In this Episode, Kelly is joined by Sara Lind! She is the Co-Executive Director of Open Plans: A New York City based advocacy organization working to make streets and public spaces more livable. Sara is a frequent media source on Urban Planning and policy, with appearances on WPIX 11, ABC7, WNYC, and NY1. And she holds a JD from the University of Chicago, an MIA from Columbia SIPA, and a BS from the University of Wisconsin. But above all else… She is a New Yorker!

Kelly asks Sara where she's from. Sara and Kelly talk about their Midwestern roots! Sara talks about how she came to New York by way of Chicago. She reflects on the first time she came to New York to look for an apartment and recalls it feeling like home. Sara talks a bit about her career path and how she went from being a corporate lawyer to working in public advocacy.

Kelly and Sara talk about New York. Kelly asks Sara about some of the changes that have been taking effect around the city. They talk about Congestion Pricing and how that has been an effective way to alleviate traffic in Midtown. They talk about open streets and how they have been a successful program in helping people feel safer walking in the city. They also talk about how people choose to promote car driving with policy decisions and what those look like. They talk about ways that we can choose to put people first when planning for the city's future.

Sara talks about biking in New York. She talks about the importance of May being Bike Month and how it's important for us to make sure that the city continues to be a safe place for bike riders. Kelly talks about how he loved riding Citi Bike during COVID and how it got him to explore even more of the city. Sara and Kelly talk about how they rode their bikes everywhere growing up, and Sara talks about how she wants her kids to feel safe to do the same.

Kelly asks Sara about how she gets around the city. Sara talks about how she loves riding the Subway and taking the bus. And with a Citi Bike rack in front of her apartment, she loves to explore the city with them. Kelly also asks Sara about when she thought it was ok for her kids to take public transit on their own. Sara admits that she's far from a helicopter parent, and encouraged her kids to take the subway to go to school and visit friends.

Sara tells us about outdoor dining in New York City. She talks about what the program was like before COVID in 2019. Then she tells us how COVID completely changed the restaurant business and how outdoor dining brought some great positives but also negatives. Kelly then asks about the current program, and she explains the sticky situation that lawmakers put restaurant owners in when they passed the latest legislation.

Finally, Kelly asks Sara some quickfire questions about her favorite neighborhood, favorite way to get around the city and her favorite local restaurant.

But above all else; Sara Lind is a New Yorker!

Kelly Kopp's Social Media:

@NewYorkCityKopp

Follow Open Plans NYC!

@openplansnyc

Jae's Social Media

@StudioJae170

• (00:00:00) - Meet Open Plans Executive Director Sarah Lind
• (00:04:11) - Married to a New Yorker in the 1980s
• (00:08:41) - Knicks star on the team's success
• (00:09:13) - Mayor Bill de Blasio on Open Plans
• (00:12:29) - Congestion Pricing
• (00:16:36) - "It's a nice little era for the Knicks,"
• (00:16:51) - Biking in New York
• (00:19:41) - How New Yorkers get around the city
• (00:22:28) - Slowing the Trash on the Streets
• (00:26:13) - Low-Traffic Neighborhoods
• (00:31:34) - People talk about Park Avenue's redesign
• (00:34:29) - Outside dining in New York
• (00:38:58) - Living on the Upper West Side
• (00:41:02) - What Made You Engaged in Urban Policy?
• (00:42:41) - How Safe Do You Feel in New York?
• (00:43:55) - Favorite NYC restaurant or food spot?
• (00:45:54) - What It Means to Be A New Yorker

On this Episode, Kelly is joined by the one and only: Ricki Lake! She is a TV and film actress, producer, and television show host. You can see her star in Hairspray, or host her Ricki Lake talk show, which ran for 12 seasons and aired over 2,000 episodes!

Kelly starts by asking Ricki where she was born. Ricki tells him about growing up and going to school in Westchester and the city. She talks about taking the train in to Manhattan to go to a performing arts school. She and Kelly try to figure out if they share a mutual connection from her high school. Ricki talks about her parents' family business and how she was a true New Yorker.

Ricki then talks about how 9/11 affected her life trajectory. She talks about living in the West Village at the time and witnessing the plane fly down the Hudson River. She talks about how her home birth was such a powerful experience for her, and that mixed with the events and her contract ending influenced her to move to LA.

Ricki then talks about how she ended up moving back to New York 20+ years later, when her house burned down in the Malibu fires. She talks about her house and what she was doing when the fires started. She tells us how she and her husband stayed to try to fight the fire and save their home, but ultimately decided to leave everything behind. She talks about how difficult it was to rebuild, and she talks about all of the things that she's lost in the process.

Kelly then asks her about her move back to New York. Ricki talks about how she had a feeling that she didn't want to stay in LA anymore. She talks about how she got the opportunity to spend a few months living in Chelsea at a friend's apartment and how she was able to rediscover the city that way. Kelly asks her about her necklace, and Ricki talks about how she was able to obtain some of the ashes from her house and create a diamond from it, symbolizing her rebirth.

Kelly talks with Ricki about Hairspray! Ricki talks about her casting process and how she went from auditioning for a movie because of a flyer up at her school to getting the lead role in the movie musical. She talks about working with John Waters and Divine, and how the whole cast became a family. Kelly then asks her about her Ricki Lake Talk show, and she gives him the inside scoop on how she got the role.

Kelly then asks her about some of her other work in documentary film, dancing with the stars, and her second TV show, The Ricki Lake Show. She talks about how documentary filmmaking became a personal passion of hers. She talks about how The Business of Being Born still helps new mothers through childbirth. She tells Kelly about how much she loved getting to do Dancing with the Stars, even though she avoided doing it for so long. Kelly let her know that he thought she should have won her season, but Ricki accepted her third-place position. Ricki then talks about why she wanted to go back and do another talk show. She talks about what she was hoping would be different and how that didn't end up being the case. But she was grateful to win an EMMY for her work, but laments that she lost it in the fire.

Finally, Kelly has a surprise that he'd been saving for Ricki all show. He tells her and she is absolutely shocked and delighted.

But above all else; Ricki Lake is a New Yorker

Kelly Kopp's Social Media:

@NewYorkCityKopp

Ricki Lake's Social media

@RickiLake

Jae's Social Media

@StudioJae170

• (00:00:00) - Ricki Lake on Being a New Yorker
• (00:02:19) - Ricky on 9/11
• (00:06:15) - Cannizzaro on 9/11
• (00:08:57) - Ricky on Starting a Talk Show at 24
• (00:12:58) - One New Yorker's Story of The Fire
• (00:14:56) - Malibu Firefighter on the Fire
• (00:20:16) - A Broadway Star Gets Her Back
• (00:24:14) - Katie Levine on Broadway's
• (00:26:37) - Jennifer Aniston on Hairspray
• (00:27:04) - Jay Leno on Hairspray
• (00:28:05) - Fat Girl In John Waters' 'The Fat Girl'
• (00:30:19) - Tracy Turnblatt on Working With John Waters
• (00:32:37) - John Waters on Dancing in Hairspray
• (00:34:09) - Dancing With the Stars... Robin Williams
• (00:37:42) - "Go Knicks!" Fans at tonight's Manhattan Henge
• (00:38:28) - Ricki Lake on Her Second Talk
• (00:42:21) - Ricki Lake On Her First Ricki Lake Show
• (00:44:21) - Kelly on Ricki Lake's Dating Game
• (00:46:30) - Donnie Wahlberg on Hairspray
• (00:47:16) - I Had The Best Plastic Surgery Ever
• (00:51:21) - Ricki Lake Gets Real About Her Love For Cleveland
• (00:51:58) - Mickey Lake on Taking the Subway
• (00:53:30) - Ricky Lake: It's an Honor to Be a New Yorker
• (00:54:21) - The New Yorkers: Episode 291

In this episode, Kelly is joined by Alan van Capelle! He is the executive director of Friends of the High Line, the former deputy comptroller for the City of New York, and the chief architect of New York’s historic marriage equality bill.

