NYC AND ITS ENVIRONS – FALL 2025 VIDEOS
Lead Coordinator: Paul Golomb
New York City and Its Environs is a history and philosophy course that explores the city’s 400-year development through its neighborhoods.
To view a video click on the link above its description.
NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
Newark
Presenter: Pete and Judy Weis
Presentation Date: February 13, 2025
Just eight miles west of 25 Broadway is New Jersey’s largest city. Newark has an international airport, the East Coast’s busiest seaport, two concert halls, three Olmstead-designed parks, two railroad stations, a subway, a museum with the largest collection of American art, two state university campuses, business and tech corporate headquarters, a sometimes-troubled history, environmental (in)justice issues, and 312,000 residents in vibrant ethnic neighborhoods. All this could fit into the South Bronx with room left over.
NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
Ridgewood
Presenter: Larry Shapiro
Presentation Date: February 27, 2025
My first visit to Ridgewood was to search for a Vietnamese restaurant that had moved for the third time, in each case to a location more obscure than the last. (Is Ridgewood in Brooklyn or Queens? Yes.) Walking the streets, I encountered a neighborhood of families whose people had been living there for generations, also recent arrivals from other countries and other parts of this city. I saw traces of a history extending back to the colonial era, and an architecture that preserves the look of 100 years ago. It seemed like a rarity, a neighborhood updating itself without changing its essence. In the years since, I’ve been back to look and shop and hang out, and I’d like to share some of my impressions.
NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
NYC Tunnels
Presenter: Bob Reiss
Presentation Date: March 13, 2025
We are a city of islands. Four of our five boroughs are situated on islands. To function as a city, these islands must be interconnected by bridges, tunnels, ferries and even a tram. This talk focuses on our remarkable network of tunnels, their history, engineering challenges, and innovative features. Towards the end of the talk, I will describe a NYC tunnel that I bet no one has heard of (except maybe the people I told in the lunchroom).