I had the honor to be part of a podcast that means a lot to me which you can listen to here. So often the podcasts I listen to are about pop culture or true crime, but this one means a lot because it’s about a subject I’ve spent the last ten years contemplating and working side projects about, which is the American memory of World War I. It’s why I took part in the Continue Reading →
A story dominating the news this month is about how the U.S. Army has ten posts named for Confederate Generals. A second story is the only Army post in New York City, Fort Hamilton, has roads named for Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Because I wrote the book about Governors Island and have spent untold days visiting and leading tours of New York’s greatest park, it got me to examine why this post, which Continue Reading →
Celebrate the Centennial of the Governors Island Railroad, called the “shortest railway in the world.” Visit the Governors Island National Monument on Saturday, August 18, for free talks and tour of where the Railroad once ran from 1917-1931. The events will be held at Castle Williams, on Governors Island. The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps on Fort Jay operated the 8 miles of track, with engines and freight cars. During World War I more than $1 Continue Reading →
On Independence Day I’ll be climbing the 215 steps up to the pedestal of the Statue of the Liberty. I’m making five trips in five consecutive days, down from four trips last week. As a licensed tour guide, I’m among the lucky few who get to visit the most famous landmark in the country for my “job” so often. Taking visitors to Liberty Island and Ellis Island is an incredible privilege. When I began leading Continue Reading →