Rebecca Seidel

The Staten Island ferry under the Hell Gate Bridge at sunset

Last night I saw the Staten Island Ferry sailing off into the sunset under the Hell Gate Bridge.

New York is healing 🧡

Curtis Sliwa on a subway car, viewed from the back from a platform as the doors are closing. He is wearing a jacket that says “The People’s Mayor NYC” on the back, and a red beret.

For the record, both candidates were minding their own business. Well, in Curtis’ case… kind of.

To close the loop on this: I can now officially say that both candidates I saw on the subway will be running in the general election in November.

That's right, this month I shared commutes with Zohran Mamdani (Astoria's own!) and uncontested Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

There really is something special about what Zohran and Brad are showing the rest of the world what it still means to be a New Yorker and an American.

A Jew and a Muslim modeling a politics of mutual respect, rejecting cynicism. Human decency has been taking a beating but she's not out just yet!

Here to report that I have now encountered TWO NYC mayoral candidates commuting on the subway this month. Anyone who guesses both wins a prize!

(Neither of them was Cuomo obviously)

An LED light display in an elevator showing a down arrow followed by the letters UM

My podcast-editing-pilled brain was not prepared for this elevator ride.

Trevor next to me on a train, both of us with laptops open in our laps

Becca and Trevor smiling on a train with laptops

Update: we are both frantically editing podcasts on the train

Wesleyan’s finest media professionals clocking in 🫡

About to head up to my college reunion in a way that would make my college self proud (frantically editing a podcast on the train)

Becca at the front of a room gesturing at a smartboard with an Adobe Audition session on it

I was in my element yesterday (gesturing at waveforms on a giant screen) at the @qplnyc.bsky.social Teen Center in Flushing!

We had a listening party celebrating our 5-week Podcasting for Teens workshop with @queensmemory.bsky.social. Loved getting to know the next generation of podcasters. ❤️

Radio Stars to Video: Bite Me Can we learn from the bitter past? Yes, we have to meet the audience where they are. But are they on smart TVs and YouTube because they love video, or this is the convenient plumbing of all content co...

I wrote a thing about the vexations of history repeating itself as podcasts are pressured to become TV. continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/radio-star...

The cover art for the song Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles

It's me, I am the Radio Star

Just exercised a skill I haven't used in a while (intensive archival research to determine if someone I tangentially know is secretly a nepo baby) (they are)

Happened to be literally eating an apple and drinking coffee as I clicked on this - it might be my only hope 👀

So glad I'm not alone in noticing this! I was starting to think it was just my increasingly drafty pre-war-building windows at fault - they are howling on a more regular basis for sure.

Excited to teach this podcasting workshop for teens at Queens Public Library with @queensmemory.bsky.social! If you know a teen who might be interested, see below. 👇

A screenshot of text that says "Chai GPT"

A screenshot of text that says "Chad, DPD"

A screenshot of text that says "like Chad TPT"

My favorite feature of Descript's AI-powered transcription is that it's never heard of ChatGPT in its life. I'm jealous of it, honestly.

A deep sigh of a podcast episode. Just beautiful radio.

My 2024 in numbers:

1 total eclipse witnessed
2 oceans seen
3 years in the rent-stabilized apt of my dreams
4 boroughs traveled (sorry Staten Island, see you in 2025)
5 dog-sitting gigs
6 nights under the stars
39 movies watched
120 hours of podcasts listened to
181 dog photos taken
342 miles run

Video: Meet the underground time travelers of NYC Every December, a holiday miracle occurs: New Yorkers get excited for their commute

NEW: A holiday bonus video for you! Meet the underground time travelers of New York City, by @transit-scapes.bsky.social nygroove.nyc/video-holida...

About to embark on the biggest new year's transformation of my lifetime (giving Reaper a spin again after years of being a Pro Tools girl)

NYU Bans Its Own Journalism Professor From Multiple Buildings After He Documented a Pro-Palestine Protest We spoke with NYU journalism professor Chenjerai Kumanyika about how the school's intensified campus policing strategy might be doing Donald Trump's work for him.

NYU banning student protestors from a building that houses a legendary archive of the history of radical protest is almost like hiring a journalist who covers policing in New York City and penalizing him for covering policing in New York City...

Our conversation with @chenjerai.bsky.social:

going to keep posting about this piece because I really think that everyone online should read it: www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgiv...

A graphic from Tink with the logo for the In The Dark podcast and text that reads: "Audio Delicacies: Podcast Treats From 2024." Below that is a quote from me: "This show reeled me in, it made me angry, it brought me to tears multiple times, and it blew me away with the depth and empathy of its reporting."

I loved contributing to @tinkmedia.bsky.social's Audio Delicacies list again this year! My pick is a podcast I haven't been able to get out of my head: Season 3 of In The Dark, from @newyorker.com.

Here's the full list for some GREAT podcast recs to add to your queue: tinkmedia.co/audio-delica...

My statement on the acquittal of Daniel Penny.

A selfie of Becca giving a thumbs up in front of the accordion part of an open gangway train from the outside of it

Looking down at the floor of the train where it says “caution: watch your step” and the connecting part between train cars is visible

Huge news day for me personally (finally caught an open-gangway C train)

we are aware of the situation

This week's episode of @cnn.com's Terms of Service was a fun one to produce - if also a little scary!

Thank you @racheltobac.bsky.social for your helpful and practical advice (and for convincing me to download a password manager immediately).

A screenshot of Apple Podcasts’ New & Noteworthy section, featuring CNN’s Terms of Service next to Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel

Plot twists I have experienced today:

1. Falling in a cartoon-like fashion on a patch of ice while walking to work
2. Finding out that Terms of Service is ~new & noteworthy~ on Apple Podcasts!

The album cover for Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant”

It’s time for the annual tradition of listening to the best podcast episode of all time:

Becca smiling in the window of an N train car in the NYC subway system

POV: we are on N trains passing in the night