I woke up today to find out that in a speech last night a plan was announced for something called a “National Garden of American Heroes” with a “vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.” This is really surprising to me–and anyone else–who knows about the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, which has been in The Bronx since the first class was inducted in 1900. In Continue Reading →
Last night I got heartbreaking news from my friend Joe Conzo that chef Joe Torres passed away during the pandemic. We have the Westchester Avenue restaurant owner in our book 111 Places in the Bronx That You Must Not Miss, and the photographs by Joe are some of the first ones that we got to see. I had a mammoth meal with our editor, Karen Seiger, at Joe’s Place. He gave me such wonderful stories Continue Reading →
I am happy to announce that on March 2 my book 111 Places in the Bronx That You Must Not Miss won the Apple Award from the Guides Association for New York City in the category of outstanding achievement in non-fiction book writing. I won the Apple Award last year for my podcast with Joanna Leban, and I won an Apple award in 2018 for my book World War I New York: A Guide to Continue Reading →
The stars aligned and we were able to bring New York’s favorite podcast heroes on the Big Show: Greg Young and Tom Meyers. They are best known as The Bowery Boys, and for more than 300 episodes they have delivered New York City history with equal doses of knowledge and fun. In this show we learned about the roots of the show and their rock-solid friendship that goes back to the early 90s in NYC. Continue Reading →
I am really proud to announce that my book 111 Places In The Bronx That You Must Not Miss has been nominated for an award. The Guides Association of New York City’s Apple Awards have tapped me for the category Outstanding Achievement in Book Writing (Non-Fiction). This is the award I won two years ago for World War I New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the Great War. It’s a big Continue Reading →
The Bronx native Bill Finger, who co-created Batman and his world with illustrator Bob Kane, is going into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, it was announced Tuesday night. Finger’s house on the Grand Concourse, where he lived with his parents while writing Batman, is in my book 111 Places In The Bronx That You Must Not Miss (Emons). The book is nominated for an Apple Award by the Guides Association for New Continue Reading →
We meet one of the rising stars in the city, Alex Rivera, aka The Bronxer. He’s part of the driving creative energy coming out of The Bronx as a visual artist and creative, with his photographs gaining wide appeal, his projects at El Fogón and borough hotspots, to his brand Section 8 Entrepreneur. Alex has a lot of plates spinning the air, and it’s a pleasure to meet someone so focused. He’s got new books Continue Reading →
After a break of a few months, we are back with a new season of shows. Joanna and Kevin catch up on what has been happening during the break. Joanna played in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and gave a talk about poker to a crowd at the Algonquin Hotel. Kevin promoted his newest book 111 Places In The Bronx That You Must Not Miss. Plus had a trip to meet some Continue Reading →
It was a pleasure to return to sit down with host Gary Axelbank on the Bronx Buzz on BronxNet TV. Joe Conzo and I were on the show in January to announce 111 Places In The Bronx That You Must Not Miss. In June we returned to give Gary a copy of the book. We were also able to share photos and talk about some of the places in the book, a diverse mix that Continue Reading →
We had a fantastic launch party on June 20 for 111 Places in The Bronx That You Must Not Miss. It was held at the brand-new spot, The Lit. Bar, 131 Alexander Avenue. Photographer Joe Conzo and I signed a lot of copies and gave a short slide show of 11 places that are in the book. I want to personally thank the proprietor, Noëlle Santos, and her wonderful team, for hosting us. It was Continue Reading →