Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This episode of the New Yorkers podcast is brought to you by newyork100.org recognizing excellence across New York City's five boroughs. Hello everyone and welcome to the New Yorkers, a podcast by New York City Cop. I'm your host, Kelly Kopp, published photographer, New York City tour business owner, real estate content creator, podcaster and above all else, a New Yorker.
Ladies and gentlemen, the next Brooklyn found train in Valpar.
Stand clear of the closing doors.
This is.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Transfer is available for the.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Shovel to grab the central foreign.
With me today I have urban planner Kristen labuz. She is the executive director of Open House New York. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design with a master's degree in urban planning. She's previously worked with Design Trust for Public Space, Dumbo Improvement District and NYC Health. But above all else, Kristen is a New Yorker. Hey Kristen, welcome to the show.
[00:01:31] Speaker B: Hey, Kelly. Great to be here with such a multi hyphenate New Yorker.
[00:01:35] Speaker A: You're so awesome. We're so happy to have you here. Are you talking about yourself?
[00:01:38] Speaker B: Talking about you.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: You just described yourself.
How you doing today?
[00:01:44] Speaker B: I'm doing great. It's good to be here on Canal Street.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: I know, what a great, great little street, isn't it? It really is not little. But you know what's funny though, Today I walked out my apartment, nothing to do with Canal street. And you know, I live in this apartment that's I really can't see the street or anything. So I walk out sometimes. I'm like, oh, it's cold, it's hot. I have to change my clothes or whatever. I walked out today, you know, I have my jeans and T shirt on and I looked at 80 degrees and I walked out of my apartment and everybody on the sidewalk was in like sweatshirts and, you know, jackets and stuff. And I was thinking, look at New Yorkers, you know, it's 80 degrees almost, but it's fall, officially fall. So he's like, let's dress like it's fall. So I thought that was interesting.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: And let's be honest, this is the best season in New York City, right?
[00:02:28] Speaker A: Oh my gosh.
[00:02:29] Speaker C: Yeah. I love fall in New York.
[00:02:30] Speaker A: It's incredible. Yeah, absolutely. Love it.
And winter kinda too, because I like the snow in Central Park.
Have you ever walked in Central park in the snow?
[00:02:40] Speaker B: Of course.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. Well, let's, let's, let's jump into it. Tell us about.
Well, why are you here today? What are we going to talk about?
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Well, I'm here because My organization, Open House New York, produces a massive five borough festival called Open House New York Weekend, which takes place this October 17th through 19th. This festival, spanning Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will ultimately unlock 340 buildings across the city for all kinds of public tours and exploration. And we're talking everything from iconic architecture to secret rooftop gardens, to transportation infrastructure to artist studios. It truly showcases the diversity and dynamism of our built environment.
[00:03:24] Speaker A: That's incredible. And all five boroughs. Incredible. And you said October 17th to the 19th, is that correct?
[00:03:31] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Awesome. I'm super excited. I look forward to it every year because as a New Yorker here, I, I like to participate in it and go see, you know, these amazing buildings that you can go into that you don't have access to the rest of the year.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: What we say about Open House New York Weekend is it's an opportunity for New Yorkers to kind of be a tourist in their own city. And some of the greatest compliments we get are from lifelong New Yorkers who say, I've walked past this building every day for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years. I never knew what was inside until Open House New York unlocked the doors for me.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I went to see actually the Woolworth Building and I absolutely loved it. Side note, my good friend Michael Baguandan is a real estate agent here and he also showed me some of the, the units in there too, which is really amazing. But, but Open House New York gave me a really, you know, a really in depth looked at, at the, at the Woolworth Building. I think that's such a fascinating building. Did you know that's the first skyscraper in New York City?
[00:04:35] Speaker B: It is. It was known as the Cathedral of commerce designed by Cass Gilbert.
[00:04:39] Speaker A: Look at you. I didn't even know this. Did you know that, Jay?
[00:04:42] Speaker C: No, I did not.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: You are gonna be a plethora of knowledge. I'm gonna learn so much from you today.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Well, and I'll just.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: And our listeners, but go ahead.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: I'll say, you know, one of the amazing things about New York, and I think we'll dig into this in the conversation, is that this city is always evolving and there's always some. No matter how long you've been, how new you are or how long you've been here, there's always something new and exciting to explore and to experience.
[00:05:03] Speaker A: I completely agree.
So, Kristen, before we dive into all this amazing info about Open House New York, what about you? Tell us about you.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Well, Kelly, I love that you start with this question because Open House New York is a celebration of place. And I think place is so central and formative to how people experience the world. And so my origin story is that I was, I am a transplant. I was born and raised in Oneonta, New York, which is a small college town about three and a half hours upstate.
And you know, I didn't know it at the time, but my experience growing up in Oneonta made me want to be an urban planner. And this is because Oneonta had this incredible historic Main street we're talking about, you know, 80s through mid-90s. It's the kind of Main street that politicians evoke when they talk about, you know, the Wall street versus Main street divide. So this Main street had a bank and city hall and a library and an independent movie theater and restaurants. And because it was a college town, there were tons of pizzerias and tons of bars, but there was a family owned department store there. So think of Macy's. That was scaled for a town of 20,000 people. And these type of stores just don't exist anymore. But my dad worked at this department store. So in my, my earliest days, my experience was going to visit dad at work on Main street and being surrounded by all of these small businesses, what urban planners like to call a dense, mixed use, walkable environment.
And it really made me appreciate place and community and activity. And that inspired my desire to become an urban planner.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Wow. So where is this city geographically in the state of New York? Was it close to Syracuse or Albany?
[00:06:47] Speaker B: Sure, it's midway between Albany and Binghamton. It is in the leather stocking region.
Wow. A gem of central New York. If you haven't been. I go go check out Otsego County.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: That's so fascinating, but I know we're.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: Here to talk about New York City, so I will stop waxing poetic about.
[00:07:04] Speaker A: No, I love it. I want to go visit it now. So you, when did you move to New York then?
[00:07:10] Speaker B: So I moved. I moved. Let me just back up. So leaving, leaving Oneonta, small town, college town was provided a lot of opportunities, but still a small town. And I knew I wanted to go to a city, but I also knew I wasn't ready for New York yet. Right. I needed a stepping stone. So I went to college in Ohio. In Ohio, I took classes where I had the opportunity to read Jane Jacobs, the Death and Life of Great American Cities. Essential reading for any New Yorker. And also Robert Caro's the Power Broker, also essential reading. And these books made me realize places like my hometown, Main street don't just happen by accident. They're the result of design and planning and policy and investment decisions.
And I realized, oh, there's a job, and that's a job I would like to do. So from college, went to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, sometimes called the Six Borough, was the perfect stepping stone to come to New York. So I got here in 2009 when I was 25 years old.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Oh, nice.
Yeah, I understand that stepping stone because I went from Iowa to Orlando to New York. And so I, I kind of. I ended. I understood what you were saying. That's interesting.
[00:08:24] Speaker B: I don't know if I could have. I could have handled New York as a 21 year old. I'll be honest.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: You know what, that's so funny you say that. I tell people that when I meet young people here, or 20, 21, 22, who move here, I'm. I'm so impressed. I'm like, I could have never done it at that age. You know, even at your age, that was pretty young for me. You know, I moved here much older, and then it was good for me.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: Well, I'll share. As an urban planner moving to New York in 2009, it was such an exciting time. It was the Bloomberg administration.
You know, the week I moved to New York City, the High Line opened. Oh, and it's hard to remember for folks New York before the High Line, but for generations, Right. It was this abandoned railway on the west side. So the High Line had opened. There was, you know, bike lanes were being installed across the city, new plazas were opening up. And it just felt like there was this sense of possibility of public space and really designing and planning and building a city that brings folks together.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: Oh, that's amazing. I love the High Line. We had Richard Hayden on recently, the head horticulturist from the High Line. Another fascinating conversation.
So, yeah, nice segue right there too. But what are we going to say?
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Well, and I'll share. I took a tour of the High Line back when it first opened, and it was with the lighting designer. It was fascinating. Often I think lighting is one of the unsung heroes of design.
And in, you know, lighting of public spaces, you're often thinking about safety or security. And this lighting designer, l', Observatoire, said they, when they thought about the lighting for the High Line, they wanted to create an environment that would make people want to make out. And I thought that was, I thought that was such a beautiful way to approach public space.
You know, you want to create a place that is, that is, you know, not harsh, but is really inviting and romantic and just makes people want to fall in love with either the city or the person they're with.
[00:10:11] Speaker A: That is hilarious. I have never heard that.
[00:10:13] Speaker C: But I feel that though. I feel like whenever I'm up there, it's really like, it's a soft lighting, it's a romantic lighting. It really makes you feel like you can look out to the plants or the art or even like the city skyline and like fall in love with it. So like that really hit home for me.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: I completely agree.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: So can I share? And then after, after so moved here to work for the Design Trust. And then I got a great job opportunity at the Dumbo Improvement District. And so this is Dumbo, a neighborhood we know and love.
But this was, you know, 15 years ago, right? And it was when I moved there, there was still the stories of, you know, at a certain time, late 90s, early 2000s, cabs wouldn't take you to Dumbo, right? But where they dropped bodies in the river.
And it was this incredible opportunity to think about economic development, neighborhood revitalization again, installing bike lanes, but also to do some great cultural activities. And one of the greatest things I've ever done in my career was in 2014 World cup, the Dumbo Improvement District partnered with Nike and with Rooftop Films. And we showed World cup games in the archway under the Manhattan Bridge on this giant 30 foot inflatable screen. And I'll never forget there was one afternoon where the US Was playing and we had thousand, you know, a thousand people under the Manhattan Bridge archway. Violated every fire code. Sorry, sorry to Sapo. And my boss that morning had sent me to Party City and she's like, get some decorations to make it festive. So it's really hard to make the Manhattan Bridge festive. It's a massive cavernous space.
So what I did was I took that $200 and I bought a bunch of mini USA flags and beach balls and just threw them in the crowd. And to hear thousands of people chanting for the US at this free event in public space, it was an experience like no other.
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Wow, that sounds amazing. I love Dumbo now too. It truly is beautiful how they've completely renovate or, you know, changed it to what it is today.
[00:12:20] Speaker B: So. So after the Dumbo Improvement District, I got a job working for the New York City Health Department, this incredible city agency with 6,000 employees whose job in life is to make this, make our city healthier. And I was specifically working in active design. So the notion There, as an urban planner, not a public health expert, was how do we create a built environment that promotes exercise and healthy living choices? And so we had this pilot project in the South Bronx, you know, which is one of the poorest, if not the poorest, congressional districts. Also high incidence of chronic disease, like diabetes, heart disease, obesity. And we did this pilot project where we took these step streets because the Bronx is very hilly, so they have these step streets that cut between two elevations.
