Exploring Lower Manhattan

While most days I am leading one of my set tours-- Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich Village, etc-- I do leave many days free for custom requests. After all, we are Custom NYC Tours!

I've written on this blog previously about some past custom tours that I've designed (ie. a Neil Diamond-themed tour of Brooklyn, or a tour of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn). I recently got a custom request with a lot of interesting (and seemingly unconnected) elements: stops on the Underground Railroad, hidden little spots of the city, a look at the original/abandoned City Hall subway station, and street art. Luckily, lower Manhattan has all of this!

I started our tour outside the towering Manhattan Municipal Building, so that we can admire its numerous, and beautiful, architectural features. Then we headed behind the building for a peek at a little-known piece of Revolution-era New York history: the Sugar House Prison window. One block over, thousands of tourists a day enter the Brooklyn Bridge, but almost all miss this curious gem. Next, we headed down into the City Hall subway station. This is actually a replacement station, as the original City Hall station was closed in 1945.  But you can still see it, if you stay/get on a downtown 6 train as it terminates there... while the train loops back to the uptown track to start a new run, it passes through the old station. So stay on, head to the wall-facing windows/doors, and get your camera ready for a quick peek at some subway history!

Next, we headed west over to Church Street-- passing by the historic Tweed Courthouse on the way-- for an exploration of black history. While the original church is no longer there (way too much history downtown was not preserved), this block was the original home of Mother African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first black church in New York state, and a stop on the Underground Railroad. As we walked further, we took a moment to stare up at the newly developed "Jenga building" residential skyscraper. A few blocks away, we came to Manhattan's most-famous Underground Railroad stop... 36 Lispenard, where publisher & abolitionist David Ruggles once lived. It was here that Frederick Douglass passed through. A plague on Lispenard explains the history of Ruggles and his works.

Then, we passed through Chinatown, specifically the as-seen-on-TV Cortlandt Alley, to take a peek at Mmuseumm, the city's smallest museum (it is housed in an industrial elevator shaft, and can fit only a few people at a time). From there, we wandered right over to the Little Italy section of the Lower East Side, which has some of the best street art in Manhattan. Works by well-known street artists such as Space Invader, Ron English, D*Face, Jerkface, Tristan Eaton, Solus, and many more can be found in this area (I offer a street art-focused tour of this neighborhood). 

We ended the tour in trendy SoHo, with a look at two curious, little-known art projects. The first is on Greene Street. Literally. It is a piece called 'Subway Map Floating on a New York City Sidewalk' by Belgian artist Françoise Schein. It is a huge (and reasonably accurate) recreation of the subway lines built into the sidewalk. A really fun piece to explore. Finally, we headed up Wooster to see the New York Earth Room, one of the city's more curious art exhibits. It is a 3,600 square foot (335 square meters) loft space... filled with loose soil/earth. It has been on display there for nearly 40 years. It is a free exhibition, so if you are ever in SoHo, head up to 141 Wooster and buzz up to see it for yourself!

I love planning these custom tours, and I felt satisfied that this was most fun one yet... for both the customers and myself! There is no area of the city, no subject, that I cannot create a tour around. If you have an idea for a custom tour you'd like me to create for you, please contact me!

The Changing NYC Skyline: An Addendum

A month ago, I blogged about my day-long exploration of the changing New York skyline. The past decade has seen the greatest period of growth in the city, in every possible meaning, in over half a century. The skyline of NYC is iconic. But, for better or worse, in a decade you may no longer recognize it.

Time Out New York has a good article along this same line, specifically focused on the numerous towers in early stages that have not yet gone up... but will soon transform Manhattan. It's definitely worth a quick read.

My Favorite Views!

This weekend, I braved the cold to take a trip to Roosevelt Island. The island sits in the middle of the East River, between Manhattan and Queens (though is legally part of the borough of Manhattan). It is becoming popular with some tourists because of its unique public transportation... the Roosevelt Island Tramway. But its best asset is at its southern tip: the FDR Four Freedoms Park.

This park has some of the most panoramic views of the city, outside of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade (and as it lies farther north, its views are far different). To its east, the great views of the Queens waterfront:

And to the west... this stunning view of Midtown East:

Some of the skyscrapers visible here (from left to right): theUnited Nations, Empire State Building, ONE UN New York, ChryslerBuilding, 50 United Nations Plaza, the Met Life Building, Bank of Tower,  Trump World Tower, 860 UN Plaza, 599 Lexington Avenue, CitigroupCenter, & 432 Park Avenue. 

And, of course, if you're interested in seeing it for yourself, custom tours can always be arranged.

Covering Queens in Art, Top to Bottom

More and more people are discovering that the city's fastest growing art scene isn't in Manhattan... it's in Queens. The waterfront neighborhoods around Long Island City have a growing number of art galleries and co-working spaces. They also an impressive collection of museums: MoMA PS1, the Sculpture Center, The Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, & more. And in the warmer months, you can also stop by the popular LIC Food & Flea festival, and catch the views from the waterfront parks.

But Long Island City (or, LIC) has always been synonymous with street art. The neighborhood once housed the the world's premiere “graffiti Mecca”: 5Pointz... aka, The Institute of Higher Burnin', aka 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center. Artists from all over the world would apply for a chance to paint on this site. The building itself, while huge (200,000-sq-ft/19,000-m2!), was not itself otherwise remarkable. It was simply a privately-owned factory building that the owner had converted inside to rented artist studios, and turned on the outside to a heavily-curated graffiti gallery. (And curated it was: artists would have to submit portfolios/samples for a chance to make their mark on its walls)

Most New Yorkers became familiar with it while riding the 7 train, as the massive complex, and its painted walls, was the first thing one would see as the train came above ground in Queens.

The building was even featured in TV & movies, such as the climax of the 2013 film, "Now You See Me".

Alas, the growing popularity of Long Island City ultimately sealed 5Pointz's fate. The building's owner was made a generous offer for the land by developers, and he sold. After a failed effort by artists to have the building landmarked, it was demolished. A large, luxury residential complex is currently going up where it once stood. Some 5Pointz-era street art on the other end of Davis St is all that remains of the former mecca.

RIP.

Today, the NYC street art community has largely splintered, with efforts centered around new areas like Bushwick or the Lower East Side or Welling Court in Astoria.

But one organization is looking to create a new mecca nearby in LIC. Arts Org NYC is a group that has worked on numerous projects. Their main project now is called "Top to Bottom", centered at a huge building at the intersection of 21st St & 43rd Ave, just a 10-minute walk from where 5Pointz once stood. The project was recently spotlighted on The Huffington Post.  They have gathered some very popular street artists to cover their building from, you guessed it, top to bottom with gorgeous and fun murals. “It’s just a beginning,” creative director James P. Quinn said.

I visited the site today, and was so happy to see that street art in LIC is still thriving. It inspired me to do something I've been thinking about for a while... create a tour of Long Island City, focused around its street art scene. That will be added to this site very soon. I love this neighborhood in general, and think it's a great way to introduce people to the very underrated borough of Queens.

Here is a slideshow of some of my photos from today's exploration.

Know anyone interested in this type of tour? Please spread the word!

Reminiscing

I've been doing more planning for Spring dates for my Queens: The World's (Fair) Borough tour. In doing so, I came across this segment from Pat Kieran's radio program ('The Ride Home') from April 2014 in which he interviewed me about my visit to the 50th anniversary event in Flushing Meadows park.

We discussed the state of the landmarked New York State Pavilion, and whether it had the potential to be revived. Just a couple years later, that dream is progressing, thanks to a non-profit called People for the Pavilion, which works on this cause. They aim to give the structure a second life, so that it can serve as a great public space again. On my tour, we discuss many of the proposals and look at photos of them.

I loved discovering this treasure, and I hope you will too.

A Wall Street Stare-Down

The plaza just above Bowling Green downtown has drawn huge crowds since 1989, when the infamous Charging Bull statue took residence there. This week, it gained a new neighbor... a 50-inch statue of a defiant little girl, cast in bronze. It was commissioned by a firm called State Street Global Advisors ahead of International Womens Day to bring attention to the gender pay disparity in many other financial firms. The piece was created by, of course, a female artist named Kristen Visbal. It has been a magnet for tourists and local photographers all week.

The piece, in theory, is only temporary. But so, once, was Charging Bull itself.

That sculpture began as a piece of guerilla art (as discussed in my previous blog on street art), by artist Arturo Di Modica, dumped under a Christmas tree in front of the NY Stock Exchange in '89. Unlike this current installation, Di Modica did not get city consent for his actions. It was originally considered an act of vandalism by city officials! The Bull was moved away from Wall Street to its current home in late 1989 by the city, and was only ever meant to be temporary (Di Modica himself still owns the piece; it is on indefinite loan to the city). But time, and global love, have ensured that Charging Bull remains as a permanent part of the NYC landscape.

Will this new statue have the same fortune? “We’re actively pursuing that it stays for a month,” a spokesperson for State Street told Reuters news service. “If the city decides that it should stay in perpetuity, we’re absolutely on board with that.”

In the meantime, the stare-down of the century is taking place down on Broadway. Our money's on the girl.

Brooklyn Roads

I was contacted by someone today about the possibility of doing a Neil Diamond-themed tour in Brooklyn. This was a fun request, as I currently live in the same Brooklyn neighborhood where Diamond grew up. I often walk by his old apartment, as well as the historic high school from which he graduated. Planning this tour will be a treat.

On some initial research, I came across this video from 2010 in which Diamond came back to tour his old neighborhood, and ended up chatting with some local teenagers on his old corner. It's actually kind of sweet to watch a) him reminisce, and b) the local kids have no idea who this old man is. Enjoy!

My Tour Philosophy

In the FAQ section of this website, the first question I ask and answer is "Why should I choose you?". After all, there are many options for tours in New York-- walking guides, double-decker buses, water taxis, & more-- and all provide an amazing service. So, again, why me? The answer, I believe, is that I am providing something more personal. As my home page says, I aim to create memories.

I've seen guides leading big groups that will spend 2 hours covering only a few blocks in a circle. Stopping every few minutes to stand ahead of the group and give them a 10-15 minute static history lecture on a corner. I admire the amount of time & scholarship that goes into such a tour. But, I also see the participants staring at their phones, shuffling their feet, whispering among themselves, and I wonder... is this tour a lasting memory for them?

I travel a lot myself, and love taking tours in the cities I visit. But one thing that I found, and my fiancé concurred, was that in the days after the tour, I had only fleeting memories of the facts, dates, and other information thrown at me during the tour. But in a good tour, we had a clear memory of specific things that we saw, the basic historical context for what we had seen, and some of the little secrets the guide imparted onto the group. Plus, great photo opportunities. That is what lasted. So I decided to give tours that aim to maximize that experience.

An example: When I started doing High Line tours, as I pointed out the Hudson River at the start, almost every tour group has asked me to show them where on the river Sully landed the plane (answer: parallel to the USS Intrepid and the Manhattan Cruise Terminal). I realized almost of them would remember that. And the art pieces & design flourishes that I showed them. And the general experience of the park. But probably not the fact that the original High Line rail viaduct opened in 1934, or that the Friends of the High Line's annual operating budget is $11.5 million dollars.

In short, I focus more on show versus tell.

(Or, think of my tours like an Aaron Sorkin show: Walk and talk.)

I limit most of my tours to 10-12 people max to make sure everyone has a personal experience, and is able to talk to me and ask questions (or have me take pictures of them!). I provide customers with the basic history they need, show them some historical photos for reference, and encourage follow-up questions as we go. The tour is a conversation, not a lecture. 

I aim to cover as much ground as possible in every tour, to maximize how much a visitors sees in their limited time in NY. For instance, the Financial District and the World Trade Center? That's one tour for me, not two tours... after all, they're right next to each other, and part of the same (continuing) story of downtown. So you will walk a lot on my tour. But you will see so much more than on many other tours, and (I hope) have a real lasting memory of the experience.

For some visitors, that's not what they want. And that is fair, and I am happy to point such visitors toward other great companies I know who can give them the experience they need. But if you are a traveler (or a local) who prefers the type of tour that I've described, then... that's why me.

I love doing these tours. And I hope that passion will be contagious.

Come On Down To The World's Fair!

I'm excited to be soon offering even more dates for my World's Fair history of Flushing-Meadows, in Queens. I've written about this tour before-- such as my recent post on the Fair's connections to the Disney theme park empire-- as it is a favorite of mine to lead. And it's a perfect time to visit... due to the warm winter, I already saw cherry blossoms in early bloom there yesterday!

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is actually larger in size than Central Park (fact: the latter is actually only the city's fifth-largest park). It sits on a former dumping ground, which was derided as "a valley of ashes" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. The land was cleared and turned into park-land by famous city planner Robert Moses to become the site of the 1939 World's Fair (which was a hit with crowds, but a financial failure). There is only one building remaining from that Fair... which later became the first headquarters for the United Nations, was re-purposed for the 1964 Fair, and currently houses the Queens Museum. That museum still houses an exhibit from 1964 (since updated)... the popular Panorama of the City of New York, which depicts all of the buildings in the entire city in 1:1200 scale. It must be seen to be believed. We see all of this on my tour.

(It is this park that, of course, hosts the annual US Open tennis tournament.)

On this tour, we also pass the following World's Fair artifacts & landmarks: the iconic Unisphere, the New York State Pavilion, a time capsule, numerous statues, Rocket Park, old streets and water fountains,  a Jordanian marble column which dates back to 120 AD, and much more.

Learn how these two Fairs reflected the times they were in, while looking to the future, and how they re-shaped New York City as a whole for years to come.

I will provide images & stories from the past....

....While we tour its present and learn of its future:

I believe this is a fun & easy tour for visitors of all ages... whether you visited the World's Fair, and want to re-live those memories, or you are young and want to discover what Queens has to offer.

Interested? Contact me!

Art & Architecture on the Second Avenue Subway

Curbed has a good article that some of my readers may be interested in:

"In the Second Avenue Subway, art and architecture are at odds"

Saying Goodbye To The Waldorf-Astoria

The Waldorf-Astoria is one of New York's most beautiful and historic hotels. It had been one of the popular stops on my Landmarks of Midtown tour. But this week I, and many New Yorkers, were visiting it for the purpose of saying goodbye.

This icon of midtown east is closing at the end of this month, for a multi-year reconstruction that will see most of its space converted into luxury condominiums. The Plaza Hotel went through a similar conversion several years ago. So while it will technically still exist, it won't be the same, and its gorgeous interiors no longer open to the public as they are now.

The Waldorf-Astoria has a storied past. It has hosted every single US President since Herbert Hoover (no other hotel can claim that), as well as celebrities and dignities from all over the world. Countless banquets and events have been held there. It has been featured in countless movies and TV shows.

The famous duel name comes from two separate hotels housed a little further downtown, dating back to the late 1800s, where the Empire State Building stands today. William Waldorf Astor & John Jacob Astor IV (who were cousins!) owned two competing hotels right next to each other. The two eventually reconciled and connected their hotels via a walkway (dubbed "Peacock Alley"). The building was sold, and then demolished, to make way for the Empire State. The 'Waldorf-Astoria' name was sold to developer Lucius Boomer, who constructed a new hotel on Park Avenue 15 blocks north. When it opened, it was the largest & tallest hotel in the world. Its very name quickly evoked luxury and grandeur.

If you have time over the next day or two, I think it is worth it to head over and say goodbye to this Art Deco-era landmark. The staff have been incredibly open and accommodating to the many visitors who have come to take one final look. Or, if you can't, enjoy a sample below of some of the photos I took on today's exploration.

The Changing NYC Skyline: A Guide

New York City's skyline may be infamous, but it is never static. It has always changed (and risen!), and that is more true now than at any time since the 1930s. So I have decided to create this comprehensive guide to the most high-profile additions to Manhattan's skyline (not even factoring in all the development along the Brooklyn & Queens waterfront!).

Let's start with the most famous change... the new World Trade Center. Everyone knows One World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America (thankfully the rumored "Freedom Tower" name was abandoned). But the site consists of numerous other skyscrapers. The original WTC site had seven buildings. The new WTC was to have seven as well, but it was cut back to five. 1, 3, 4, & 7 are built (3 is just topping out this year), with 2 yet to come, in addition to a performing arts center.  In between all of these, of course, sits the memorial park and museum.

This is a rendering, not a photo. From left to right: One, Seven, 2, 3, and 4.

Next is the biggest addition to the skyline... literally. 432 Park Avenue, completed just over a year ago, topped out at 1,396 ft (425.5 m). You may have seen it while near Central Park; it is the very tall and thin behemoth towering over its puny neighbors. It is the second-tallest building in NYC (only One WTC is taller), and is currently the tallest residential in the world. Apartments here started at around $18M. Due to both its massive height, and thin frame, the window grid & interior space of 2 floors between every 12 occupied floors are left open to allow wind to pass through (to prevent swaying). It has become a controversial symbol of New York becoming, as former mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "a luxury product".

The next biggest change is still at foundation level. One block north of Grand Central Terminal, One Vanderbilt is just beginning to be built. When completed in a few years, it will be NYC's third-tallest building, at a height of 1,401 feet (427 m). As part of the project, developers are promising to add new access and connections to Grand Central.

Next up is another behemoth in early stages of construction... the so-called Central Park Tower (aka, the Nordstrom Tower), on W. 57th Street. At a proposed height of 1,550 feet (472m), it will be taller than 432 Park... though the latter will remain the tallest residential building, as this one will be mixed-use. It will be the tallest building by roof height in the US, surpassing Chicago's Willis Tower.

Rendering.

Moving over to the west side, we get to Hudson Yards, the most ambitious real estate development plan in NY since the original World Trade Center. Being built atop the Hudson rail yards, the city has billed this project as New York's "hottest new neighborhood". And it is indeed an entire neighborhood being built from scratch... over a dozen planned skyscrapers containing more than 12,700,000 square feet (1,180,000 m2) of office, residential, and retail space. The neighborhood will also feature new schools, parks, hotels, and restaurants. The project has already completed an extension of the 7 subway line to 34th St.

One architectural centerpiece will be a large public plaza featuring 'Vessel', which is being marketed as the Eiffel Tower of NYC. It will be a beehive-styled network of stairs, 16 stories in height.

Today, only a fraction of the project is completed.

Rendering

Further down the adjacent High Line, there is more west side development, mostly high-end residential.

On the left, 520 West 28th St by the late Zaha Hadid (which will feature a $50M penthouse). On the right, the completed 10 Hudson Yards, now home to the offices of Coach and L'Oreal. The latter has a direct entrance from the High Line.

Walk a little south down the High Line, and you will soon see a new development at 76 Eleventh Avenue, by Bjarke Ingels. There will be two twisty condo towers, rising to 35 and 25 stories, respectively.

Rendering.

Further uptown, the Bjarke Ingels Group has already completed a major project, known as VIA 57 West. It sits right next to the West Side Highway. The building's design is referred to as a pyramid or a tetrahedron. It is a residential building rising 467 ft (142 m) and 35 stories tall. It has already won lots of architectural praise.

A little further east, near Columbus Circle, at W. 57th St & 8th Ave, is the Hearst Tower. Sitting atop the original Hearst HQ (completed in 1928), this decade-old skyscraper was designed by Norman Foster, best known for London's "Gherkin" tower.

Heading downtown now, we find a massive residential tower in trendy TriBeCa, which has already become an icon of the downtown skyline. 56 Leonard is a 821-ft (250 m) tall, 57-story condo building. Due to its unique shape, it has been dubbed by locals and the media as the "Jenga building".

Heading east from there, you will find New York by Gehry (aka, 8 Spruce Street), right near the East River. This 76-story skyscraper, Gehry's only other NYC work, was the world's tallest residential building upon completion, an honor that 432 Park uptown since took. As you enter the Brooklyn Bridge, turn around and you will see an amazing view of this building, along with the Woolworth Building and One World Trade Center.

In 10 years, the NYC skyline will likely change and grow even more exponentially.

Do you have any favorites among these new buildings? Or least favorites? Thoughts on the impacts these changes may have on the Big Apple? Share your opinions with me on social media... or contact me to plan custom walking tours of these sights!

