Uncovering the Secrets of New York City

One of the unique advantages of a Pace education is the way that our academics naturally leverage the world around us. Whether you’re pursuing computer science, chemistry, or communications, a well-rounded Pace experience always includes New York as a main character.

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Many of our faculty, including Time Out New York Things to Do editor and adjunct Professor Rossilynne Skena Culgan, innately understand this. Culgan, who teaches a course at Pace titled Writing for the Electronic Media in between her commitments at Time Out, her TV guest appearances on CBS New York and PIX11, and a host of ongoing writing assignments, is intentional about creating an academic experience in which students empowered to reach their potential through following their curiosity–and exploring that endless nooks and crannies that comprise New York City.

Culgan, who recently published a book titled Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, chatted with us about her new book, the importance of observing the world around you as a journalist, and the way she encourages her students to truly embrace the city as their classroom.

What initially drew you to Pace?

I came to New York after enrolling in Columbia Journalism School’s Master of Arts program, for a degree for those who are active in the profession. Part of my goal was to eventually teach as well. It turned out that Pace was looking for someone for a Writing for Electronic Media course, which is exactly what I do, and have done every day of my life for the past fifteen years–it was a perfect fit.

One thing that I love about the course is that I had the opportunity to design the curriculum. Over the past few years, each semester I’ve tried to improve the syllabus and make the course better. It’s definitely an iterative process based on what I’m learning from students, what kind of feedback I’m getting, what students respond to, and the changing dynamics of the industry.

Tell us about your new book, Secret New York City. How did it come about? How did you research the book?

I had written a book in my hometown of Pittsburgh, 100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die. When I moved to New York and it was clear I was going to be staying here for the foreseeable future–if not forever–I reached out to my publisher, Reedy Press. They were very open and encouraging, and that’s how the idea was born.

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In terms of researching, my job at Time Out was a huge help because I’m always out in the city, seeing things and covering events; I also like to joke that I’ve read to the end of the internet about New York. I’d read any forum or message boards about secrets or hidden things in the city, and then go out and investigate them myself.

I also talked to a lot of New Yorkers. When I was interviewing people for the book, I’d always ask: What other secrets do you know? What else could you lead me to? My interviewees were generally pretty helpful and happy to do that.

And then finally, I drew on my general observations moving around the city. When I’d go out on research expeditions for the book, I’d often find something else that I thought was worth including. Seeing things first-person, there’s really no replacement for that. Going to every location myself, photographing it, talking to people–it was a year of weekend sidequests.

Pace University is awash in history. Many within our community know, for example, that 41 Park Row is the original New York Times building, and that One Pace Plaza was formerly the site of the highly influentialNew-York Tribune. What is your favorite “secret” near Pace’s New York City Campus?

There’s so much in Lower Manhattan. I have a lot of favorites, it’s hard to pick one! But my all-time favorite is the Bowling Green fence.

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Bowling Green Park, across from the National Museum of the American Indian, has a fence around it. You have to look really closely, but if you look at the fence posts, you’ll notice that the top of each post looks a bit odd–they’re not flat or rounded as they typically would be. The reason being, there used to be crowns at the top of the fence posts and Americans around the time of the revolution chopped them off.

There was also a statue of England’s King George III on horseback, and they toppled it and dragged it through town. Some of the pieces of that statue are still in New York–one is at The New York Historical Society–but the rest of that statue was melted down to make ammunition for the revolutionary war. I think that’s a fascinating, incredible story.

Pace is known for its commitment to experiential learning, which is something you readily embrace in your own work. How do you incorporate the city as a valued part of the Writing for Electronic Media course?

Journalism is something you just have to do. You could sit in a classroom and learn about it for a semester, but that’s not how I learned and not how I teach. Every semester we go on at least one field trip, all together. Last year we went to the New York Public Library for a speaker series. This year we went to a karaoke night. What we do at this event is I teach students how I would approach doing an event coverage story. We go to the venue, and I show them how to interview sources at the event, how to take notes, and how to make observations that they see, hear, and smell. Then we get back to the classroom and write the story.

For their next assignment, students take what they learn from that experience and pick an event on campus that they want to cover. I’ve had students cover music nights, theatrical performances, and art shows, to name a few. But I want my students to pick it themselves, for two reasons: I want them to write about something they’re interested in, and I want them to see the vast array of things that exist on campus that they can get involved in. So they go out, do this story on their own, and turn it in for feedback from their fellow classmates and from me.

This semester, I’m super excited because it’s the first time I’ve gotten to secure an additional field trip. We will be going to a TV news station, going behind the scenes to see how TV news is made.

Journalism is something you just have to do. You could sit in a classroom and learn about it for a semester, but that’s not how I learned and not how I teach.

Finally, you’ve taken on a new profession: New York City tour guide. How has this experience been, and how has it changed your perspective of the city?

I love walking tours, I love living in a walkable city. If a destination is under an hour awy, I’m walking there.

What I’ve learned from giving a tour is that–and this has been a learning experience through the entire book process–being a New York transplant can actually be an asset because I see the city through fresh eyes. People have preconceived notions of what a transplant can do. If someone is a native New Yorker, and there’s something I can surprise them with or show something that they didn’t know about, that is so rewarding.

Many New Yorkers–whether we’ve been here forever or only a few years–tend to stay in their neighborhoods. Even if you are in Lower Manhattan, there are probably things right under your nose to learn about. That’s something I’ve tried to incorporate into my own life as well. Not texting when walking, always looking for something new. Just paying attention to the city.

For more, you can visit the Secret New York City A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure website, or follow Rossilynne on instagram, where she posts videos of hidden New York wonders.