new york city’

The crazy New York City bike messengers

// January 3rd, 2013 // No Comments » // Bizarre

The crazy New York City bike messengers

If you saw the movie, Premium Rush, you probably figured those crazy New York bike messengers must be tamer in real life than they were portrayed in the movie. You’d be wrong. Premium Rush (and Quicksilver, another movie with a bike messenger theme) actually offer a very close portrayal of a professional bike messenger. Bike messengers are paid on commission, based on how many messages they deliver. Financially, it’s in their best interest to go fast – very fast. Safety wise – well… not so much. A recent study found their on-the-job injury rates that required time off from work were 1,300% higher than the national average (and three times higher than dangerous meat-packing industry).

Hetty Green – the Witch of Wall Street

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Strange Persons

Hetty Green - the Witch of Wall Street

In 1864, Hetty Green, the ‘Witch of Wall Street’ inherited 1 million dollars from her father when she was 30 years old. Hetty, who could read the financial pages when she was 6 years old, didn’t hesitate to exercise her aggressive style with her newfound riches.

New York City Underground

// December 25th, 2012 // No Comments » // Unusual Places (you can visit)

You would presume that city government would have knowledge of every nook and cranny in their city, that they would have every street, subway, tunnel, and building mapped and documented. Surprisingly, many of our older cities have underground labyrinths that are largely or wholly undocumented, long forgotten by time. In New York City, it is believed that thousands of miles of underground tunnels exist, some of which have not seen a human’s presence in over 150 years.