Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: 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.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: Ladies and gentlemen, the next Brooklyn bound train in Mount Iowa. Stand clear of the closing doors please.
This is Times Square.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: A quick programming note before we begin the show today. I just like to let everyone know that the New Yorkers Podcast will be taking a break in January.
But we will be back with season two of the New Yorkers Podcast for our one year anniversary in February. So please stay tuned for that with me today. My friends, I have John Freya. He is back and he is a digital creator, New York City historian and featured on PIX11's New York Living.
But above all else, he is a New Yorker. Welcome back to the show, John. How are you today?
[00:01:31] Speaker B: It is great to be back, Kelly. Thank you for letting me be on the show again.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: I'm so happy. I was looking forward to this today too because I can't wait to hear all the amazing information that you have and you're going to tell all of our listeners.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Yeah, this is my favorite time of the year. So I'm telling you some of my favorite holiday history in New York, which.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: I love and you're gonna teach me and I cannot wait.
So we're talking about, like you said, the history of Christmas and. Correct. New Year's Eve, right?
[00:02:04] Speaker B: Yes. We're gonna do a new. We're gonna do a double game or.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Double team double header. That's it. I'm very bad at sports. Thank you for that.
[00:02:12] Speaker A: That's hilarious.
So speaking of Christmas, I think that the most well known Christmas tree is Rockefeller Center. Correct. Here in New York City.
[00:02:22] Speaker B: Thousands of people go see that tree every year.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: It's a beauty.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: It is a beauty this year. But we should kind of turn our attention a little downtown to Madison Square Park. Exactly. Because that is where the America's first public Christmas tree lighting took place. And it's kind of forgotten. It still happens, obviously, every year.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: But there is a monument inside the park near Shake Shack. It is a star on a pole and it's called the Star of Hope. And that actually commemorates the first ever Christmas tree lighting in New York.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: Really?
[00:02:56] Speaker B: Well, in America. Really.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: It goes back to December 12th. It was all the idea of Emily Lee Hirschoff. She wanted to put a Christmas tree in public. So for people that weren't fortunate enough to have their own Christmas tree and they can participate In a tree lighting ceremony. And this was the time in America where there was a lot of philanthropic work.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: What year was this? Do you know?
[00:03:19] Speaker B: This was 1912.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: So more than 100 years ago. And she brought this idea to the city. They approved it and the tree was actually donated. And it came from the Adirondacks. It was cut down, brought to the city on a horse drawn carriage.
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:03:35] Speaker B: And placed in the park.
I think nearly 25,000 people filled that park. Now you're familiar with Madison Square Park.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Yep. I love it.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: It's a. I love it too. It's a decent sized park, but 25,000 people in there. I was thinking that it must have been insane to be there for the first lighting. And it was such a success that they continue to do it every year.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: So is it like the 101st or second? Do you know what it is this year?
[00:04:01] Speaker B: It is the 112th.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: Oh, wow. I'm way off.
[00:04:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Wow. I think Wall street's like the 101st or something.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah. So that is, I think, the second oldest one in the city.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: But that first one, it was.
Okay, so that the first tree was a 60 foot tree. It had more than 2,300 colored lights wrapped around the tree. Those lights were actually donated by the Edison company. And when it was time to light it up on Christmas Eve, As I said, 25,000 people packed the park.
[00:04:32] Speaker A: That's insane. In Madison Square park right there. So I'm picturing electricity back then.
I wonder, you know, I'm just thinking electrical lines and everything. And I'm going off a little off topic here. But I'm thinking, I wonder how they did the electrical lines back then. That's over a hundred years ago.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: It is over a hundred years ago. And I actually like how you brought that topic up because I wasn't planning on talking about this, but it turns out the father of the American about of the Christmas tree lights was from New York. He lived in Murray Hill on 30 Something street, by Lexington Avenue or Third Avenue. And he was the vice president of the Edison company, which donated the lights for the tree in Madison Square Park. He would get crowds outside his house because he put his tree right by the window and it would change different colors of the lights. And this was obviously revolutionary because before that they had candles on trees.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: So a New Yorker is credited for having Christmas tree lights.
[00:05:35] Speaker A: Well, I just think that's fascinating. I mean, just to think how revolutionary that was with electricity and how beautiful that tree must have been through the windows.
That'd be. That'd be a really cool documentary to see, too.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: I mean, even now, you're just walking around the streets and you see trees right by the windows of apartments.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: And I can only imagine seeing that first tree lit up in someone's home. It. It must have just.
[00:06:00] Speaker A: What a big deal that is.
[00:06:01] Speaker B: In awe.
[00:06:02] Speaker A: It's like trying to think of anything comparable to what it would be today.
Maybe drones flying around in the sky. That's a joke. What's happening, Whatever. What we hear in the news.
But, you know, I would. How fascinating must. I would love to see that scene, what people were wearing and what New York was like back then, too. And how cool is that?
[00:06:26] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, I always think about old New York, the New York that we've kind of lost. It's kind of the personality of. Personality of it a little bit. But it just must have been still such a magical time because we've gone to tree lightings before.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: And there is this energy around it when we've gone to holiday window unveilings. And there's something so special about it.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: Right. To us, it's this time period.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: So back then, it still must have that same feeling that we have today.
[00:06:52] Speaker A: Seeing.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: It must have been the same exact way. Just different outfits, you know.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Side note, do you watch the Gilded Age?
[00:06:58] Speaker B: I love the Gilded Age.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: I love that show, too.
I cannot wait to the third season. And I'm sure there's no. This has nothing to do with what we were talking about, but it is about, you know, New York in the 1890s. Right. Basically around there. Yeah. If you're not watching it, it's amazing.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: And they lived on 61st and 5th Avenue, which is today where the PR Hotel is. But, you know, it is. It's such a window into the past.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: It really is. That's why I just. I like thinking about the real history of what was going on back then. And it makes me think of these shows.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, there is. Not that far from Madison Square park is another piece of Christmas history. We all know the neighborhood of Chelsea.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: And do you know why it's named Chelsea or where. Who developed it?
[00:07:44] Speaker A: I do not.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: So it is Clement Clarke Moore. And that name probably sounds familiar to you because he is the person that wrote Twas the Night Before Christmas.
[00:07:53] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:07:54] Speaker B: And he actually got the inspiration from living on his family's farm that turned into the neighborhood of Chelsea. He actually was very integral in developing Chelsea because he wanted certain. The design of certain houses which develops into those Brownstone townhouse vibe aesthetic of a Chelsea. So he was really a big proponent of that. But when it comes to Twas the Night Before Christmas, he was living on his family's estate in 1823, and he ended up writing the poem, which was originally called a visit from St Nicholas, as a Christmas gift for his daughters. Moore was on a sleigh ride to Greenwich Village picking up the Christmas turkey. And that's when he ended up writing the poem about St. Nicholas's visit. And he read it to his children that night. Now, before he read it to his children, he actually had guests over on Christmas Eve and he ended up reading the poem to them. Moore never really thought that it was going to escape the confines of his home, but someone there really loved the poem and they actually transcribed it and it was anonymously submitted to the Troy Sentinel in 1824. And that's actually when it was published. And no one knew that he wrote it up until late his later life. And that's because he was. He was a professor and he didn't want his name associated with something childish. He is the person that did write Twas Night Before Christmas and it happened in Chelsea.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: That's fascinating. So I think I read just recently, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, that even the origins of Santa Claus had something to do with New York City.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Yes. So I'm actually reading about this now, which.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: Well, I so obviously just brought this up. This is just. I just pulled this out of my hand.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: So St. Nicholas, obviously, he was a real saint. He was a 4th century saint from modern day Turkey, and he was known for. For helping the poor and his charitable giving. There's a theory as to why we hang stockings by the fire for St. Nicholas's visit. Why it stems to the original St. Nick. And it's believed that there was a poor family that couldn't meet the dowries for their three daughters. So St. Nicholas ended up throwing coins through the window that landed in the stockings that were drying by the fire and that saved them from going into an illicit career.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Right, an illicit career.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: That's the nicest. That's the festive way to say it.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: That's hilarious.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: So he became this figure of charitable goods. And throughout the centuries he transformed and his legend changed a little bit to Father Christmas in the uk. And he didn't always wear red. And it wasn't until really Clement Clarke Moore, where he actually made him this jolly old fat elf that we know today. And then it was Thomas Nast, the famous Cartoonist who is also a New Yorker. That really illustrated him to being this jolly old elf. And of course, you know, he's been used in Coca Cola commercials. And the urban legend is that he wears red because of Coca Cola. And that is completely false.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: Really? That's the reason that supposedly.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: Some people believe that. Yeah, believe that. But that is just not true red. It just kind of evolved throughout the times. But sometimes he's depicted as wearing green. And that is a nod to the Victorian Father Christmas, which technically is a separate person than St Nicholas. Father Christmas is a English folklore that developed in the 15th century.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: So was Santa Claus real?
[00:11:37] Speaker B: You know what? I am going to take the lead of that famous New York sun editorial that was written to Virginia Woolf, who lived on the Upper west side, and I will say, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: That is awesome. Jay, do you believe in Santa Claus?
[00:11:57] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Yes. I do, too.
[00:11:59] Speaker C: You don't follow the where is Santa Claus every Christmas Eve?
[00:12:03] Speaker A: You mean like on the satellite now in the sky? Oh, yeah.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: NORAD tracker.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: Don't do it. I'm up all night.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Midnight, he flies over New York.
[00:12:13] Speaker A: It is.
[00:12:13] Speaker B: It's a beautiful thing to see.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: It is cool. It is really cool. And you can hear him ho, ho, ho ing up in the sky, supposedly.
John, I love hearing the story about Clement Clark Moore. Can you tell us a little bit about the Morgan Library?
[00:12:28] Speaker B: Yes, it is. So the Morgan Library is one of.
It's a beautiful library. It's definitely one of those hidden gems that a lot of just New Yorkers go.
[00:12:37] Speaker A: It's free on Friday.
[00:12:38] Speaker B: I think it is free on Fridays. I heard that for someone else. So I will be going there soon. But they also have a piece of Christmas history that I think is one of my favorite pieces to look at every single year, because every year it changes. So I'm talking about the original manuscript to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have seen so many versions of A Christmas Carol. My favorite, I will say, is the Muppets Christmas Carol.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: I've never seen it, but.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: Oh, you need to see it.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: It's great.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: It's great. So Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in just six weeks, which is surprising. It is fairly quick for one of the most famous works in that he's ever published. But he started in October 1843, and he finished on time for it to be published for Christmas that year. And he wanted it to really be done quickly because he was facing some financial troubles. Obviously, that has changed throughout his career.
[00:13:33] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:13:34] Speaker B: But we all know the story as Ebenezer Scrooge, who was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone, but transformed into a charitable and better man after being visited by the ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and of yet to Come. Now, when you look at the manuscript, you can actually notice that there is an urgency in the way that he's writing. He's writing very quickly and scribbling out and it is very hard to follow what he has written. It's really just 66 pages long.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: And.
[00:14:03] Speaker B: And it was first published on December 19th. After it was printed. Dickens got the original manuscript bound in crimson Moroccan color, goatskin leather.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:14:14] Speaker B: And he wanted it to give it to his friend. That actually let him borrow money to kind of hold him over between writing the stories. Eventually it was then bought by JP Morgan in the 1890s, who acquired Vast amounts of antiquities throughout the centuries. And every year the museum has this on display and they advance it one page a year. So as I was saying, you can go every year and see a different part of A Christmas Carol. So last year, for instance, was the scene where Bob Cratchit was asking for Christmas Day off. So there is still a lot of that book left to be seen.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: And if you are a big fan of the Christmas Carol like I am, you can actually buy a copy of what the original manuscript looked like. You can read his handwriting and also just read the actual printing of it side by side as you go along.
[00:15:07] Speaker A: That's fascinating. I had no idea about this.
[00:15:09] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's usually they switch it where it's located, sometimes located in the main library section where everyone knows.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: And then in the other room, which was J.P. morgan's study. And I like the J.P. morgan study room just because it's all red. So, I mean, it's red every day of the year, but it kind of feels a little bit more festive when you're there.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: So anybody can go anytime and see this.
[00:15:32] Speaker B: Anyone can go.
[00:15:33] Speaker A: I really want to go see that it is.
[00:15:34] Speaker B: My friends went last week and I said, did you see the manuscript? They go, yes, that is my favorite piece of history in New York.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: I think that's fascinating. That's a great story.
So, John, I was talking to my mom, Betty Lou is her name.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Hey, Betty. Betty. Louis.
[00:15:51] Speaker A: And just the other night she was telling me about her favorite movie, which I had never seen, which I'm going to see now this week, and it was called It Happened on Fifth Avenue.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: You haven't seen that movie?
[00:16:03] Speaker A: No, I haven't.
[00:16:03] Speaker B: Oh, you have to see it.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: Is so you know about it?
[00:16:06] Speaker B: Yes, it is one.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: Tell us about it. Yeah.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: So it's one of those classic Christmas movies, but also classic New York movie. And there is a mansion that is owned by this very rich person that leaves New York for the winter. And he lives on Fifth Avenue, but there is a homeless guy that ends up going into the home. And he really is just down on his luck. He's a veteran, from what I remember. And he starts to live in the home, and before you know it, he's taking in people that are. That need a place to stay. And it turns out that the owner of the home ends up coming back to the mansion, and he kind of goes in disguise, and he doesn't. And the people don't know that that is his home, but he still exits the same way that they all entered the house, which was kind of through the back window.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: And it is a love story, but they all come together and a sense of community.
It really is. It is a beautiful. It's a beautiful movie to see. And I'm surprised you haven't seen it yet.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: You know, my mom just. You know, my mom just brought it up to me the other night. Well, she said that she's always watched it, but now that I live in New York, it has kind of a different meaning to her. And she said for the first time, she's like, oh, now she sees it with different eyes now, because since I live here, and so now I have to watch it. And I love that. My mom loves that movie. So I'm gonna watch it.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: It is. You have to let me know what you think of it.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: Oh, definitely.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: I saw it twice, and my dad would tell me to watch it as well.
[00:17:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: And I just never really knew of it up until maybe like five years ago. And it's something that's always on TCM or just on online.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: I'm just so surprised I've never heard of it because it's, you know, it's a New York movie as well. So a big thanks to my mom for giving that movie a shout out.
Well, I'm glad, you know, thanks for talking about that movie with me, because my mom's gonna love that. John. Christmas songs I want to talk about that are connected to New York. John.
[00:18:01] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:18:02] Speaker A: Can you give us some info on those?
[00:18:04] Speaker B: Oh, yes. So I went down this rabbit a couple of years ago, looking at different Christmas songs that are connected to New York. And turns out Saks Fifth Avenue, we thank for one of probably the famous. One of the most famous Christmas Songs that we know. I swear, Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, that's sex.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: Fifth Avenue.
[00:18:21] Speaker B: So we. We can thank Sachs for that. Yeah, it turns out it was the 1950s, and they do this annual Christmas card, and they wanted to include a song in the Christmas card they were doing that year. So they reached out to English songwriter Tommy Connor, and by this time, he had a number of hit singles under his belt. He wrote a lot of them in the 1930s and 40s. He accepted the offer, and that's when he wrote I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. That was added to Saks Fifth Avenue's holiday card that year, and it appeared alongside a cartoon drawing of a woman kissing Santa Claus with shopping bags thrown around the room. And that was done by Perry. Bart Perry Barlow, who was a famous cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine. Now, the first time that it was actually recorded was in 1952 by Jimmy Boyd, and it's kind of funny because he faced some controversy, and that song was turned out to be banned in some places because it's raunchy. Yeah. I mean, the Catholic Church said that it focused on adultery.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: And it turns out that.
[00:19:28] Speaker A: Yeah, turns out we're all that.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Jimmy Boyd had a meet with church officials to lift the ban of the song and say, listen, I know that it's my dad kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe. And say that I know that my mommy's not cheating on my dad.
[00:19:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:48] Speaker B: Which is kind of crazy to think that that's another.
That song went totally opposite direction from what you would really think of it as today.
[00:19:58] Speaker A: And I'm just not surprised.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: Ditto.
But obviously, the most famous recording of that song was done in 1970 by the Jackson 5.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Oh, I can hear that in my. In my. My ears now. I can hear Michael Jackson.
[00:20:16] Speaker C: You've never heard that song?
[00:20:18] Speaker A: I have. I just never really thought about it. That. But I've heard. I know, exactly.
[00:20:22] Speaker C: Oh, you never thought that it was Michael Jackson?
[00:20:24] Speaker A: I did. I just. I just never think of that song by the Jackson 5.
[00:20:30] Speaker C: Really?
[00:20:31] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't think it.
[00:20:31] Speaker C: You think of the original.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: I think of the original, yeah.
[00:20:33] Speaker B: Oh, see, I think of Jacksonville.
[00:20:35] Speaker A: I don't know if I've ever heard of. No, I don't think of the Jackson 5.
[00:20:37] Speaker C: I thought. I mean, I didn't. I knew it wasn't a Jackson 5 original, but I like. I only thought of the Jackson 5.
[00:20:43] Speaker A: Huh.
[00:20:44] Speaker C: Have you heard the Jackson 5 Christmas album?
[00:20:46] Speaker A: I have not. Am I missing out a lot?
[00:20:49] Speaker C: Yes, you're missing out on everything you.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: Want to tell us about that album, Jay.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: I mean, it's just. It's the Jackson 5 covering, like, all the classic.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: And you love it.
[00:20:58] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, we listen to it at Christmas time, like, every year while we're decorating the house or putting up the Christmas tree.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: Okay, so now I have to watch it happened on Fifth Avenue and also listen to the Jackson 5 Christmas album.
[00:21:10] Speaker C: Yeah, for sure.
[00:21:12] Speaker A: And I'm gonna do it.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: You had a couple of days left before Christmas to finish, so you guys.
[00:21:15] Speaker A: Gotta check up on me and hold me. Hold me accountable. I. I know you will.
So what other songs, John, do you have that attaches?
You know, Santa or what is it like Songs to New York? Yeah.
[00:21:28] Speaker B: So there is Santa Baby, which famously was recorded by Eartha Kitt. And that was all started inside the Brill Building. Now, of course, the Brill Building was the place where American pop music was born and grew in the 1950s and 60s. And they were known for their assembly line music system. Basically, you can walk into that building, you can meet with a songwriter, singers, band members, record labels, promoters, and you can leave that building that day having, theoretically, a single ready to promote. But turns out that RCA Victor Records wanted to do a Christmas song with the Broadway and movie star Eartha Kitt. And she was really the it girl of that time, of the early 1950s. So they reached out to Phil Springer and Joan Javits. They jumped at the opportunity. Phil Springer wrote a number of songs by that time as well. Joan Javits was somewhat new to the scene, but Phil Springer wrote the melody for the song in 10 minutes. Joan Javits wrote the lyrics in about three minutes. And the two of them, along with the executives for the record label, were in an office in the Brill Building trying to figure out what type of song they could write for the sultry Eartha Kit. They were thinking, and all of a sudden Joan Javits jumped up and said, santa, Baby. Everyone loved it in the room, and they just followed through with it.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:22:52] Speaker B: Eartha Kit recorded the song and became one of the hit songs of the holiday season in 1953.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: Gosh, I can just. I can see Eartha Kitt in my mind's eye. I can see her doing the growl or whatever. She does the purr.
[00:23:08] Speaker B: No one sings that song like her. Yeah, so it was really. It was written for her and she. And she perfected it.
[00:23:16] Speaker D: Let's take a quick break.
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[00:23:53] Speaker A: She was amazing. She really was. And another one, Silent Night.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: So there is Silent Night, but before we get there, I do want to just mention, just a couple blocks away from the Brill Building, there's the Winter Garden theater, which in 1966, that is where Mame the Musical starring Angela Lansbury first opened.
[00:24:13] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:24:13] Speaker B: And one of my favorite Christmas songs actually started from that show. And it's we need a Little Christmas.
[00:24:20] Speaker A: I didn't know this.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: It was written by Jerry Herman, performed by Angela Lansbury, who won the Tony award for her role as Mame Dennis. And the. Have you ever seen Mame?
[00:24:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: Okay. So you know, it's about Mame Dennis, who takes in her nephew after her brother passed away. And it just follows her eccentric life in New York during the 1920s and 30s. And during the time. And during the time in the musical when she sings we need a Little Christmas. This is after the stock market crashes. She loses all her money, and they're just flat broke. And she feels that we need a little Christmas right this time. So it's November. They start decorating, and that is when the song is performed. This also kind of leads into that classic Christmas creep. When we talk about Christmas season starting earlier and earlier.
And that is kind of a signal of that song is that now it starts before Thanksgiving. And we kind of could credit Mame for that.
[00:25:17] Speaker A: Interesting. About that Christmas creep. I've never heard that phrase, but I know exactly what you mean because I hear it every year on our social media. But it's every year the same. It really is. Because I go back and look at the dates of the tree lightings or I look at when they set up the decorations. Everybody's like, it's so early this year. It's getting earlier every year. And I always go double check. And it's actually the same every year.
[00:25:39] Speaker B: Yeah. This year feels like the Christmas season went by so quick.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: Well, we have a. We almost a week less this year because Thanksgiving is like one of the last days of November. Yeah, I think last year's like, the 23rd or something. So it's almost a full week of the Christmas season. You know, is. Is. Is not There. I mean, financially, too. That's a lot for all these businesses.
[00:26:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:26:01] Speaker A: Everybody I know, you know, so I know that's a whole nother show, but.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: Yeah, we could talk about the lost department stores of New York anytime.
[00:26:09] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, real quick, though, are there any modern. Any of the modern Christmas songs tied to New York that you know of? I know you're more of a historian, but I'm thinking, you know, just. Yeah, I thought we'd maybe, you know, like Mariah Carey.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, it is. Did you know that?
[00:26:31] Speaker A: I don't know.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:26:32] Speaker A: Is that just. That's just a wild guess.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: Well, her. One of the most famous songs and the song that lets her come out of hiding. 300.
[00:26:39] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:26:39] Speaker B: 11 months out of the year.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: Freezing. Whatever. She's coming out. Yep.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: All I want for Christmas is you. That was actually recorded at the hits factory on 54th street in Hell's Kitchen. And she did not want to record a Christmas album because recording a Christmas album for musicians is kind of a sign that your career is over. And she was really hesitant of that, but she ended up recording it at the hits factory. So 30 years ago this year marked the 30th anniversary.
[00:27:09] Speaker A: Do you happen to know when it was recorded?
[00:27:11] Speaker B: 1994. That's when it came out. So maybe like a year before it was recorded, but 30 years.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: And that has made her.
[00:27:19] Speaker B: She does not need to work a day anymore.
[00:27:21] Speaker A: Yes. I was gonna say loads of money.
[00:27:24] Speaker B: She. I love Mariah.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Yeah. That is a wonderful song, though.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: It is a wonderful song. Her Christmas concert, I miss this year, which is a sensitive topic, but, I mean, her Christmas album is just awesome.
[00:27:37] Speaker A: Yeah. I've never seen her in concert, and I would love to. I've talked to people, you know, who do our tours and stuff, and they've seen her in concert, and they said she's amazing, you know. And another song, which I know is not New York, but another is Last Christmas, you know, there's also. Is there a tie in there?
[00:27:53] Speaker B: There's not a tie there, but there's. That's from the 1980s, right?
[00:27:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:56] Speaker B: There's another 1980s Christmas song that was recorded in New York. You know, Christmas rapping. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:28:04] Speaker B: Thank God.
[00:28:05] Speaker A: That is, too.
[00:28:05] Speaker B: The waitresses recorded that.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: Oh, yes.
[00:28:07] Speaker B: At Electric Lady Studios on 8th Street. Now, Electric Lady Studios opened up in 1970. That was opened by Jimi Hendrix, and he used it for a short time before he passed away. A number of musicians have recorded albums there, including Taylor Swift.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:23] Speaker B: But in the 1980s, the waitresses recorded their song Christmas Rapping there. And their record label wanted to create a Christmas album with all the musicians on their roster. And that is when they wanted the lead singer to. His name was Chris Butler. Wanted him to write a Christmas song. And again, he didn't wanna do a Christmas song. They just got off a big tour and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. So he basically took melodies that were unused from previous demos.
[00:28:53] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:54] Speaker B: And he wrote the lyrics of the song in the back of a taxi on the way to the studio.
[00:28:59] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:28:59] Speaker B: Didn't expect the song to go anywhere except to the head of the record label. And that's it. Then he heard it. And now when he hears this song every year, it reminds him to slow down, enjoy the holiday season.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: Because it talks about, you know, you're always in the rush during the holiday season. You think that you'll get things done. You never do. It gets pushed off and you miss seeing loved ones or possible new relationships. And then the song ends with this woman meeting this guy that she's been thinking about in the supermarket and they have a happy New Year together.
[00:29:33] Speaker A: That's amazing. I wonder if current recording artists now, if they're approached to do a Christmas song, they're more apt to do it because it's been very successful for so many singers now.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I mean, I think off top of my head, Ariana Grande.
[00:29:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: Santa. Tell me. Yeah, like, that's. I.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: She's newer.
[00:29:53] Speaker B: She's newer.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: And yeah.
[00:29:54] Speaker B: I mean, her career is taking off clearly with Wicked.
So maybe it's not like the Kiss of Death, just kind of boost your. Your career and get those royalties.
[00:30:04] Speaker A: Maybe we need to do a Christmas song, you guys.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: I break glass.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: What'd you say?
[00:30:09] Speaker B: I break glass. If I sing.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: I do too.
[00:30:11] Speaker B: My friend's been wanting. Wanted me to do karaoke, and I just. It's taken me a lot to say yes to that.
[00:30:16] Speaker A: I always say I sing so well. I sing so good that you can't recognize the original song. I'm better.
Jay, can you sing?
[00:30:27] Speaker C: I don't think that I'm.
[00:30:28] Speaker A: Have you been told you can sing?
[00:30:30] Speaker C: I have been told that I can sing.
[00:30:32] Speaker A: Sing something for us.
[00:30:33] Speaker C: I'm not gonna sing on this microphone.
[00:30:36] Speaker A: Well, Silent Night, right, Is a classic, famous song that we all know.
[00:30:41] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: Can you tell us about that?
[00:30:44] Speaker B: So the first English translation of the song was written by John Friedman Young, who is the assistant minister of Trinity Church.
[00:30:54] Speaker A: Now, before we talk about Trinity Church, On Broadway.
[00:30:58] Speaker B: Yes, downtown by Wall Street. But before we talk about that, the song really goes back to the early 1800s in Austria. It was written by Joseph Mohr, and he went out for a walk throughout his little city, little village, and he was just in awe of how silent and how peaceful the village looked like at night. And the reason for that is because this was just after the Napoleonic War, so they went through a lot. So he ended up writing this, and it really didn't go anywhere until he performed it in a church with another famous organist called Franz Gruber. So that's why when you know the song, you'll see Franz Gruber compose the melody. Joseph Moore wrote the lyrics. He performed it in the church, and the song ended up being picked up by two families there. And they actually traveled throughout Europe performing it. They came to New York and they sang the song in front of Trinity Church, but it was still in German. It was never translated into English until the 1850s. John Freeman Young was the assistant minister at Trinity Church and he had a passion for translating Christian hymns. In 1859, he published a 16 page pamphlet called Carols for Christmastide. And inside there was Joseph Moore's Stahl Nacht. Hey, Gleg Nacht. Now, I do not speak German, so I probably mispronounced that.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: We'll have Maureen double check what you just said.
[00:32:28] Speaker B: Sorry, Maureen, if I butchered that. But it translates to Silent Night, Holy Night. And he only translated three of the six verses written by Moore. The melody is a little bit different. The English version has a slower, more meditative melody to it, where Gruber's melody was a little bit more of a normal speed. But yeah, so it was. Trinity Church is where we know the song today.
[00:32:54] Speaker A: That's fascinating, actually, as you're telling the story in my mind's eye, I'm seeing the people singing it out in front of Trinity Church and I'm. Do you happen to know what year this was? Our guest around?
[00:33:05] Speaker B: So it had to be around the 1830s.
[00:33:09] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:33:10] Speaker B: Yeah. So around the 1830s. And then Moore translated it in 1859. I mean, Young translated it in 1859.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: Do you. I mean, this. Do you happen to know when Wall street was built? The New York Stock Exchange? I'm guessing late 1800s.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:26] Speaker A: I'm trying to tie. Just in my mind, just trying to tie the view of them singing Trinity Church and wondering if Wall street was there. But probably, I'm not sure.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: Wall Street. There was a form of Wall street, right?
[00:33:37] Speaker A: A form of it.
[00:33:38] Speaker B: You had the Buttonwood tree, where the. Where the trading was done. And that was a financial center. As far as having, you know, keep in mind, there was no skyscrapers.
[00:33:48] Speaker A: Right.
[00:33:49] Speaker B: So Trinity Church was most likely the tallest building in that area. So that kind of puts things in perspective.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: Right. It's interesting to really think about, and it's interesting to know. So thank you for telling us that. That's really. I love hearing this history because you're teaching me so much. And our listeners. I think it's really fascinating.
Sean, that's so fascinating. It's so interesting. Thanks for. For telling us, because, you know, you're teaching me. You're teaching our listeners. And it's. It's so fascinating. You're. You're such a plethora of New York City knowledge, New York City history. But was it New Year's Eve? What I heard.
Tell us about New Year's Eve and the history of that, because I feel like it's connected to Trinity Church or something.
[00:34:31] Speaker B: Yeah. So Trinity Church, another staple, another holiday staple is New Year's Eve. Before thousands of people packed Times Square to ring in the new Year, they actually were down by Trinity Church. They would surround the church, they would party in the streets, and at midnight, the bells would ring. They would ring in the new year by hearing the bells.
[00:34:54] Speaker A: So.
[00:34:55] Speaker B: So as the years went by and we were closing in on the 20th century, it got a little bit more rowdier down there. So they were looking at different areas where they can celebrate New Year's Eve. And Longacre Square is turning into times square. Now, 1904 was a huge year for New York City. The reason for that is because the subway started in 1904. You were able to get from City hall to Harlem in 15 minutes.
[00:35:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:22] Speaker B: Today, totally different.
[00:35:24] Speaker A: That's my route every day. So you're familiar. Yes. Yep.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: But also, the new. But also the New York Times was moving to a new headquarters, which was one Times Square. And that is why Longacre Square changed its name to Times Square.
[00:35:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:41] Speaker B: And to commemorate this opening of.
[00:35:46] Speaker A: Good. Did you see what I said? I'm like. I knew that.
[00:35:50] Speaker C: I didn't know that.
[00:35:51] Speaker A: Oh, you didn't? I did. Yeah. Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Go ahead.
[00:35:56] Speaker B: And to commemorate the opening of the new New York Times headquarters, they want to throw a party. So that is when they decided to throw a New Year's Eve party in Times Square. So when you want to think about it, our celebrations all started as a publicity stunt, which is kind of funny. And they've just morphed into this. This huge.
[00:36:17] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:36:17] Speaker B: Huge thing that millions of people just come to New York to see.
[00:36:22] Speaker A: Right.
[00:36:22] Speaker B: The first couple of years, there was no ball. There was actually fireworks.
[00:36:27] Speaker A: Oh, yes.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: That would go off. I did read that, however, by 1907, they. The city banned fireworks and they had to figure out a new way of ringing in the new year. They actually turned to an old maritime tradition of dropping a ball. Now, there's only. There was only really two time balls in New York. One was one, a top one, Times Square, where they ring in the new year. The other one was actually down by the seaport and it was on the Western Union Building. It would actually drop every day to signal what time noon was understood.
[00:37:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:02] Speaker B: So people in the area could set their watches.
[00:37:05] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:37:06] Speaker B: So the publishers of the New York Times turned to that tradition and said, why don't we install a ball that drops at midnight to ring in the new year? Now, the first one was a little, you know, it was a nice. It was a nice attempt of a new tradition. It was made of wood.
[00:37:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:22] Speaker B: Had a hundred light bulbs on it, and they had to manually pull the. The.
[00:37:27] Speaker A: I think it weighed like 700 pounds.
[00:37:30] Speaker B: Yeah, that thing was heavy. I mean, the ball. This, this year is heavy, but it's heavy.
[00:37:34] Speaker A: I think it was. You know, there was no, like, it was, you know, they'd have the modern day, you know, modern, you know, ball drop that we have today. Back then, it was people.
[00:37:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:44] Speaker A: I couldn't even imagine how they did it.
[00:37:46] Speaker B: A lot of manpower.
[00:37:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I was gonna say that.
[00:37:48] Speaker B: And, you know, they didn't have gyms like they do. So that was their workout.
[00:37:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:53] Speaker B: But the.
Yeah. So throughout the years, the ball has evolved and grown to what it is today.
[00:38:01] Speaker A: Right.
[00:38:01] Speaker B: And there's actually only two years where the ball didn't drop, and it was 1942 and 1943, and that's because we were in World War II and there were a dim out just to protect the city from possible bombings from the Axis.
So those were the only two times that the ball didn't drop.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: I'm trying to remember, during the pandemic, were there any. Did. It was normal. I mean, we couldn't go to it. But did they drop the ball on New Year's Eve? I'm assuming they did. I mean, during the pandemic. I assume they did.
[00:38:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:38:33] Speaker A: I just think people couldn't go.
[00:38:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:38:35] Speaker A: Do you know what the, the, the current modern Times Square New Year's Eve ball is made of?
[00:38:43] Speaker B: So, technically, it is known as a geodesic sphere. That is the correct terminology of what the ball is today.
[00:38:51] Speaker A: Something we say every day.
[00:38:52] Speaker B: It just rolls off the tongue. Rolls off the tongue?
[00:38:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:38:56] Speaker B: But it is 12ft in diameter.
I forgot how many crystals. Tens of thousands of crystals on it.
And years. For a long time, they were Waterford crystals. They are not Waterford crystals anymore.
[00:39:10] Speaker A: Oh, I didn't know this. I've been telling people they're Waterford crystals.
[00:39:13] Speaker B: So for a good 20 years, they were Waterford crystals. But they switched it, and it's a different crystal.
[00:39:21] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:39:21] Speaker B: Yes. The beauty of the Millennial Ball is that the idea was every year they would install new crystals on it, and they would be the gift of love, the gift of imagination, all these special gifts that create this giant ball as it comes down the pole.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:40] Speaker B: They've finished all those gifts, and now they're doing a different type of ball, which I'm not sure which.
[00:39:47] Speaker A: I didn't know this. Well, what's the deal with this thing they did today?
What is that?
[00:39:55] Speaker B: Okay, so now how. I was just mentioning about the crystals. Crystals being a gift of something.
[00:40:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:01] Speaker B: Well, now they are adding new crystals, and they're changing the ball a little bit. And to change the ball, you gotta take the old crystals out.
[00:40:09] Speaker A: Right. And do they do this every year?
[00:40:10] Speaker B: This is the first time that they've ever done this. Okay.
[00:40:12] Speaker A: So I can say I'm not familiar with it.
[00:40:14] Speaker B: There was a huge line in Times Square, and it basically allowed people to unscrew the crystals right. From the panels that made up the ball, and they were able to have a piece of crystal. So you're literally walking away with a piece of New York City history, which is incredible.
[00:40:32] Speaker A: Did you do it?
[00:40:33] Speaker B: I couldn't.
[00:40:35] Speaker A: I couldn't either, but I think I.
[00:40:37] Speaker B: Might be picking up a crystal.
[00:40:39] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome.
[00:40:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:40] Speaker A: So did the fireworks go off? So they're doing construction where the ball is now. It's been a couple years now, and I think the fireworks are limited. Now, when it goes. Can you tell us about that? What do you.
[00:40:51] Speaker B: Normally there are fireworks that go off.
[00:40:54] Speaker A: The side when the ball drops?
[00:40:55] Speaker B: When the ball drops, yeah. This year, however, because of drought conditions. Yeah, those are not being done.
[00:41:03] Speaker A: So the last year or two, they haven't done it. From what I understand. I don't remember seeing them.
[00:41:07] Speaker B: Yeah. Less. I don't remember last year, maybe, just because when you're in Times Square, because. Have you ever seen the ball drop in person? I went last year, first time ever. It was Incredible.
[00:41:17] Speaker A: First time.
[00:41:18] Speaker B: Yeah, I just, just seeing the confetti fly through the air, I mean it, it left me speechless.
[00:41:25] Speaker A: I agree. Because that was my first time there too, in person. And thank. You know, thankfully we didn't have to wait long. We were. Just got to get in just the, the confetti coming down and the, the emotion, the New York feeling when they.
[00:41:41] Speaker B: Place Frank Sinatra's New York.
I always say that I will never go to Times Square to the boat. There's a few things that will get me there. Even seeing the Rockavella center tree lighting. I always say to myself, unless I can get close, I just can't wait. If I have to use the bathroom, I don't know where I'm going.
[00:42:00] Speaker A: But I agree.
[00:42:02] Speaker B: Seeing that, that was just such a magical.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: It really was magical.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: It was indescribable. So if anyone has a chance to actually go and they're brave enough for waiting, depending how the weather is, just experience it at least once.
[00:42:13] Speaker A: I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity as they do it. And wear your diaper.
[00:42:17] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:42:18] Speaker A: That's the truth. Everybody, you will, you will see the.
[00:42:21] Speaker B: Aftermath once the ball drops and everyone is leaving to go home because they clear that area fast.
[00:42:27] Speaker A: You have to get there at 7am yes. Basically, you're there for how many hours?
[00:42:31] Speaker B: A lot.
[00:42:31] Speaker A: 15, 16, 17 hours. You can't eat, you can't do anything. You can't leave to go to the bathroom.
[00:42:36] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So just be prepared.
[00:42:38] Speaker A: Yeah, be very prepared. From what I understand though, you know, a few hundred thousand people are there on New Year's Eve.
[00:42:46] Speaker B: Yeah, just a few.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: Yeah, just a few hundred thousand.
[00:42:48] Speaker B: I mean, that's like your typical, what? You know, walk through Central. Walk through Central park, walk through Fifth Avenue.
[00:42:54] Speaker A: Exactly. Right now. Exactly. You know, I wish I was here when Dick Clark was doing the Rock in New Year's Eve and everything. That to me would have been really special as well.
[00:43:03] Speaker B: Yeah, it is. I remember seeing his last couple of years of doing it and yeah, he's, he was an icon.
[00:43:10] Speaker A: Do you do the confetti tradition? Do you, do you sign the confetti or whatever? Right on the confetti? Do you want to talk about that for a second?
[00:43:17] Speaker B: Yes. So a couple years ago, for two years, I actually would reach out to people and say like, listen, if you don't, if you can't make it to New York, let me know your wish. I'll write down your, your confetti wish.
[00:43:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:43:29] Speaker B: And I did it for 200 people right and one. It was beautiful because it let me have them be part of this tradition.
[00:43:38] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:43:39] Speaker B: So I have done that.
[00:43:40] Speaker A: I've done it, too.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: They have a wishing wall where you can write down your wish on a piece of confetti that gets thrown from the. From the buildings and rings in the new year. And there's thousands of pounds of confetti that rain onto Times Square.
[00:43:54] Speaker A: That amazing. And they're hand thrown.
[00:43:56] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. That's the impressive part. They're all positioned at different buildings, and they time it in a way that perfectly. It's a science.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: Before.
[00:44:04] Speaker B: Before they start, I think a couple of minutes or a minute before the ball drops. And by the time it is 20.
[00:44:11] Speaker A: 25, you can't see anything before reigning.
I think it'd be kind of cool to be one of the confetti throwers.
[00:44:18] Speaker B: I want to do that.
[00:44:19] Speaker A: We should do it.
[00:44:19] Speaker B: I totally want to do it.
[00:44:20] Speaker A: Let's do it. One year. And we can record each other, too. Yes.
Thanks, John. This was a lot of fun. I love hearing your stories.
Like I said, you always teach me a lot, and I can't wait to have you on again. So probably next week.
No, but you're always welcome back whenever you want to as well.
[00:44:38] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:44:38] Speaker A: You know, your ideas are always wonderful, too. Say you have an idea, come back, and everybody. I'm sure everybody wants to hear from you as well.
[00:44:43] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:44:45] Speaker A: So, John, before we let you go, we here at the New Yorker's podcast want to know what Christmas to New York means to you.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: John Fria, you know, you ever watch the Honeymooners?
[00:44:55] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:44:56] Speaker B: Okay. You know that Christmas episode.
[00:44:57] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:44:58] Speaker B: Where Ralph talks to.
When Ralph does a little speech, and he pre. He sums up New York at Christmas time perfectly. And he says, you know, you're walking down the street even weeks before Christmas, and there's lights hanging, green ones, red ones, sometimes there's snow, and everyone's hustling someplace, but they don't hustle around Christmas time like they usually do. You know, they're a little bit more friendlier. You bump into them, they say, pardon me. Yeah, there's this feeling of love and kindness that really just sums it up. I just. I love New York at Christmas time. And his speech sums up my feeling every year.
[00:45:38] Speaker A: I love that. You're making me think real quick today, too. I have a good friend here. Her name is Valeria. She's from the Netherlands, and she's visiting, and we spent some time together today. She said, kind of what you said, too, that feeling of everybody's so friendly and kind and.
[00:45:53] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And branch out to the different neighborhoods. Don't always walk Fifth Avenue is nice, but go to the. Go to smaller neighborhoods and you will really feel that Christmas feeling.
[00:46:04] Speaker A: I completely agree. I know exactly what you mean.
[00:46:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:46:08] Speaker A: Thank you for joining us today for this week's episode of the New Yorker's podcast. Why don't you let everyone know where they can find you on social media?
[00:46:15] Speaker B: John, so you can find me on Instagram, earn NY and then also on TikTok earinnyc.
[00:46:24] Speaker A: Once again, I'm your host, Kelly Kopp, also known as New York City Kopp, across all my social media.
[00:46:30] Speaker B: Please like and subscribe to the New Yorkers podcast and you can follow the New Yorkers on social media at the New Yorkers Podcast.
[00:46:37] Speaker A: We would like to thank everyone who has listened to our show this year. Like I say, New Yorkers are born all over the world.
So we would like to wish you all happy holidays and Merry Christmas. Thank you to our listeners in Philadelphia, Birmingham, Tokyo, Leeds, Toronto and Buenos Aires.
[00:46:55] Speaker B: And thank you for listening in Glasgow, Dallas, Helsinki, Brussels, Amsterdam and London.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: Ho ho ho.
[00:47:02] Speaker B: Merry Christmas and have a happy new.
[00:47:04] Speaker A: Year and we will see you for season two of the New Yorkers podcast.
[00:47:10] Speaker B: This is the last stop on this train. Everyone please leave the train. Thank you for riding with MTA New York City Transit.
