Uncover the history of NYC's confetti-covered parades that have been running since the 1880s!
It’s been 36 years since the release of The Big Lebowski, the irreverent cult comedy by Joel and Ethan
Find exciting new ways to rediscover your city with Untapped New York tours and events!
Untapped Cities is excited to announce our August lineup of special events for Untapped Cities Insiders. Every month, Insiders get to explore New York City through free, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours and exciting events hosted by the city’s leading cultural institutions, like our partners at the New York Public Library, The Museum of the City of New York and the Brooklyn Historical Society. Recently, Insiders explored the home and studio of renowned sculptor Chaim Gross, got an inside look at exhibits at The New-York Historical Society and the newly opened Poster House, and went inside some of the luxurious and historic apartments of the Upper West Side. In August, upcoming events include a visit to the home of New York City’s Mayor, an in-depth look at the collections of the Morgan Library & Museum and Library for the Performing Arts, a VIP night at races and more! New events are constantly added, so keep an eye on our member events page. You can join the next Insiders adventure by becoming a member today.
Photograph Courtesy of MoFE
Untapped Cities Insiders can enter our members-only raffle to win a free pair of tickets (a $100 value), and save 20% on tickets to The Museum of Future Experiences’ mind-bending virtual reality experience. Blending virtual reality, psychology and immersive theater, the company’s first experience is a 60-minute cerebral exploration and it takes place inside the former SoHo loft of renowned artist Andy Warhol. The contest will end on August 16th and two winners be announced and contacted by email on August 17th. The tickets can be used for any show until the end of the run on August 30th, pending availability.
Enter and get your savings code here!
Render © CetraRuddy
Go behind closed doors to see how Fotografiska New York will inspire a more conscious world through the power of photography. Insiders are invited to grab a hard hat and explore Fotografiska’s new location at 281 Park Ave. South, a building constructed originally as the Church Missions House in 1894, while it is still under construction. Discover how a cultural venue that’s neither an ordinary museum nor a gallery plans to immerse visitors in a diverse range of artists, perspectives and photographic mediums, from world-famous photographers to rising talent. You will even get to take some photographs yourself thanks to Fotografiska’s partner Fujifilm who will provide Fujifilm INSTAX® instant cameras for you to take on the tour!
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Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library
This year the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library celebrates its 75th anniversary. To honor this occasion, the division is hosting a brand new exhibition, Archive in Motion: 75 Years of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The exhibition charts the division’s history and the establishment of international dance archival practices through the display of significant items from its collections. Untapped Cities Insiders are invited to get an inside look at the items on display which have been pulled from the largest and most comprehensive archive in the world devoted to the documentation of dance. Insiders will be guided by Linda Murray, the curator of both the exhibition and head of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, who will share her insider knowledge!
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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons, Jim.henderson
This summer, Gracie Mansion is opening its doors to let the public have a glimpse of life inside. Untapped Cities Insiders are invited to join a members-only tour of the home of New York City’s Mayor where you will learn about the history of the house and visit rooms such as the dining room, ballroom, various parlors, the library, and more! In addition to this access, Insiders will also get to a new installation, She Persists: A Century of Women Artists in New York. The installation consists of sixty works of art tell which tell powerful stories about the persistence of women and were created in the last century by women who were often uncelebrated and undervalued.
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Explore the historic Temple Emanu-El sanctuary and museum. When it was built in 1927, the stunning Temple Emanu-El was the largest synagogue in the world. Designed by Jewish architects in a bold Romanesque-revival style, the stately structure seats more people than St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In addition to learning about the beautifully ornate interiors of the sanctuary on a docent led tour, Insiders will also get to explore the artifacts housed inside the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica.
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Join members of the Center for Jewish History and Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Annie Polland, for a special evening celebrating the birthday of poet Emma Lazarus. Born on July 22, 1849, Lazarus is best known for writing The New Colossus, the poem emblazoned on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Friend to Ralph Waldo Emerson, cousin of Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo, Emma Lazarus grew up in a prominent Sephardic-Jewish family, was educated by private tutors, and called Union Square home. Our twilight tour will pass by the gorgeous brownstone home where she wrote her most famous poem, the art studios and publication houses of her literary friends, and the almost-hidden cemetery of her family’s congregation. Along the way, Annie Polland, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, will tell the story of this gifted and fascinating woman and the changing city that inspired and motivated her. We’ll end at the Center for Jewish History, where we’ll see Emma Lazarus’s handwritten manuscript of The New Colossus, and celebrate her life with birthday cake.
