Hear from an author and map designer who has been creating maps of the NYC subway, officially and unofficially, for over forty years!
A new street art hotspot has some unconventional holiday decorations!
From giant menorah lightings to New Year's Day hikes, check out our picks for how to spend the holidays in NYC!
It’s our annual sale! To celebrate Thanksgiving, buy one get one ticket 50% off all Untapped New York Tours using code BLACKFRIDAY19. (Excluded is the 90 minute tour of the Woolworth Building). This is the only time of year that our tours will be on discount en masse, so take advantage of this deal for the holidays! The promo code will be valid until the end of the day on Monday, December 2nd and can be used on all Untapped New York public tours including the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal, our Underground Subway Tour, the Remnants of Penn Station, VIP Tour of the Woolworth Building, the Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Remnants of the World’s Fair, and more!
Also, in our newly redesigned shop, you can also buy a gift card for the urban explorer in your life or grab an autographed copy of our book Secret Brooklyn! (use code BLACKFRIDAY19 for free shipping on the book or on an Untapped tote bag!).
Experience the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere at Hudson Yards on opening day! Untapped New York readers will be among the first to experience it! Rising 1,100 feet above the street, extending out 80 feet from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards, Edge is a 7,500 square foot outdoor viewing platform that gives those daring enough to visit 360-degree views of New York City’s skyline. On opening day and opening weekend, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers will lead a walkthrough of Hudson Yards focused on the architecture and evolution of the area from an industrial rail yard to the largest real estate development in the world. The walking tour will end with a trip up to Edge where guests will take in the views and stay as long as they like. Be among the first to experience this exhilarating new attraction by booking your spot now! Limited space available.
Access The Edge Observation Deck and Tour of Hudson Yards
The story of Grand Central Terminal is that of New York City itself: the structure embodies the social, cultural, economic and technological evolution around it. It is one of great men, feuding architects, ingenuity, rejuvenation, secrets and surprises. On the tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal, we will tell you these stories – about what once was, what could have been, and what can be; about the struggle to save and restore Grand Central as a preserved icon of the past, and of challenge to ensure that it serves New York’s future.
We will show you what it was like in the booming age of the railroad, as a rundown embarrassment, and as a renovated jewel at the center of the city. Peek into the entrance of its glass walkways, locate lost armchairs, see its hidden tennis courts and learn about its backwards ceiling. Whether you pass through it every day on your morning commute or stroll through the Beaux Arts beauty for the first time, you are sure to leave having learned, seen, or experienced something new and extraordinary.
Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal
Didn’t make it to the 1939/40 or 1964/65 World’s Fairs? Well here’s your chance. This tour will uncover numerous remnants of both fairs, with a focus on the hidden time capsules, the Fountain of the Planets, the Unisphere, and the historic New York State Pavilion. And if you did attend back in the day, revisit the park and add color by telling us your story!
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 unnoticed treasures.
The tour ends at the Queens Museum where the New York Panorama, a 1964 World’s Fair remnant is on hand for viewing. It’s a must-see for any New Yorker or anyone visiting New York.
Tour the Remnants of the World’s Fairs at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
There are two things most commuters don’t realize about Penn: First, there used to be a gorgeous Beaux Arts station that was demolished in the mid-60’s. Second: Parts of that old station can still be found today. They’ve just been buried under the arena that landed on top of them.
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On our tour of the Remnants of Penn Station, we’ll take you back inside this central transportation hub to discuss the past, present and future plans for the structure. Although Amtrak only acknowledges one remnant remaining, tour participants will learn about station history and discover the indoor and outdoor remnants of the McKim, Mead & White building located in plain sight.
Tour of the Remnants of Penn Station
Take a ride through the living history of the world’s largest rapid transit system (in area) by weaving in and out of the past and present transit hubs of lower Manhattan. This unique tour is designed to give a comprehensive history of the NYC Subway system, from its groundbreaking in 1901 up through the creation of the three different proprietary lines which were unified into the system we know today. We’ll uncover information and learn about spaces even the most seasoned commuter might not know about.
This tour will stop in stations that are all open to the public. Using the 6 train as our own ten-car time machine, we will ride through and see three abandoned ghost stations that 4, 5, and 6 riders unknowingly pass through everyday: Worth Street, 18th Street and the famed City Hall Station. We will not stop inside these stations.
Underground Tour of the NYC Subway
Access the usually off-limits Woolworth Building on this exclusive tour led by building architect Cass Gilbert’s great granddaughter, Helen Post Curry. Cass Gilbert was Curry’s paternal great grandfather and as Curry says herself, “there are so many behind-the-scenes secrets about the Woolworth Building” and we’re excited to share them with you on this special, insiders tour. On this very special tour, guests will learn about the history of what was once the world’s tallest building, access it lobby, lower level and mezzanine. You will discover the Woolworth building’s many surprising features including its fireproofing, and how it got its nickname of the “Cathedral of Commerce”.
At first glance, it might seem like there’s not much left of Dutch New Amsterdam, but there’s much more than meets the eye. This includes the massive one hidden in plain sight: the original street grid embedded in lower Manhattan grid today. Discover the many hidden Dutch relics south of Wall Street, as you trace the streets of Manhattan in 1667. You’ll hear about New York’s founding myths and facts while standing in the very spots they all happened.
This tour of the Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam includes a walk of the city’s original cost line. Also see the remains of Manhattan’s first City Hall, discover the original Dutch fort and physically touch history.
Tour of The Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam
Peek behind the curtain of the Metropolitan Opera House and explore backstage areas that are not accessible to the general public. The Metropolitan Opera has been an institution since 1883 when its home was on 39th Street and Broadway. In 1966 the Met Opera moved into its current Wallace Harrison designed theater at Lincoln Center. The Met Opera House is the largest repertory opera House in the world, surpassing the Sydney Opera house seating capacity by thousands of occupants. The lobby alone is a stunning space, and the massive theater is breathtaking, but all of the magic is created backstage. On this backstage tour, guests will see first hand how the opera’s extravagant productions come to life in the buzzing backstage areas like the scenic and carpentry shops, the wig shop and costume shop.
Backstage Tour of the Metropolitan Opera
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