[00:13:04] Speaker A: It is, yeah.
[00:13:05] Speaker B: Worked with local artists to paint murals on these step streets. So to make the walking environment, you know, more vibrant and friendlier and to encourage physical activity.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Can I ask you about what year this was?
[00:13:16] Speaker B: Sure. This was. Was 2016, 2017.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: I'm curious about the cause. I love all the artwork and the murals in the Bronx, but go ahead.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: And, you know, these are neighborhoods that, you know, for a variety of design and planning and policy decisions had been disinvested. And so we're going to prep the site for these step street murals. And I remember a gentleman who was hanging around, he approached us and he said, who are you? What are you guys doing in our neighborhood? And we said, we're with the Health Department. We're with the city of New York.
And he looked at us and he said, I didn't know the city cared about us in this neighborhood.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: And it was one of these moments where you really think, what is the relationship between a city and its citizens? Exactly. And how can we make it better?
And I'll share another quick story. There was a local artist from the Bronx named Laura Alvarez who painted a beautiful mural. And we heard walking groups would meet at the step Street. People would use them for training. And so it got a lot of use. There was some wear and tear. Laura came back one day with her paint can to do some touch ups. And community members saw her with her paint can and they said, what are you doing? What are you doing? Don't touch our mural. They thought that she was gonna deface it. And she said, no, no, no, I'm the artist. I wanna repair it and restore it. But this sense of ownership and pride that the community felt in this public art in their neighborhood was completely eye.
[00:14:40] Speaker A: Opening and very inspiring, very nice.
And then this, you know, this experience led you to Open House New York, is that correct?
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Yeah. So the through line through my career.
[00:14:54] Speaker A: What is Open House New York? Exactly? Yeah.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Amazing. So the through line through my career has been to bring people together in the city for shared experience and shared space, whether it is a thousand rowdy soccer fans under the Manhattan Bridge or, you know, walking groups climbing up these step street murals in the South Bronx. And so Open House New York is a nonprofit organization now in its 24th year that does public programming that invites New Yorkers to explore and experience the city, to connect to each other, to connect a place and to really understand how this complex kaleidoscopic metropolis works. And Open House New York is best known for our signature event, this is Open House New York weekend. It is a five borough festival that is happening October 17th through 19th.
[00:15:43] Speaker A: Beautiful. I have, I've attended many Open House New York events. There's a house on the. Or there's a, there's a beautiful home on the Upper west side and I forget the name. It's a classic old 100 year old home that I go to and I can't remember the name of it. And it's one of my favorite things to go to.
We'll put it in the information.
[00:16:03] Speaker C: Yeah, it'll be in the link in the description.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: And I'll say, I will try to look it up for you, Kelly. Over the last, you know, this will be our 23rd festival. We have opened up thousands and thousands of sites across the city.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:15] Speaker B: So there are many, many places.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: Which, which one is it, Kristen? Out of the thousands of.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: I'll get, I'll get back to you on that.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: And that's what's so amazing. You do have thousands of locations for people in every borough to go see.
So it's truly incredible.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: And I just want to share a little bit about the origin story of Open House Tours.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: Yes, please.
[00:16:36] Speaker B: We were inspired. There's a.
We're currently part of a network of some 60 to 70 cities around the globe who produce these citywide festivals. But it all started with an organization called Open House London in the mid-90s.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: Oh, nice.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: And they were the first one to do, you know, this expansive citywide open house. And at that time, you know, late 90s, early 2000s, there was an architect named Scott Lauer who was in London. He saw Open House London and he said, I have to bring this back to New York. This is incredible.
He came back to New York burning with this idea in August 2001.
Right.
9, 11 happened. The city was not ready to open up.
You know, security barricades went up, bollards went up. You know, it changed the dynamic of this city. But Scott held tight to this idea. He rallied a grassroots group of architects and they, they pushed for this vision and they made the first festival happen in 2003. They had some, you know, 300 volunteers. They opened up 80 buildings.
But the notion was that openness, access, sharing the city is, is an act of resilience, active resistance. And we have been growing strong and growing every year ever since.
[00:17:52] Speaker A: It's amazing. Can I give some examples per se of, you know, because it's, you know, it's iconic landmarks, right? Like the Woolworth Building or Grand Central Terminals, hidden spaces maybe?
[00:18:02] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: Private residences, architectural marvels, things like that.
What I found interesting too is I read that I haven't seen yet that there's infrastructure sites like water treatment plants. Is that correct? And subway control centers. How fascinating is that?
[00:18:18] Speaker B: Well, let me tell you, being, being in this, in this role for eight years. New Yorkers love two things, right? Everybody loves a penthouse. Everybody loves a glitzy rooftop view. Everybody loves, you know, the iconic classic architecture. New Yorkers are also deeply fascinated by the guts of the city.
[00:18:33] Speaker A: So true.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: By the infrastructure, right? By the sanitation garages and the water pipes and the wastewater treatment plants and the DOT sign shop. And these are some of the spaces that I am most proud to open up for Open House New York. Because I truly think our public sector workers, and particularly the workers who design and maintain our infrastructure are the unsung heroes of this city. The folks who are, you know, paving our potholes, ensuring that we have, you know, clean and good tasting drinking water, maintaining our parks and Open House New York is an opportunity to shine the light, to shine a light on, you know, folks who do infrastructure operations, maintenance, and they keep our city running.
