Hear from an author and map designer who has been creating maps of the NYC subway, officially and unofficially, for over forty years!
A new street art hotspot has some unconventional holiday decorations!
From giant menorah lightings to New Year's Day hikes, check out our picks for how to spend the holidays in NYC!
Summer is almost here and Untapped New York’s expert-led walking tours give you the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the warm weather! Soak up the sun as you explore the Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue, journey through the different areas of Governors Island, and uncover hidden gems at one of New York City’s most famous landmarks, Rockefeller Center.
Secrets of Rockefeller Center
As an Untapped New York Insider, you have access to even more eye-opening experiences! This June, Insiders will step inside the stunning Gould Memorial Library, enjoy food samples from the Brooklyn and Uptown Night Markets, venture to the abandoned Civil War-era structures at Fort Totten Park, and more! These experiences are members-only events. Insiders also save $5 off Untapped New York’s public walking tours. Become an Insider today and get your first month free with code JOINUS!
Do you have photos from an Untapped New York tour? Send them to us at contact@untappedcities.com and you may be featured on our website or social media channels! You can also tag us @untappedny on Instagram. See the list below for all our upcoming experiences in June!
See rare and antique printing machines in action as you explore Thornwillow Press, a fine book publisher in New York’s Hudson Valley. Founder Luke Pontifell will guide viewers through the process of creating a book, from printing to binding and every step in between! This exclusive virtual tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider? Become a member today and get your first month free with code JOINUS.
Venture deep below the streets of New York City to explore the subterranean transit system. Starting at the very beginning, you’ll trace the evolution of the subway from opening day to the present. Along the way, you’ll discover hidden symbols in subway art, ride through abandoned stations, and see a side of the subway you never knew about. This tour runs every Monday through Saturday!
Walk the same street grid laid out by the Dutch colonists as you search for the physical remnants of Manhattan’s first European settlement! You’ll get to literally touch history when you discover the oldest fence in New York City, the ruins of an 18th-century wall, and more. On this tour, you’ll navigate one of New York City’s largest landmarks, the Dutch street grid which still gives shape to Lower Manhattan.
Discover trap doors, hidden underground art, and the most luxurious bathrooms in NYC on this members-only tour of the famous green space behind the New York Public Library! This tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Get your first month free with code JOINUS when you sign up today!
On this tour, you’ll uncover the hidden gems of one of NYC’s most popular landmarks. Walk through a lobby covered in gold, find out where there is a sterling silver model airplane made by the Cartier, and peer into a secret portal that ceremoniously marks the completion of Rockefeller Center’s construction (and is signed by John D. Rockefeller himself). These NYC walking tours are offered every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Join the Gotham Center for a fascinating discussion on the little-known Revolutionary War sites in New York City! In this interview, which will take place inside the New York City Fire Museum, you’ll hear about forgotten figures of the war and stories that often get overlooked. You’ll also have time to explore the museum’s new exhibit on Colonial firefighting! This event is free for Untapped New York Insiders! Not a member yet? Get your first month free with code JOINUS when you sign up today.
Virtually visit the sculpture workshop of New York City artist Joe Reginella on this live behind-the-scenes tour for Untapped New York Insiders! In this experience, Reginella will show us around his Staten Island studio and give us a glimpse of what goes into making his whimsical sculptures. You’ll see images of past art pieces he’s created, and find out what is in the works now!
Eat your way through the Uptown Night Market on a guided tour of the food festival! As you are guided through the market, you’ll meet the proprietors of local businesses and sample their culinary selections. Attendees will get to try bites from Humos NY, Sassy Fishcakes, Nadas NYC, Lechon Bae, Cuzin Duzin, and Perros Locos NYC! This event is $10 for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Get your first month free with code JOINUS
Continue to indulge in the foods of NYC on an expert-led tour of NYC’s famous ethnic enclaves. As you walk through these well know neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan, you’ll discover little-known stories and architectural gems. Your guide, longtime Lower East Side resident Richard Soden, will take you to food establishments with the most delicious Chinese, Italian, and Jewish delicacies.
Get your caffeine fix while exploring the birthplace of NYC’s coffee industry! You’ll get to sip on a cappuccino from the city’s oldest cafe, munch on chocolate-covered coffee beans, see Manhattan’s first espresso machine, and more!
On this tour led by a Save Ellis Island docent, you’ll don a hard hat and enter the abandoned hospital complex on the island’s south side. Once the standard for United States medical care, the facility was later transformed into a US Coast Guard base and an FBI detention center. This exclusive behind-the-scenes tour will take you into areas usually off limits to the public including the laundry building, contagious disease wards, autopsy room, and more! As you explore, you will see larger-than-life images of immigrants pasted on the walls, part of artist JR’s exhibition, “Unframed- Ellis Island.” This tour is offered every Saturday and select Sundays.
Stroll alongside the stunning Victorian mansions of Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood! As you walk the charming tree-lined streets, you’ll see a private tennis club from 1889, visit small historic districts, and learn why these magnificent homes constructed by 19th-century developers broke away from the Brooklyn brownstone mold.
