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Image from Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress
While the Bomb Cyclone is keeping most of us indoors today, there are plenty of fun activities taking place throughout the winter. Come explore New York City with us (while still keeping warm)! Here are a few of our indoor tours, offering layers of city secrets and refuge from the cold.
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
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.
On our tour of the Remnants of Penn Stationn, 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
The New York City subway system is the largest in the world and with hundreds of art installations scattered throughout its 430 stations, it’s also one of the world’s largest public art galleries. Join Untapped Cities tour guide Justin Rivers as he takes you on an in-depth tour of the subway art tapestry, weaved together to tell the complete history of the NYC commuter from Fulton’s first steamboat to the newly minted Second Avenue subway riders. Co-conceptualized by artist Aaron Asis, it’s a perfect compliment to our popular Underground Subway Tour or a fun stand alone for art, history and subway lovers alike. Explore the hidden terra cotta tiles in Fulton Center, the anticipated new art in the Second Avenue subway stations and learn about how an artist framed the 14th Street Union Square station to preserve its history.
Behind-the-Scenes Tour of NYC Subway Art
We’re excited to offer this Untapped Cities-exclusive tour of the normally off-limits Woolworth Building led by building architect Cass Gilbert’s great granddaughter, Helen Post Curry, who runs the Woolworth Building tours. Cass Gilbert was Curry’s paternal great grandfather and she began running tours in the Woolworth Building on the 100th anniversary of the landmark. 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.
Learn about the History of the Building, how it was created and restored over the years. Visit the spectacular “cathedral-esque” lobby of the building nicknamed the “Cathedral of Commerce,” and explore the cellar level where you will see an abandoned bank vault.
VIP Tour of the Woolworth Building
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