NYC NOW
NYC Now helps New Yorkers understand the city through original reporting and sharp analysis from WNYC and Gothamist. The show digs into the news, culture, and conversations shaping life in New York, three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, hosted by Janae Pierre.
A New Yorker’s Guide to Diwali
Diwali is the festival of lights, celebrated by millions around the world. But what does the holiday look like in New York City? Anu Sehgal, founder of The Culture Tree, joins us to talk about growing up celebrating Diwali in India, passing traditions down to her children here in the city.
Photo: The Culture Tree
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What the Midterm Election Results Mean for New York
New York Democrats won big on election night, with Governor Kathy Hochul winning a second full term, Democrats flipping a Hudson Valley House seat, and supermajorities taking shape in the state legislature. WNYC and Gothamist accountability editor Stephen Rex Brown and Albany reporter Jon Campbell join us to break down the results and what they say about where New York voters are right now.
Photo: Leonardo Munoz / AFP via Getty Images
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Remote learning day for NYC schools means remote...When Police Take Your Things, Whose Job Is It to Give Them Back?
WNYC and Gothamist reporter Samantha Max joins us to discuss a lawsuit accusing New York City and the NYPD of making it unnecessarily difficult for people to recover belongings taken by police. One plaintiff says officers took bags of Christmas presents for her children and that she never got them back. Another says police left some of his possessions beside a dumpster while other items disappeared. The lawsuit argues the city’s property return process is so confusing that some New Yorkers never recover what belongs to them.
Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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You Can See Everything... Except the New Elizabeth Holmes Movie in Brooklyn
In this week's Arts & Culture Check-In, WNYC and Gothamist arts and culture editor Matthew Schnipper joins us to run through the stories coming off the desk this week. From the New York City Marathon turning 50 as a five borough race, to a trip into the underground control room beneath the Lincoln Center fountain, to two documentaries that have New Yorkers packing theaters, if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket.
Photo: Sonia Rao for Gothamist
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Mamdani says he's 'c...New York State of Unaffordability Part 4: Rent Is Too Damn High
Housing costs are the number one concern for many New Yorkers, and they’re at the center of this year’s race for governor. Kathy Hochul says the state has to build its way out of rising rents, while challenger Bruce Blakeman argues the city already has empty apartments kept off the market by rent stabilization laws, and says he’s proud that home prices have gone up.
WNYC and Gothamist reporter David Brand takes us to East New York, where 24 year old Taylor Rivers works two jobs and still can’t find an apartment she can afford...
In Conversation: East Harlem Has Waited Nearly a Century for the Q Train. Can the Neighborhood Make It Through Construction?
Recorded live at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in East Harlem, this installment of In Conversation: The Affordability Series explores the optimism surrounding the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway extension, along with the concerns and impacts felt by local residents and businesses. The Q train could bring shorter commutes, better connections and new opportunities to a neighborhood that has waited generations for improved transit. Community leaders, tenants, business advocates and MTA representatives discuss what the subway could mean for East Harlem and how longtime residents and businesses can take part in its future.
Panelists include:
...How to Halloween Like a New Yorker
WNYC and Gothamist reporter Hannah Frishberg joins us with some of the best ways to celebrate Halloween across New York City. From the Great PUPkin dog costume contest and haunted attractions to a Lower East Side bookstore crawl and some truly unusual live performances.
Photo: WNYC & Gothamist
Your guide to voting in New York's 2026 elections for governor and CongressCouncil OKs bill to end horse carriage industry in NYCMTA suspending bus fare enforcement teams after altercations emergeHalloween in NYC: Events and Activities Mentioned in This Episode
28th Annual Great PUPkin Dog Costume ContestHalloween on...New York State of Unaffordability Part 3: Utility Bills, Bills, Bills
Some Upstate New York residents say their utility bills have more than doubled in the past year, and the cost of keeping the lights on has become one of the biggest issues in this year’s race for governor. As governor, Kathy Hochul has offered rebate checks and a new Ratepayer Protection Plan, while her Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman has pledged to cut utility bills in half.
WNYC reporter Jon Campbell takes us to Lockport, New York, to hear from residents and break down what each candidate is promising, how realistic it is, and what frustrated voters ma...
