Every week there is something new to discover with Untapped Cities. Our weekly behind-the-scenes tours and special Insider events are designed to show you another side of New York City. From an urban farm on Staten Island to the secret tunnels beneath Prospect Park, find out how you can explore with us this week:

Friday, September 6th

Ice Cream Tasting and Urban Farm Tour

Photographs Courtesy of Staten Island Urby

Urby and the historic Staten Island ice cream parlor Egger’s Ice Cream have just revealed their first collaboration: Green Dream, a one-of-a-kind homemade ice cream flavor available only at Eggers’ pop up location at Staten Island Urby. Made from ingredients grown at Staten Island Urby’s one-of-a-kind on-site 5,000 square foot urban farm and evolving throughout the season as new crops come to harvest, Green Dream is infused with bold flavors like basil and other micro-greens. If you are an Untapped Cities Insider, you can join us for a visit to tour will have the opportunity to tour Urby’s Rabbit’s Garden’s with current farmer-in-residence Olivia Gamber, and to taste the new ice cream. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free behind-the-scenes tours and special events all year long!

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Meet member Rabbit’s Garden farmer-in-residence Olivia Gambler and Egger’s Ice Cream Parlor owner Danielle Raleigh
  • Tour Rabbit’s Garden and learn about the process of creating the Green Dream ice cream flavor farm-to-freezer
  • Taste the Green Dream flavor set at an ice cream social
  • Bring home herbs from Rabbit’s Garden.

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Saturday, September 7th

Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal


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

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

Secrets from Below: Underground Tour of the NYC Subway!

Photograph by Jochen Enderlin

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

Tour of the Remnants of Penn Station

Penn Station-Vintage Photograph-McKim Mead White-Train Station-Remnants-Tour-NYCImage from Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: 

  • Get a comprehensive history of the past, present and future of Penn Station
  • See over a dozen indoor and outdoor old-station remnants hidden in plain sight
  • Learn insider navigation tips for one of the most cramped and complicated transit hubs in North America
  • See never-before-seen old station photos from the collections of three photographers who photo documented Penn’s life and demolition
  • Each guest will also receive a framable, reproduction ticket of the first commuter ride into Pennsylvania Station from 1910

Tour of the Remnants of Penn Station

Sunday, September 8th

Secrets of Prospect Park Walking Tour

Prospect Park, the pastoral oasis in the heart of Brooklyn, has been called a “masterpiece.” Created by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux (designers of Central Park), it is a sprawling haven of meadows, woods, and water. On this walking tour, we’ll explore the park’s highlights, learn about its design, hear stories of intriguing happenings in the park, and uncover its secrets.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Uncover the secrets and symbols of Grand Army Plaza, the monumental entrance to the park
  • Learn about the park’s ingenious design and the monumental task of transforming it from a wasteland into a pastoral haven
  • Hear about the secret tunnels beneath the park’s surface
  • Visit the once-idyllic garden that devolved into a symbol of the park’s decay (and is being restored to its former glory!)
  • Discover the innovative initiatives to combat storm damage and erosion, including recycling historic elements and employing a squadron of livestock
  • See the private cemetery within the park – home to a Hollywood legend
  • Stroll Brooklyn’s last remaining forest and discover Olmstead’s hidden tricks to enhance the woodland
  • Hear about mysterious happenings inside the park, including mystic rituals and supernatural park-goers

Secrets of Prospect Park

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