You've heard the legend of New York's most notorious neighborhood, heard the story of the seedy gangs of New York. Now come with us as we hit the streets of Five Points and dig up some of the nitty, gritty details of its birth, its first residents and its most scandalous pastimes.

Special illustrated version

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Before Delmonico's, New Yorkers ate in taverns or oyster houses. But the city caught the fine dining bug at this family-owned business, Delmonico's Restaurant Francais, which standardized everything you know about restaurants today. Find out about "menus", "fresh ingredients", "dining rooms for ladies" and other unusual and exotic Delmonico innovations.

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How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well, we can at least show you the way through its tumultuous history, from a fortunate meeting on a Norwegian cruise ship, passed a symphonic rivalry, and into the 20th Century with some of the biggest names in classical and popular music. And forgive our pronunciation of Dunfermline! www.boweryboyspodcast.com

The smaller islands of the East River reveal fascinating secrets of the city's past, and Randall's and Ward's Islands are no exceptions. Found out how these former potter's fields are related to the most important Olympics-related event New York City has ever seen. The cast includes a swashbuckling British engineer, Jesse Owens, Tony Bennett, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Moses, and Pearl Jam! www.boweryboyspodcast.com

When last we left Central Park, it was the embodiment of Olmstead and Vaux's naturalistic Greensward Plan. Then the skyscrapers came. Also, how did all those playgrounds, a swanky nightclub, a theater troupe and all those hippies get here? NOTE: Please forgive my butcher pronounciation of the word Jagiello!

Come with us to the beginnings of New York's most popular and most ambitious park -- from the inkling of an idea to the arduous construction. Learn who got uprooted and find out who the park was REALLY intended for. On the 151th year anniversary of the design of Central Park! NOTE: We pronounce the name Egbert Viele wrong. It should be pronounced Veal-E, not Vee-el Some pictures in this enhanced podcast courtesy New York Public Library collection Check out our website www.boweryboyspodcast.com for more information on Central Park.

How did the land surrounding an old 19th century fortress develop into the city's mainline distributor for produce and meat? And how did it go from leather bars and transsexual prostitutes to high fashion stores and boutique hotels? Welcome to the Meatpacking District! www.boweryboyspodcast.com

Meet former mayor, governor, senator and privileged son DeWitt Clinton, one of New York's most successful politicians and champion of the Erie Canal. www.boweryboyspodcast.com

Grab yourself a couple mugs of dark ale and learn about the history of one of New York City's oldest bars, serving everyone from Abraham Lincoln to John Lennon --- and eventually even women! www.boweryboyspodcast.com

We celebrate a year of New York City history podcasting by re-visiting the topic of our very first show. Downtown Civic Center used to have a big pond in the middle of it which provided drinking water for the island's first inhabitants. What happened to it, why is it important today and how did it give rise to Canal Street, New York's biggest traffic thoroughfare? www.boweryboyspodcast.com