[00:19:15] Speaker A: I completely agree. You know, I, you know, I think it's important to thank, you know, I walk up to just some people who are working in the parks and I'll say thank you for keeping our park clean for us. As a New Yorker, I say thank you. You know, and it's just nice to see them feel appreciated because they work hard and they do a lot of the jobs that are, are very difficult. I'm grateful for them. And I also love the subway. And I know the subway isn't known for being loved and, you know, something that's appreciated, but I truly appreciate this. The, the subway, it gets me around every day. It's the only way I travel.
And I'm fascinated to learn about it through Open House New York too, even more. I think that's incredible.
[00:19:54] Speaker B: And I think sometimes when you look at systems like the subway or, or trash pickup, it seems like these big faceless bureaucracies, but at the end of the day, there are humans Working really hard, who care about the city and who are invested and who are doing the best they can.
[00:20:08] Speaker A: 100% agree.
Kudos to our New York City hardcore workers in New York.
[00:20:17] Speaker B: Can I give a special. I want to give a special shout out. Over the past year we've been doing a series of programming related to water systems and infrastructure. So we've been working closely with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
I don't know if you guys know this, but we have the champagne of drinking water.
[00:20:33] Speaker A: I do know that.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: And it is a credit to, you know, this, this mix of 19 reservoirs upstate that feed our drinking supply. But Open House New York weekend will kick off this year 12:01 midnight Friday morning with our, the operations staff at DEP outside City hall doing what they call stethoscopes for the street, which is where they, you know, basically have a, this audio equipment that can detect leaks in the water mains below.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: That's fascinating.
[00:21:02] Speaker B: Again, work that happens, is essential, is vital, is often unseen.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: I completely agree. Unknown too. So you just thought it's something fascinating as well about New York City. You know, you said we have the champagne of water, correct? That's how you worded it. I love that. I'm going to put that my back pocket. That's a good one. But that's the reason too. I tell everybody, you know, on the Christmas tours that, you know, I do or just my general walking tours around the city every day. I tell guests from all over the world, I always say, why do we have the best. I'm sorry, why do we have the best pizza and bagels in New York City?
[00:21:32] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: Because of champagne.
[00:21:34] Speaker B: Of drinking water.
[00:21:35] Speaker A: Champagne of drinking water. And from what I'm aware, it's from upstate New York from the Croton Reservoir. Is that correct?
[00:21:42] Speaker B: There's actually a system of 19 different reservoirs that feed. And there's. There's a job, somebody at DEP who is basically a mixologist who, who is blending the water from the different reservoirs at, at, at all times.
[00:21:55] Speaker A: You just taught me something fascinating. That's so cool.
[00:21:58] Speaker B: That's what we do. This is what we do at Open House New York.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Absolutely love this.
So Kristin, your pay job, which you love is at Open House New York, but your real job is being a mom, Correct? I am a family person.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: I am a mom of a two and a half year old redheaded toddler named Livia who is a native New Yorker. And I'll tell you, being a parent in New York changes your relationship with the city in a Real way.
And let me caveat being that it is expensive and inconvenient to raise. Right. Just to state the obvious, just the.
[00:22:33] Speaker A: Reason, just go ahead.
[00:22:37] Speaker B: But, you know, the level of exposure that kids who are lucky enough to grow up in New York City have.
[00:22:43] Speaker A: Completely agree is incredible.
[00:22:44] Speaker B: You know, my daughter, as a toddler has had dim sum in Chinatown, has had Uzbek food and Ditmas park, has had Columbia food in Queens.
But it also, as a parent, makes me appreciate some of the things that I took for granted. Right. When you take a toddler on a subway, it is not this, you know, dull commute. It is this act of wonder. Right? She's learning to count by counting the 2 train, the 3 train, the 4 train, the 5 train.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Um, and just, you know, the. The joy she experiences walking down the street. I have a really good story and. And I will, you know, Livia will be telling the story for the rest of her life.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: Mm.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Um, last summer, we were on Classen Avenue in Prospect Heights, and Livia, as many children do, was going through a real wheels on the bus phase. So, just thrilled. It was like she was seeing Mickey Mouse every time she saw a city bus.
So. But the B48 is going north on Classen Avenue. Um, we see it coming down the street. I stand with her just so she can watch it go by, and she's waving and bopping her head. The bus driver sees us, he pulls over, he opens the driver side window, and out sticks this massive meaty forearm and a fist with a leather driving glove, and he Fist bumps my 18 month year old.
[00:23:58] Speaker A: That's the cutest, right?
[00:24:00] Speaker B: Classic New York. Like, I don't know that she's ever gonna be able to top that.
[00:24:03] Speaker A: You know, that's what I love about New York. You know, we get a bad rap for people saying people are rude. We're not. I mean, I see the most amazing interactions between New Yorkers daily, you know, and what's really, really cute is I see all the time on a train, little kids and their parents, they're like, just like with you, you know, what you just spoke of, I could envision in my mind because I see on the train constantly, like, little kids just going over the A, the B, the C train their parents are teaching them. I'm thinking, that is fascinating, you know, and the kids love it. They're looking out the window and. Which leads me to this question I always ask parents of children in New York City, at what age do they take the subway by themselves? And that you feel comfortable that your child can go to school on the subway or. To me, that's just a world I can't comprehend.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: I love that you're asking this question. Livia can't. Can't even tie her own shoelaces, to be honest. We haven't. We haven't thought about that. But I do think there's something about growing up in New York that breeds a certain kind of independence.
