Rediscover New York City this week on a behind-the-scenes tour with Untapped Cities! Explore locations both infamous and obscure on our expert led tours. This week, gain access to a 19th century members-only social club, uncover the secrets of Grand Central Terminal, discover hidden pieces of art in the subway and more!

Wednesday, March 6th

Special Access Tour of the Members Only Players Club

Untapped Cities invites you on an exclusive insider tour of the Players Club on Gramercy Park, led by a Players Club docent. This members only social club was founded in 1889 by Edwin Booth, one the most renowned American actors of the 19th century, along with fifteen friends and colleagues including Mark Twain and General William T. Sherman. Today’s notable members include Jimmy Fallon, Ethan Hawke and Tommy Lee Jones, whose portraits hang in the club’s grand staircase.

On this tour, you’ll learn about the history of the club and step inside Edwin Booth’s bedroom, where you can find the skull that was used in his famous 100 consecutive performances of Hamlet. Also get a close look at Mark Twain’s poker table and 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.

Insider Tour of the Players Club on Gramercy Park

Saturday, March 9th

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Hospital

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

• 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

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital

Tour the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal

Take the time to appreciate all the wonders of Grand Central Terminal that you may miss on your hurried commute through this historic station. Hear tales of feuding architects, ingenuity, rejuvenation, secrets and surprises throughout the station nearly 150 years of history. On this tour, you will learn what the terminal was like during the booming age of the railroad, as a rundown embarrassment, and as a renovated jewel at the center of the city. Find out how this gorgeous Beaux Arts structure overcame a struggle to be saved and restored while seeing hidden treasures that you may never notice otherwise. From private tennis courts to a major flaw in the design of the main atrium, discover it all on this guided walking tour.

Tour of the Secrets of Grand Central Terminal

Sunday, March 10th

Underground Art in the Subway Tour

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

• Learn the secrets behind the much-loved brass figures at 14th Street and 8th Avenue
• See how an artist framed the 14th Street Union Square station to preserve its history
• Engage with a very playful art installation at 23rd Street
• See the forgotten terra cotta tiles in Fulton Center and learn about their history

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, put together to illuminate the often unseen art, history, and secrets that make the subway system the most playful gallery in the world. 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.

Behind-the-Scenes Tour of NYC Subway Art

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Hospital

The abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex—once the standard for United States medical care (and later transformed to the FBI headquarters when the island served as a detention center)—has been left to decay for nearly 60 years. Now, Untapped Cities is bringing you behind-the-scenes for

exploration of the abandoned facility; on this experience, you’ll visit the contagious disease wards, the autopsy rooms and have exclusive access to places usually closed to the public.

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital