From the islands of New York harbor to the depths of the subway system, Untapped Cities’ behind-the-scenes tours show you a new side of New York City. This week, discover the history of Governors Island and see how it has been renovated for modern leisure, gain exclusive entry into spectacular interiors like the lobby of the Woolworth Building and the Stanford White designed Players club on Gramercy Park and see all of the ways you can rediscover your city with us this week!
Learn about the history of the Club and its members
Visit the room in which actors met secretly in 1913 to form the Actors Equity Association, and walk inside Edwin Booth’s bedroom, where you can find the skull that was used in his famous 100 consecutive performances of Hamlet
Visit the Hampden-Booth Theatre Library, which contains a vital collection of books, plays, theatre magazines and other artifacts of 19th and early 20th century American and British theatre history
View the Players Club’s impressive art collections, including portraits by Everett Raymond Kinstler, Edwin’s theater costumes, and more
Discover the island’s early history, from Henry Hudson to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. Governors Island was actually the first true New Amsterdam!
Find out how the Dutch used the island in the 1600’s and the complications encountered with the natives.
Learn the military history of the Island’s 3 forts, military housing and administration buildings. Governors Island was the longest running military base in U.S. history, from 1794 to 1996. Fort Jay and Castle Williams specifically hold many secrets that will be revealed on this tour!
See the present and future of the Island awhile traversing the beautiful gardens cared for by the Trust for Governors Island and learning about the sustainable efforts of new organizations that call the 172-acre park home.
Explore the Hills! The Hills were designed by a Dutch firm in 2016 and provide sweeping views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and lower Manhattan.
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
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
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
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
Photograph by Jochen Enderlin
