1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Should Know from how Stuff Works 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:13,319 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh 3 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Clark with Charles W. Chuck Bright, and Jerry Rowland over there. Uh, 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: and this is stuff you should Know. Was that a 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: real stare down? Yeah, Jerry one, Jerry one, because I 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: was like, I don't have time for this any laundery. 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: That's pretty funny because that's just sort of all the 8 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: three of us. You guys are having a stare down 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: over nothing. You're just over there grumpy like I was 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: just doing my thing, and then all I heard from 11 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: you was nice job, Jerry, So like you conceded, Well, 12 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: sure you gave it to her. I mean, Jerry one. 13 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: My friend, uh Billy, the one who I passed away 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: from MS that I talked about. He and I used 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: to do with staring contest. But it was a certain 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: face we had to make and you had to not laugh. 17 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: That was our staring contest. So we both make this 18 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: certain face that he invented in the first one of 19 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: us to break and laugh, which was always men. Can 20 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: I see the face? Uh No, okay, that's fine, I've retired. 21 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: I understand. Um. Okay, Well, thanks for the story. Oh, 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: by the way, very special listener mail coming up today everyone, 23 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: so stick around for that. Whoa Sarah the amazing eleven 24 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: year old fans. Yeah, and she's reappeared, everybody. Gosh, so 25 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: delightful to hear from her. All right, so wow, let's 26 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: just get through this then, kind of in Central Park. 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: Central Park. It's huge, it's a New York year. It's square, 28 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: it's rectangular, Charles, all right, So let's talk about New York. 29 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: In between eight and eighteen fifty five, the population of 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: New York grew four times its size over that thirty 31 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: four year period, from people to sixty and they were 32 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: crowded and people started moving further and further worth like 33 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: like that was a funny joke I just made. But 34 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: you just said that the population of New York quadruple 35 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: over thirty years. Thirty four years, and you know, New 36 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: York started at the south as far as people living there, 37 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 1: and kept going further and further north. And Manhattan wise, sure, sure, 38 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: yeah about New York State. Come on, no, no, but 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: I mean there's Brooklyn too, and Poughkeepsie No, no, sure, 40 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: all the boroughs. Yeah, we're talking about the island of Manhattan. Uh, 41 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: and things got so crowded that people would gather in 42 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: cemeteries to socialize. Yeah, that was really weird. So we've 43 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: talked about that before. We were like, I don't remember 44 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: what episode it was, but we saw this stuff. It 45 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: might have been the subways or something, park or pizza. 46 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: It might have been tombstones or something. Because we talked 47 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: about the cemeteries being designed to be park like because 48 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: people would go have picnics and stuff. All the material 49 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: that has to do with Central Park makes it sound 50 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: like that's all they had available, were cemeteries if they 51 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: wanted to go hang out and have picnics in green space. 52 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 1: So I'm not sure if it was involuntary or if 53 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: it was designed that way. You're both, but they it 54 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: was either a tenement or a commercial district or the 55 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: cemetery that was what you had if you were outdoors. Yeah, 56 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: and I think I think it's not necessarily that's all 57 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: you had, but like maybe all you had that was 58 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: close and accessible, like the cemetery is, you know, six 59 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: blocks from my apartment. Um. And also, as you will learn, 60 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: much of not Northern Manhattan, but yeah, County, Northern Manhattan, 61 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: Central Manhattan, where Central Park now is was gross swampland 62 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: swampy rocky. You're not You're not hanging out there anyway. Yeah, 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: forget the twenties. Let's go back two point six million 64 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: years ago. Chuco. There was an ice sheet over New 65 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: York State um that was two miles thick, and it 66 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: just so happened to terminate the termination edge that that 67 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: the well, the edge of it went right through the 68 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: bottom of Manhattan, went through Brooklyn and actually like all 69 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: the heights and hills and in Brooklyn, that's because that's 70 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:26,720 Speaker 1: actual hills, right, because a glacier pushed the ground up there, 71 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: because that's where it stopped growing forward. But as these 72 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: glaciers were moving down south from the north, they were 73 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: pushing boulders and rocks and stones everywhere and where they 74 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: ended up and then finally retreated from they left all 75 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: that stuff, which is why they're boulders in Central Park. 76 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: There used to be a lot more boulders there, so 77 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: much so that the land was just basically considered virtually unusable. 78 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: Yeah they weren't. That area was not being developed anyway, 79 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: which made it made it a um a difficult task, 80 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: but it made it sort of the only place if 81 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: you wanted to build a seven hundred plus acre park, 82 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: that was kind of the place to go, right, And 83 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,480 Speaker 1: so they did want to build a park because again, 84 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: if you wanted to go outside and hang out and 85 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: have a picnic, you had to go to Greenwood Cemetery 86 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: in Brooklyn. That was basically it. So the people who 87 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: were living in New York wanted this, but then also 88 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:22,239 Speaker 1: the um upper society, I guess, the super wealthy. We're like, yeah, yeah, 89 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 1: this will put our town on the map. Man, London's 90 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: got Hyde Park, Paris has one. All the great cities 91 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: have a great park, but there's not one in the 92 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: United States. Let's build it in New York. Yeah, you 93 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: know that was was later Like initially they there was 94 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: no call for a park. I mean, it took forty 95 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: or fifty years of lots of inhabitants to get this idea. 96 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: Um the original city plan in eighteen eleven had no 97 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: mention of any park. But for you city planning nerds, 98 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 1: I know you know this already if you're a city 99 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 1: planning nerd. But John Randall Jr. He was the man 100 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: who laid out that the grid for New York City 101 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: very famously. I saw a documentary on it. Yeah, it's amazing. 102 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: He drove these iron I believe iron bolts into the 103 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: ground with his fingers, his bare hands. It was a 104 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,839 Speaker 1: surveying bolt and it was to map out that that grid, 105 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: like every block. Can't you see one? Still there's one 106 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: in Central Park that they found it. Don't think they 107 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 1: found any other ones in Central Park. But it has 108 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: nothing to do with Central Park because this is like 109 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: a good fifty sixty years before they even thought of 110 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: forty years before they even thought of Central part. It 111 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: was like maybe this is part of the grid, the 112 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: street grid. So there's one in a boulder that Um, 113 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not gonna say where it is. You 114 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: gotta go find it. Huh. Well, that that's they try 115 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:46,720 Speaker 1: to keep it on the download as far as the 116 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: actual GPS coordinate, like these people that hunted it down 117 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 1: and found it. It's like a speakeasy, but sort of 118 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: just a bolt in this it's a bolt in the stone, 119 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: and you will become the king of New York if 120 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: you can pull it out. Oh you should not, dare, 121 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: nothing should be there for eternity. But there's there's supposedly 122 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: more of them. Uh, And there are people that go 123 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: around and try and find these is kind of neat. Yeah, 124 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: it is neat, So I guess I'm a city planning 125 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: at heart. I have to say, Um, I came across 126 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: the great site called the Femeral New York that documents 127 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: like all the New York that's been lost and built 128 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: over and changed over the time. They have a great website. 129 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: Go check it out because we got some of some 130 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: good stuff from them for this episode. All right, So 131 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: where we left off before my nerdy segue was you 132 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: were talking about wealthy New York are saying we want 133 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: to park. Um, there's a more cynical view that was 134 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: we want to park and that would also greatly increase 135 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: increase the land value around the park. Um, where we 136 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: own houses. Yeah, because just like today, the area around 137 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: Central Park was very well healed um well in some places, 138 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: in other places not at all. In the place where 139 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: this where what Central Park is now, there was a 140 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: lot of, um, very low income people living there. So 141 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: you have very rich people surrounding very low income people, 142 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: which I'm guessing made the low income people very nervous 143 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: and eventually justifiably so, because the low income people are 144 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: the ones who had to move to make the park 145 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: initially for the rich people. Should we go and talk 146 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: about that, Why not Seneca Village? Yeah, and well they're 147 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: Seneca Village and then they're largely Irish and German immigrants 148 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: in Seneca Village. Uh, well, and all over Seneca Village 149 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,959 Speaker 1: is only one small part of this immigrant housing that 150 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: was sort of around the park that. Uh. Of course, 151 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: when you know, you know what imminent domain is. If 152 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: the city wants to build the park there, they're going 153 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: to get that land one way or the other. Yeah, 154 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: the New York legislature, the state legislature said, yep, New 155 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: York City, you can exercise eminent domain over that and 156 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: take whatever land you want. You got to pay them 157 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: fair market value, which is up for debate if it 158 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: was actually fair. But those people have to move, whether 159 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: they like it or not. Right. So Seneca Village was 160 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: founded in eighteen twenty five. There was a couple in 161 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty four named John Elizabeth Whitehead who bought Now 162 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: they owned farmland. Oh that okay, all right, I did. 163 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,319 Speaker 1: I thought they'd in the land for a long time. Now. 164 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: They bought farmland between eighty two Street and then between 165 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,959 Speaker 1: eight and eighteen thirty two started selling it off, and 166 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: they sold fifty parcels of that land, half of which 167 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: went to UH people of African descent, which was very 168 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: unusual at the time to say the least. It was 169 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: um and so like. Basically, out of this, out of 170 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: this sale of lots, over this period of time, the 171 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: Seneca Village started very quickly. Um. The people who lived 172 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 1: there built a house or school, UM, churches, a couple 173 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: of churches, houses, um and like, this village developed, this community. 174 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: So there's a couple of things that was remarkable about 175 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: Seneca Village. One, these were African American landowners, which was 176 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: very unusual at the time because even at this time 177 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: slavery was still on the books legal in New York. 178 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: And these were um freed or unenslaved African Americans who 179 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: owned land, which meant if they owned two d and 180 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: fifty dollars worth of land, they could vote, which would 181 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: have made them um like like there were a hundred 182 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 1: African Americans who could vote at this time, because that's 183 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: how that's how how few of them actually owned land. 184 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: Ten percent of those people lived in Seneca Village. So 185 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: this is a really unusual spot. But It was also 186 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: unusual because it was a place where African Americans and 187 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: European settlers or European immigrants lived together, like lived in 188 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: this community together. Yeah. Um, but should say you also 189 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: had to jump through certain other hoops to vote. Wasn't 190 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: quite as simple as owning land, because that would be, um, 191 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: I guess too easy for them back then, which was 192 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,439 Speaker 1: to say, not easy at all. But they still said, no, 193 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: there's some other things you still got to do to vote. 194 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: That we mentioned the other stuff too, uh And big 195 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: shout out to Andrew william He was the first man 196 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: of African descent who bought land that would become Seneca 197 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: Village in September eight Um. But like you said, it 198 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: was Irish and German immigrants moved in there as well, 199 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: and they were welcomed and it was by all accounts 200 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: a multi cultural society that um got along well with 201 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,439 Speaker 1: one another, went to the same church. Yeah, that's enormous, 202 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: pretty amazing, buried in the same graveyard. There was a 203 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 1: midwife there who lived in the village and she delivered 204 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:44,199 Speaker 1: babies of any ethnicity or race. Yeah. No one knows 205 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,319 Speaker 1: why it's called Seneca Village on most maps. It's known 206 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: as Yorkville. Oh, I thought that was a different place. 207 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,079 Speaker 1: That the Yorkville people moved up to Seneca Village after 208 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,839 Speaker 1: they got moved out. Wow, Yorkville, there was another york 209 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,480 Speaker 1: town that I'm thinking of. But this was on maps 210 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: as Yorkville. And no one knows if it was a 211 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: distortion of Senegal or if it might have been code 212 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,199 Speaker 1: for the underground railroad. It's another theory. Another theory is 213 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:14,439 Speaker 1: that it was derogatory somehow because areas where African immigrants 214 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: would live they would call bad names. Just whatever I see, 215 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: So who knows. No one knows for sure where Seneca 216 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: Village came from the name. At least it was interesting. 217 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,199 Speaker 1: So it sounds like Seneca Village is great. It was. 218 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: It must have had fortune smiling on it throughout its time, right. 219 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: Not true? So Seneca Village was in the way of 220 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: this this proposed park, right, so let's get We'll just 221 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: go ahead and cut to the chase here. Seneca Village was. 222 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:47,439 Speaker 1: They had to move, which is sad because the community ended. 223 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: Then when the when the state and the city moved 224 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 1: in and said this is this is city land. Now 225 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:54,680 Speaker 1: you guys will have to move here some money for 226 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: your land. Um, the community broke up, it didn't resettle 227 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: a reform elsewhere. Was like ephemeral, like that ephemeral New 228 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 1: York site. It was. It lasted for a few decades 229 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: and it was peaceful and harmonious, and then it was 230 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: gone because they had to move to make way for 231 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 1: Central Park. Yeah, it took a couple of years of 232 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,960 Speaker 1: fighting the law, but eventually the law went out and 233 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 1: uh and it was a this called in this article 234 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 1: a violent clearing of Seneca Village. Um. Like they basically 235 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: sent cops in there with their batons and like physically 236 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: removed people. Yeah, and there was a a big kind 237 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: of um media blitz in favor of moving everybody out. 238 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,440 Speaker 1: They were, you know, derided as a shanty town of 239 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: squatters and stuff like that, despite the fact that most 240 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: of the people who lived there are a lot of 241 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: people who lived their own their land in their houses 242 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: and had for decades. Then, Um, they were they had 243 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:50,959 Speaker 1: just as much right to be there as anybody else. 244 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 1: But the popular opinion of the public at the time 245 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 1: was they were just squatting and they should be forced 246 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: to move. And it was totally justifiable to come in 247 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: with police batons to clear them off the land. Uh. 248 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: In two thousand eleven, the sort of weird silver lining 249 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: is the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History 250 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 1: got permission after ten years of trying from the Central 251 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: Park Conservancy to excavate a couple of sites in the village. 252 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: And they went in there and excavated, excavated two different 253 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: home sites, and on one they found some artifacts, but 254 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: it was clear that it had been already buried under 255 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: Central Park. Um, whatever we've been when they built Central Park, right, 256 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: they had already dug it up when they did. The 257 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: other one, though, was original, and they found the original 258 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: soil of Seneca Village at the former yard of Nancy Moore. 259 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: Pretty neat and they have two fifty bags of material 260 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: to analyze now and soil samples and some artifacts to 261 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: see what life was really like back then. So pretty cool. 262 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: So they better get to it, that's right, Um, all right, 263 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: why don't we take a break and then come back 264 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: and talk about the park? Is it in Boston? Now? Yeah? 265 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: What happened there? All right? Chuck? So um, I think 266 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: by eighteen fifty three their head. I think in the 267 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: eighteen fifties there is like this drumbeat to have a park. 268 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: Everybody wanted a park. Yeah. William Cullen Bryant was one 269 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: of the big names who edited the Evening Post, which 270 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: is now the New York Post. UM and he was 271 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: a well known poet at the time and a beloved figure, 272 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: but he definitely used the Post as a platform to 273 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: advocate for this green space. Now again, there's a lot 274 00:15:56,560 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: of um understanding in this day and age that the 275 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: wealthiest New Yorkers wanted this park for themselves. Basically, they 276 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: wanted their new city that they had built to to 277 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 1: rival Paris or London, and it needed a park. They 278 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: wanted to go show off their carriages in the park, 279 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: but they also advocated publicly for the park for the 280 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: working classes, the middle class. They should have a place 281 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: to to come and hang out. And this is you know, 282 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: this is America. Of course everyone will be welcome. It's 283 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: a public park. It will be America's first landscape public park. 284 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: And so people really kind of got on board with this, 285 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 1: and by eighteens, even though that was kind of a lie, 286 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: it was at least at first um. But by eighteen 287 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: fifty three I believe work started. There was a central 288 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: park that had been designated land had been designated for 289 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: the Central Park by then, that's right. And they had 290 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: a contest. Uh. I believe it was the first design 291 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: contest in the country. A lot of first that said, 292 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:05,400 Speaker 1: designer park, you gotta have a parade ground, you gotta 293 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: have a principal fountain, you gotta have a lookout tower, 294 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: you gotta have a skating arena. You gotta have four 295 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: cross streets because people still got to get through there somehow. Uh. 296 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: In a in a palace, I'm sorry, a place for 297 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 1: or a palace, why not for an exhibition or a 298 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: concert hall? Very specific rules for this design contest that 299 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: that was one by two gentlemen, very famous now gentleman 300 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: named Frederick law Olmstead and Calvert vote or vour vote 301 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: but definitely not vox vox x is always silent um. Yeah, 302 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: those two submitted something called the Green's Word Plan and 303 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: they won. I like that name. And they won for 304 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: a couple of reasons. One um uh uh. Frederick law 305 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: Olmstead was the superintendent of Central Park at the time. 306 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: Probably didn't hurt no, um, but he wasn't a shoe 307 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: and I believe his boss I can't remember like what 308 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: position his boss would have had his boss submitted a 309 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:19,119 Speaker 1: plan too. Apparently he and vow um they're playing this 310 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,400 Speaker 1: greenswere plan that they submitted was just so obviously head 311 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,919 Speaker 1: and shoulders above every other design that was submitted that 312 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: it was just clear like from the outset, Yes, these 313 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: guys should win, and it was. It's considered a work 314 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: of art still to this day, although they actually went 315 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,680 Speaker 1: on to design Prospect Park in Brooklyn. That's supposedly their 316 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:42,199 Speaker 1: masterpiece over Central Park is Prospect Park. I mean, I 317 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: love them both. Yeah, they're both great. I've never been 318 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: to either of them. That's not true. No, I swear 319 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: to God, I've never I mean I must have before. 320 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: But I mean what we were so okay, I walked 321 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,719 Speaker 1: like fifteen paces in Central Park, right, it was just 322 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 1: like we weren't in there for long, right, That's that's 323 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: that's really the only thing. Yes, And I've never been 324 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: in Prospect Park. Boy, I have explored there's so much 325 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: of it, But I bet you I've explored of the 326 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: bottom of Central Park. I haven't been over like Street 327 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: a lot north of that, but that's where it gets 328 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: a little more wild anyway, Um, and not wild like 329 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,680 Speaker 1: the parties coyotes, but a little more, a little more 330 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 1: wild as far as the design goes, well, very purposefully, yes, right, Okay, 331 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: I'm glad you said purposely because supposedly the bottom half 332 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,640 Speaker 1: of Central Park, so the part of the park itself 333 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: is meant to evoke New York State. The bottom half 334 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: is much more urban refined. Um uh, trimmed, I don't know, 335 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,119 Speaker 1: And it's meant to reflect New York City. And then 336 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 1: as you get further up in the park, it's a 337 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: little more wild. There's parties and coyotes all. Uh, you know, Poughkeepsie. 338 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: You've never been to Bethesda Fountain. I don't believe I have. 339 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: I've seen never been skating, drink so many episodes of 340 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,359 Speaker 1: Order there I can't distinguish reality from fantasy. Man, I'm like, 341 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: so like, I'm going into my memory. I'm like, okay, turn, 342 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: You're right. Is Lenny Briscoe standing there from TV? Well, 343 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: I've never seen an episode of that, so I guess 344 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: we're even what Yeah, you've never seen an episode of 345 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: the ten thousand episodes of Law and Order. Oh you're 346 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: missing out, Chris North and um, what was Briscoe's name? 347 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: Jerry or Bach those two together. Ye, Benjamin Bratt was 348 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,719 Speaker 1: a close second to the Chris North Jerry or Bach thing. 349 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,400 Speaker 1: And then it just keeps going on like they were 350 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,360 Speaker 1: so good at all of them were just amazing. But yeah, 351 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff took place in Central Park. So 352 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 1: I feel like I've been there. Here's what you do, man, 353 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: next time we go to New York. I know that 354 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: we typically stay downtown. Um, stay up by the park. 355 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,719 Speaker 1: Well let's stay then, just like get out in it. 356 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: I've developed a taste for the Upper west Side, but 357 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: but not the park, like the right You're so close, 358 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 1: I will go out. I'll take a helicopter, I will 359 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: go out of my way. I like Lower east Side 360 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: and Upper west Side are my two favorites in New 361 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: York in Manhattan. Interesting, Yeah, what what you like? Lower 362 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:22,360 Speaker 1: east Side? I like it? Oh man, Well, I mean, 363 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,120 Speaker 1: my very favorite part of New York is the West 364 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: Village for sure, But I like the Lower east Side. 365 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: I like it in the East Village still a little grungy. 366 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,120 Speaker 1: Is there such a thing as the Lower west Side? 367 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 1: That wall street? No? Like? Well, I mean wall streets 368 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: all the way down. But I would say, like if 369 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 1: I mean I don't think it's called the Lower west Side, 370 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: but like the meatpacking district okay, yeah, like like the 371 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: high Line that's probably Lower west Side. There's some really 372 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: great art galleries in the meat package. Oh man, boy. 373 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 1: When I first started going to New York, that was 374 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: when it was still shady over there, and like you 375 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 1: would walk through like blocks and blocks of industrial meatpacking 376 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: plants to get to like the one bar was open 377 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: that knowing had heard of, and then Juliani came in 378 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: clean the place up. Well, just thank god for him, right, Um, 379 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 1: So the design of Central Park, the Greensward, Oh yeah, 380 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: like if you have so much information to go over, 381 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: I know, should this be a two parter? I don't know. 382 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: Let me ask you. Has our podcast gotten more conversational 383 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: this question aside, hasn't it? I don't know. Okay, I 384 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 1: think I think we've always been conversational. Yeah, but I mean, 385 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 1: like this seems like a binnacle of conversation. Well, let 386 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,679 Speaker 1: me say this. I think episodes one through four fifty 387 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:47,359 Speaker 1: we're less conversations than But what about what about I 388 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,639 Speaker 1: don't know? All right, Uh, the Greensword plan. If you 389 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,680 Speaker 1: didn't know anything about Central Park, you may be under 390 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: the misconception that they just sort of squared it off 391 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,919 Speaker 1: and rake some things around and that, and it was 392 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,720 Speaker 1: like there's the park and like, let's just protect this 393 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: green space. But it was highly highly, highly designed, and 394 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: apparently they used as much explosives as would later be 395 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: used at the Battle of Gettysburg. You supposedly more to 396 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: blast away rock and move that rock, because I remember 397 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: the glacier that moved all that rock down. That's a 398 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 1: big problem when you're trying to build a park, like 399 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 1: planted hundreds of thousands of trees, swamps that they couldn't drain. 400 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: They just building further to build likes. Yeah, so it 401 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 1: was and I don't think anyone really thinks that like, oh, 402 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: they just walled it up and said, now we have 403 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: a park. But I don't think I even realized how 404 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: highly it was designed because and which is probably a 405 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: testament to their design, because when you walk around, you're 406 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: just like it all fits right, that's I mean, that's 407 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 1: the thing. Like there, they went to a lot of 408 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: trouble to make it look so naturalistic that you just 409 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: assume that that's what the land always looked like in 410 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: Central Park is actually highly managed, highly designed green space 411 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: that exists in a rectangle that when you're in the 412 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: center of it. From my from what I've seen, i'm 413 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: all in order. You can't tell that you're you're like 414 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: in the middle of the city and like that, Like 415 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,400 Speaker 1: the roads none of them are straight, they're all meant 416 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: to curve. Um. There's meadows that kind of like go 417 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 1: out of sight, and there's woods, the ramble, like the 418 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: whole wood walk and all that. Um, all of it's 419 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 1: designed to just completely take you out of the city 420 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,439 Speaker 1: and PLoP you into this this world. But it's just 421 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: so well done and so natural that it seems like 422 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: that's just what this patch of land always looked like. 423 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,959 Speaker 1: Well and cool that like even in an era today 424 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: where that land is the most valuable land on the planet, 425 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: maybe that they have protected those uh eight hundred plus 426 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,679 Speaker 1: acres now and said, you're not I don't care how 427 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,080 Speaker 1: much money you have, you're not gonna lop off. Just no, 428 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: why don't we started at nine Street instead? And like, 429 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: what's it gonna hurt because we could really use that area, 430 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,359 Speaker 1: but no, it is protected. Um, did you hear? Like 431 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: the dude bought a two eight million dollar penthouse in 432 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: Central Park. So yeah, I can't imagine what some infensive 433 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: house right ever sold in America. So Bethesta Mountain before 434 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:28,120 Speaker 1: we before we leave that beautiful, beautiful um work of art. Yeah, 435 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: Bethesta terris Uh. It is a two tiered um that's 436 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: kind of one of the cool things. It's like it 437 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 1: sits low and you can walk from from the top 438 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,120 Speaker 1: half of it and just kind of gaze out upon 439 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: that in the pond right behind it, and then walk 440 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: down the stairs and hear live music almost every day 441 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 1: of the week, it feels like. But that was designed 442 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: um uh by Emma Stebbins, an America artist was called 443 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: the Angel of the Waters, and she was awarded that 444 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:04,399 Speaker 1: commission a very famous sculptor, and we gotta gotta acknowledge her. 445 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 1: It's beautiful. One of one of my favorite places in 446 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: the world. I've seen it. They found a body there 447 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: one of the episodes of Long So I feel like 448 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 1: I've been to the John Lennon Memorial you or was 449 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: it with you me? Because I'm almost certain that I've 450 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: been to that. I don't know because the only time 451 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: I definitely was in Central Park with you. I will 452 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:32,920 Speaker 1: um we went with a former co worker who kind 453 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: of baby sat us on an early marketing trip. Remember 454 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: that person. Yeah, that's the only time it was with us, 455 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: which would explain why you tried to block it from 456 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: your memory. Did we go to Strawberry Field? I don't remember. Well, 457 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 1: then I believe I have been another time and it 458 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:48,159 Speaker 1: would have been with you me. Then I think we 459 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: did not, because if I remember correctly, it was more 460 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: like this other person was just like, where can we 461 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:58,400 Speaker 1: get a pretzel? That kind of thing. All right, So 462 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 1: back to the design, before we get to the building, 463 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: they needed those four roads. Yeah, this is a big one, 464 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: which was huge because Olmstead and vow Uh. They sank 465 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 1: their roads eight ft below the surface of the park, 466 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 1: which really, um, I mean doesn't completely hide them, but 467 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,400 Speaker 1: they use trees and things to sort of obscure these 468 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: roads so it wouldn't just be like this another just 469 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 1: straight you know, cross street. Uh. And it really blends 470 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: in nicely with the park, and in fact, one of 471 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: the lovelier things you can do is drive through the park. 472 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 1: I saw that. I didn't even know that you could, 473 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,239 Speaker 1: but I went on a Google street view of the 474 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:34,440 Speaker 1: road and I was like, oh, yeah, totally. I get 475 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: it now, like I I got it from reading it. 476 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,160 Speaker 1: But then I was like, am I understanding this correctly? 477 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: And yes there are sunken roads through the park, which 478 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: was another reason why Olmstead and vow one because like 479 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,640 Speaker 1: so a couple of other designs that I saw. One was, um, 480 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: all the continents in meadow form interesting okay, interesting, but 481 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 1: also terrible. And then somebody just draw drew a pyramid 482 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: on a piece of paper, and apparently it was like boom, 483 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: there's my there's my submission. So like they didn't have 484 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:09,399 Speaker 1: the most competition. But when they again, when they were 485 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 1: like sunken roads, meadows and stuff like that, it was 486 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: it was very clear that they had the right vision. 487 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,640 Speaker 1: Uh you know the movie Arthur, the Dudley Moore movie. Yeah, 488 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: they drive through the park. And at the beginning of 489 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 1: that movie, because he says, drive through the park a bitman. 490 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: You know I love Jerry's laughing. You know, I love 491 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:32,439 Speaker 1: the park. So do you mean Russell brand? God, you 492 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,120 Speaker 1: know Hodgman was in that one. That's right. I never 493 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: saw that it couldn't do it. I saw the Hodgman Park. 494 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: Just cue that up. No, I just went to the 495 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: movies waited went in watching Hodgeman. Uh. Twenty thousand workers 496 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 1: UM worked on Central Park. UM, Irish laborers, German gardeners. Uh, 497 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: stone native stone cutters, native born stone cutters. And uh 498 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: what do I say? How many two and trees and 499 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: shrubs were planted? Yep, they moved at the beginning, they 500 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 1: moved like a six million cubic feet of earth in 501 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: and out. Um. Yeah, just the the number of trees 502 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: and shrubs that were planted is just mind boggling. And UM, 503 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: it was extremely expensive to UM. There was something like 504 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: a five million dollar price tag just to acquire the land. 505 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: Supposedly that's three times higher than what they projected the 506 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,360 Speaker 1: actual park was going to cost. Yeah, so that's like 507 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty million dollars today. This is at 508 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: a time when you know that was that was a 509 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: bunch of money to back then. UM, But it was 510 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: also I believe there's a financial panic that really made 511 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: people say, like, what's this is a crazy amount of money, 512 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: what are we doing? But they pressed on. UM. The 513 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 1: Civil War broke out during during this the construction, and 514 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: so construction kind of tapered off a while, and they 515 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: went and fought the war, and then everybody came back, 516 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: and when they came back, they brought with them uh 517 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: an understanding of explosives, so that they were able to 518 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 1: blow away rock a lot more easily than they were 519 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: before the war. Yeah, for sure. And there is a 520 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: false uh rumor or a myth that is that what 521 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: bridge is it? One of them was supposedly made of cannonballs. Yeah, 522 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 1: the heart Bridge, I can't remember what it was. Something 523 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 1: bow Bridge, the bow Bridge, the bow Bridge? Is it? 524 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: The bow Bridge? Yeah, it was supposedly up until like 525 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four, like every book you could read said 526 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: they had giant cannonballs. That has found as as its foundation. Yeah, 527 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: it's like ball bearings because it was like expanded and 528 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: contracted so much because of the winters. No cannonballs. They 529 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: did a renovation on it, so they're building this thing. Uh. 530 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: They finally in eighteen fifty nine, in the winter of 531 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty nine is when it first opened for public use, 532 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:04,480 Speaker 1: and by eight that park received more than seven million 533 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: visitors a year. There's a lot, but like you said 534 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: that we need to follow up on. At first, they 535 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,520 Speaker 1: had a bunch of rules in place that kind of 536 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 1: kept it for the wealthier New Yorkers for sure. So 537 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: like the history of Central Park is actually a history 538 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: of class struggle in New York big time. And when 539 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: it when it opened, initially it was kind of like 540 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: thanks for the park, chumps, appreciate the taxpayer money. Um. 541 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: And it was like if there was any kind of 542 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: event or orchestra or band or anything like that, it 543 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: took place from Monday to Saturday, because if you were 544 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: a labor if you were part of the working class, 545 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:47,160 Speaker 1: the only day of the week you had off was Sunday. Um. 546 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: Carriages were very much welcomed and they made up something like, um, 547 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: fifty or sixty percent of the visitors arrived in carriages 548 00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:00,200 Speaker 1: in the first decade were in carriages, but like five 549 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 1: percent of New Yorkers were wealthy enough to afford carriage 550 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,920 Speaker 1: at all, right, exactly. Um. So basically it was just 551 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 1: kind of like a stay out kind of thing. They 552 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: had a ban on group picnics. Yeah, that was a 553 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,720 Speaker 1: big one. So like all these you know, big immigrant 554 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: families that love to get together in large groups, none 555 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 1: of that couldn't do it. I go to the cemetery. 556 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: You couldn't ride around in a work card, so like yeah, 557 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,040 Speaker 1: like if you had an ice truck, yeah, sorry, Like 558 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: you want to just put your family in it to 559 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: take him out for a Sunday drive. Nope, none of those. 560 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:31,719 Speaker 1: You had to have a nice carriage. So there were 561 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,000 Speaker 1: always all these rules, um that were enforced for a 562 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: little while. And then finally, um, the rest of New York, 563 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: the other New Yorkers said this is b s. Yeah, 564 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 1: let's let's loosen these up a little bit, and they 565 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: finally petitioned for some changes in Central Park. Finally, in 566 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: the eighteen seventies became a true public park. Yeah, Like 567 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: little by little, that's when it started ease on some 568 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 1: of these rules. Um. Apparently Olmstead was not a fan 569 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: of children trapesing all over the grass, so he would 570 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: have been none too pleased with family picnics and all 571 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: of it on the Great Lawn. Um. Obviously that changed 572 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:20,000 Speaker 1: over the years as well. Uh. And since you know, 573 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: mid eighteen seventy five and on, it's been a series 574 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: of um, progressive minded people that have opened up the 575 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: park and democratized it over decades and decades. But it's 576 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 1: also been kind of this push and pull, like, okay, 577 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 1: how much for the people, should we add some like 578 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: a swimming pool, yeah yeah, or like some like should 579 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: we put the baseball stadium here? That was a proposal 580 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: at one point in time, and they're like, no, let's 581 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: not do let's not go that far towards the people. 582 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 1: It's fields, and they said, okay, maybe one or two 583 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 1: of those, and then it would kind of go back, 584 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 1: you know, like, um, you know, the people have screwed 585 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 1: it up a little bit, so let's take it over 586 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,240 Speaker 1: and make up some more rules. And it just keeps 587 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: going back and between too much for the people, and 588 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: the people are taking it for granted, too too strict, 589 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,560 Speaker 1: and we need to kind of loosen it up a 590 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:09,360 Speaker 1: little bit. Just kind of went back and forth like that, 591 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: and it's still doing that today. Yeah. And also I think, um, 592 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: like the greensword plan was so revered. It was sort 593 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 1: of like the Constitution. It was like for decades and 594 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: decades they would go back to that original plan and 595 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:26,359 Speaker 1: think about, like, well, this isn't what they intended. Yeah, 596 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,360 Speaker 1: until Progressive sort of got on board and we're like, 597 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:31,040 Speaker 1: well we can actually alter this, keep the spirit of 598 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,520 Speaker 1: the park and just make it more accessible because softball 599 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:38,319 Speaker 1: fields are great there's a really good um example of 600 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: all of this in uh, the Casino story. Yeah, so 601 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,520 Speaker 1: there was this thing called the Ladies Refreshment Saloon. I 602 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,759 Speaker 1: think there was an original Calvert Vo building, one of 603 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 1: the buildings he built. It looked like, um, an upstate 604 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,800 Speaker 1: New York cottage, a very like a wealthy person's cottage 605 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 1: house in New York. Is beautiful little house. And originally, 606 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,799 Speaker 1: if you were a woman who was unescorted by a 607 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 1: man to Central Park, this was the place you could 608 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: go and like get a drink and relax and chill 609 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 1: out because no men were allowed. It was just the 610 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: Ladies Refreshment Saloon, right, And then over time men started 611 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,799 Speaker 1: to be allowed and it became like an actual restaurant. 612 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: And then in the twenties, I think New York got 613 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:25,320 Speaker 1: a mayor who was basically a gangster named Jimmy Walker, 614 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:30,480 Speaker 1: gentleman Jimmy Walker, and he was not Jimmy Walker, different 615 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 1: Jimmy Walker, um. And he was super in favor of 616 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: speakeasies and like gambling and all this stuff. And he 617 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: helped make the casino or the this refreshment saloon into 618 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,399 Speaker 1: what was known as the Casino. There wasn't actual gambling there. 619 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,000 Speaker 1: But it was like the hottest nightclub in New York 620 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: was in this original eighteen sixties building UM in Central Park. Yeah, 621 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,239 Speaker 1: he said, let's take the Ladies refreshment salon and make 622 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:01,359 Speaker 1: it the opposite of that, right exact. And so during 623 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,959 Speaker 1: the day it was a restaurant that was open to all, 624 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: but it was basically like a Neiman Marcus cafe, where 625 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: like the prices were so outrageously high that the average 626 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: person couldn't afford this stuff. It was like coffee for 627 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 1: forty cents a cup at a time when coffee was 628 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,880 Speaker 1: like a nickel everywhere else. So, you know, eight times 629 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,919 Speaker 1: the normal rate for just a cup of coffee, which 630 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:24,520 Speaker 1: is kind of like what's not good for a public park. 631 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 1: But it was open everybody until night came, and then 632 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 1: it was an exclusive nightclub, like you could not get 633 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:33,839 Speaker 1: in unless you were on the list. And there was 634 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,000 Speaker 1: like partying like this for years throughout the Roaring twenties, 635 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 1: and then finally when Jimmy Walker was no longer mayor 636 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: he was toppled for corruption, the casino became a symbol 637 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 1: for the people taking back New York and their park, 638 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:55,479 Speaker 1: and so UM Mayor LaGuardia appointed a guy named Robert 639 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,680 Speaker 1: Moses who became the parks commissioner for decades, and Robert 640 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:03,239 Speaker 1: Moses lobbied to tear the casino down. Yeah, he did 641 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 1: a lot, Robert Moses. He built twenty playgrounds on the periphery. 642 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:09,760 Speaker 1: He renovated the zoo that I think had been around 643 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,880 Speaker 1: since eighteen seventy one, and it was and still is 644 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:18,400 Speaker 1: very popular. Um he was the first one to accommodate automobiles. 645 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:23,560 Speaker 1: He had an athletic fields, UM benefactors private benefactors in 646 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: the fifties and sixties, which was during his tenure. Um 647 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: helped contribute to the skating rank, the woman rank, Alaska 648 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,800 Speaker 1: ranking pool, the boat houses, the chess and Checker's house, 649 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,439 Speaker 1: ball fields on the Great Lawn. Like he really made 650 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: a lot of changes for like the people, right, So, yeah, 651 00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:44,400 Speaker 1: they took the park back and he actually he was 652 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 1: a huge UM advocate for the park and it had 653 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,399 Speaker 1: kind of started to fall into decay around the turn 654 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:53,759 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century, and when he came in in 655 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,360 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four, he just completely turned it around, like 656 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,759 Speaker 1: you said, added all this stuff, but also renovated it 657 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: and Sally restored it back to its original glory. And 658 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,840 Speaker 1: so Robert Moses was great. He saved Central Park the 659 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,319 Speaker 1: first time, the first time, but when he left in 660 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:14,719 Speaker 1: what did you say, Um, the park really sorry to 661 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,640 Speaker 1: follow the pieces because there was no champion there like 662 00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:21,239 Speaker 1: Robert Moses. But there's also no plan in place, and 663 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: there was also no money. New York. Basically, the way 664 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,560 Speaker 1: that I saw it, New York abdicated its stewardship of 665 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:31,040 Speaker 1: Central Park. It basically said this is whatever, We're not 666 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: paying attention to this anymore. And it went to poop 667 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 1: very quickly. All right, well, let's take a break there, uh, 668 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:42,279 Speaker 1: and we'll come back and finish up from ninety to today, 669 00:38:42,800 --> 00:39:10,320 Speaker 1: don't alright, so the park is going downhill in the nineties, sixties, 670 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:14,160 Speaker 1: and seventies. Um, we mentioned a few reasons. Another big 671 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 1: reason was that there was no no ownership. No one 672 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,920 Speaker 1: had ultimate responsibility. Like I feel like the buck was 673 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,400 Speaker 1: being passed all over the city. No one was happy 674 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:27,600 Speaker 1: about it, but there was no body in place to say, no, 675 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,560 Speaker 1: this is we gotta fix this now. And if you 676 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: look up pictures of Central Park in the seventies, man, 677 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:35,399 Speaker 1: and I mean it was like all of New York. 678 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: It wouldn't looked like a waste land. It was like 679 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 1: the warriors in there. Yeah, like these classic places like 680 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:44,000 Speaker 1: the boat House and the Skating Rinker, like graffitied and 681 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 1: likes everywhere. It's just hard to believe broken all the place, 682 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:52,759 Speaker 1: the being vandalized. It's like it is, it's it's so sad. 683 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,399 Speaker 1: It is. It's sad to see, but it's also unbelievable 684 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:57,960 Speaker 1: to see now that you know what Central Park looks like, 685 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: just how bad it was in the seventies and eighties 686 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: and the sixties. It was actually there wasn't like a 687 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 1: Robert Moses champion and it was starting to go downhill, 688 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:09,360 Speaker 1: but it was nothing like it was when they finally 689 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,520 Speaker 1: in the seventies were just like whatever, forget it and 690 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:18,160 Speaker 1: um it was kind of like that broken windows theory 691 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:21,359 Speaker 1: of like policing, where once once you once you reach 692 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:24,439 Speaker 1: this tipping point, as it were, um, it just kind 693 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,759 Speaker 1: of all just turns to garbage. And that's Central Park 694 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:31,120 Speaker 1: in the seventies and eighties was a great example of that. 695 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,360 Speaker 1: And it was considered like a really dangerous place that 696 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,040 Speaker 1: you did not want to be after dark. And there 697 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: was that very famous Central Park five case, and everybody 698 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,799 Speaker 1: just found it so easy to believe that some teenagers 699 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: had brutally attacked a woman and left her for dead 700 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 1: because it was Central Park. Yeah, I mean, you can't 701 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:51,719 Speaker 1: even be in there at certain hours now, like they 702 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:54,719 Speaker 1: cleared the park out. Uh. And I know this because 703 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:57,360 Speaker 1: I spent the night in the park for Shakespeare in 704 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:03,279 Speaker 1: the Park tickets and you you line up, you hang 705 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: out and party with people in line until I can't 706 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:10,880 Speaker 1: remember what time it was, but something like two am, 707 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:13,560 Speaker 1: and the cops come around and they say, everybody get up, 708 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:16,960 Speaker 1: and they walk you in order out onto the sidewalk 709 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,560 Speaker 1: right there on. I don't know if it was the 710 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:22,520 Speaker 1: east or west side, but they basically moved the entire 711 00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:25,000 Speaker 1: line out of the park. And then then you're sleeping 712 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,320 Speaker 1: on the sidewalk all night, and then in the morning 713 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:29,400 Speaker 1: they come back and they move you all back into 714 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,359 Speaker 1: the park in line, and everyone just does it must 715 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 1: have been a hell of a Shakespeare play. It was 716 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:38,920 Speaker 1: the most legendary. What was it, the Seagull? I never 717 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 1: told you about that, The seagull. That's like Chekhov or something. Yeah, 718 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,520 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean everything is Shakespeare. It's just Shakespeare in 719 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,200 Speaker 1: the Park kind of makes it sound like it would 720 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:49,000 Speaker 1: be No, that's just the name of the program, but 721 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:52,879 Speaker 1: it's uh this Yeah, And it was The Seagull with 722 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:57,880 Speaker 1: Kevin Klein and Meryl Streep and John Goodman and Christopher Walking, 723 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:04,040 Speaker 1: Philip Seymour Hoffman, George the Call, Natalie Portman Wow, and 724 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:06,920 Speaker 1: there was like two more directed by Mike Nichols. It 725 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,840 Speaker 1: was like one of the most legendary performances ever. And 726 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 1: that's the one where I saw James Lipton wearing a 727 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:18,400 Speaker 1: inside the actor's studio jacket. It's like, you don't need 728 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:20,640 Speaker 1: to wear that. It's like Glenn Danzig walks around wearing 729 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:24,240 Speaker 1: Danzig shirts. Did you know that? Oh, I'm sure sleepless 730 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,560 Speaker 1: Danzing shirts. So anyway, that's what happens. They move you 731 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,800 Speaker 1: out at night, so it's kind of fun. I highly 732 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:31,919 Speaker 1: recommend everyone doing that at some point in their life. 733 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 1: That's a heck of a play man. Yeah, it was. 734 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:38,080 Speaker 1: It was really something else. So, uh, Central Park is 735 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 1: in Decay And in nineteen seventy four, UM a man 736 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:45,640 Speaker 1: named George Soros who was saved the day the devil 737 00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:49,760 Speaker 1: to some people in this country. George Soros and Richard 738 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:54,240 Speaker 1: gilder Um under working with a Central Park Community fund, 739 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:59,719 Speaker 1: underwrote a management study in nineteen seventy four by E. S. Savas, 740 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 1: who was a professor of public systems management at Columbia. 741 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,919 Speaker 1: And this was a big study that basically came away 742 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:11,359 Speaker 1: with two big clear initiatives. One was like, we need 743 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:16,640 Speaker 1: a CEO essentially like one person, one person in charge 744 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:19,120 Speaker 1: so everyone can't go like I thought, he was gonna 745 00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:23,719 Speaker 1: fix the thing. One person who who has like not 746 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,480 Speaker 1: unchecked authority, but just basically like their their boss, their 747 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 1: decision is final. Yeah. So that was the first thing. 748 00:43:30,239 --> 00:43:33,600 Speaker 1: And then the second thing was a central park board 749 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:38,399 Speaker 1: of guardians to oversee all this stuff. Um the guy 750 00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:42,080 Speaker 1: suggested the Guardian Angels, but was shouted down, Oh man, 751 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:45,160 Speaker 1: we should do one of those guys. Uh. Nine. Though, 752 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:49,400 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Betsy Barlow, who is now UM Rogers was a 753 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:54,160 Speaker 1: Yale educated urban planner and writer, became that central park administrator, 754 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:57,359 Speaker 1: which was essentially the de facto CEO that they were 755 00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:02,120 Speaker 1: looking for. UM. And then she is the one. So 756 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,120 Speaker 1: many people did so much great work over the years, 757 00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:06,239 Speaker 1: but she really did. She was the first one to 758 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:12,320 Speaker 1: create a public private partnership. UM too get well healed 759 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:16,960 Speaker 1: New Yorkers involved. Yeah, and they apparently were um bolstered 760 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:19,840 Speaker 1: by early successes. Like they went in and one of 761 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,080 Speaker 1: the first things they did was they created a zero 762 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 1: tolerance policy for graffiti, garbage, anything broken. If the if 763 00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:30,080 Speaker 1: anybody saw anything wrong with the park, you were supposed 764 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:32,279 Speaker 1: to phone it in. And they just responded immediately and 765 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:34,440 Speaker 1: fixed it, like literally phone it in, not just phone 766 00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:38,520 Speaker 1: it in right right, right, yeah, I'll be right there. Um. 767 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:41,800 Speaker 1: They and they would fix it, and they they very quickly. 768 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:45,120 Speaker 1: It was that kind of thing where like, if the 769 00:44:45,160 --> 00:44:48,719 Speaker 1: park's already clean, you're probably going to be less likely 770 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:51,279 Speaker 1: to litter or less likely to spray paint. But if 771 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:53,799 Speaker 1: it's already spray painting, there's already some garbage, you maybe 772 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,000 Speaker 1: a little and then you hit that like snowball thing. 773 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,359 Speaker 1: They kept the snowball from ever growing by being just 774 00:44:59,480 --> 00:45:03,279 Speaker 1: completely vigilant and they attracted a lot of attention, improved like, oh, 775 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:06,000 Speaker 1: this actually will work, and so it's more money started 776 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:08,440 Speaker 1: coming in to kind of resurrect the park. Yeah, And 777 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:14,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty um she uh brought together a couple 778 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,240 Speaker 1: of groups, the Central Park Task Force in the Central 779 00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:19,840 Speaker 1: Park Community Fund to finally merge and create the Central 780 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:24,080 Speaker 1: Park Conservancy, which was that citizen based board of guardians 781 00:45:24,160 --> 00:45:28,279 Speaker 1: that they called for with that initial study. So they 782 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:30,719 Speaker 1: have a plan in place. Now things are getting way 783 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:35,560 Speaker 1: way better. UH. And then in n UH an arrangement 784 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,759 Speaker 1: between the Conservancy and the City of New York UM 785 00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:43,239 Speaker 1: formalized that public private partnership. UH. And there was a 786 00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:49,799 Speaker 1: man named Douglas Blonch Blonsky, the blons who assumed her 787 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:53,240 Speaker 1: title of administrator, and he was the one that created 788 00:45:53,239 --> 00:45:57,720 Speaker 1: this really innovative management. Innovative in its simplicity, I think, 789 00:45:58,080 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: because he was like, here's what you need to do, 790 00:46:00,239 --> 00:46:02,560 Speaker 1: is we need to make it smaller. So he divided 791 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:06,000 Speaker 1: Central Park up into forty nine zones, and every single 792 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:11,160 Speaker 1: zone had its own gardener and its own staff. And 793 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:12,880 Speaker 1: if you look at the size of Central Park, it 794 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:16,280 Speaker 1: that's like probably a few two or three square blocks 795 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:20,719 Speaker 1: maybe per team. Anybody can handle that. But that's the 796 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:22,719 Speaker 1: way to do it, you know, you make it smaller. Well, 797 00:46:22,719 --> 00:46:25,320 Speaker 1: there's also accountability, to have the accountability at the top. 798 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:30,520 Speaker 1: And then ever since then it's been humming. There's a UM. 799 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:35,720 Speaker 1: The big thing moving forward is a three hundred million dollar. Um, 800 00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 1: what do you call it, like a like a fund 801 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,280 Speaker 1: to keep it going in definitely, Yeah, which is funny 802 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: because that's double the original price in adjusted for inflation. 803 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:49,840 Speaker 1: That is funny. And in March of last year, uh, 804 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:55,359 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Betsy another Betsy Betsy Elizabeth Betsy Winberg Smith became 805 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:59,600 Speaker 1: president CEO of the Conservancy. And all of these people 806 00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:02,120 Speaker 1: that do us do it because they love the park. 807 00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:04,799 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure she's paid and stuff, but they're 808 00:47:04,840 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 1: not volunteers. But it's not like uh, I mean, it's 809 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:10,920 Speaker 1: a good position to be in if you want to 810 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 1: be among the elite of New York. But all of 811 00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:17,439 Speaker 1: these people were nature lovers and like park advocates. Yeah, 812 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:19,400 Speaker 1: I mean, clearly, that's kind of the proof is in 813 00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:22,320 Speaker 1: the pudding, because I mean they've they've done a pretty 814 00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:24,880 Speaker 1: great job in bringing Central Park back, especially if you 815 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:27,000 Speaker 1: go look at those pictures from the seventies and eighties 816 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:29,719 Speaker 1: and then think about it today. Yeah. Man, Yeah, you 817 00:47:29,800 --> 00:47:32,840 Speaker 1: see a picture from five, you see a law in 818 00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:37,719 Speaker 1: order from totally different. I just got one more thing. 819 00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:41,600 Speaker 1: Sheep Meadow used to have sheep. Yeah, the tavern on 820 00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:44,400 Speaker 1: the Green, the restaurant used to be where they housed 821 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:47,399 Speaker 1: the sheep, and they were put there very purposely by 822 00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:51,919 Speaker 1: Olmstead to keep the grass cut, but also for aesthetics. Yeah, 823 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:53,920 Speaker 1: he said, all this green everywhere, bring in white and 824 00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:57,560 Speaker 1: black sheep. They're like as opposed to you know what's 825 00:47:57,560 --> 00:48:01,240 Speaker 1: funny he he made his his arc is a master 826 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:04,800 Speaker 1: landscape designer. He was like a journalist and a farmer. 827 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,960 Speaker 1: That's what his background was. He became the Central Park 828 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:11,000 Speaker 1: superintendent because he needed a job. Amazing, that was it. 829 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:14,120 Speaker 1: I have one last one. The Central Park Zoo started 830 00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:17,880 Speaker 1: out as an animal menagerie because people would take unwanted 831 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:21,520 Speaker 1: exotic pets to the arsenal and they just ended up 832 00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:24,880 Speaker 1: starting accumulating pets. I think it started with some swans 833 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:28,640 Speaker 1: and a black bear cub is how the whole thing started. 834 00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:32,160 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about Central Park, there's 835 00:48:32,239 --> 00:48:34,680 Speaker 1: a ton of stuff. It's so much. This could have 836 00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:37,160 Speaker 1: been a three parter easily. You could do a lot 837 00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:39,960 Speaker 1: worse than going to ephemeral New York and looking or 838 00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:43,239 Speaker 1: go to the park. Yeah, I guess you could do that. Um. 839 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:46,160 Speaker 1: And since I said ephemeral New York, it's time for 840 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:53,759 Speaker 1: a very very special listener mail. Yeah, this is long, 841 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:56,840 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna make it shorter, even though I've already 842 00:48:56,840 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 1: made it shorter. But you might remember, many years ago 843 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,279 Speaker 1: we had Sarah, the amazing eleven year old super fan. 844 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:05,600 Speaker 1: We got a lot of letters from read some of 845 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:10,480 Speaker 1: them money air. Then Sarah disappeared from us, and uh, 846 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:15,120 Speaker 1: in those ten years, we would remark occasionally like whatever 847 00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:19,799 Speaker 1: happened to Sarah? She got in touch last week and 848 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,879 Speaker 1: it was literally one of the more exciting emails I've 849 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:27,399 Speaker 1: ever gotten. Uh. She says, Hey, guys, listen to can 850 00:49:27,440 --> 00:49:29,759 Speaker 1: you can your Grandfather's Diet Short in your Life? And 851 00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:33,719 Speaker 1: this was from a while ago. It's like ten Yeah, 852 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:35,560 Speaker 1: but that was a select episode. She heard it as 853 00:49:35,560 --> 00:49:38,160 Speaker 1: a select and said, and heard the thirteen year old 854 00:49:38,239 --> 00:49:40,560 Speaker 1: version of myself get a shout out. Well, guys, I'm 855 00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:43,200 Speaker 1: now twenty one. It's been entirely too long, and I 856 00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:47,680 Speaker 1: owe you an explanation. Um. She said, her iPod broke 857 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:52,240 Speaker 1: way back then, a likely story, that's like the modern Yeah, 858 00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:56,960 Speaker 1: I broke, so her iPod broke. Um. It took a 859 00:49:56,960 --> 00:50:00,759 Speaker 1: while to get back to get the smart phone. Once 860 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:03,759 Speaker 1: she got the smartphone, she listened here and there, but 861 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:06,080 Speaker 1: she said she was really busy with school. She's like, 862 00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:09,000 Speaker 1: I lost my self proclaimed title of super fan, even 863 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 1: though I dearly loved it admired you uh the entire time. Um. 864 00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:15,200 Speaker 1: The fun facts I learned throughout the years also came 865 00:50:15,239 --> 00:50:18,800 Speaker 1: incredibly handy during my quiz Bowl career and throughout high school. 866 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:21,680 Speaker 1: So yes, I am very much a nerd ha U. 867 00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:24,760 Speaker 1: Currently I'm a senior in college, which is even crazy 868 00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:27,480 Speaker 1: for me to say back to being a regular listener. 869 00:50:27,719 --> 00:50:29,560 Speaker 1: And boy did I miss you guys. I am so 870 00:50:29,600 --> 00:50:32,879 Speaker 1: sorry we lost touch, um, she said, I just want 871 00:50:32,920 --> 00:50:36,400 Speaker 1: to sincerely thank you for continuing this podcast and consistently 872 00:50:36,400 --> 00:50:39,000 Speaker 1: bringing new topics to light. You were also kind to 873 00:50:39,160 --> 00:50:41,920 Speaker 1: that a little eleven year old version of myself. Uh. 874 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:44,879 Speaker 1: You inspired me to pursue every opportunity I was given 875 00:50:44,920 --> 00:50:46,759 Speaker 1: to learn. You showed me that there is always a 876 00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:51,160 Speaker 1: story behind everything, and then I should always ask questions 877 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:55,680 Speaker 1: and she she got it. Man. Uh. That has always 878 00:50:55,680 --> 00:50:57,680 Speaker 1: stuck with me and greatly shaped the person I am today. 879 00:50:57,719 --> 00:51:00,440 Speaker 1: It's been amazing to watch you all achieve what you have. Um. 880 00:51:00,520 --> 00:51:03,080 Speaker 1: So she graduated in two thousand fifteen, went on to 881 00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:07,120 Speaker 1: study English and psychology at a small private liberal arts school. 882 00:51:07,880 --> 00:51:12,320 Speaker 1: She traveled to Ghana. She traveled to Scotland to study literature. 883 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:16,360 Speaker 1: The Scotland Ghana you want she set. Aside from travel, 884 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:18,759 Speaker 1: I had a chance to lead on our campus. Was 885 00:51:18,800 --> 00:51:23,160 Speaker 1: elected student government president. This is all leading to a like, Hey, 886 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,040 Speaker 1: this is what happens when you listen stuff. You should know. 887 00:51:25,680 --> 00:51:28,839 Speaker 1: This is advice for kids. Um, weirdly have to thank 888 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:30,680 Speaker 1: you for spurring the beginning of that leadership. It might 889 00:51:30,719 --> 00:51:32,680 Speaker 1: seem like a weird thing to attribute to your podcast, 890 00:51:33,040 --> 00:51:34,880 Speaker 1: but I truly have to thank you for helping develop 891 00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:38,040 Speaker 1: my critical thinking skills early on in my education. You 892 00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:41,720 Speaker 1: guys truly fostered uh a mentality within me. The education 893 00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:44,879 Speaker 1: is always a strength. So how about that man that's 894 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:47,680 Speaker 1: she's going to grad school now? She doesn't know where. 895 00:51:47,719 --> 00:51:49,480 Speaker 1: She's applied all over the map, and she says it's 896 00:51:49,480 --> 00:51:53,200 Speaker 1: a little scary. She'll do great. She says, I feel 897 00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:55,560 Speaker 1: like you're all old friends that I've lost connection with 898 00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:58,759 Speaker 1: and I'd love to fix that. Sarah, twenty one year 899 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:01,520 Speaker 1: old super fan, thank you so much for getting back 900 00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:03,480 Speaker 1: in touch. She gave a little picture, she said, a 901 00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:08,520 Speaker 1: picture like this is me now, just adorable, adorable. Thank 902 00:52:08,560 --> 00:52:11,040 Speaker 1: you very much. For writing in Sarah, And I would say, 903 00:52:11,080 --> 00:52:13,439 Speaker 1: if you're like Sarah and you want to get in touch, 904 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:17,160 Speaker 1: but nobody's really like Sarah, but the original eleven year 905 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:20,600 Speaker 1: old super fan now turned twenty one year old successful 906 00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:23,600 Speaker 1: um fan. Yeah, it just goes as well. One day 907 00:52:23,640 --> 00:52:26,200 Speaker 1: we will read an email called Sarah the middle aged 908 00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:31,640 Speaker 1: super fan and I will be like a million close 909 00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:34,120 Speaker 1: to sixty. Yeah, which is so weird. I won't be 910 00:52:34,200 --> 00:52:38,120 Speaker 1: sixty now, you'll be just a few years behind me. Well, 911 00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:39,879 Speaker 1: thank you against Sarah. And if you want to get 912 00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:41,719 Speaker 1: in touch with us, so let us know how we 913 00:52:41,800 --> 00:52:43,879 Speaker 1: impact your life. We'd love hearing that. Stuff. You can 914 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:46,000 Speaker 1: go on to Stuff you Should Know dot com. Check 915 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:48,560 Speaker 1: out our social links. I'm at the Josh Clark Way 916 00:52:48,640 --> 00:52:50,720 Speaker 1: dot com. You can send us an email the Stuff 917 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:58,200 Speaker 1: podcast how stuff Works dot com for more on this 918 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:00,919 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Is that how stuff works 919 00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:11,719 Speaker 1: dot com? Hm, hm,