Episode #101: Introducing Nat’s Sidewalk Stories

Written By Nathalie Kalbach

About This Episode

In this debut episode, Nat Kalbach introduces her new podcast exploring the places, people, and hidden histories that make our neighborhoods vibrant. Learn how this journey grew from Nat's art practice, her deep curiosity about local history, and her desire to connect people with the stories beneath their feet.

About Nat Kalbach

Nat Kalbach is an artist and storyteller who moved to Jersey City from Germany in 2013. Her fascination with urban architecture and neighborhood history has led her to document buildings through painting, research the stories of past residents, and connect with community organizations working to preserve local heritage. Nat is currently writing a book titled "If These Walls Could Talk," where her house serves as the narrator witnessing generations of Jersey City history.

Key Insights

  • The podcast grew out of Nat's art practice and her curiosity about the buildings and places she painted

  • Nat's personal connection to local history deepened when she began researching her own house, discovering remarkable residents like Dr. Edwina Drake Frech

  • Nat's book project "If These Walls Could Talk" uses her house as the narrator of Jersey City's history

  • While many conversations will center on Jersey City, the podcast will also feature voices from other cities whose work resonates with local experiences

  • The podcast aims to help listeners see their neighborhoods with fresh eyes and feel more connected to the places they call home

  • Upcoming guests include Charlene Burke, Jin Jung, and Kelly Carroll, each bringing unique perspectives on community, art, and preservation

  • New episodes will be released on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month through August, with a break in September before Season 2

Visual Documentation

Some of the paintings, Nat created in the first year she moved to Jersey City, in 2013.

Related Resources

Explore Further

Sign up for Nat's Substack where she'll share additional stories, photos, paintings, and articles that complement each podcast conversation. The Substack will feature deeper dives into the histories discussed on the show, visual documentation of historic places, and reflections on how these conversations inspire new creative work.

Coming Up Next

On April 10th, join Nat for a conversation with Charlene Burke, whose dedication to Jersey City spans decades. Charlene has been a familiar face at public hearings and a driving force behind Nat's historic district. Learn how Charlene's practical wisdom about speaking up and showing up changed Nat's approach to civic engagement.

Connect with Nat

Music: Our theme music is "How You Amaze Me," composed by Jim Kalbach and performed by Jim Kalbach, Bryan Beninghove, Charlie Siegler, and Pat Van Dyke.

Support the Show: Subscribe to the podcast and sign up for Nat's Substack to receive additional stories and visuals that complement each conversation.

Share Your Story: What sidewalk stories have you discovered in your neighborhood? Share them with Nat through email or social media.

Nat's Sidewalk Stories explores the intersection of place, community, and storytelling through conversations with practitioners, community leaders, and local changemakers. New episodes release on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month through August, with a break in September before Season 2 begins in October.

Full Transcript

[00:00:00] 

Nat Kalbach: Welcome to Nats Sidewalk Stories. I'm Nat Kalbach, an artist and storyteller exploring the places, people, and hidden histories that make our neighborhoods vibrant. Join me as we walk these streets together and discover the stories beneath our feet. I'm not kidding when I say that this podcast grew out of my art practice. As an artist who moved to Jersey City from Germany in 2013 I found myself wandering the streets of Jersey City, painting old buildings, street scenes, and the architectural details that caught my eye. But with each painting came questions, who built this? Who lived here? How did this neighborhood become what it is today? [00:01:00] Those questions led me to community meetings, historical archives, writing stories and most importantly, to fascinating people who were each holding a piece of Jersey City story. These conversations were too good to keep to myself, which is why I'm bringing them to you. My journey really deepened when I began researching the history of my own house and the remarkable people who lived here before me.

For example, I discovered Dr. Edwina Drake Frech . She was crucial in establishing Jersey City's first pure milk dispensary in the early 19 hundreds, saving countless infant lives. Learning about her work while sitting in the same rooms where she once planned her medical practice created a really powerful connection to the past for me. These stories evolved into a book "If these walls could talk" I'm currently writing where my house serves as the narrator. [00:02:00] She's an old lady, Witnessing generations of Jersey City history. This intimate relationship with place, understanding how the walls around us contain stories that shape our present has become central to how I see our neighborhoods. Nat's sidewalk stories isn't about dry historical facts or academic theories. It's about the joy of discovery, the stories of remarkable people doing important work and finding the beauty in our everyday surroundings. 

It's about seeing your neighborhood with fresh eyes and feeling more connected to the place you call home. While many of our conversations will center around Jersey City, I'll also be talking with people from other cities whose work resonates with our local experience.

Whether it's a preservation expert from Brooklyn or an organizational storyteller from Hoboken, these perspectives help us see our own city with [00:03:00] fresh eyes. After all, urban stories share common threads, and sometimes the best solutions for our neighborhoods come from unexpected places.

I'm curious about how these broader conversations can inspire us right here in Jersey City and how our local insights might benefit communities elsewhere.

You will meet people like Charlene Burke, my neighbor, who taught me that speaking up at public meetings doesn't have to be scary and that one persistent voice can make a real difference. 

 You will hear from Jin Jung. A fellow immigrant artist whose ceramic plaques throughout Jersey City honor forgotten histories and helped her and me feel more rooted in this place that wasn't originally ours. And you will learn from Kelly Carroll, whose perspective on community based preservation inspired me to capture and paint the storefronts of businesses on Canvas that have served our neighborhoods for [00:04:00] generations. Each conversation has sparked something creative in me, a new painting, a deeper appreciation for a familiar street or a fresh perspective on how communities come together.

I'll be sharing these reflections along with photos, paintings, and articles on my substack after each episode. Whether you have lived Jersey City your whole life, or just moved to here last week, whether you're passionate about historic preservation, or simply curious about the stories behind your daily commute, I hope that these conversations inspire you to look more closely at the places you pass every day.

But before we dive in, I'd love to hear from you. What sidewalk stories have you discovered in your neighborhood? Share them with me through email or social media. All the details are in the show notes.

You can expect new episodes on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month through August with my first guest [00:05:00] episode dropping this thursday, April 10th, 

I will take a short break in September to recharge and prepare for our second season, returning in October with fresh conversations and stories. To make sure you don't miss an episode, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and sign up for my substack, where I'll share additional stories and visuals that compliment each conversation.

Now, let's hit the streets and start collecting stories. Thank you for listening to Nat's Sidewalk Stories. I'm your host, Nat Kalbach. Join me next time as we continue exploring the people in places that make our communities unique. Our theme music is How You Amaze Me, composed by Jim Kalbach and performed by Jim Kalbach, Bryan Beninghove, Charlie Siegler, and Pat Van Dyke. You can find show notes, more information about my guests and related content at natkalbach.com. Until next time.[00:06:00] 

Nathalie Kalbach
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Episode #102: Persistence and Place with Charlene Burke