Vintage 1970s Photos Show Lost Sites of NYC's Lower East Side
A quest to find his grandmother's birthplace led Richard Marc Sakols on a mission to capture his changing neighborhood on film.
Drink espresso and cappuccino in the birthplace of NYC’s coffee industry, ride through the very first subway station, uncover the untapped side of Central Park, and find more ways to explore NYC at one of our Untapped New York events! You can see what’s happening this week below. Don’t forget, Untapped New York Insiders get $5 off any Untapped New York public walking tour, like this weekend’s tour of gritty old Times Square!
Remnants of Gritty Old Times Square
Join photographer John Lazzaro for a virtual journey through the ruins of New York’s Hudson Valley region! In this live, online talk, Lazzaro will show images of a 1920s estate left to be overtaken by nature, a defunct homeless shelter, a former correctional facility, and more abandoned sites! This talk is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to exclusive members-only experiences, both in-person and online, as well as our archive of over 200+ on-demand webinars!
Climb to the top of one of the world’s tallest cathedrals on a member-exclusive tour that features a stop where you can admire the work of master engineer Rafael Guastavino! On this tour, Untapped New York Insiders will climb up 12 stories to see stained-glass windows up close and explore the engineering that holds up this masonry marvel. The experience will end with stunning views of the skyline of Manhattan!
Use a subway car as your own personal time machine as you travel through abandoned stations and trace the evolution of the transit system from its earliest days to the present. Along the way, uncover hidden art installations. forgotten passageways, and quirky historical anecdotes.
Take a tour of the stunning Fabbri Mansion, once home to Edith and her husband, the Italian Count Ernesto Fabbri with Untapped New York Insiders! Inside, you’ll see a custom-built library made with a wood ceiling and paneling from a 17th-century Italian palace, locate a hidden passageway, and see the Fabbri’s collection of original Italian Renaissance and Baroque furnishings and architectural elements. This tour is open to Untapped New York Insider!
Join Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers for a short stroll along the boardwalk before heading to the Coney Brewery for a behind-the-scenes tour. You’ll see how the brews are made and get to sample some for yourself! This experience is open to Untapped New York Insiders.
Join one of our brand-new Rediscover Your City tours! This tour series is designed specifically for local New Yorkers to show you a side of NYC you never knew existed. Uncover a hidden navigational system using the park’s lampposts, see a hidden artifact with a closely guarded location, and uncover more hidden gems!
Explore the birthplace of NYC’s coffee industry as you sip espresso from the first cafe in the city to have an espresso machine, sample drip coffee and a cappuccino, and munch on chocolate-covered coffee beans!
Learn about the largest sex emporium in New York City (and maybe the world), the freak show where Diane Arbus found her inspiration, as well as the last remaining hot sheet hotel and live peep show in Times Square!
See the opulent homes of NYC’s Gilded Age elite and learn about fabulous and scandalous goings-on that took place inside, from costume balls to scandalous slights. As you stroll along New York City’s famous Fifth Ave, you’ll view images of the lost estates of families like the Vanderbilts, and see those mansions that still stand today.
Find out the secret hiding beneath the iconic clock of Grand Central Terminal, locate remnants of a lost theater, peek into the hidden tennis courts, and uncover more secrets on this tour which runs every day of the week!
Get a preview of NYC events in the fall of 2023 and the year ahead with the editor of An Almanac of New York City for the Year 2024 Susan Gail Johnson! Discover quintessential and little-known New York happenings in all five boroughs like the NYC Winter Jazzfest and the Candlelight Ghost Tour, plus learn fascinating nuggets of NYC history
and hear about surprising discoveries Johnson made while researching the book. This virtual talk is free for Untapped New York Insider!
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.
Check out all of our NYC walking tours here!
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