Kelly asks Alan where he's from. Alan talks about growing up on Long Island and realizing that he was gay. He talks about pretending to be Miss America while hearing his parents argue about him playing Soccer! Alan then talks a bit about his twin sister, and is surprised to learn that Kelly is a twin as well!

Alan talks about his journey through college: how he wanted to be an opera singer, and then worked in medical unions, and later decided to go into community organizing and politics. He then tells the story about how he went from speaking at the first openly gay state representatives' inauguration to being the executive director of the Pride Agenda!

Kelly and Alan talk about political activism, and Kelly describes the time he took a bus trip up to Washington, D.C. in 1993 to be a part of the march on Washington. He tells us about how their trip was almost canceled because of threats from the KKK. He describes the tension as they took the trip, and talks about how transformative of an experience it was.

Alan then talks about the importance of joy in hard times. As Executive Director of the High Line, It's important to him that in this fight against fascism, we center joy, and he hopes that people can find that on the High Line this pride.

Kelly asks Alan about the events that are going on this summer. Alan talks about Musical Theater Piano Karaoke on Mondays, and how everyone has been super excited for that. He talks about the plant sale that they held, where people had the chance to buy one of a kind plants that are not available anywhere else. He talks about the Zesty world party for Queer People of Color, and the Salsa dance parties that are held in July.

Kelly then gets personal with Alan as he asks him about his family life. Alan talks about the process of how he and his partner adopted their two kids. He talks about the pressures of raising a family as a gay couple, as well as some of the challenges that he and his kids face navigating the world as a queer family.

Finally, Kelly asks Alan about the fight for marriage equality. Alan talks about the process that he and his colleagues went through in order to get it passed. How they had to pass smaller legislation surrounding it in order to set the precedent for marriage equality. He talks about how he became friends with his political enemies and how that was crucial in nullifying them and getting them on his side. He and Kelly talk about the importance of continuing to talk to people you may disagree with.

Then Kelly asks Alan what his favorite neighborhoods are, where he likes to go to eat, and where his favorite place to go for views of the city is. Alan talks about where to go to see the best eye candy, makes a controversial restaurant take, and talks about his favorite section of the High Line.

But above all else; Alan van Capelle is a New Yorker.

Kelly's Social Media

@NewYorkCityKopp

Follow the High Line and for more information about their events:

https://www.thehighline.org

@Highlinenyc

Jae's Social Media

@Studiojae170

• (00:00:00) - New Yorkers: Alan Van Capel on Ellen
• (00:01:34) - Queens doctor and proud New Yorker
• (00:03:54) - Democrat and twin sister on politics
• (00:07:45) - Straight Women Talk About Coming Out
• (00:07:56) - In the Elevator With Gay People
• (00:11:23) - Exploring the Stonewall Riot
• (00:16:05) - On the Pulse Shooting
• (00:19:07) - The High Line's Pride Month 2
• (00:23:10) - Adopting Gay Parents
• (00:27:00) - Same-Sex Parents in NYC
• (00:30:50) - Horticulturalists on the High Line
• (00:33:01) - NY Gov. Cuomo on Marriage Equality
• (00:39:31) - On the Fight for Gay Rights
• (00:44:52) - What Gay Parents Want You To Know
• (00:49:17) - Pride Month on the High Line
• (00:50:37) - Favorite New York Neighborhoods
• (00:53:47) - NYC Knicks Fever
• (00:55:19) - Alan Van Capel on Being a New Yorker
• (00:57:06) - The New Yorkers Podcast
• (00:58:18) - Train No. 6, Brooklyn-