linchpin of Lower Manhattan's art scene for more than 20 years. But, his group is on the move to Brooklyn and to developing a new virtual studio model.

Cunningham talks about his group's past and plans for the future on this week's Cityscape.

In a city like New York, pharmacies are a dime a dozen. Duane Reade, Walgreens, and CVS pharmacies dot the blocks of the five boroughs. But if you look a little closer, there are some pharmacies that stand out among the rest.

On this week’s Cityscape we step inside Stanley’s Pharmacy, a place that’s very different from your typical medicine shop.

Retired conductor David Dworkin is nearing 85 years old. But, he’s as active as ever, and doing his part to help other older adults remain active as well. Dworkin is the founder of an exercise program called Conductorcise. It’s an aerobic workout, symphonic experience and music history lesson all rolled into one. We recently caught up with Dworkin at a senior living facility in Manhattan to talk with him about his program. Our chat is part of WFUV's Strike a Chord campaign on healthy aging.

Our homes provide us with comfort unlike anything else. They welcome us after a long day of work. They are where we yearn to be by the end of a vacation or business trip. We personalize them in ways big and small; we make them our own. Home is a familiar space where we find privacy from the outside world. But have you ever considered what it might be like never leave your home? To be unable or unwilling to walk out your front door?

In Within These Walls, we'll hear from several individuals who can’t or don’t leave their homes for a variety of reasons. Some have been bound by age or illness, and others by their thoughts. We'll also hear from the people and organizations who pay special attention to homebound populations. Along the way, we’ll explore the relationship between ourselves and our homes, and how it may change when leaving just isn’t an option.