Randy Cohen
@randycohen48.bsky.social
Ex-Ethicist, NYT magazine. Current host, Person Place Thing.
The former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp., @AndrewKimball.bsky.social, says his organization “thinks in decades, not four-year cycles.” I’m impressed by any agency that thinks at all. Listen: personplacething.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:08 PM
The former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp., @AndrewKimball.bsky.social, says his organization “thinks in decades, not four-year cycles.” I’m impressed by any agency that thinks at all. Listen: personplacething.org
Former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp. @AndrewKimball.bsky.social named “our number one crisis as a country and city.” I went for the cheap Trump joke; he meant climate change. Similar, actually. Listen: personplacething.org
February 4, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp. @AndrewKimball.bsky.social named “our number one crisis as a country and city.” I went for the cheap Trump joke; he meant climate change. Similar, actually. Listen: personplacething.org
The former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp. @AndrewKimball.bsky.social quotes his friend and mentor Dan Doctoroff: “We need to radically collaborate.” The Zen of urban planning. Listen: personplacething.org
February 3, 2026 at 1:56 PM
The former head of NYC’s Economic Development Corp. @AndrewKimball.bsky.social quotes his friend and mentor Dan Doctoroff: “We need to radically collaborate.” The Zen of urban planning. Listen: personplacething.org
When composer Carlos Simon met his hero Qunicy Jones, he hoped for brilliant musical insights. “The first thing he asked me, ‘Hey, man, what’s your sign?’” Listen: personplacething.org
January 28, 2026 at 1:57 PM
When composer Carlos Simon met his hero Qunicy Jones, he hoped for brilliant musical insights. “The first thing he asked me, ‘Hey, man, what’s your sign?’” Listen: personplacething.org
By age ten, composer Carlos Simon was playing the organ in his father’s church. “The Black church is essentially a conservatory for musicians.” Listen: personplacething.org
January 27, 2026 at 1:06 PM
By age ten, composer Carlos Simon was playing the organ in his father’s church. “The Black church is essentially a conservatory for musicians.” Listen: personplacething.org
Looking forward to our conversation and his playing, a better arrangement than the other way around. Do join us.
Don’t miss a special live recording of the Person Place Thing podcast and radio show featuring renowned Syrian-American clarinetist Kinan Azmeh in conversation with host @randycohen48.bsky.social on Jan. 28, 4 pm, at Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College. More: www.hunter.cuny.edu/event/person...
January 26, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Looking forward to our conversation and his playing, a better arrangement than the other way around. Do join us.
Adrian Untermyer notes that, in addition to ordinary citizens, retail tycoons F. W. Woolworth and J.C. Penney are buried in Woodlawn cemetery, “the magnates together with their customers.” The democracy of death. Listen: personplacething.org
January 22, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Adrian Untermyer notes that, in addition to ordinary citizens, retail tycoons F. W. Woolworth and J.C. Penney are buried in Woodlawn cemetery, “the magnates together with their customers.” The democracy of death. Listen: personplacething.org
Adrian Untermyer likes the public performances at Woodlawn Cemetery—dance, music—as long as they’re adjacent to but not directly on top of a grave. Superstition? Respect. Listen: personplacething.org
January 21, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Adrian Untermyer likes the public performances at Woodlawn Cemetery—dance, music—as long as they’re adjacent to but not directly on top of a grave. Superstition? Respect. Listen: personplacething.org
Robert Moses, who ravaged the Bronx, is buried there, in Woodlawn Cemetery. Adrian Untermyer says, “Right by the off-ramp to the Major Degan expressway. He gets exhaust and beeps.” Poetic justice among the dead. Listen: personplacething.org
January 20, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Robert Moses, who ravaged the Bronx, is buried there, in Woodlawn Cemetery. Adrian Untermyer says, “Right by the off-ramp to the Major Degan expressway. He gets exhaust and beeps.” Poetic justice among the dead. Listen: personplacething.org
Lower cost copies of Jane Austen that pr0liferated in America in the 1850s are rarer today than pricey editions, say Janine Barchas and Mary Crawford, “The cheaper the book, the lower the survival rate.” Listen: personplacething.org
January 14, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Lower cost copies of Jane Austen that pr0liferated in America in the 1850s are rarer today than pricey editions, say Janine Barchas and Mary Crawford, “The cheaper the book, the lower the survival rate.” Listen: personplacething.org
In the 1890s, Lever Soap gave away its edition of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. “It demonstrates how popular she was if you’re giving her away and trying to ride the coat tails of her brand,” say Janine Barchas and Mary Craawford. Listen: personplacething.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:09 PM
In the 1890s, Lever Soap gave away its edition of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. “It demonstrates how popular she was if you’re giving her away and trying to ride the coat tails of her brand,” say Janine Barchas and Mary Craawford. Listen: personplacething.org
Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design at @MoMA.bsky.social, declares, “Not all design is commercial, and not all art is non-commercial.” Well, sure, if you’re gong to be nuanced and perceptive. Listen: personplacething.org
January 8, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design at @MoMA.bsky.social, declares, “Not all design is commercial, and not all art is non-commercial.” Well, sure, if you’re gong to be nuanced and perceptive. Listen: personplacething.org
Paola Antonelli of @MoMA.bsky.social observes, “It’s a little bit Milanese to be envious; New Yorkers are not like that.” She is, of course, from Milan. And quite wrong. But in such a kindly way. Listen: personplacething.org
January 7, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Paola Antonelli of @MoMA.bsky.social observes, “It’s a little bit Milanese to be envious; New Yorkers are not like that.” She is, of course, from Milan. And quite wrong. But in such a kindly way. Listen: personplacething.org
Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design at @MoMA.bsky.social, notes: “Good design can go bad.” That’s a horror movie I’d pay to see. Listen: personplacething.org
January 6, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design at @MoMA.bsky.social, notes: “Good design can go bad.” That’s a horror movie I’d pay to see. Listen: personplacething.org
I associate architect James Carpenter with bright days in temperate climes, but he says, “You have plenty of light in the middle of the night in the north.” Hear me recant my folly: personplacething.org
December 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I associate architect James Carpenter with bright days in temperate climes, but he says, “You have plenty of light in the middle of the night in the north.” Hear me recant my folly: personplacething.org
Architect James Carpenter, who does brilliant things with light, contemplates the night sky: “You feel these veils of light coming down around you.” Listen: personplacething.org
December 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Architect James Carpenter, who does brilliant things with light, contemplates the night sky: “You feel these veils of light coming down around you.” Listen: personplacething.org
Jonathan Bank of the Mint Theater explains its several relocations. “All New York art stories are real estate stories.” Divorce stories, same deal. Listen: personplacething.org
December 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Jonathan Bank of the Mint Theater explains its several relocations. “All New York art stories are real estate stories.” Divorce stories, same deal. Listen: personplacething.org
When reviving a neglected play, Jonathan Bank of the Mint Theater says, “You have an obligation to respect the author’s intentions.” So much for my production of Streetcar performed by talking dogs. Listen: personplacething.org
December 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM
When reviving a neglected play, Jonathan Bank of the Mint Theater says, “You have an obligation to respect the author’s intentions.” So much for my production of Streetcar performed by talking dogs. Listen: personplacething.org
I’d enjoy dog shows a lot more if they included betting. Alan Fausel, executive director of the AKC Museum of the Dog, defends the current no-wagering approach. Listen: personplacething.org
December 17, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I’d enjoy dog shows a lot more if they included betting. Alan Fausel, executive director of the AKC Museum of the Dog, defends the current no-wagering approach. Listen: personplacething.org
Alan Fausel, executive director of the AKC Museum of the Dog, says Queen Victoria owned 400 dogs. Sequentially not simultaneously. But still. I say excessive; he disagrees. Listen: personplacething.org
December 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Alan Fausel, executive director of the AKC Museum of the Dog, says Queen Victoria owned 400 dogs. Sequentially not simultaneously. But still. I say excessive; he disagrees. Listen: personplacething.org
We tweak our format to Cat Cat Cat for a conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavan. Listen: personplacething.org
December 11, 2025 at 1:48 PM
We tweak our format to Cat Cat Cat for a conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavan. Listen: personplacething.org
“Everybody knew Jerry Fox—the firemen, the policemen, the judges, the lawyers.” Jerry Fox was a cat in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. A conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavan. Listen: personplacething.org
December 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
“Everybody knew Jerry Fox—the firemen, the policemen, the judges, the lawyers.” Jerry Fox was a cat in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. A conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavan. Listen: personplacething.org
Since 1845, only three U. S. Presidents did not bring a pet to the White House—James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, Donald Trump. Two were impeached. A conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavin. Listen: personplacething.org
December 9, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Since 1845, only three U. S. Presidents did not bring a pet to the White House—James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, Donald Trump. Two were impeached. A conversation with cat historian Peggy Gavin. Listen: personplacething.org
“It’s good for the health, it’s good for the economy, and it’s good for the mind,” says Ydanis Rodriguez, head of @nyc-dot.bsky.social. Beer? Biking! Listen: personplacething.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:41 PM
“It’s good for the health, it’s good for the economy, and it’s good for the mind,” says Ydanis Rodriguez, head of @nyc-dot.bsky.social. Beer? Biking! Listen: personplacething.org
Ydanis Rodriguez, head of @nyc-dot.bsky.social, recalls his childhood: “Transportation in the Dominican Republic was horses, donkeys, bicycles, and one person who had a car.” NYC’s donkey shortage. Listen: personplacething.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Ydanis Rodriguez, head of @nyc-dot.bsky.social, recalls his childhood: “Transportation in the Dominican Republic was horses, donkeys, bicycles, and one person who had a car.” NYC’s donkey shortage. Listen: personplacething.org