Cityscape

The Bay Plaza Shopping Center just south of Co-op City in the Bronx attracts shoppers to places like Barnes & Noble and JCPenney, but half a century ago the area packed people in for another reason. The site was home to an amusement park bigger than Disneyland. On this week’s Cityscape, we’re remembering Freedomland. It opened to the public 51 years ago this weekend, but only lasted five seasons.

Neighborhood parks are the focal point of many communities.  Kids frolic in playgrounds, people read on shaded benches, or simply meet and converse with their neighbors.  As part of WFUV's Strike a Chord campaign, we're focusing our attention on neighborhood parks, including the people who help keep them vibrant. 

In New York, like in many American cities, mom-and-pop shops are slowly disappearing. Owners who can no longer afford their rent abruptly fold, retire with no one in the family interested in taking over the business, or simply decide it’s not worth competing against the big box store that opened up down the street. On this week’s Cityscape, the disappearing face of New York. We’ll talk with a husband and wife photography team who’ve made it their mission to document generations-old storefronts before the shops vanish forever. We’ll also pay a visit to some New York City establishments that have somehow managed to buck the trend and stand the test of time. Like JJ Hat Center in Manhattan, billed as the oldest hat shop in all of New York City.

The term addiction often conjures up images of people struggling to kick bad habits with alcohol or drugs, but people can get addicted to all kinds of things. On this week's Cityscape, we’re taking a closer look at addiction, from people who literally can’t get enough of video games to a Manhattan woman who says she’s addicted to ventriloquism.

Between work, chores and everything in between, it can be hard to find time to relax. But, experts say it’s vital to balance work and play, and some say there’s no better way to decompress than to engage in a hobby. On this week's Cityscape, we’re getting our “hobby-on,” from Lego building to model boat sailing. We'll also pay a visit to an old-school hobby shop in Astoria, Queens.

If you somehow missed the ads for flowers, jewelry or brunch specials -- Sunday is Mother’s Day. On this week's Cityscape, we're celebrating motherhood with several mom-related segments, including an interview with a Manhattan woman who became a single mom by choice.

Domestic violence knows no boundaries. It can happen to anyone – regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, orientation or socio-economic status. On this week's Cityscape, we're shining a light on the dark subject of domestic violence, including domestic abuse in the Muslim and LGBT communities.

New York City is arguably the fashion capital of the world, but on this week's Cityscape, we're stripping it down to where clothes don't matter. From a naked comedian to naked yoga to nude dining, we're baring it all on this week's show.

This week's show is all about making "a brand new start of it, in old New York." Our guests include Rob Silverman, the author of a new book called New York, New York: So Good They Named It Twice An Irreverent Guide to Experiencing and Living in the Greatest City in the World.

New York City is an amazing place during any season, but after the winter we just went through, on this week's Cityscape, we're singing the praises of Spring in the Big Apple. This week's show includes an interview with the authors of Garden Guide: New York City. And since, as they say, "April showers bring May flowers," we've produced a couple of segments on umbrellas, including the story of a Brooklyn woman who makes dresses, tote bags, and even doggie clothes out of broken, discarded umbrellas.