When Long Island Was NY: The LIRR from 1900 1930

In the early years after Pennsylvania Station opened, Brooklyn and Queens residents still considered themselves Long Islanders, and the Long Island Rail Road was stretched to capacity serving commuters in rapidly growing city suburbs, especially in Queens, that were not yet served by subways. Nobody thought it strange when New York City Mayor John Francis Hylan in 1924 promised a "fight to the finish" to protect "the traveling public of Long Island" from increased LIRR fares. After all, almost two thirds of them were his constituents. Join Gotham Center Writing Fellow and journalist Elizabeth Moore along with author and former LIRR Manager, Andrew Sparberg, for an in-depth look at how the LIRR helped to define Greater New York.