Crossing the High Bridge: From the Bronx to Washington Heights!

RSVP's begin 3 weeks prior to the tour on Saturday, May 18th at 10am.

Space is set aside for new members, first and 2nd timer who land on the waiting list. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot.

Closest subway stop is 167th Street on the D train which gets you within 2 blocks of the The Bronx Museum of the Arts. You can also take the #6 or D train to 161st Street Yankee Stadium (longer walk).

Note the walking tour starts at 2:00pm outside the museum. Arrive early to see the exhibit and use the restroom: Suggested time to arrive is 1:30pm, earlier if you fancy looking at art in depth.

Tour and museum admission are free. The total walking distance on this walk is between 4.5 and 5 miles. There is some uphill walking especially on one particularly steep street in the Bronx. You should be reasonably fit for this walk!

The Museum always has interesting exhibits along with free admission. The exhibit on view is Part 2 of the Bienniel.
Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial (Part Two) - The Bronx Museum

Directions and information via this link:
Visitor Guide - The Bronx Museum

TOUR OVERVIEW:
En route to the city's oldest bridge (pictured above), we'll explore the Bronx neighborhoods of Concourse and Highbridge, areas that include art deco and art nouveau apartment buildings, community gardens, architectural curiosities and of course Yankee Stadium. The Grand Concourse was inspired by Champs-Élysées in Paris and we'll learn about the history of the area's development as we stroll along.

Highbridge Heights was settled in the 19th century first as a suburban haven with large homes. To the north hip-hop was born at an apartment building located at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the 1970's. The story goes that on August 11, 1973 DJ Kool Herc, a building resident, was entertaining at his sister’s back-to-school party, and tried something new on the turntable: He extended an instrumental beat (breaking or scratching) to let people dance longer (break dancing) and began MC’ing (rapping) during the extended breakdancing.

The Highbridge was built in 1848 to carry water via a Roman-style aqueduct to Manhattan which was NYC's first major water supply system and critically important in being able to sustain the city's growing population. It was recently refurbished as a pedestrian walkway. Once back in Manhattan, we'll stroll through the southeast corner of Washington Heights for some surprising locations including a stroll through the woodsy Highbridge Park.

We'll end on Broadway at 168th Street convenient to the A train, #1 subway and buses.

Optional group meal at the Fort Tryon Public House:
https://fwpublichouse.com/menu

Cheers from Hank
646-596-3005