In the Shadow of the City
3/15/202657 min
Stories that take place on the edge of civilization, just out of sight.
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Prologue: Every city's got a place like this: that weird no man's land on the outskirts of town, with junk yards and landfills. Charlie Gregerson grew up near that stuff, on Chicago's far south side, and he remembers finding debris from famous Louis Sullivan masterpieces in the garbage dump after those buildings were demolished. (4 minutes)Act One: Out for a simple pleasure cruise with two friends, Alex Zharov was planning to see...
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:01
Support for This American Life comes from Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which, uh, means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. So when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. To make our newest bonus episode of This American Life, [door opening] Ira Glass went digging.
Ira Glass· Host0:35
Okay, we're in.
Speaker 00:36
Digging for an old recording in a storage space with 70 boxes of old tapes.
Ira Glass· Host0:41
[laughs] Oh my God.
Speaker 00:43
And as luck would have it- I can't believe it.
Ira Glass· Host0:45
This is the one, two, three. This is the fourth box I'm opening, and literally right here, [box moving] I think this is exactly what I was looking for.
Speaker 00:54
To hear what he found, plus dozens of other exclusive bonus episodes, and most importantly, to help us keep making the show, subscribe at thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners.
Ira Glass· Host1:04
Okay, I really am stunned.
Speaker 01:06
That link is also in the show notes of this episode. Thanks.
Jorge Just· Guest1:10
First floor.
Ira Glass· Host1:12
Okay, this happens to be Chicago, but every city has a place like this, that weird, desolate area at the far end of town. [car passing] We're a half mile west of the old abandoned steel mills.