Peek into abandoned stations as you travel through the Brooklyn subway system on this underground tour! On this tour, you’ll see where Michael Jackson shot his iconic music video for Bad (and practice your moonwalk if you want!), see the design of Brooklyn’s oldest subway station, visit the highest rapid transit station in the world, and more!
The Gould Memorial Library on the campus of Bronx Community College is considered a masterpiece of noted 19th-century architect Stanford White. On this Insiders-exclusive tour led by White’s great-grandson, architect Samuel White, you’ll step inside the awe-inspiring rotunda to admire the building’s soaring skylight, Tiffany stained glass, towering columns, and ingenious design. You’ll also head outside to walk through the Hall of Great Americans where busts of famous figures from history reside. This tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders!
The Great Fire of 1835 was a momentous occasion that reshaped Lower Manhattan. On this walking tour led by Burning Gotham creator James Scully, you’ll revisit 1830s NYC to uncover sites and stories surrounding the tragic event. Scully will share how these true stories inspired the characters and events of his radio drama, Burning Gotham. This event is free for Untapped New York Insiders!
Walk through the unfinished Civil War-era structures left along the Queens waterfront on a ranger-guided tour of Fort Totten! This military site turned public park still bears the marks of its former lives. On this tour, you’ll get to visit the historic transport tunnel, torpedo magazines, the old Water Battery, the main magazine, and more. This tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders!
Walk across the span of New York City’s most famous bridge while you uncover its secrets! Learn about the hidden champagne vaults and Col War bunker that were found inside its anchorages, hear stories of the ill-fated family of engineers who designed the bridge, visit an abandoned park, see the location of America’s first White House, and more!
Nibble on pickles, knishes, and candy as you walk the historic streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side! With a longtime resident as your guide, you’ll learn about a time when the LES was the most densely populated district in the world, uncover art galleries, event spaces, restaurants, and other establishments that were once synagogues, stop by important Jewish landmarks, and more.
On this tour led by a trained naturalist and former National Park Service Ranger, you’ll unpack over 400 years of history while enjoying the scenic views and natural settings of Governors Island. Used by both Native Americans and Dutch settlers, Governors Island has undergone multiple transformations over the centuries. It hosted three different military fortifications and now serves as a hub of recreation, cultural arts, and climate research. Explore the ever-changing island and discover what lies ahead!
Stroll along Millionaire’s Row and see the opulent homes of New York City’s Gilded Age. On this tour, you’ll admire the magnificent homes that still exist, and see historical images of those that have been lost to time while listening to stories of the scandals that took place inside. At the end of tour, you’ll step inside one of these dazzling buildings and visit a hidden bookstore!
Be one of the first to step inside The Huron, a brand-new luxury condo complex on Brooklyn’s waterfront! On this construction tour, you’ll discover how Greenpoint‘s shipbuilding past inspired the design of this two-tower structure, learn about the creative amenity spaces, and admire the breathtaking waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline that sits just across the East River.
See installations by Yoko Ono, Louise Bourgeois, and Miles Greenberg inside a former 1920s taxi depot that is now an art gallery! Now on view at Faurschou New York is a captivating spring exhibit called Embrace The World From Within. On this guided tour of the galleries, you’ll learn about each piece and get an up-close look at the fascinating works of art. This tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders!
Let us take you back to the halcyon days when 42nd Street was the Deuce, Eighth Avenue was the Minnesota Strip, the Great White Way was a red light district, and the Crossroads of the World was XXX-rated. We will see former peepshows, grindhouses, adult bookstores, dive bars, hotsheet hotels, sex clubs, porno theaters, and massage parlors–not to mention all three locations of the New York Times on this tour of gritty Times Square!
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Patrick Bringley, your guide for this tour, worked as a museum guard in the Met for a decade. As you follow him through the galleries of priceless artifacts, you’ll hear stories of the museum’s hidden nooks and vast backstage spaces. Locate hidden traces of the Met’s 150-year history as you
peer into the eyes of a once-stolen Greek statue, find the tooth of Mary Magdalen in a Renaissance reliquary, and see the Met’s familiar masterpieces in a fascinating new light.
On this guided walk through the Brooklyn Night Market at Industry City, you’ll sample bites of cuisines from all over the work, made right here in New York City by local small business owners. Presented by MASC Hospitality Group, the Brooklyn Night Market highlights female, POC, immigrant, LGBTQIA-owned local businesses. In addition to a variety of food vendors, the Market will also feature live music and family-friendly activities! This event is $10 for Untapped New York Insiders!
Visit hidden tennis courts, spot a design flaw in the iconic main atrium space, find out where there’s a secret staircase, and uncover more secrets of NYC’s historic train terminal on this expert-led tour! You’ll trace the evolution of the station from its construction and golden age through its near demolition. This guided walking tour is offered every day of the week. If you’re an Untapped New York Insider, you can get $5 off our public walking tours!
Check out all of our NYC walking tours here!
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