Maybe you are interested in seeing how the other half live and marveling at their posh residences and swanky hangouts. Maybe visiting the various outdoor art installations about the city is more your speed - discovering little known frescos or world famous sculptures. Or maybe you are more interested in seeing the locales associated with some of the most legendary scandals. Whatever you're into, there is a walking tour for you.
If, for instance you were to take a walking tour of Greenwich Village, you might learn how the Dutch settlers' agricultural habits in the 1600's influenced the curvy and meandering city blocks we know today. You might learn how an outbreak of yellow fever led to the construction of the colonial rowhouses or how the close quarters of Italian, Irish and German immigrants in combination with the establishment of NYU led to the bohemian atmosphere that the Village is famous for.
Are you really interested in structural design? If so then there are tours that explore the myriad of architectural styles here in NYC including: Romanesque, Classical, Baroque, Queen Ann, Gothic, Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Post Modern architecture. All of which can be seen in walking tours of different neighborhoods. There is a great tour of the Brooklyn Bridge that reveals how Emily Roebling, the world's first female engineer, and her family built the engineering marvel. There are even tours about the gargoyles in the city.
Speaking of gargoyles, perhaps you have a penchant for the macabre side of the city. If so, you might be interested in hearing of Nellie Bly's experiences as she went undercover as an inmate of the Bellevue Lunatic Asylum in the 1880's or the ghost stories and reported haunted places that influenced the writing of Edgar Allen Poe or Washington Irving. If you like that you would undoubtedly enjoy following in Harry Houdini's footsteps to see where his spiritualist investigations took him.
I joined an event this last week presented by The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation that revealed the theatrical influence of some of the Village's more noteworthy characters of the 1950's and 1960's. It was truly captivating to learn how some of these individuals got their start and how they were influenced by their cultural background and the neighborhoods in which they resided. It provided an entirely new perspective to a subject I was already quite interested in.
There are walking tours for any interest whether it is a literary walking tour that includes visiting some of the writers' favorite wateringholes or Broadway tours that share the secrets of the Great White Way or ethnic tours that explore the contributions of different ethnicities and how they have impacted the culture of New York City.
Walking tours are good exercise and a fun group or family activity. They are a great way to really get to know the city and you usually have a knowledgeable and friendly guide who can answer questions and who has insight into some of the more fascinating aspects of the city.
Here are some great sites to help you find the walking tour that's right for you.
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
http://www.gvshp.org/
New York City Talks & Walks
http://www.newyorktalksandwalks.com/
Big Onion Walking Tours
http://www.bigonion.com/
New York City Cultural Walking Tours
http://www.nycwalk.com/
Central Park Walking Tours
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/walking-tours.html
Insider Tips:
- Ask questions in advance: How long is the tour? How much walking in required (distance)? Is it all outdoors or are you visiting establishments as well?
- Find the tour that is right for you. There is a tour for practically every interest. Don't go on a tour of warehouses of the 1700's when what you really want to see are battlements of the Revolutionary War.
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Bring a bottle of water
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