Every week Untapped Cities offers a variety of different opportunities to explore New York City! Whether uncovering the secrets of an iconic landmark, seeing a show, or discovering a new location, you are sure to learn something new on an Untapped Cities experience. Here are the tours and events happening this week:

Tuesday, October 9th

New York City’s Secrets and Lies

Photograph by Carly Hoogendyk, Courtesy of Caveat 

Can you tell the difference between a secret and a lie when it comes to New York City history? Five expert storytellers are back at Caveat on October 9th for New York City’s Secrets and Lies, to dazzle you with tales from the mob, underwater sea creatures, high society fashion, and partying with punk bands. All of the stories are true except for one. If you can identify the lie, you’ll be in the running to win a fantastic prize from Untapped Cities!

If you are or become an Untapped Cities Insiders, you can attend this event for free!

Wednesday, October 10th

Oculus Committee Book Talk, an Archtober Event

Photograph Courtesy of the Center for Architecture

Each month, the AIANY Oculus Committee presents a book talk that highlights a recent publication on architecture, design, or the built environment – presented by the author. Oculus Book Talks are a forum for dialogue and discussion, and copies of the publications are available for sale and signing. October’s book talk will feature Martin Filler, author of the Makers of Modern Architecture series, who will discuss the latest installment, Makers of Modern Architecture, Volume III: From Antoni Gaudí to Maya Lin (Penguin Random House, 2018). This talk is part of Archtober, a month long series of events celebrating design and architecture in New York City.

If you are or become an Untapped Cities Insiders, you can attend this event for free!

Thursday, October 11th

Go Inside Grant’s Tomb at the General Grant National Memorial

While you might expect a former president and war general to be buried at Arlington or in D.C., after much debate, 18th American President and Civil War general, Ulysses S. Grant Grant was laid to rest in this monumental structure right here in New York City, at the northern end of Riverside Park overlooking the Hudson River. On this visit to the General Grant National Memorial, guess will view a 20-minute film on the life of Ulysses S. Grant inside the visitor’s center and then go inside the grand mausoleum on a National Parks Service ranger guided tour.

You can join this tour if you are or become an Untapped Cities Insider. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today and access free off-limits tours and events in New York City.

Saturday, October 13th

Secrets of Central Park Walking Tour

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Hear about the massive civic project that transformed a wasteland into an urban pleasure ground
  • Learn about the curious origins of the Central Park Zoo and the corruption scandal that caused a riot
  • Uncover the hidden meaning in Bethesda Terrace’s sculptures and the forbidden love that inspired the park’s most famous statue
  • See the secret bolt left behind from the creation of Manhattan’s street grid
  • Discover the secret navigational device that keeps pedestrians from getting lost on the park’s winding paths

Secrets of Central Park Walking Tou

Tour NYC’s Masonic Hall and Grand Lodge Building

Explore the Masonic Hall’s extravagantly restored event spaces which each boasts a different and unique style. The room designs range from the quaint, French-styled Gothic Room to the impressive 1,000 seat, Grand Lodge Room, which contains a ceiling made of Tiffany stained glass, hand carved moldings and 54,000 sheets of Dutch metal gold leaf. The historic Masonic Hall, which spans an entire city block in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, has been in continuous operation since 1873. Home to many prominent Masons and influential leaders since the 19th century, today, the two buildings that make up the hall house tenants and the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, as well as the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum.

You can join this free tour if you are or become an Untapped Cities Insider!

Free Walking Tour of Domino Park

New Domino Park with Domino Refinery in behind. Photo by Daniel Levin

In 2004, after 148 years of operation, the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, closed and the public has since reclaimed the waterfront access once blocked by the 90,000-square-foot industrial complex. The newly opened Domino Park pays tribute to the area’s industrial past while offering a vibrant new outdoor space for the community to enjoy. On this tour, explore this new public space while uncovering the history of Williamsburg, from how it’s original layout was shaped, through its industrial boom to the future of the Refinery building.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Stroll along Domino Park’s elevated walkway
  • Learn the history of the Domino Sugar Factory building and the sugar refining process
  • See leftover artifacts from the refinery including a 36-foot tall syrup tank
  • Find out what’s in store for the future of the refinery building
  • Take in panoramic views of the East River from the 1200 foot-long​ waterfront esplanade

Sunday, October 14th

The 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 our newest tour, author, playwright and Untapped Cities’ tour guide Justin Rivers will not only unpack the history behind the Brooklyn Bridge, but also explore its many hidden secrets. Our unique walking tour will give you a whole new appreciation for one of New York’s most iconic landmarks.

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 TourTour the Remnants of the World’s Fairs at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park has lived many lives from marshy tidal wetlands to an early 20th Century ash dump, to the site of not one, but two World’s Fairs. This tour explores the past, present, and future of this 900 acre park which was an obsession of the late “Master Builder,” Robert Moses. Join playwright, author, and Untapped Cities Tour guide, Justin Rivers as he leads you on a journey through Flushing Meadows’ many treasures including hidden time capsules, the Fountain of the Planets, the Unisphere, and the historic New York State Pavilion.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Discover the hidden-in-plain-sight remnants of the 1939/40 and 1964/65 World’s Fairs with playwright and Untapped Cities tour guide, Justin Rivers
  • Visit the monument to a 5000-year time capsule
  • View the original guidebooks from each of the World’s Fairs
  • Get a comprehensive history of the past, present, and future of Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, with Insider information from our partners involved with the preservation of the New York State Pavilion
  • Each guest will receive reproductions of World’s Fair Maps from both 1939 and 1964

See our full lists of upcoming public tours and Untapped Cities Insider events!