Both my full- and half- day public walking tour tours are strictly limited to 8 people max to create a more intimate, immersive and interactive traveler experience. All tours come with a money-back guarantee.
Full Day tours: Downtown, Midtown, Brooklyn and Harlem
My most requested walking tours are full-day itineraries – approximately 6 hours – geared to fully immerse travelers in the life, history, architecture, lifestyle trends and secrets of New York City.
Each tour covers multiple neighborhoods each one dramatically different from another to highlight the gorgeous mosaic that is New York City.
The itineraries are intended to give travelers a lay of the land with suggestions of how to navigate a city of 8.4 million people
I offer four full day tours: “Downtown,” “Midtown,” Brooklyn,” and “Harlem.”
Downtown Manhattan Tour
My most requested tour.
Many clients take this tour their first full day in New York to orient themselves geographically for the rest of their stay.
The itinerary covers a a wide variety of New York’s destination and historic neighborhoods including:
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Midtown Manhattan tour
My Midtown tour focuses on some of New York’s most famous must-see landmarks, Including:
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Harlem tour
We start with participating in an authentic Baptist Worship Service with Gospel choir at a church closely associated with Dr. Martin Luther KIng.
We then proceed with a walking tour covering the history of Harlem from its beginnings in the 1600’s right up to the present time.
What you’ll see and learn about:
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Brooklyn tour
Present-day Brooklyn is where the old meets the new to lay claim to being New York City’s “coolest” borough
What you’ll see and learn about:
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Three-hour Theme Tours
My theme tours offer a deep dive into the history, culture, demographics of single destination neighborhoods around New York City.
Where it all began: Lower Manhattan
Perfect for American history buffs
Originally called New Amsterdam, Lower Manhattan is where New York City was founded by the Dutch in 1625
The tour begins with a ride on the Staten Island Ferry for a breathtaking views and history of one of the world’s greatest commercial harbors.
The harbor’s tranquil waters welcomed sea trade and established New York City as the commercial and financial capital not only of America, but of the world.
With the departure of many of the area’s traditional financial institutions the former office buildings in the Financial District – or “FiDi” – are undergoing conversion to residential spaces.
What you’ll see and learn about:
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Bohemian Greenwich Village
In the mid 1800’s, Greenwich Village emerged as the American equivalent of Paris’ Left Bank.
Throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, low rents, cheap restaurants/cafes, small music clubs, off- and off-off Broadway, meandering side streets and neighborly tolerance attracted every type of marginalized peoples, especially those in the arts and immigrants as well as the LGBTQ+ community
“The Village” became the crucible for some of the most important movements of American culture from avant-garde art, music and literature to feminism to LGBTQ+ issues
During this tour we will learn about the dramatis personae of America’s Bohemia such as:
Other stops include the former residences of many of America’s greatest writers, artists and musicians, including: Louisa May Alcott, Willa Cather, e.e. cummings, John Dos Passos, Theodore Dreiser, Stephen Crane, Edward Hopper, John Sloan, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Barbra Streisand, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Marlon Brando
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Rock and Roll New York
I was born and raised in New York City’s suburbs, but I came of age in the late 60’s sneaking off to downtown New York’s exciting music scene.
Once I moved into New York City proper, I was able to participate up close into virtually every music trend from pop to folk to rock to disco to punk to New Wave to alt rock.
Among the many stops on this itinerary are those associated with such important musicians as: Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, The Mamas and the Papas, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Clash, Talking Heads, Blondie, Taylor Swift
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Brooklyn Heights: New York City’s First Suburb
Brooklyn Heights and the Creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, Includes a walk across the Bridge with a detailed explanation of why it still remains a marvel of engineering.
Until its incorporation into New York City in 1898, Brooklyn was the third largest city in America (if it were still independent today, Brooklyn would be the fourth largest city).
With the arrival of the ferry system and then the Bridge in the 19th Century, Brooklyn Heights became a commuter suburb catering to the wealthy.
In recent years, “the Heights” has reclaimed its reputation as as an enclave for the rich and famous.
What you’ll see and learn:
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Soho/Cast Iron Building District
The rise of Cast Iron Buildings into the area now known as SoHo allowed for the introduction of large plate glass window displays and the rise of window shopping
The area was also New York’s premier entertainment district where the city’s first musical was staged. Among the area’s attractions was Manhattan’s first red light district.
The large windows and the open “loft” spaces of the cast iron buildings attracted manufacturers and storage facilities until the 1950’s
After a long period of decline, SoHo remerged in the late 20th century as an urban artist colony while reclaiming its position as one of the world’s great upscale shopping districts.
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The Beatles, New York and me
As a rabid first generation Beatles fan and a native New Yorker, I was witness to the relationship between the “Fab Four” and New York City.
Join me as we tour the places associated with The Beatles both as a band and as solo artists.
Stops include: