About us
OVERVIEW
This is a group for people either new to New York City, or have called the city home for awhile and are interested in discovering new neighborhoods and learning more about the city's fascinating history, architecture and culture. Most of our activities are professionally-guided walks of 3 - 5 miles within a NYC neighborhood that has distinct and unique qualities. They usually last from 2 to 4 hours. We sometimes have an optional social hour afterwards for a meal and/or a beverage at a local restaurant.
During the summer months we usually combine a walk with a free outdoor concert, often in the evenings. During the winter we'll have shorter outdoor walks coupled with a museum visit.
I also organize theme tours to add some spice and variety to honor holidays or famous New Yorkers. Our events are usually free with a voluntary donation which I do appreciate as I do spend time preparing and making sure that we have a high quality and memorable experience. When we have museum visits there may be an admission charge.
I started this group because I am a native New Yorker and have a successful dual career as a professional tour guide and real estate agent and I am affiliated with the prestigious Corcoran Group, which was started by pioneering entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran. I had a 25-year career as a social worker, including work in the South Bronx and throughout Brooklyn, and served on the teaching faculty of Columbia University, Fordham University, New School University, Hunter College and NYC Technical College.
I have a B.A, in English and a Master's Degree in Social Work, and have also been an exhibited visual artist with a focus on experimental and landscape photography. I love to introduce people to new neighborhoods and explore their past, present and future and also welcome the opportunity to learn from others. With the fast-pace of life here it is easy to overlook the hidden treasures and iconic buildings that we pass by every day. While I have a repertoire of touring a good 80 neighborhoods, I especially love Harlem (where I spent my formative years) due its many different areas, amazing history and beautiful architecture. Other favorites include the West Village, Lower Manhattan (where the City's history began), Flatiron/Gramercy, Upper West Side, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, Long Island City, the East Village and Washington Heights.
WAIVER OF LIABILITY
Your participation in the activities of Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods acknowledges that you are solely responsible for your own assessment of your abilities and your physical fitness and health to participate in that activity. You should also be physically fit and be able to walk several miles at a moderate pace.
There are always inherent risks that can cause or lead to injury, property damage, illness *including the coronavirus*, emotional trauma, disability or death to participants or others when participating in an activity. Some, but not all of these risks include: hazardous and unpredictable ground, water or weather conditions, traffic conditions, misjudgments made by the leader or a participant, the potential that a participant or others may act carelessly or recklessly, etc. etc.
Hank Orenstein and Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods cannot assure a participant’s safety or eliminate any of these risks. The participant is voluntarily participating in our activities with knowledge of these risks, and therefore the participant must accept full responsibility for the inherent and other risks (both known and unknown) of these activities, and for any injury, damage, death or other loss suffered by the participant.
By joining any event conducted by Hank Orenstein/Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods, the participant agrees to release and indemnify Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods and/or Hank Orenstein with regard to any and all claims, liabilities, suits, or expenses (including reasonable costs and attorney’s fees) for any injury, property damage, illness including the coronavirus, emotional trauma, disability or death to participants or others in any way connected with the participation in an activity.
Upcoming events
9
Drums Along the Hudson + Exploring Marble Hill & Kingsbridge
Van Cortlandt Park, Van Cortlandt Nature Center, 246 Broadway, New York, NY (718) 548-0912, New York, NY, USRSVP's open up on Thursday. May 21st at 8:00pm. Space is set aside for new group members, first timers and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot once you are on the waiting list.
This tour and the festival are free with a welcome donation to your organizer/guide at the end via cash, venmo or zelle.
SCHEDULE/ITINERARY
1:30pm - 2:30pm
First Van Cortlandt Park
This unique tour starts at Van Cortlandt Park in the Northwest Bronx where the Lenape Indians established
Keskeskick Village, (meaning "sharp grass or sedge marsh" in the Unami language). The native people utilized the fertile land of the current-day Parade Ground to grow crops and used Tibbetts Brook and surrounding salt marshes for fishing and gathering shellfish.
In 1646, Dutch settler Adriaen van der Donck "purchased" the land from the local Native American leader, Tacharew. The Lenape continued to live in the area for over a hundred years after European arrival.Kingsbridge:
After our visit to the relevant areas in the park we’ll stroll through a section of Kingsbridge, a historic Bronx neighborhood, named after the King's Bridge which was built in 1693 as tthe first bridge to connect Manhattan to the mainland. Originally part of Yonkers, the area was annexed to New York City in 1874 and has evolved from a rural colonial outpost into a bustling, diverse community, especially after the arrival of the #1 IRT subway line in the early 1900s which spurred a massive construction boom, quickly transforming rural farmland into a bustling residential hub.Marble Hill
Marble Hill is a uniquely fascinating neighborhood: it was originally the northernmost tip of Manhattan, but was sliced off by the construction of the Harlem Ship Canal in 1895. Perhaps NYC's strangest geographic anolamy, though now physically attached to the Bronx, it legally remains part of Manhattan. This area features a fascinating mix of 19th-century Victorian homes, pre-war apartment buildings, and local shops, along with some winding hilly streets.4:00pm - Estimated arrival time for Drums Along the Hudson in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan.
Stay as long as you wish, at least an hour until 5pm. Convenient to both the #1 and A trains.
This is an annual Native American festival and multicultural celebration held in Upper Manhattan's Inwood Hill Park. This the 24th annual event features Manhattan's only open-air powwow alongside international music and dance performances, arts and crafts, an environmental tent, and global cuisine.
It began as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakapok ("edge of the water"). The event has attracted attendees from 400 in the first year to over 8,000 in recent years.
https://drumsalongthehudson.org/26 attendees
Past events
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