While we’ve yet to create any of our own Forever 22 podcasts, one of my favorite This American Life radio stories details an ocean adventure right in Brooklyn’s backyard.
The episode, In the Shadow of the City, first aired in February of this year. Each of the three acts features a hidden urban adventure–crazy stories happening in major metropolises, somehow just out of sight. Act one is “Brooklyn Archipelago.” It’s the hilarious tale of Alex Zharov, a sweet-sounding guy who gets shipwrecked on a tiny Jamaica Bay island during a day out with friends.
Alex takes the whole adventure very seriously, as well a shipwrecked young man should, I suppose, but imagining him making smoke signals and worrying about dehydration just miles from Time’s Square’s crowds tickles me every time.
So plug some headphones into your computer and eat lunch at your desk while listening to the show. Even if you’re stuck in an overly air conditioned office, you can still get out on Brooklyn’s water with Alex and This American Life.
Forever 22 