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This is an audio portrait of one of the final vestiges of the Bowery, New York's notorious skid row. In the first half of the century, the mile-long Bowery's bars, missions and cheap hotels (or flophouses) were home to an estimated 35,000 down-and-out men each night. Today, only a handful of flophouses, virtually unchanged for half a century, are all that remain of this once teeming world.
For several months in 1998, David Isay and Stacy Abramson had unprecedented 24-hour access to the Sunshine Hotel, one of the last of the no-frills establishments. "It was like stepping into King Tut's Tomb," Isay says. "The Sunshine is this fascinating, self-contained society full of unbelievable characters. While it's a profoundly sad place, it is, at the same time, home to men with powerful and poetic stories."
The Sunshine Hotel was awarded the Prix Italia, Europe's oldest and most prestigious broadcasting award, in 1999.
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Piece Description
This is an audio portrait of one of the final vestiges of the Bowery, New York's notorious skid row. In the first half of the century, the mile-long Bowery's bars, missions and cheap hotels (or flophouses) were home to an estimated 35,000 down-and-out men each night. Today, only a handful of flophouses, virtually unchanged for half a century, are all that remain of this once teeming world. For several months in 1998, David Isay and Stacy Abramson had unprecedented 24-hour access to the Sunshine Hotel, one of the last of the no-frills establishments. "It was like stepping into King Tut's Tomb," Isay says. "The Sunshine is this fascinating, self-contained society full of unbelievable characters. While it's a profoundly sad place, it is, at the same time, home to men with powerful and poetic stories." The Sunshine Hotel was awarded the Prix Italia, Europe's oldest and most prestigious broadcasting award, in 1999.
3 Comments
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Review of The Sunshine HotelGreat sound, good mix of voices. This is a high-quality audio documentary that could play anywhere, at any level. Nathan, the narrator of the main piece, was fantastic, but some of the script didn't sound like him, it sounded like a script someone had written for him. Good glimpse inside some of life's seediness. I feel both like I have a good view of the hotel, but I also want to visit the Bowery, as some sort of strange New York tourism exchange. "Charlie's Story" excellent, too. Kudos to producers that can pull this off. I would recommend this to any PD who wants a memorable story, especially if the topic is skid row. The age of the piece is irrelevant. |
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Review of The Sunshine HotelSome radio stories never age and this is one of them. A wonderful narrator, an incredible sense of place, this is a piece that reminds us that human worth is not measured by the thickness of the wallet. PDs worried about a 36 min. program can rifle PRX to fill it out. |
Broadcast History
Premiered on ATC on Friday, Sept. 18, 1998
Related Website
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Rob Shinnick
Posted on December 17, 2009 at 01:08 AM | Permalink
Excellent
Gritty and fascinating. I can't help but wonder what became of Charlie, though.