Understanding Upstate

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...

This week we've got a showdown for the ages, it's the battle of the ice cream sundae as we figure out who got the scoop on this delicious desert! Was it Ithaca, NY with their cherry on top or Two Rivers, WI with a little drizzle of chocolate? We'll figure out how we went from sunday to sundae , and how the frozen treat became so popular, all while Rob takes a hard stance on Baskin Robi...

It's the second episode in our double header focusing all on baseball in Upstate New York, which means we are of course going to talk all about the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. Not only that, but Rob offers a rare retraction (don't get used to it), and we get into the myth centered in Upstate NY behind baseball's elusive origins. Check out Jim's com...

There’s nothing minor about today’s episode because we are talking all about Binghamton’s own Minor League Baseball team, the Rumble Ponies! We’ll get into the history of the team, the rise and fall of Penn-New York League, and all the crazy dealings that have played a part in shaping minor league baseball in Upstate New York. Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understand...

This week Jim and Rob cover a brand new documentary that chronicles the Binghamton Patriots underdog march towards two back to back Basketball State Championships in the mid 80's. Watch The Pats' Big March here Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also check out Rob's album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We're headed back to Binghamton for another great episode! This time we're covering The Roberson Museum. From the museum's original benefactor (and now resident ghost), to the Roberson's mix of exhibits highlighting Binghamton's history and culture, to it's mind blowing train set (that's right, MIND BLOWING TRAIN SET), we get to the bottom of what makes The Roberson suc...

This week we’re going to vertically integrate all of your upstate podcasting needs as we examine the beloved upstate convenience store institution: Stewart’s Shops. How is it possible one convenience store has the best milk, ice cream, and gas station bathrooms in the entire state of New York? Listen in to find out! Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Fresh from a trip upstate, Jim brings back some tales of the Binghamton St. Patrick's Day Parade. While Jim was abroad, he sat down for an interview with LaRue Simmons, the owner of the upstate vintage clothing store, Stellar Human. LaRue has created an upstate community around fashion, music, and human connection, and we are thrilled to share this conversation with all the Spiedie Freaks! Che...

This week we're looking at the New York oil boom of 1859 and we get an Upstate Update on the wild tale of William and John Rockefeller's horse stealing and con artist father, William "Devil Bill" Rockefeller! Jim and Rob get into the history of the short lived oil boom and its lasting environmental impact that are still being felt today. Check out Jim's comedy album:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

What does a naturally occurring eternal flame, the world's largest pancake griddle, and the invention of the potato chip all have in common? Upstate New York! This week Rob and Jim run through a veritable variety pack of six different upstate topics while they also check in on their definition of what is, and perhaps more importantly, what is not "upsate". Check out Jim's comedy...