The Last Ride? New York City Moves Closer to Ending Horse Carriages
New York City is moving closer to ending its horse carriage industry. With the City Council preparing to vote on a bill that would ban carriage rides starting in June 2028, WNYC and Gothamist reporter Liam Quigley visits a Hell’s Kitchen stable to hear from workers worried about losing their jobs and owners concerned about their investments.
Photo: Liam Quigley /WNYC/Gothamist
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Kelly Clarkson’s Brooklyn Shop Drama and the Great “Real New Yorker” Debate
WNYC and Gothamist arts and culture editor Matthew Schnipper joins us to talk about Kelly Clarkson’s dispute with Brooklyn Heights shop Art of Play, a photographer trying to document every neighborhood in the city and what really makes someone a New Yorker. Plus, Citi Bike’s unlikely rise as a symbol of New York cool and some of the places opening their doors for Open House New York.
Photo: Sonia Rao/ WNYC & Gothamist
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Mamdani and 100+ NY offic...
New York State of Unaffordability Part 2: Who’s Bringing Jobs to Upstate New York?
Micron, the chipmaker building a massive complex outside Syracuse, says it will bring 50,000 jobs to Central New York. In this year’s race for governor, Kathy Hochul has put billions in state subsidies behind the project, while challenger Bruce Blakeman says the state should get out of the way and let businesses come on their own. But for the people training for those jobs, the bigger question is how soon they’ll arrive and who will actually get them.
WNYC and Gothamist reporter Jimmy Vielkind takes us to Syracuse to see what’s riding on Micron in part t...
The Cost of Stopping: Why Some NYC Yellow Cab Drivers Work Through Illness
After at least four yellow cab drivers died while working in New York City this summer, WNYC reporter Ramsey Khalife examines the financial pressures that can keep drivers behind the wheel even when they are sick.
Photo: Ramsey Khalifeh - WNYC/Gothamist
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Driving to death: NYC yellow taxi drivers keep dying on the job, unable to make ends meetFor more on ICE shooting at Marble Hill:
What we know about the ICE shooting in New Yo...ICE Shooting Raises Questions About Federal Immigration Enforcement in New York City
WNYC and Gothamist reporter Ben Feuerherd joins us to break down what we know about the shooting in Marble Hill, where a federal immigration agent shot 28 year old Oscar Belgal while his five year old son was inside the car. They discuss newly released NYPD body camera footage, the department’s role when federal agents operate in New York City, the public's response and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s unsuccessful effort to secure Belgal’s release from federal custody. (edited)
Photo: NYPD bodycam footage
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New York State of Unaffordability Part 1: Why Childcare Is a Flashpoint in This Year's Governor Race
In a small daycare center in Upstate New York, families are pulling their kids out after the state assistance that made childcare affordable ran dry. It's happening in dozens of counties across New York, and it's part of a bigger fight over the cost of living that's at the center of this year's race for governor. Kathy Hochul wants to expand childcare subsidies, while challenger Bruce Blakeman argues the state should have a limited role in supporting care arrangements.
WNYC and Gothamist reporter Jimmy Vielkind heads to Willsboro, New York to see what's at stake for families...
NYC Housing Clashes and Brooklyn Children’s Museum Noise Complaints, Explained
WNYC and Gothamist reporter David Brand joins us to talk about a couple of the housing battles he’s covering right now, including the lawsuit challenging the Rent Guidelines Board’s rent freeze and a new fast-track process for certain affordable housing projects. Plus, WNYC and Gothamist reporter Walter Wuthmann looks at noise complaints surrounding rooftop parties at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the concerns from nearby residents and the debate over how gentrification fits into the dispute.
Photo: Walter Wuthmann/Gothamist
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at NYCNow...
Cooking Affordable NYC Inspired Meals with Chef Ham El-Waylly | NYC Now
Chef Ham El-Waylly grew up in Doha, Qatar, eating his mom's Egyptian and Bolivian cooking and dreaming about New York bagels while watching Seinfeld. Today, he's the co-owner and chef behind Strange Delight, a Creole restaurant in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
In this episode, Ham joins NYC Now host Janae Pierre to talk about the unexpected throughlines between Southern cooking and the food he grew up on, how the pandemic sent him back to his late mother's recipe book after years of avoiding his grief, and the empanadas that helped him finally process it. He also breaks down...
Know Your Rights: What Tenants Need to Know as NYC's Heat Season Begins
October 1st marks the start of heat season in New York City, when landlords are legally required to keep buildings warm... but getting a landlord to actually fix a heat problem can be its own battle. Tenants' rights attorney Leah Goodridge walks us through what tenants are entitled to and the steps she, herself, took to get the hot water back in her apartment. Then, WNYC and Gothamist housing reporter David Brand breaks down landlords' perspective on why heat repairs can take as long as they do and also what the city's new policy requiring inspectors to check every...
Grief, Fear and Memory Loss: The Lasting Toll of Legionnaires’ Disease in New York
New York City has seen a string of deadly Legionnaires outbreaks. Daniel Thomas reflects on losing his father, retired New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles Thomas, after he contracted the disease during this summer’s Upper East Side outbreak. But death is not the only lasting consequence. WNYC and Gothamist reporter Joe Hong speaks with two survivors of the 2025 Central Harlem outbreak who are still living with serious health problems more than a year later, and looks at why Legionnaires outbreaks keep happening across the city.
Photo cred: Daniel Thomas, son of The Honorable Charles J. Th...
Harry Styles Pop Up Clash Ends in a Bookseller’s Arrest, Plus Immanuel Wilkins Returns to the Village Vanguard
WNYC and Gothamist culture reporter Sonia Rao joins Matthew Schnipper to discuss the Harry Styles pop up that drew huge crowds to the East Village and a confrontation that ended with cookbook store owner Bonnie Slotnick being arrested. They also look at a new film about location scouting in New York, the growing number of creative workers going freelance and the return of Saint Vitus in Bushwick. Plus, they preview an interview with saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins ahead of his return to the Village Vanguard.
Photo: Sonia Rao / WNYC & Gothamist
Got any questions...
The New York Liberty Were Always Cool. Now They’re One of the Hottest Tickets in Town
As the New York Liberty head into the WNBA playoffs for a sixth straight year, the franchise is also marking its 30th season. WNYC's Morning Edition producer Amanda Rozon takes us to Liberty Legends Weekend in Brooklyn, where original team members like Teresa Weatherspoon and Crystal Robinson reflect on the franchise's early years, as rising ticket prices are reshaping who gets to be in the stands. Then, sports reporter Priya Desai breaks down the Liberty's up and down season under a new coaching staff and what it'll take for the team to make another title run.
Photo...
The Duck Stops Here: The Long Fight Over Foie Gras in New York
Upstate New York is home to the country's last two foie gras (fatty duck liver) farms, even though New York City banned the sale of foie gras back in 2019. The ban's never actually been enforced, and now it's headed to the state's highest court. WNYC's Walter Wuthmann drove up to the Hudson Valley to see the force feeding process for himself, and talked us through the perspective of the farmers who say they've been unfairly targeted, as well as the animal rights advocates who've spent decades trying to shut them down.
Photo: Walter Wuthmann
Got...
A Calisthenics Lesson From New York's Playground Fitness Scene
New York City's parks have long doubled as free, open air gyms, and the tradition stretches back to groups like The Bartendaz, who started training on playground bars in the Bronx and Brooklyn in the early 2000s. WNYC producer James Ramsey headed to Chelsea Park to get a lesson in that scene from Brooklyn-born trainer Danny Kavadlo, and shared what he learned with us.
Photo: Walter Wuthmann
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South Bronx Legionnaires’ outbreak death toll rises to 2NYPD...Fifteen Years Later, Revisiting the Promise and Limits of Occupy Wall Street
Fifteen years after Occupy Wall Street began in Zuccotti Park, NYC Now returns to WNYC’s archives to ask what the movement changed, where it fell short and what remains today. WNYC reporter Stephen Nessen reflects on covering Occupy in real time, while City Council member Sandy Nurse looks back on her experience inside the movement and the path that eventually took her from activism into elected office.
Photo: Getty/Paul McKinnon
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New York City Is Expanding Free Childcare. Some Providers Are Still Waiting to Get Paid
New York City has launched its new 2-K program as the first major step toward universal childcare. But some providers started the school year without city funding they were counting on, leaving some to borrow money or dip into their own savings to cover payroll, rent and supplies. WNYC’s Karen Yi explains why payment and contracting delays keep happening and what they could mean for the city’s plans to expand free childcare.
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected].
Photo: Kara McCurdy / Mayoral Photography Office
COV...After 9/11, Two New Yorkers Told WNYC How They Felt. We Found Them 25 Years Later.
Twenty five years ago, WNYC reporters fanned out across the city recording New Yorkers in the hours and days after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Today, we revisit two of those New Yorkers: a scared, pregnant 21 year old wondering if her baby would grow up to enjoy the city she loves, and a 15 year old Muslim girl bracing for the Islamophobia that followed. WNYC's Samantha Max found both women 25 years later to find out what became of those fears and joins us to discuss what both of their lives look like now.
Photo: Courtesy Janelle...
Why More City Dwellers Are Raising Chickens
Keeping chickens in city backyards is becoming more popular. WNYC’s Morning Edition producer Verónica Del Valle visits a Jersey City backyard farm to see what urban chicken keeping actually looks like and the rules to know before starting a flock of your own.
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected].
Photo cred: Verónica Del Valle/WNYC
Mayor Mamdani releases 170K documents related to post-9/11 air quality New renderings of the MTA's IBX project serving Brooklyn, Queens are outHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...
Why New York City Is Restricting Artificial Intelligence in Public Schools
New York City is restricting AI across public schools, including a one year ban for students through eighth grade and new limits on screen time for younger students. WNYC and Gothamist education reporter Jessica Gould explains why the city reversed its earlier approach, where AI will still be allowed for high school students and teachers, and the challenges schools face enforcing the rules once students leave the classroom. The episode also hears from New Yorkers about whether the city is getting the balance right.
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at NYCNow...
How Classical Music Has Changed Over the Past 30 Years of WQXR Host Jeff Spurgeon's Career
As WQXR morning host Jeff Spurgeon retires after a 50-year radio career, we sit down with him to reflect on his path from a Nebraska farm to three decades on New York's airwaves, and talk about classical music's surprising resurgence among Gen Z and Millennial listeners.
Photo: WQXR
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Ahead of Labor Day, Haitian Businesses in New York City Feel the Impact of TPS Ending
Earlier this summer, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, upending life for tens of thousands of New Yorkers. We headed to Flatbush's Little Caribbean neighborhood to hear how the policy shift is playing out on the ground for business owners.
Photo: Djon Djon executive chef Chef Wesly Jean Simon / Iru Ekpunobi
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'Prevailing emotion is really fear': Haitians in NY brace for loss of deportation relief NYC public schools to ban AI for teaching students...The Lawsuit Against Mayor Mamdani’s Grocery Store Plan Raises a Bigger Question: Can It Work?
A coalition representing hundreds of independent grocers is suing New York City over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to open five city owned grocery stores, arguing the taxpayer backed stores could put neighborhood businesses at a disadvantage. WNYC and Gothamist reporter Karen Yi looks at what the lawsuits challenge, how the city is defending the plan and whether the experiment could ultimately help lower costs for both shoppers and small grocers.
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected].
Photo by Kendall Rodriguez/Newsday RM via Getty Images
...The High Price of Being a New York Sports Fan
WNYC arts and culture editor Matthew Schnipper joins Janae Pierre to talk about the US Open, rising New York Liberty ticket prices and what it costs to be a sports fan in the city right now. Also discussed are Dolly Parton’s legacy and some of the best ways to spend the final days of summer across New York City.
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected].
Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty
Episode Notes:
A summer surge in ICE arrests in NYC and...
Championships, Heat Waves and Health Scares: New York City’s Summer in Review
WNYC’s Ryan Kost joins us to revisit some of the biggest stories NYC Now and Gothamist covered this summer, from the Knicks championship and Zohran Mamdani’s first months in office to extreme weather, major public health concerns, the World Cup and more.
-Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]
Photo: NurPhoto/Getty
Episode Notes:
NYC honors Dolly Parton NY counties resisting law limiting cooperation with ICE hit with subpoenas Tenants in NYC's worst buildings to be put on housing court fast tr...In Conversation: How NYC’s Housing Crisis Is Squeezing Tenants and Small Homeowners
Recorded live at HANAC Harmony JVL Older Adult Center in Astoria, this installment of In Conversation: The Affordability Series examines New York City’s small two and three family homes, where an owner may live in one unit and rent out another. The conversation explores rising costs, limited tenant protections, basement apartment legalization, home flipping and what it would take to keep more New Yorkers in their homes.
-Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]
Photo: Carla Wills/WNYC
Guests:
Andrea Jer...
Avoiding Veggies Because of Cyclospora? NYC Chefs Share Creative Ways to Enjoy Them
A cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce has sickened hundreds and left health officials recommending cooked produce over raw salads... which is a tough sell in the middle of summer. NYC Now producer Iru Ekpunobi walks us through the ways New York City chefs Sohla El-Waylly, Ayo Balogun and Nasim Alikhani recommend to keep eating cooked vegetables safely without giving up on flavor.
Photo: Caroline Lewis/Gothamist
Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]
Episode Notes:
At least o...
Did Mamdani’s Free Bus Promise Lead More Riders to Skip the Fare?
[Heads up: technical issues affected the audio quality on this episode. Thanks for bearing with us — the conversation is still worth it.]
The MTA says far fewer bus riders are paying the fare since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office. Fare evasion has been a problem in the city for years, but MTA Chair Janno Lieber says Mamdani's campaign promise to make the city's buses free isn't helping. Mamdani has a different assessment, and blames the issue on the affordability crisis. WNYC and Gothamist transportation reporter Stephen Nessen and editor Clayton Guse explain what may be driv...
The Elizabeth Street Garden Fight Is Over. What Comes Next?
Photo: Iru Ekpunobi
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The long battle over Elizabeth Street Garden is over. Mamdani touts new housing plan. Family says stray voltage may have contributed to fatal Central Park carriage crash NYC homeless shelters are falling apart. Providers say the city’s fix-it process is broken. Congestion pricing hasn’t changed much about NYC’s air quality, city report findsHosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...
The Brooklyn Dance Party Bringing Everyone Together
Stories from this episode:
Luigi Mangione enters guilty plea in NYC federal court:
https://gothamist.com/news/luigi-mangione-enters-guilty-plea-in-nyc-federal-courtSome New York lawmakers are pushing a bill that would mandate insurance coverage for egg-freezing.
https://gothamist.com/news/aoc-is-freezing-her-eggs-some-new-york-lawmakers-want-insurance-to-cover-itNow in its fifth year, Public Service is a series of free, outdoor daytime parties co-founded by DJs Mickey Perez and Cesar Toribio.
https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/it-is-a-bit-utopian-why-public-service-is-brooklyns-favorite-dance-partyIs the “All you can eat” Buffet still a thing in NYC?
https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/is-nyc-an-all-you-can-eat-buffet-town-a-5-year-old-investigatesSubway commuters unite in hatred of A...
Inside The So-Called "Commie Corridor": The Neighborhoods Changing New York City Politics
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Inside The So-Called "Commie Corridor": The Neighborhoods Changing New York City Politics
The Democratic Socialists of America are gaining political power in New York City, and much of that support is concentrated in a string of neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. WNYC Senior Politics Reporter Brigid Bergin brings us along on her tour of the so-called “Commie Corridor” to understand who's driving the movement, and why issues of affordability, identity and community are shaping their priorities.
Photo: Rhe Civitello/Gothamist illustration
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Chinese Immigrants Are Now New York City’s Largest Foreign Born Group. Here’s What That Means.
For the first time since the 1990s, Chinese immigrants have surpassed Dominicans as New York City’s largest foreign born population. CUNY Baruch College professor Kenneth Guest explains what is driving that growth, how Chinese communities are expanding beyond Manhattan’s Chinatown and what the shift could mean for services, political influence and the future of immigrant New York. -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected] Photo Cred: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of p...
The Best Bite in Every Borough with NYC Food Influencer Julian Mu
Description: Julian Mu, who goes by Mubereats on social media, has hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers and millions of TikTok likes, and he pays for every single meal he reviews. He joins us to talk about how he got started, why he only covers small and local businesses, and to play a game of “NYC Chow”, picking his favorite spot in each borough. Follow Julian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mubereats -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for info...
