New York Gritty is back! Host Steve Kastenbaum returns after stepping away from the podcast to pursue a Master's degree at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. The experience renewed his passion for storytelling and brought him deeper into topics he's long been drawn to, including climate resiliency in New York. In this special episode, he shares highlights from his recent reporting on flash floods in the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods - communities where extreme weather events threaten lives and homes, and where federal funding cuts now put mitigation projects in jeopardy. He also shares a story that reflects his passion for finding the New Yorkers who make the city special, bringing you into the world of the urban beekeepers in Battery Park. This special episode offers a glimpse of what's to come as New York Gritty returns to the compelling narrative storytelling it's known for.

New York Is a dense metropolis where people with too much and people who don't have enough live side by side. New Yorkers became hyper-aware of that disparity when the Coronavirus pandemic brought the city's economy to a halt. The problem was visible in every neighborhood. The Free Store Project founder Myles Smutney saw an obvious solution - New Yorkers with excess could help others meet their needs, and build community in the process. What started as an effort to address an immediate crisis lives on years later, and is addressing new challenges while expanding its reach.

You can learn more about the Free Store at www.thefreestoreproject.com

Throughout the New York Gritty podcast we heard from people in a variety of areas who share the unshakeable belief that New York will mount an epic recovery from the pandemic crisis, that it is just a matter of time. The city bounced back from many crises in the past - the fiscal crisis of the 1970’s, a crime wave in the late 80’s and early 90’s, 9/11, the Great Recession, superstorm Sandy. Through each major event New Yorkers banded together and showed their resilience while waiting for the city to recover. In this season one finale episode, New York Gritty looks at what lessons can be learned from the past to guide the city through its current crisis and the inevitable comeback.