The Legacy of Keith Haring

Keith Haring is one of the most famous street artists of all time. Even if you've never heard of him, odds are you've seen his work memorialized on clothing,  and other merchandise. He came from the same culture of "pop art" as Andy Warhol and others. Haring made a huge impact on the art world, despite dying at the far-too-young age of 31, in 1990.

Haring, in particular, left his mark on the street art in scene in NYC, and was one of the first to elevate the underground, illegal graffiti culture into something popular and mainstream. His most lasting NYC legacy is the Bowery Mural, a large wall on the corner of The Bowery & Houston Street. In 1982, he put a huge mural on the wall on that corner. He made the corner famous. Though that work is long-gone, that wall had become synonymous with art, and as the ownership of the building changed hands, and development grew around it, it was understood that the wall would need to remain a canvas for NYC's street artists. New murals now are painted on that wall seasonally.

However, one famous Haring piece in NYC remains. In 1986, Haring went to a random playground in east Harlem, and painted two murals, one on each side of a handball wall, to highlight the need to fight that era's crack epidemic. Not for the first time, Haring was arrested for vandalism. But the public and the press rallied around him, and he was let off with only a $100 fine. After the piece was itself vandalized, the Parks Dept asked Haring to come back and officially re-create his "Crack is Wack" mural. He did, and it remains today. It became so popular, that, after his death, the city officially renamed the entire playground the Crack Is Wack Playground.

And Haring's legacy remains on every other wall in NYC where street artists look to make their mark, and create a legitimacy to this form of art.

Taking The Subway

Occasionally, on my tours, I'll give a customer directions from a tour's end spot to their next plans, via the subway, and they are hesitant. Whether it's a mix of fear of the unfamiliar, safety concerns, or just a preference of the private comfort of a cab, I do sympathize.

But here's my professional opinion on why tourists should use the subway to get around:

1. It's reliable! Our system is unique in the world, in that it runs 24/7. Short of a natural disaster, the trains never stop running. Don't risk getting stuck in traffic, or with a cab driver who doesn't know where you're going. Google maps offer public transit directions now... find the best/closest route, and get there fast.
2. It's inexpensive! For $2.75, you get into the system, no matter how far you're going, transfer included. No fare zones. One ride, one fare. Plus discount fares for seniors, kids 44" or shorter are free.
3. It's safe! Subway crime has remained on a steady decline over the last 30 years.
4. Travel like a local! Everyone from construction workers to janitors to Wall St traders ride the subway. It's our city's great underground melting pot. You haven't experienced NYC until you've become a straphanger.
5. It's an art scene! The MTA has an official arts program, that helps design station walls with beautiful art pieces, murals, and musicians. Each station is unique.

So there's my pitch.

And now, some tips!

1. Grab or download a subway map (my favorite app: Exit Strategy). Know your routes, and plan your travel in advance. And, as noted before, you can get updated directions via Google Maps now.
2. Check the MTA website before you go, particularly on nights & weekends... as off-peak repairs do cause trains to be re-routed or temporary service suspensions.
3. Your best mass transit route to JFK from midtown: Take the LIRR (Long Island RailRoad)-- buy a ticket in advance at Penn Station!-- to Jamaica and take the AirTrain. This is the quickest way. To save some money, just take a Queens-bound E train to Jamaica instead for your AirTrain transfer. The AirTrain is $5 and stops at every terminal. Going to LaGuardia... well, the city's still figuring that out.

The High Line's Final Spur

Many people know the story of the High Line (if not, learn it on my tour!)... a former freight rail line, abandoned for decades, reborn as NYC's "park in the sky". But the story continues.

Since the High Line park first opened in 2009, it has only continued to grow. A second phase opened in 2011, and a third phase (extending the park to Hudson Railyards section) opened in 2014. But the park is still not yet complete. There is a final spur, running off the railyards end, that runs along West 30th St toward 10th Avenue. Work on that section had to put on hold while the 10 Hudson Yards skyscraper went up next door. But with that completed, the High Line can finally complete this spur.

The park has begun putting up banners previewing their plans:

So what do you think? As a visitor or a local, will this expansion make you more likely to come back?