Uncover the seedy past of Times Square, learn about secret chambers beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, eat your way through the Lower East Side, and find more ways to explore NYC this week! Don’t forget, Untapped New York Insiders get $5 off any Untapped New York public walking tours, plus access to member-exclusive in-person and virtual events.
Gritty Old Times Square Tour
Wednesday, October 18th – Immigrant Family Names and How They Changed
Join the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation for a deep dive into their archives to uncover how and why immigrant family names were changed during the immigration process. It’s likely not how you think! In this virtual talk, you’ll also see rare footage inside some of the abandoned structures of Ellis Island in a short film by Aaron Asis. This talk is free and open to the public! Gain access to member-exclusive virtual events and our archive of more than 200 on-demand webinars as an Untapped New York Insider! Use code JOINUS for your first month free.
Thursday, October 19th – Explore the Hidden Gems of Grand Central Terminal
Peer into hidden tennis courts, find out what’s hiding beneath the iconic clock at the center of the main concourse, locate remnants of a lost movie theater, visit an office-turned-speakeasy, and uncover more secrets of this historic train terminal! This tour is offered every day of the week!
Friday, October 20th – See Views from the Roof of the Historic Hotel Belleclaire
Explore the very first major New York City buildings designed by Emery Roth on a tour of his Upper West Side buildings with his great-granddaughter, Robyn Roth-Moise! Robyn will join Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers for a short visit to The Saxony and other nearby buildings, before heading to Hotel Belleclaire where you will meet with the hotel’s manager for a behind-the-scenes tour. Guests will get to enter newly renovated suites and admire views of Manhattan from the roof. You’ll end the tour by toasting with a complimentary drink in the brand-new bar, Allure! Can’t make it in person? Livestream this tour for free!
Friday, October 20th – Underground Subway Tour
Use a subway car as your own personal time machine as you travel through abandoned stations and trace the evolution of the transit system from its earliest days to the present. Along the way, uncover hidden art installations. forgotten passageways, and quirky historical anecdotes. This tour runs every day, Monday through Saturday!
Saturday, October 21st – Secrets of the Lower East Side Tour & Tasting
Eat your way through the Lower East Side as you explore historic synagogues repurposed into art galleries, churches, and event spaces as well as bathhouses, restaurants, movie theaters, and more. While uncovering the history of Jewish Immigration in the area and learning about tenement life, you’ll see significant Lower East Side landmarks including the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the Jarmulowsky Bank, Forwards Building, and old Old Loew’s movie theater, and munch on delicious snacks!
Saturday, October 21st – Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Tour
Walk across the iconic span of NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge as you hear stories of the bridge’s hidden Cold War fallout shelter, secret champagne vaults, and more. You’ll be introduced to the allegedly cursed family of engineers who built the bridge and see a side of this landmark you never knew existed.
Saturday, October 21st – Tour the Abandoned Hospital at Ellis Island
This hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital on Ellis Island will take you into areas that are usually off-limits to the public. You’ll step inside a dormant laundry facility where large machinery remains, see the autopsy room which became a renowned teaching facility where medical professionals and students would watch demonstrations, and see the larger-than-life images of immigrants pasted on the walls in an art installation by JR.
Sunday, October 22nd – Revisit NYC’s Former Red Light District in Times Square
Travel back in time to the days when 42nd Street was the Deuce, Eighth Avenue was the Minnesota Strip, and the Great White Way was a red-light district! On this tour, your expert guide will lead you to relics of Times Square’s seedy past as an XXX-rated red-light district. Hidden in the shadows of the bright, Disney-fied theaters, you’ll find remnants of former peepshows, grindhouses, dive bars, hotsheet hotels, and all three locations of the New York Times.
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Check out all of our NYC walking tours here!