The Bowery Boys

I was searching for resources on the history of the Bowery (part of KV's "backyard) when I was amazed to discover a terrific history in Podcast form at the bowery boys. I was also amazed to see Knickerbocker Village on that sites blogroll! I hope the guys view it as returning the compliment by reposting most of it here with images I harvested to make it into a vlodcast. Here's info about Tom and Greg's site

Join us as we take a weekly romp down the back alleys of New York City history. Get our weekly podcast free on iTunes or listen to the podcasts here. The Bowery Boys Creed: We maintain this website both as a support to our weekly podcast, as well as a resource of entertainment and information for native New Yorkers, former New Yorkers, tourists and those who have never been here. We're looking broadly at New York's colorful history, from its beginnings to its recent past.

Many of the images I used come from another great site I discovered. It has toy models of bowery boys and other "gangsters" in history along with inexpensive sets for hobbyists to construct. It's called The Virtual Armchair General

“Mean Sets” provide inexpensive but highly practical interiors in which fans of role-playing games of the first half of the 20th Century may place and move their 25/28mm scale alter egos. These Sets complement TVAG's line of 25/28mm scale City Blocks,"Mean Streets" and may be used in conjunction with them (but not fit inside!).

Though very expensive resin models of entire buildings and even some interiors are available, the plain fact is that they do not lend themselves to the filmic nature of "Pulp Fiction" games. Even if there is room to physically reach down into the model to move figures, no one can see the action except from above: Fine miniatures, beautifully painted, but only whose heads/hats/shoulders are visible to players standing directly over them!

The obvious solution was to draw a lesson from the Hollywood that inspires so much of the hobby’s imagery. That is, place the action on classic movie “Sets:” Rooms without ceilings and only two or three walls so that the characters can be seen as they move and interact. During games, it now is possible not only to do this, but players can have the fun of actually seeing the action at eye-level!