Cityscape

For the first time in decades pedestrians and bicyclists can now travel over New York City’s oldest standing bridge.  The High Bridge, connecting Washington Heights in Manhattan to Highbridge in the Bronx, re-opened to the public last month after being closed for more than 40 years. A new children’s book aims to educate kids about the High Bridge.  It’s called The Lowdown on the High Bridge: The Story of How New York City Got Its Water.  It’s written by none other than Sonia Manzano, best known as Maria from Sesame Street.  Manzano grew up in the Bronx.  She is our guest on this edition of Cityscape.

New York City is dotted with coffee shops. They’re pretty much on every block. Some streets might even have two or three. Each and every morning people line up to get their java fix before heading off to work or school. On this edition of Cityscape we’re exploring a bit of the New York coffee scene. But we’ll have something for tea drinkers too.

A lot of us associate Independence with America’s independence from British rule, but there are plenty of ways to look at it. On this week’s edition of Cityscape, we’re looking at independence from various perspectives, including a kid’s independence from the diaper. We’ll also talk with the executive director of an organization that works to help disabled New Yorkers live as independently as possible. We’ll learn about the famous Macy’s 4thof July Fireworks from its creative director. And we’ll delve into New York City’s Revolutionary War history with a tour guide who knows all about it. 

WFUV's Strike a Chord campaign is shining a spotlight on kids who care.The campaign highlights kids making a difference in their communities through volunteer efforts.We produced this panel discussion in conjunction with BronxNet Television.  Our guests include: 8-year-old Maeve Ryan who is involved with a project called Operation Christmas Child; 15-year-old Sean Martin, the founder of Kids Adopt a Shelter; and Naomi Hirabayashi with DoSomething.org.

Baseball took his sight, but gave him a life.  That’s what Ed Lucas says about the sport in a book he penned with his son, Christopher, called Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story -- A Blind Broadcaster’s Story of Overcoming Life’s Greatest Obstacles. Ed Lucas might not be as familiar a name in baseball history as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, but his story is no less remarkable.  Ed and his son Christopher are our guests on this week's Cityscape.

Red Hook, Brooklyn is one of those New York City neighborhoods that might fall under the radar. It’s a waterfront community that’s a more than 20-minute walk from the nearest subway station. Some people might only know it because it's home to an IKEA. But, there's a lot more than a popular furniture store to explore in Red Hook. On this week's edition of Cityscape, we're spending time in Red Hook.

When you think of cats in New York City – what comes to mind? For some people, it might the Broadway show Cats. But, the Big Apple is home to a lot of real-life felines. According the New York City Economic Development Corporation, 500,000 cats live in the city as pets. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking all about cats.  Our guests include the creator of the Felines of New York blog;a co-founder of a so-called cat cafe on Manhattan's Lower East Side known as Meow Parlour; and someone who knows all about the big cats at the Bronx Zoo.

Imagine a skyscraper in place of Grand Central Terminal, or construction crews gutting the interior of the famed Radio City Music Hall.  It’s been five decades since New York City Mayor Robert Wagner signed a measure to help preserve the city’s history.  A new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York explores the roots and impact of the city’s landmarks law.  It’s called Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks.  The exhibit is complemented by a book of the same name.  The guys behind both are Donald Albrecht, the Museum of the City of New York’s Curator for Architecture and Design and Andrew Dolkart, the Director of Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University.  They’re our guests on this edition of Cityscape. 

A lot of people who visit New York hit up the Bronx or Central Park zoos to get an up-close look at wildlife. After all, the only wild animals the city is most known for are rats and pigeons. But, the fact of the matter is the city is teaming with wildlife. On this week's Cityscape, we’re exploring wildlife in the concrete jungle – from spotted salamanders to parrots. 

It's become an all too familiar story for a lot of New Yorkers.  Their favorite dive bar or cafe is turned into a 7-Eleven or Apple Store.  On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with folks about the plight of mom and pop shops in an increasingly corporate retail environment.