The availability of NPR Podcasts have given me a whole new appreciation of This American Life. Act one of last week’s show is an absolute riot:

Out for a simple pleasure cruise with two friends, Alex Zharov (pictured), relaxes as he steers their boat into Jamaica Bay in New York City. But this end-of-the-day excursion, which should have only lasted 40 minutes, is about to turn into an out of control adventure that will leave him lost, stranded, and bleeding … all within sight of the Empire State Building, but without hope of rescue. Stories that take place on the edge of civilization, just out of sight.

Listen to the show here: In the Shadow of the City.