Every week, Untapped Cities hosts a series of behind-the-scenes tours and special events designed to enlighten and entertained seasoned New Yorkers and visitors alike. This week, we welcome spring with the return of our popular Secrets of Central Park walking tour and our new tour, The Maritime History of New York City. Check out all of the ways you can explore New York City with Untapped Cities:
Monday, April 8th
Artists Resisting Gentrification at The Brooklyn Historical Society
Join a conversation on artists taking action at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Hear how artist, often deemed harbingers of gentrification and neighborhood rebranding, are taking charge of their communities’ future by bringing attention to economic pressures and pushing for protections for long-term residents. Speakers include Arts East NY Founder and Executive Director Catherine Green, author of How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood Peter Moskowitz, and artist William Powhida. You can attend this event for free if you are an Untapped Cities Insider. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and access to special events all year long!
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Tuesday, April 9th
Special Access Tour of the Woolworth BuildingÂ
Photograph by Jochen Enderlin
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Special Access inside the Woolworth Building, which is normally off-limits to the public
- Learn about the history of the building, how it was created and has been restored over the years
- Visit the spectacular “cathedral-esque” lobby and mezzanine of the building, nicknamed the “Cathedral of Commerce”
- Explore the cellar level where you will see an abandoned bank vault and entrances that once had direct access to the NYC subway
- Contemplate many Art Deco details including the gorgeous mailboxes and elevators
Insider Tour of the Woolworth Building
Wednesday, March 10th
New York City’s Secrets and Lies Presented by CaveatÂ
Photograph by Carly Hoogendyk, Courtesy of CaveatÂ
Can you tell the difference between a secret and a lie when it involves New York City history? This month, five talent storytellers are spinning tales about money. Corruption! Extortion! Bribery! Organized crime! Greed! As you are dazzled with secrets of our shining city’s past, there’s a catch: one of the storytellers has completely fabricated their story. Can you spot the lie that’s just too scandalous to be true? If so, there is a big, beautiful prize with your name on it from Untapped Cities. You can attend this event for free if you are an Untapped Cities Insider. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and access to special events all year long!
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Saturday, April 13th
Tour of NYC’s Maritime HistoryÂ
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Explore the early Dutch era maritime history through the stories of infamous sea captains Adrian Block and William Kidd
- Walk the less-charted trail along the historic east side slips including Old Slip and Coenties
- Learn about New York’s old buried ships on both the Hudson and East River shores and New York’s old floating churches
- Discover other related sites including the International Merchant Marine Building, The Cunard Building, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House and a stop at the stunning Merchant Marine Memorial by the historic Pier A building
- Visit South Street Seaport for the history of this unique museum, its historic ships and unparalleled views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline
Tour of NYC’s Maritime History
Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central TerminalÂ
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Learn about the secrets of one of NYC’s most iconic buildings
- See Grand Central’s hidden tennis courts
- Peek into the entrance of the glass walkways
- Learn about the design flaw as large as Grand Central Terminal’s main atrium
- Discover a multi-million dollars jewel hidden in plain sight and more!
Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal
Underground Tour of the NYC Subway
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Explore City Hall Park as the birthplace of the NYC subway system, including elements of the famed, decommissioned City Hall Station you can see right in the park
- Learn about the comically short route of the mythical “Subway before the Subway,” Alfred Ely Beach’s Pneumatic Transit System
- See the architectural ghosts of the now nearly forgotten, and partially abandoned, Chambers Street station then nicknamed the “Grand Central of Downtown”
- Use the 6 train as your own time machine as you ride through abandoned subway stations
- Discover the remnants of Union Station as you learn about a hidden art installation thousands of riders walk by everyday
Underground Tour of the NYC Subway
Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital Â
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
Sunday, April 14th
Secrets of Central Park
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 Tour
Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Walk the city’s original coast line
- See the remains of Manhattan’s first City Hall
- Discover the original Dutch fort, wind mill and battery
- Trace the streets of Manhattan in 1667 with Manhattan’s first map in hand
- Physically touch history as we spend time finding out why Bowling Green has its name and why it’s been so important in our city’s history
Tour of The Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam