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Get an in-depth look at a unique remnant of the 1964/1965 World’s Fair, the giant Panorama of the City of New York, inside the Queens Museum! The Queens Museum itself is a remnant of the fairgrounds for the 1939/1940 and 1964/1965 World’s Fairs, it was one of only a few permanent structures built for the fair and is the only remaining structure left from 1939. At both fairs the building housed the New York City Pavilion. Join the museum’s Registrar and Archives Manager and resident World’s Fair expert Louise Weinberg for a talk that will reveal all of the fascinating stories of the museum’s past. After a brief Q&A, Insiders will go inside the gallery of the Panorama of the City of New York, a giant 3-D model of all five boroughs of New York City. The to scale diagram stretches 9,335 square feet and encompasses every single building, street, park and some 100 bridges constructed prior to 1992.
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Photograph Courtesy of NPS Photos
Visit the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans at the African Burial Ground National Memorial in Lower Manhattan. The historic burial ground was discovered in 1989 when an archaeological research excavation was conducted at the site in preparation for the construction of 290 Broadway. Thirty feet below the street level, archeologists unearthed the “Negroes Buriel Ground,” a 6-acre site that contained around 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York. It dates from the middle 1630s to 1795. This visit will include a film screening, self-guided tour of the indoor exhibits, and memorial talk at the outside monument.
REGISTRATION: Open now!
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Join exhibit curator Sal Robinson for a guided walkthrough of Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy inside The Morgan Library & Museum. On this visit, get an in-depth look at the items on display which include examples of Whitman’s personal letters, first editions of his most famous works, photographs, and paintings, posters, news clippings and related ephemera that paint a picture of New York City and America during Whitman’s time. This exhibit, which spans Whitman’s career from his humble beginnings on Long Island and in Brooklyn to his world-wide fame, celebrates the 200th anniversary of his birth.
REGISTRATION: Open now!
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Photograph Courtesy of LCOR
Constructed in 1902 by the renowned architectural firm Clinton & Russell, The Broad Exchange Building was once the largest office building in Manhattan. Untapped Cities Insiders are invited to tour the historic architectural elements of the building and its new renovations with Sales Manager Richard Sackmann. After serving as the headquarters of investment bank and stock brokerage firm Paine Webber for 70 years, the building has now been converted into condominiums. The exterior features historic architectural elements such as ornate terra-cotta medallions, Greek figures and floral ornaments punctuated by Doric columns. On the interior, core elements of the building’s storied past have been preserved, including twin grand marble staircases, the lobby’s original ceiling, and a number of black porcelain chandeliers.
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Step into the colorful world of Amazon’s hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on a guided tour of The Paley Center for Media’s new interactive exhibition, Making Maisel Marvelous. On this tour, Insiders will see original costumes, set pieces, mood boards and more from the show which racked up 20 Emmy nominations this year. Try your hand at the telephone switchboard of B. Altman’s like Midge, step onto the set of the Arthritis Telethon where she made her television debut in front of enormous vintage RCA color television cameras, and pretend to be pampered in the hair salon of the Steiner Mountain Resort, a Borscht Belt summer destination Midge and her family visit in the show. In addition to immersing yourself in all things Mrs. Maisel, the tour will also include an overview of the history of the center and Bill Paley.
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Image Courtesy of Yonkers Raceway
Experience a behind-the-scenes tour like no other, as Yonkers Raceway at Empire City Casino opens its barn doors to Untapped Cities Insiders! After arriving on the 97-acre property, Insiders will enter the raceway’s legendary paddock where harness racing’s premier horses await their turn to claim victory on the 119-year old track. Get up-close-and-personal with these magnificent animals while hearing from a world-class driver and harness racing expert. You will even get some tips on how to bet on the ponies. Insiders will have exclusive viewing privileges from the private Drivers’ Building and the Winner’s Circle, offering views of the race like no other. We will all take a group photo with the winning horse and driver in the Winner’s Circle at the end of the tour.
Insiders are welcome to stay for the remaining races or head inside to try their luck on any of Empire City Casino’s more than 5,000 slot machines and electronic table games, enjoy free live music in the Entertainment Lounge, or stop by The Pub for one of their new and refreshing cocktails.
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Go inside the construction of Freshkills Park, the largest landfill-to-park project in the world. As the 2, 200 acre park is built gradually in phases, NYC Parks has offered Untapped Cities Members early access to visit sections of Freshkills Park that are currently closed to the public. The tour will provide a chance to go behind the scenes and discuss the topics that the park project addresses, including waste management and urban ecology.
Group tours visit publicly inaccessible parts of Freshkills Park, giving participants a behind-the-scenes look at park development. Group tours normally last one hour. All visitors need to sign an activity waiver.
REGISTRATION: Open now!
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