The Untapped New York Podcast

Latest Episodes:

NYC's Newest Waterfront Art Oct 05, 2026

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New York Harbor is the largest open-air museum in the world and almost nobody has curated it. Join Michelle and Justin as they talk about the newest art installations and highlights from our newest boat tour, The Unframed City, which treats 400 years of waterfront as a single, navigable exhibition space.

Music by Kittens Ablaze.

Our goal at Untapped New York is to surprise lifelong New Yorkers, so we keep digging until we find the story you've never heard, the hidden gems you've never seen. Think of the tennis court hidden above Grand Central, the abandoned subway stations under your feet, or the scandals inside 5th Ave's Gilded Age mansions. Go to untappednewyorktours to discover dozens of small group walking tours, all led by local guides who love th

Pop! into the Secret Brooklyn Bridge Champagne Vaults Sep 28, 2026

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In celebration of our new partnership with Apple Podcasts, we're re-releasing one of our favorite episodes about the secret champagne vaults in the Brooklyn Bridge! The location is now part of Apple's Hidden Histories Guides to New York City.

If you haven't heard of this delicious tidbit, you're in for a ride through a bygone New York. If you do know about it, Michelle and Justin from Untapped New York are sharing additional insider secrets about this subject that are not publicly known, or have ever been written about. Cheers!

Music by Kittens Ablaze.

The Macy's Bag Disappears from 34th Street Sep 21, 2026

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One of the biggest piece of news, at least for us urban nerds, is that the iconic, oversized Macy's bag that has long been on the corner of 34th Street at Herald Square is gone. There was no notice. Where did it go? What's going to happen? Michelle and Justin from Untapped New York talk about the history of the "Million Dollar Corner," how the kitschy shopping bag came to be, and what's coming next for that tiny piece of property next to Macy's, along with other holdout buildings to look out for in New York City!

Music in the episode by Kittens Ablaze.

9/11: 25 Years Later Sep 12, 2026

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Welcome to the new season of The Untapped New York Podcast! On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City, Michelle and Justin from Untapped New York share their memories of that day, the history of rebuilding the site, and the impact on the city since. Justin was a brand new elementary school teacher, four days into the job, when the attack unfolded through the windows of his school on the Lower East Side.

Music in the episode by Kittens Ablaze.

The Art Curator Who Outsmarted the Nazis Sep 10, 2026

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Today we’re rereleasing a live conversation about Untapped New York founder Michelle Young's award-winning book, The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, in honor of its paperback release this week. The Art Spy was named a Best Book of 2025 by the New York Public Library, Library Journal, and Hyperallergic, and named the 2026 Massachusetts Book Awards Nonfiction Honors Title.

Michelle and our Chief Experience Officer, Justin Rivers, delve into who Rose Valland was and the brave things she did, the story of Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg and his family, which allowed Michelle to write about her first love, New York City, and Rosenberg's clients including characters like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. There’s also a wild World’s Fair connection in the book.

Listen to the original episode: "A WWII Resistance Spy and Her NYC Connections" to hear Michelle read the first chapter of the book.

Music by Kittens Ablaze.

mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issues

mosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Heists at the Met Museum Nov 25, 2025

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If you're following the heist at the Louvre, discover the heists that have occurred at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, including the infamous "Valentine's Day Heist" of 1979! Untapped New York founder Michelle Young talks with Nicole Saraniero, our editor and director of events who wrote the article, "10 Major Art Heists at the Met Museum."

NYC Secrets: The Barthman Clock Beneath Your Feet Nov 05, 2025

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Maybe you saw our latest Instagram reel that's going viral, making NYC horological history cool again! On the podcast, in honor of fall back time this week, we deep dive into the Barthman clock, a historic clock beneath your feet in the Financial District. Michelle, Justin and Nicole talk about the history of the clock, share their experience going down into the secret room/basement underneath the clock, and more!

Secrets of Grand Central: Find the Hidden Mural in the Wine Shop Oct 30, 2025

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Did you know there's a mini version of Grand Central's ceiling mural inside the terminal's wine shop, Central Cellars? And that it used to be part of a movie theater? We talk to the experts: the authors of a book about the artist who did the painting, the passionate and informed store manager and employees, and historian Justin Rivers, Untapped New York's Chief Experience Officer who perfected our Secrets of Grand Central tour.

Secrets of Morningside Heights Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Michelle Young and Justin Rivers of Untapped New York discuss the neighborhood of Morningside Heights. Michelle and Justin will discuss five hidden and unique spots including Columbia University's Alma Mater, the Guastavino Dome at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Riverside Church’s Labyrinth, Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb, and the meeting of 125th and 129th Streets.

This podcast episode was originally produced in partnership with Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), where Michelle Young is a Professor of Architecture and an alumni of the school with a master degree in Urban Planning.

Music by Kittens Ablaze.

World's Fair Mosaics Removed from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park! Oct 16, 2025

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Sad news from Queens...After multiple patchwork repairs, a set of colorful mosaics depicting highlights from the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fairs have been completely replaced with pavers. Michelle, Justin and Nicole discuss this piece of very sad news, broken by Untapped New York and the most read article this month so far. The Passarelle Plaza mosaics were installed in 1997 to commemorate the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fairs. Now, they are another lost relic of World's Fair history.

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