Rediscover New York City this week on one of our behind-the-scenes tours! Untapped Cities tours offer a new perspective on iconic locations you may pass everyday and exclusive access to places that are off-limits to the public.

Wednesday, September 12th

Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Brooklyn Army Terminal


Untapped Cities is excited to bring back our behind the scenes tour of the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The 4 million square foot Terminal was originally a military supply base, has been repurposed as a commercial and industrial complex to provide affordable manufacturing space for local businesses. This tour will lead you through the stunning atrium (above, where freight trains once pulled in to directly unload supplies), new raw spaces in Building A, the food manufacturing hub in the annex, an enclosed bridgeway that has lain untouched for 40 years, and a rooftop. In addition, this visit will include stops at some of the manufacturing and art studios inside the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
If you are or become an Untapped Cities Insider, you can join this tour for free!
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Saturday, September 15th

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital


TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Explore the over 100-year-old contagious disease hospital, which has been abandoned since 1954
  • See an exhibition by the world-renowned artist JR, who has placed life-sized historic photographs of Ellis Island immigrants on interior walls of the hospital buildings
  • Visit the Laundry Building, where 3000+ pieces of laundry were washed and sanitized daily
  • Discover the kitchen, autopsy room and other usually off-limits places
  • Get special access inside the original morgue and long abandoned FBI offices

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital

Tour the Landmarked Staten Island Home of Photographer Alice Austen

Photo courtesy Alice Austen House by Floto + Warner, Clear Comfort, 2015,  © Floto + Warner

Alice Austen was one of America’s earliest and most prolific female photographers. Throughout the course of her life she captured nearly 8,000 images of subjects ranging from portraits and stills of home life in the Victorian era to early Manhattan street photography of immigrants and working class people at the turn of the twentieth century. Learn about Austen’s legacy by taking a docent led tour of her home, Clear Comfort, which contains a house museum and galleries, and attend the opening of a showcase of work from students of the Alice Austen House’s educational programs.
If you are or become an Untapped Cities Insider, you can join this event for free!
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Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour


Beyond the Brooklyn Bridge’s stately exterior lies an epic origin story. Now over 130 years old, the granite and limestone structure has dazzled both tourists and residents alike. On this tour, your guide will not only unpack the history behind the Brooklyn Bridge, but also explore its many hidden secrets.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Discover the Brooklyn Bridge’s secrets, including its old Cold War fall out shelter, the hidden champagne vaults, the bridge jumper survivor’s support group and so many others… *NOTE: we will not be going inside the shelter or vaults.*
  • See an abandoned park hidden in plain sight as you explore the perimeter of the Manhattan anchorages of the bridge
  • Uncover the hidden statue of the family of engineers who built the bridge
  • Locate the site of the nation’s first White House
  • Cross the bridge span, which offers one of the best vantage points in New York City

The Secrets of Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour

Sunday, September 16th

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital


The abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex—once the standard for United States medical care (and later transformed to the FBI headquarters when the island served as a detention center)—has been left to decay for nearly 60 years. Now, Untapped Cities is bringing you behind-the-scenes for a unique exploration of the abandoned facility; on this experience, you’ll visit the contagious disease wards, the autopsy rooms and have exclusive access to places usually closed to the public.
While Ellis Island has become one of New York City’s top tourist attractions, drawing over two million visitors per year, the 22-building South Side hospital complex is hidden in plain sight, just to the left of disembarking passengers headed towards the Great Hall. Looking at its desolate, skeletal frame now, it’s difficult to imagine its backstory as one of the largest public health undertakings in American history. Join us for our upcoming hard hat tour, guided by a Save Ellis Island docent, where we’ll uncover its many, buried secrets.
Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital

See our full lists of public tours and Insider events!