[00:25:07] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly Right.
[00:25:08] Speaker B: You learn how to navigate the world at a much younger age. You're not coddled because you can't be.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: Right. Well, my good friend Jen, I mean, her. When her kids were teenagers, they were going to school on the subway every day. To me, it's just, you know, I didn't live that life. So it's just. I find that fascinating and it's very unique about New York.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: The other thing I'll say about having a child is it's made me appreciate libraries and an absolute shout out to the New York, you know, to. To New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library. You know, I had always had a library card. I had taken out ebooks for, you know, since I moved here. But I didn't start visiting libraries, truly, until I had a child. And these spaces are so democratic, welcoming to all kinds of folks.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: The breadth of programming and information and, of course, books that you can get at a library is something I think we should never take for granted.
[00:26:01] Speaker A: 100% agree.
[00:26:01] Speaker B: And, you know, our library should not have to beg for change, to be open on Sundays.
[00:26:06] Speaker A: I completely agree, and I love that. Back to your daughter, that how she's exposed to all this different food earlier from all parts of the world, you know, and she's also exposed to different people in general, being on the subway or New York City from all over the world, which is such a beautiful thing and brings us all together, you know, being on the subway, seeing all the diversity and different types of people, this is what makes us New Yorkers. That's what's beautiful about this city.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Well, I'll share, Kelly. And we talked about this a little bit earlier, but I had an urban planning professor when I was at Pennsylvania, and, you know, he was taking the Amtrak down from New York, and he would talk about what makes New York so great. And his quote, and this is verbatim, is density, diversity, and old shit, right? And the density is we just have so many millions and millions of people packed into a small space. The diversity across background race, religion, socio cultural factors. I mean, it's just astounding what you can, what you have access to in New York and then in old shit. He's talking about buildings, old buildings like this that have layers of history.
And to quote our friend Jane Jacobs, she says new ideas need old buildings.
And so for, for places like podcast studios or artist studios to flourish, we have to make sure we're preserving the fabric of the city.
[00:27:25] Speaker A: Look at this newer podcast studio in this old, old building in Canal Street.
And it's a beautiful podcast the studio, isn't it? I love it.
So Kristen, there are 340 sites correct for Open House New York. Where should people go? What should they do?
[00:27:40] Speaker B: It is such a good question. It is a buffet of opportunity to explore and experience a city. And let me just say those 340 sites account for 1600 hours of public programming. 1200 hours of that is absolutely free and open to the public on a drop in basis. So really with Open House New York weekend, we have jam packed 67 days of programming into a three day weekend. So to learn more about the lineup, because we have something for every background, every interest, visit ohny.org you can see the entire lineup. So you know, just, just some highlights of the lineup. Of course we'll see iconic architecture. Kelly, as you noted, the Woolworth Building lobby is phenomenal. We'll take folks inside Lever House, designed by som.
And as a special treat this year we're taking people not one, not two, but three private gardens atop roofs in Rockefeller Center.
[00:28:32] Speaker A: Oh, I'm interested. You know what, I think I've seen them actually. Those gardens up top. Yep, gorgeous. And the views, highly recommend if anybody can go see that. Truly beautiful.
[00:28:42] Speaker B: Totally. And then we have a lot of ways for folks to be active. We are offering paddling in four of the five boroughs, either kayaking or canoeing. You can go stargazing in Inwood. You can bike at Floyd Bennett Field. You can do some stone carving in the garment district at a special studio. So all kinds of ways to, to, to, to truly participate in the city infrastructure. We have so many of our city's agencies, parks.dep DDC. I know this is an Alphabet soup.
One of one of. An agency or an authority we love is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. And so they're doing a really special tour for us this year which is looking at the World Trade center campus. Kelly, did you know that there's a network of roads below ground level under the World Trade Center?
[00:29:31] Speaker A: One World Trade, like the entire campus.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: There's a network of roads that serve as you know, deliveries operations underneath the waterfalls.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Even I did not know that. And I definitely want to do it.
[00:29:41] Speaker B: And so.
So. So the Port Authority is going to take you to see this network of roads. There's also a water chilling plant, which I'm told engineers and infrast geeks will nerd out over. And then at the end of this tour, the Port Authority will take you up to the 64th floor of One World Trade center onto a private observation deck that is never, ever open to the public.
[00:30:03] Speaker A: Wow. This is for open house New York.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: For open house New York weekend.
[00:30:06] Speaker A: I didn't even know that was there. Hence the word. You just said prior.
[00:30:11] Speaker B: I see your jaws dropping and I love it. We love to have that effect on people. And then lastly, New Yorkers love.
This is. This is a truly cinematic city. So Silverstein Properties is opening up 3 World Trade Center. The 79th floor, which is artist studios.
[00:30:26] Speaker A: Oh, oh, oh, okay. I'm so excited right now.
I know that I've never been there and I've always wanted to go up there.
[00:30:32] Speaker B: And the 80th floor, which has a lot of the architectural models that informed the development. The redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. Brooklyn Grange, which is a rooftop farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:41] Speaker B: Stunning views. And then the High Bridge water tower up in Washington Heights. The Parks Department is opening that. I'm not going to tell you how many stairs a lot of, you know, you're climbing several stories up. But it is a truly incredible infrastructure.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: I walk by that all the time. That's my neighborhood.
[00:30:57] Speaker B: Well, I feel like you've got to start planning your itinerary for the weekend.
[00:31:01] Speaker A: I love the High Bridge. The High Bridge itself, incredible. It was restored, what, about 10 years ago or whatever. I loved it. Or I love it, but I've. I.
That one's so. That High Bridge water tower or whatever.
Wow. That's.
How cool would that be? Because that thing's really kind of thin too, right?
Gosh, I have to be brave to go up that one. And I want to do it.
[00:31:25] Speaker B: And I see this effect happening on you right now, but we're opening up 340 sites, and we like to say we're giving you 340 reasons to fall in love with New York.
[00:31:33] Speaker A: Yeah, you gave me 340 more. Definitely.
I'm super excited.
Gosh, I didn't see. You're teaching me so much, and I'm gonna have a busy.
I have to mark off my calendar to go see. To go do a lot of these things. Maybe I'll see You, I hope too.
[00:31:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you know, let's do some planning.
[00:31:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm serious.
[00:31:52] Speaker B: But I think there's, there's all kinds of ways to approach Open House New York Weekend. It is this mega list of things that you can do. We have folks who are planners who make these color coded spreadsheets mapping out their days and their transportation routes. And folks are taking Citi Bike and they're taking the subway and a shout out to New York City Ferry. One of our sponsors and one of the greatest ways to explore the city.
[00:32:13] Speaker A: Completely agree.
[00:32:14] Speaker B: By boat. And then we have folks who are chill, who say I'm going to wake up Saturday morning and see what free drop in sites are available and have an adventure and just go from there.
So no matter, you know, your interest or your planning style, Open House New York Weekend has something for you.
[00:32:30] Speaker A: Can you tell me the dates again? Just so I want people to hear repeatedly the date.
[00:32:34] Speaker B: Open House New York weekend is October 17th, 18th and 19th.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: Three days.
[00:32:39] Speaker B: Three days. The festival starts, like I said, at midnight Friday 12:01 with DEP doing this leak detection.
And it ends Sunday evening at 10pm in Inwood with some stargazing.
[00:32:51] Speaker A: That's fascinating.
So Kristin, what's the most surprising building or space that said yes to being a part of Open House New York Weekend or that surprised you and you're excited that they agreed?
[00:33:05] Speaker B: Oh, that's such a good question. And there's so many.
[00:33:08] Speaker A: Yeah, you can do multiple.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: I would have to give a shout out to our friends at the, at the mta. They're opening up some, some rail yards and some really special spaces. We always say at Open House New York, if you have to sign a waiver, you know it's going to be a good tour. So you always have to sign a waiver and go through security clearance for any of our MTA tours.
Another big get this year was, was Con Ed. They're opening up their East River Generating Plant.
[00:33:34] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: Which is on 14th Street. So you're going to see the spaces, the space that powers, you know, homes and businesses and life for many New Yorkers.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: That's interesting. That's very interesting.
Kristen. Have you seen any tangible impact policy or community based because of past Open House New York event or projects?
[00:33:53] Speaker B: I love this question and it gets to what is the impact of this work? Why, like, why do we do this? Why do we open up 340 building?
And I think our mission and our programming is rooted in giving New Yorkers access. Right.
And the value of giving people access is so that you can understand how the city works. Once you understand, you start to care. Once you care, you become an invested citizen. And sometimes that investment could look like voting, or it could look like volunteering, or it could look like participating in your local block association.
But, you know, less tangible policy outcomes, more of just a general sense of active participation and engagement among everyday New Yorkers.
[00:34:35] Speaker A: Wow, you're so good at this. I love, yeah, you love what you do. I can, I can feel how you love what you do. It's wonderful. So, you know, so you do all. We do all five boroughs with Open House New York. Do you feel it's more of a challenge in certain boroughs to find certain communities to open up for Open house New York, or is everybody gracious and, you know, open to showing and showcasing? Whatever I think, you know, do you go to them? I'm so sorry, do you go to say, hey, can we. Do you pick the buildings or do people come to you in certain boroughs and say, hey, what about this building?
[00:35:07] Speaker B: It's a blend. And I like to say we, we are constantly location scouting. Our team has a wish list, you know, a seven page wish list of buildings we would love to open.
Including Yankee Stadium.
[00:35:19] Speaker A: Oh yeah, right.
[00:35:20] Speaker B: There's, there's so many great buildings in New York. But we also have an open call. We really want to be democratic in the process. And so we're. If you have an idea for a building, or more importantly, if you have keys to a building and you want to share that building with the public, reach out to us.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: Nice. Have people just said no? They're not interested.
[00:35:37] Speaker B: You know, the reality is this is New York and I think sometimes for safety or security reasons, buildings haven't always been able to participate. But I think once we form a solid partnership and people, you know, embrace our mission, we've had a lot more yeses than we've had no's interesting over.
[00:35:55] Speaker A: The years that you've done this. Do you have any favorite moments, we'll say like a tour guide or a speaker that resonated with you that you remember, that you really enjoyed on an Open House New York experience.
[00:36:09] Speaker B: I love this question and I'm going to tell you a story.
I was an open house New Yorker since before I was paid to be an open house New Yorker. Right. It's my job now. And I started with the organization in 2019. But back in 2015, on a Sunday morning in October, my husband, who's a preservationist, said to me, hey, get in the car, we're going to JFK Airport. Did he book a secret vacation for me that I didn't know about? No. And we're in the car and I'm like, patrick, what are we doing? He said, we're gonna go look at the abandoned TWA terminal.
[00:36:41] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:36:42] Speaker B: So this was in 2015. This was the last year, this space before it underwent the renovation and became the incredible TWA hotel that it is now. But Open House New York opened that space to the public that Sunday, and over the course of six hours had more than 10,000 people walk in the door. And I think the. Have you guys been to the tw?
[00:37:01] Speaker A: Not yet, but I want to.
[00:37:02] Speaker B: I mean, it is a building where you feel the power of architecture the second you walk in the door. And people came in with memories of, you know, flying. They flying out of there. When it was Idlewild Airport back in the 60s, we had people in, you know, air, you know, stewardess, cosplay outfits.
But just the buzz of sharing space with fellow New Yorkers was so infectious that for the next few years, every few months, I would check the Open House New York website to see if they were hiring.
[00:37:31] Speaker A: That's pretty amazing.
[00:37:32] Speaker B: And eventually, you know, the job opportunity opened up.
[00:37:35] Speaker A: Is there any spaces in NYC that changed how you see the city?
[00:37:39] Speaker B: Personally, I love this question.
What I'll say is, it's not for me, a building. As an urban planner, I'm interested in what Yahn Gael calls, you know, the space between the buildings, our public space, the connective tissues.
So one thing I've been really interested in seeing is the development and evolution of public spaces like plazas and new parks. And, you know, something that is very much on my radar is Gotham park, which is this grassroots effort to reimagine the space that is on the Manhattan side underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.
[00:38:13] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:38:14] Speaker B: And I think there are visionaries working behind it. They've had some great success.
[00:38:19] Speaker A: I've been there. It's beautiful.
[00:38:20] Speaker B: And I think it's just the power of vision and committed citizens and persistence, and that's how you make great. That's the story of the High Line. That will be the story of Gotham Park. And that's how you make great things happen in the city.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: That's. This is a good tie in question then. It might be the same space you just mentioned, but there. Is there any NYC spaces that make you emotional?
[00:38:41] Speaker B: I love this question and I'm going to. I asked this. We had this conversation at an Open House New York board meeting recently, and I asked my board members where did you fall in love with New York? And so I'm gonna steal an answer from my board member, Liz Newmark, and she says, I fall in love with New York anytime I travel out of the city, whether it is nationally or internationally, and I come back to a New York City airport and I am greeted by the diversity and the energy that is New York City.
[00:39:08] Speaker A: I love it. I completely understand.
That's beautiful.
[00:39:12] Speaker C: No, I was just gonna say thank you for being on. This has been a really fun and, like, interesting episode.
I learned about Open House New York a few months ago because a friend told me about a scavenger hunt that they were running for. Like, it was about water preservation. And I unfortunately couldn't do it because I heard about last minute. I had plans. But I wanted to know if you could talk a little bit about scavenger hunts. I hear you do them like one a year and like, how do they get set up? What's the process behind that?
[00:39:42] Speaker B: Absolutely. So scavenger hunts is a really fun way that we do public programming. It gamifies the experience of exploring the city. We call it urban trivia meets New York City Marathon.
So this in May, we did a five row scavenger hunt related to water infrastructure sites.
[00:40:00] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:40:00] Speaker B: We had more than 300 people participate and the participation ranged from casual participation. We had a couple of families or, you know, a dad with his six year old daughter to hardcore teams who visited all five boroughs and racked up, you know, the most amount of points imaginable.
But I think again, it just goes back to the ethos of Open House New York, which is providing new opportunities for New Yorkers to understand how the city works and engage, you know, in designing its future.
[00:40:31] Speaker A: Great question, Jay. Very good question.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: And we'll get you. We do one scavenger hunt every year.
[00:40:36] Speaker C: Yeah, hopefully next year.
[00:40:38] Speaker A: I want to do it too. I really want to do it.
[00:40:40] Speaker C: I imagine, like, do you come up, like, I guess you don't come up with, but, like, have your team come up with like, questions and like, places that get involved.
[00:40:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it is, it is a. An Olympic feat. We have a puzzle master, somebody who loves, who loves doing this. I also. May I give a shout out to the Open House New York team?
[00:40:58] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:40:59] Speaker B: You think about the scale of this festival. 340 sites, 1600 hours of programming. We are a team of six. So I would love to give a shout out to my colleagues Elise, Allison, Beth, Riley and Alba, who make magic happen every day.
[00:41:15] Speaker A: Thank you to all of them, truly Appreciate them, too.
That's amazing. That's so sweet that you did that. One last question.
Your favorite NYC micro celebrity.
[00:41:26] Speaker B: Sure. So I'm gonna. I love this question. I'm gonna give you a name. You're not gonna recognize it, but the name is Charlie Pellet.
[00:41:33] Speaker A: I know exactly who that is.
[00:41:35] Speaker B: Of course you do, Kelly. So Charlie Pellet. You may not know the name. You'll know his voice. He's the guy on the subway who says, stand clear of the closing doors, please.
He has been an Open House New York champion and fan for years and years and years. And we started inviting him to come to. To our parties and our galas. And every year he gives a special toast. But first he introduces himself. And I think it's hard to impress New Yorkers who have seen it all.
[00:42:01] Speaker A: Done it all, completely agree.
[00:42:02] Speaker B: But when they see Charlie Pellet in person saying, stand clear of the. The closing doors, please. Jaws drop. And that's always a special moment. But Charlie's toast for Open House New York, given, you know, our work and our festival. He says, stand clear of the opening doors, please.
Raises the champagne glass, and we have a toast.
[00:42:22] Speaker A: And I'm sure people love it. You know, I have a story too, to add on to that. I used to be a photographer with the Central Park Conservancy, and they were doing the Central Park Film Festival, and Charlie Pellet was there to speak one day.
And so I was standing with a couple people there, and the head of the Central Market Service, he said, you know, you may know this gentleman. And then he got, grabbed the microphone, he said, you know, it's all New Yorkers just like you said, like, no one cares. But Charlie Pellet said, please or stand clear of the closing doors, please. You know his phrase, please stand clear of the closing doors. And the whole crowd lost it. Everybody was screaming and yelling. He is a true New York celebrity. I mean, it was one of the coolest things I've experienced in New York.
[00:43:04] Speaker B: And also he's a. He's a massive infrastructure nerd.
[00:43:08] Speaker A: Yeah, he is. Yeah. So that was. I totally know what you mean. It's a cool guy. Really cool guy. He's a huge part of New York City as well.
[00:43:16] Speaker B: Kelly, may I ask you a question in the spirit of Open House New York weekend?
[00:43:20] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:43:20] Speaker B: If you could unlock or visit any building in New York City, what would you like to see?
[00:43:27] Speaker A: Gosh, there's. There's so many I've always wanted to see. I love the renovation of the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. But from what I understand, underneath it, there's a subway station or something that I don't. Have you heard of it? There's something. Do you want to tell me?
[00:43:44] Speaker B: You know, I actually, I. I've heard of it, but I don't have any. I can't offer any details.
[00:43:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I was like, wow, you probably know about it. I don't. I'd love to see what's underneath Waldorf Astoria. You know, I know from what I understand, you know, I think Eisenhower actually took the subway or something under there, if I'm not mistaken.
So I'd love to see what's under there. So maybe we could do a video or something about that one day.
[00:44:06] Speaker B: Open House New York weekend 2026. Let's see if we can make it happen.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's. And it's. I mean, the waldofa story there. Have you seen the renovation? I assume you probably have.
[00:44:15] Speaker B: I have. Not yet, but our good friends at SOM did it.
[00:44:18] Speaker A: It's really. Oh, it's gorgeous. But I want to see underground New York City. When I think of what I want to see, like buildings, I want to see underground. I want to see the guts of New York City that you mentioned earlier.
[00:44:29] Speaker B: Amazing.
[00:44:29] Speaker A: Perfect Segway. Perfect ending to meet the beginning of the podcast. Awesome. Well, thanks, Kristin. This is. This has been really fun and really amazing.
Before we leave and before we let you go, Kristen, we here at the New Yorkers Podcast want to know what it means to you, Kristin labuz, to be a New Yorker.
[00:44:48] Speaker B: Great question. And what defines New Yorkers for me is a real spirit of generosity. We're New Yorkers. We walk fast, we talk fast, we have places to go and things to do. But at the end of the day, on a, you know, person to person level, we are so extraordinarily generous. And I think it happens in a couple of different levels. Right? There's a generosity of knowledge, and this is such a stereotype, but if you've ever seen somebody asks for directions on a subway and the New Yorkers jump up and fight over who can give them the best route, you know, that's generosity of knowledge. I think there's generosity of time, and this is personal. For Open House New York, we are a team of six. We have 1400 volunteers this weekend who are helping us unlock the city, who are sharing their time to make the city better. And then I think there's a generosity of talent. We've got to be, you know, pound for pound, the most talented city on the planet. And the way New Yorkers share their talent, whether it is performing in the subway or hosting an architectural tour for Open House New York weekend is extraordinary and I think this generosity is to me what defines our city.
[00:46:01] Speaker A: That was so beautiful. I loved it. I could feel what you were saying.
Really, really nice.
Thank you for joining us today for this week's episode of the New Yorkers Podcast. Why don't you let everyone know where they can find you on your social media? Kristin sure.
[00:46:16] Speaker B: Learn more about Open House New York by visiting our website o h n y.org or find us on social at Open House New York.
[00:46:26] Speaker A: Once again, I'm your host Kelly Kopp, also known as New York City Cop all across my social media.
[00:46:33] Speaker B: Kelly, let me plug you please like and subscribe the New Yorkers Podcast and you can follow the New Yorkers on social media at the New Yorkers Podcast.
[00:46:42] Speaker A: You can leave a rating or a comment to let us know how you are enjoying the show. We read through all your comments and DMs so please, we would love to hear from you. Thank you. Betty Jess Kopp. That's my mom.
Love you mom and dad Loretta Smith and Thierry Tavernier for your kind words on Facebook. And I want to give a special shout out to Thierry because I do my live videos and everything in my podcast and he is always talking about the podcast.
So thank you Theory. It means a lot my friend and to you everyone as well. If you want to be featured at the end of an episode, leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify.
[00:47:22] Speaker B: I would also love to hear from some Open House New Yorkers in the comments. Right what sites have you been to, what have you experienced or what would you like us to open up in the future?
And let me also say thank you to Courtney, Yang and Sandra for your comments on the last episode.
[00:47:39] Speaker A: Have a lovely day everyone and we will see you next time.
[00:47:42] Speaker B: Goodbye.
[00:47:45] Speaker A: Thank you New York 100 for sponsoring this episode.
To learn more about them, visit ny100.org this is the last stop on this train. Everyone please leave the train. Thank you for riding with MTA New York City Transit.
