Plunge Into New York City’s History Of Water With This Podcast

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic descended on New York City, Vincent Sapienza, who leads New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, joined Randy Cohen at the New York State Surrogate’s Court on Chambers Street to talk about New York City’s history of water. 

Cohen, a writer whose career has ranged from seven years in the “Late Night with David Letterman” writers room to launching “The Ethicist” column for The New York Times Magazine, hosts an interview series called “Person Place Thing,” a show based on the idea that people are most engaging when they speak, not about themselves directly, but about something they care about: a person, place or thing. 

Sapienza and Cohen’s conversation on March 5 plunged into the city’s aquatic history, the relationship water has to infectious diseases and the absurdity of ever ordering sparkling water at New York City restaurants when you can just drink tap. 

If you missed the conversation live, you can now listen to it online. You can also read the Downtown Alliance’s interview with Cohen.