Understanding Upstate

Our month long dedication to all the Upstate things that go bump in the night continues as we return with a bevy of ghost stories that will have you quaking in your boots! Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also check out Rob's album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠...

It's a monster episode covering the festival all about the man that brought actual monsters to life for millions throughout his illustrious career. It's Jim's much anticipated recap of his three day experience at the 2024 SerlingFest in none other than Binghamton, NY. Special shoutout to the #1 Spiedie Freak and Rattlesnake Pete, Adam Rodkey, for making this episode happen! Check out Jim's comedy...

This week Jim and Rob give it all they got to cover both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics that were held in the tiny Upstate mountain village of Lake Placid, NY. In true Upstate fashion, not even a lack of snow, transportation, or hotels could keep Lake Placid from holding down the winter games not once but twice! Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate U...

This week Jim and Rob tackle the World's Fair that was briefly held in Buffalo. Why was it so short? Between a major political event (to put it lightly) and the world's worst exhibits, this fair was destined to flop. Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Who knew that Western New York was a hotbed for smooth jazz in the 80's? Rob and Jim certainly didn't, but that's not all, Rob may have unearthed the earliest recorded rap from Upstate NY. They chart the unlikely course of fusion jazz through Upstate New York and dig into Spyro Gyra, Chuck Mangione, and Cabo Frio. Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on S...

This week Rob and Jim look at one of the companies and industries that helped put Binghamton, NY on the map. Sit back and light one up as we get into a tale of industry, innovation and spite statues. Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠U...

We're getting salty this week as we look at the perennial potato dish from Syracuse, NY: salted potatoes. From the old Syracuse salt vats to the dinner plates of many an upstater, Jim and Rob get to the bottom of what makes these taters so tasty. Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Check out Jim's comedy...

This week Jim and Rob survey a variety of utopian societies that cropped up across Upstate New York in the 1800's and quickly find that these communities were anything but perfect.  Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets  ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandin...

This week Jim and Rob give an overview of what makes the Finger Lakes region such a beautiful and unique part of Upstate, NY. What are you waiting for, the slim watery digits of the Finger Lakes beckon you forth to listen to this episode!  Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets  ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ . Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This is the second punch in our one-two combo of episodes that dive into the history of Boxing in Upstate NY. This week we're taking a trip to Canastota, NY to talk about the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Float like a butterfly and listen to this episode like bee baybeee! ⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival...

This week we're sticking around in Catskill, NY to talk about the man that trained guided a young Mike Tyson and the gym and home that he and his lifelong partner built for would be prize fighters all the way up in the Catskills. Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jim is headlining the Crooked Mouth Comedy Festival in Endicott, NY on September 21st, get your tickets...

Last week we talked all about snakes, and this week we talk about seemingly every other animal known to man as we discuss the rise and fall of the Catskill Game Farm. Jim and Rob get into how the United States' largest and oldest private zoo shuttered its doors, attracted the ire of fashion designer Marc Ecko, and became an AirBnb. It's as wild as it sounds so tap in and get started! Watch...

This week we get into Rochester's very real folk hero, Rattlesnake Pete, and I can't stress it enough: this episode has it all. We got the Hard Cider Gang, the magnificent Erie Canal, the lovely writing of Arch Merril, dinner with snakes, snakes for dinner, and a whole lot more!  ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

We get into the rise and fall of one of the most widely read cartoonists, creator of the comic strip B.C. and Endicott, NY's own: Johnny Hart. The rise and fall of of Johnny's career as the unofficial cartoon laureate of Broom County is a wild one so buckle up. ⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠U...

This week we head upstate to examine Plattsburgh, NY's regional hot dog delicacy, the Michigan Red Hot. If you're confused why a New York dog is called a Michigan, don't worry, Rob and Jim cooked up a comprehensive hot dog historical survey to get to the bottom of this top dog! Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week we are diving into one of the highest profile cults to exist in modern times, a cult which also happened to be based in Upstate New York: NXIVM. It's a wild one, so grab your cup of kool-aid and settle in! ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Als...

Sit back and crack open a cold one as we get into one of the finest breweries to ever can an ale, Rochester's own: Genesee Brewery. They've been a beloved upstate institution for over 100 years, and we'll get to the bottom of what makes their beer such an upstate icon. ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Hold onto your spiedies because it's going to be a bumpy ride as we get into an Upstate subway line, the Buffalo Metro Rail. Originally heralded as the savior of Buffalo, today the subway line is just a mere fraction of what it was supposed to be. What happened to the grand plans? Jump aboard and find out! ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy alb...

We've hooked a big one for today's episode! We're getting into Binghamton's former AHL hockey team, the Binghamton Whalers. And don't worry, Rob finds a way to shoehorn in a couple canal references along the way. ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Jell-0, it was food of dreams in the early 1900's, but if it's got vegetables and fish mixed inside it, it's the stuff of modern nightmares! This simple food has a complex backstory that leads all the back to the town of LeRoy, located in none other than Upstate NY. ⁠⁠⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upsta...

Lights, camera, action! We're talking about Upstate NY's many contributions to cinema from it's very inception (but not the movie  Inception)  up to the modern film making happening upstate! We're talking famous Upstate actors, the film industry's beginnings, and movies past and present that were shot Upstate. ⁠ Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠⁠ Check out Jim'...

This week we are basking in the majestic glory that is the Carrier Dome. Home to the Syracuse Orange and many pivotal Upstate events, the Carrier Dome is a venue to behold! A dome may not be able to match the magnificence of a canal... but it can get close! Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠ Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Understanding Upstate: The Documentary is out and available to watch! Rob and Jim chat a little bit about the documentary which is a behind the scenes look about what it takes to put out your own comedy album and Jim's process of pulling material from his childhood in Binghamton and his experiences as an adult living in Brooklyn. Once you get a little bit of your weekly dose of the UU Pod, go...

Before there was Understanding Upstate, there was one main source to get all the info on Upstate New York that you could ever want, and that source was the poet laureate of Upstate New York, Arch Merrill. We get into his 1,600+ articles and 23 books all focused on the history, development, and folklore of Upstate New York.  Watch Understanding Upstate: The Documentary ⁠ Check out Jim's comedy...

Get hyped, because we're talking about one of the biggest public works projects to ever happen in the United States, which helped brand a little upstart place called New York, as The Empire State, and it's all located in Upstate NY. What could it be? It's the Erie Canal baybee! Find us on IG: @understandingupstate Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understa...