Get an exclusive look inside the cathedral-like lobby of the Woolworth Building, learn about the hidden champagne vaults inside the Brooklyn Bridge, unpack the history of Williamsburg and more on an Untapped Cities tour this week!
Tuesday, July 24th
Special Access Tour of the Woolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is one of New York City’s most famous off-limits landmarks. Though its cathedral-like interior of glass and marble is landmarked, security concerns after 9/11 rendered it closed to the public unless you lived or worked in the skyscraper, once the tallest in the world. This one hour, Special Access Tour of the Woolworth Building you will not only visit the stunning lobby but also the mezzanine where you can see the stunning mosaic tiled ceiling up close, and the cellar level where the bank vault still stands. You will get a complete picture of the engineering feat and aesthetic masterpiece that the skyscraper is.
Hear the unauthorized life story, as told by In Polite Company, at Caveat’s Robert Moses vs. Everybody. This show is part of Caveat’s ever changing line-up of intelligent nightlife hosted at a Lower East Side speakeasy. Robert Moses vs. Everybody will examine the life of NYC’s Master Builder “through the lens of regular, uninformed citizens whose only citations are word-of-mouth, slander, and plain ol’ run-of-the-mill gossip.”
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Thursday, July 26th
From Grit to Hip, a Walking Tour of Williamsburg
Photograph by Sofia Andrade A. Cirino
Williamsburg more than any other neighborhood in the world is unique because it took the three things most unlike each other, industry, art, and unabashed commercialism and made them live together under one big bridge. This tour will examine the layers of Williamsburg that come together to form an unlikely synthesis of industry, art, grit, and hip. This neighborhood tour was developed in partnership with the Wythe Hotel which is located in a 1901 factory building on the Williamsburg waterfront.
Discover Why Your Train is F*cked at the third installment of this Caveat series on the history of the MTA. At each show, hosts Meg Pierson and Justin Williams, with the help of a ghost writer who is an actual MTA employee, unravel all the ways your train can get messed up. The topic of this month’s show is signal problems. Pierson and Williams will also be joined by special guests: “busker” Pinc Louds and “passenger of note” Tyler Green, the founder of Transit Techies who just finished riding the MTA to every single stop!
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Saturday, July 28th
Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour
Beyond the Brooklyn Bridge’s stately exterior lies an epic origin story. Now over 130 years old, the granite and limestone structure has dazzled both tourists and residents alike. On our Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour your guide will not only unpack the history behind the Brooklyn Bridge, but also explore its many hidden secrets. This unique tour will give you a whole new appreciation for one of New York’s most iconic landmarks.
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. On this tour, 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. 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.
Using the 6 train as your own ten-car time machine, ride through the history of the NYC subway system from 1901 to the present. Along the way, see abandoned ghost stations that 4, 5, and 6 riders unknowingly pass through everyday! Plus, hear stories about the system triumphs and trials, like the comically short route of the mythical “Subway before the Subway,” Alfred Ely Beach’s Pneumatic Transit System
Secret Central Park Scavenger Hunt by the Museum of the City of New York
Grab your phone and assemble a team (or go at it alone) for The Museum of the City of New York’s Secret Central Park Scavenger Hunt. Participants will race to match historic images of the park to their present-day locations using the Urban Archive smartphone app. After you’ve uncovered all the clues, meet back at the Museum terrace for light refreshments and an awards ceremony.
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Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island 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 a unique 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.
Did you know that Central Park was once the site of a former African-American village? Or that it was previously home to an infamous casino, where alcohol flowed throughout the Prohibition? For almost 160 years, Central Park has been the green heart of the city, serving as a pastoral haven for New Yorkers and visitors alike. Even so, it still holds many secrets that have yet to be discovered.
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
