Tag: New York City Stories

Max’s Kansas City – An Iconic Club

On Park Avenue in Manhattan there stands a small, unassuming building. Once, it was one of New York City’s most iconic nightclubs: Max’s Kansas City. From the moment it opened in 1965, it became a magnet for artists, musicians, and cultural pioneers.

In its early years, Max’s was synonymous with Andy Warhol and his entourage. Warhol practically held court there nightly, bringing along The Velvet Underground, who often performed regularly in the intimate space. As the glam rock scene emerged, Max’s transformed into its unofficial headquarters. David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop, and Alice Cooper all became regulars.

One unforgettable moment in Max’s history occurred in July 1973. Two young acts shared the stage for a week of performances: Bruce Springsteen, promoting his debut album, and Bob Marley and the Wailers—then simply called The Wailers, who were the opening act for all of these performances. Their shows took place in the club’s upstairs showroom, with fewer than 50 people in attendance each night. Imagine witnessing Springsteen and Marley perform together in such an intimate setting!

By the mid-1970s, the art crowd began to fade from the scene, and glam rock was in decline. Max’s briefly closed but reopened in 1975, this time becoming a cornerstone of the punk rock movement. While CBGB often grabs the spotlight, Max’s was equally crucial in shaping punk’s early days. Every major New York punk band performed there, and Debbie Harry, who later fronted Blondie, worked as a waitress in Max’s before finding fame.

The club hosted some legendary moments in punk history. After the Sex Pistols disbanded, Sid Vicious played all of his solo gigs at Max’s. Devo also graced the stage, once introduced by none other than David Bowie. And for me personally, there’s a special connection: the first band I ever saw as a teenager back in Swindon, England—Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers—they also performed at Max’s.

Max’s Kansas City closed its doors in 1981, but not before hosting one final legendary show. The headliners? Bad Brains. The opening act that night was a fledgling New York group called the Beastie Boys.

The sheer talent that passed through Max’s Kansas City is astonishing. It was more than a venue—it was a cultural hub, a place where legends were born, and stars gathered to witness history in the making. While I’ve only scratched the surface of the artists who performed there, the list includes everyone from Emmylou Harris to the Talking Heads. And it wasn’t just about the acts on stage. Many future stars were part of the audience, soaking in the magic of a place that epitomized the creative energy of its era.

The Ghost of the Bushwick Savings Bank

Join us as we investigate the mysterious Ghost of the Bushwick Savings Bank in Brooklyn! This video takes you through the haunted history and eerie experiences reported by locals. Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or just curious, you won’t want to miss this captivating journey into the unknown!

On March the 27th, 1916, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported a story of some ghostly activity happening at the bank on the corner of Grand St. and Graham Ave. in Williamsburg.

In this video I have taken that newspaper article and I have created a fun scary story based on the details in the article. It is Halloween after all, and what better way to celebrate than to listen to a scary story.

Bushwick Brooklyn – Now and Then

This is episode 5 of my series where I walk around certain neighborhoods and film a street. In this instance I am on Wyckoff Ave in Bushwick in Brooklyn and I film every building between Palmetto (Myrtle) and Linden St., then I superimpose an image into the video of the same building from 1939-41. I don’t have the exact date of each image but they were all taken during those three years.

This series of videos are quite popular and I have done previous ones in Ridgewood and Glendale in Queens. Just click the play button in the middle of the image below to watch the video.

The General Slocum Memorial

Located in Middle Village, Queens, the General Slocum Disaster happened in 1904 in one of the worst disasters in USA history. One thousand and twenty one people lost their lives that day, mostly all women and children.

The PS General Slocum was a sidewheel passenger steamboat built in Brooklyn, New York, in 1891. During her service history, she was involved in a number of mishaps, including multiple groundings and collisions.

On June 15, 1904, General Slocum caught fire and sank in the East River of New York City. At the time of the accident, she was on a chartered run carrying members of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (German Americans from Little Germany, Manhattan) to a church picnic. An estimated 1,021 of the 1,342 people on board died. The General Slocum disaster was the New York area’s worst disaster in terms of loss of life until the September 11, 2001 attacks. It is the worst maritime disaster in the city’s history, and the second worst maritime disaster on United States waterways. The events surrounding the General Slocum fire have been explored in a number of books, plays, and movies.

Click the play button in the middle of the image below to watch the video.

The Anthony J. Venditti Memorial

My story today is about NYPD Detective Anthony J. Venditti and his encounter with the Genovese organized crime family.

On the fateful evening of January 21, 1986, Detective Venditti entered Castillo’s diner which was in Ridgewood, Queens, whilst on a mission to surveil members of the Genovese family.

Assigned to the case alongside his temporary partner, Detective Venditti, a seasoned 14-year veteran of the NYPD, trailed Federico “Fritzy” Giovanelli, a member of the Genovese crime family, as part of an ongoing illegal gambling investigation. The pursuit brought them to a location near Myrtle and St. Nicholas avenues in Ridgewood, Queens.

Upon entering the diner, Detective Venditti emerged moments later, only to be confronted by members of the Genovese organized crime family. The mobsters shoved him against a wall, prompting Detective Burke to intervene. Her warning, however, was met with gunfire as the suspects pulled out their weapons.

Detective Venditti, struck four times, twice in the head and twice in the back, succumbed to his injuries, while Burke, critically wounded, managed to recover. The tragedy marked the end of a remarkable career, earning Venditti posthumously the NYPD Medal of Honor, the highest tribute bestowed upon an officer.

The Ramones Ramp

Today I visit Forest Hills in Queens for a look at The Ramones Ramp. All four original members of the band would hang out here in the 1970s and they all went to school just up the road at Forest Hills High School. It might be a stretch to call the place the ‘Birthplace’ of punk, what with earlier pioneering bands such as Television, MC5 and The Stooges, but The Ramones certainly brought their own style to the punk scene and can definitely be considered pioneers as well.

In Flanders Fields Audio Recording

A while back I made my own recording of In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. Youtube #shorts videos run for a minute or less and I was just about able to squeeze the poem into 59 seconds. This is one of my better recordings.

The clip above was extracted from my narrated story on the Remsen Family cemetery in Rego Park, Queens.

Be sure to check out all of my New York stories on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

The Origins Of Scrabble

Back with a story today about the history of Scrabble in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Join me as I lead you through the origins of the board game Scrabble, how it was developed and where it was originally played. We are at the Community United Methodist Church which is where the inventor of the game, Alfred Mosher Butts, first tested out his invention and where through trial and error the game was developed. The church is located in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.

The Betts Family Cemetery

The Betts Family cemetery located in Maspeth, Queens, dates all the way back to 1713, when the patriarch of the family, Capt. Richard Betts

The Betts Family cemetery located in Maspeth, Queens, dates all the way back to 1713, when the patriarch of the family, Capt. Richard Betts dug his own grave just a few days before he died at the age of 100. Yes, he dug his own grave when he was 100 years old 🙂 The Betts homestead occupied this part of Long Island starting in 1656, originated by Capt. Richard Betts and his family. The last burial to take place at the Betts family cemetery was 1877. The Betts cemetery now lies within the confines of Mt. Zion Jewish cemetery, and Mt. Zion maintains the upkeep of the old Quaker cemetery on its grounds.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Memorial

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on March 25, 1911

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and girls and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Italian or Jewish immigrant women and girls aged 14 to 23.

The factory was located on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch Building, at 23–29 Washington Place, near Washington Square Park. The 1901 building still stands and is now known as the Brown Building, which is part of and owned by New York University (NYU). The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark.