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The City's Dirty Work

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Chances are you've seen the Discovery Channel's show Dirty Jobs by now, but if not, here's a quick recap: each week host Mike Rowe basically plays apprentice to people with the most disgusting and/or dangerous jobs. The NY Post has a profile on the host, as his show enters its 5th season.

In the past he's cleaned pigeon poop and built a wooden water tank atop a building in Midtown while filming segments in the city ...but one of his favorite jobs here was tagging along with the GumBusters team in Central Park and Bay Ridge. These guys use a "steam-and-scrub gum vaporizer" to get all the chewed gum off the sidewalk. Have you ever seen them?

He noted that “The connective tissue in New York is not invisible the way it is in many other towns. New York really, really lives on dirty jobs." Are there any quirky, dirty jobs you haven't seen Rowe cover on his show?

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Comments [rss]

  • pandarelated

    never seen the gum guys. the graffiti guys were at the McCarren skatepark the other day killing off some graffiti. dunno what they used. but smelled like gas. and they had some serious high pressure going. but it took the graffiti off the unsealed concrete. so i was impressed. cool guys too. cheering when people landed tricks.

  • TrippinJoJo

    mike rowe is hot

  • felixthecat2

    Cigarette butts are worse.

  • longacre

    I've seen the episode, never seen those guys though. I think a regular power washer should do the job unless the gum has been there for years.

  • Bike Rider

    isn't this why Singapore canes the shit out of people for chewing or possessing gum? (not saying i agree)

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