**Join us for the perfect antidote to Black Friday!**

**Note that we will meet INSIDE the museum instead of outside. The museum is free. It is a Smithsonian affiliated federal site and has airport-style security with metal detectors.**

**Make sure to arrive early enough to experience the musuem exhibits, use restrooms and appreciate the stunning interior architecture. Suggested arrival time 12 noon - 12:15pm.**

RSVP's open Wednesday November 12th at 8:00pm. Space is set aside for first and second timers and new group members **who land on the waiting list**. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot. This tour is free with a welcome donation to your leader and guide at the end via cash, venmo or zelle.

**OVERVIEW**
November is American Indian Heritage month, and the day after Thanksgiving is **Native American Heritage Day** so let's celebrate by going on a walking tour of historic lower Manhattan and visit one of NYC's most beautiful buildings - the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, an architectual feast from Cass Gilbert (Woolworth Building's architect).

Museum admission is free and opens at 10am and I suggest arriving by 12:15pm or earlier to allow 30 minutes to one hour to see the exhibits, enjoy the interior architecture and use the restroom. The excellent gift shop is fun to explore. **Recommended Exhibit is "Native New York," all about the local tribes that pre-dated the arrival of Europeans in the early 1600s.**
https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=981

**NOTE THIS MUSEUM IS A FEDERAL SITE**: Smithsonian security personnel conduct a thorough but speedy hand-check of visitors’ bags, briefcases, purses, strollers, and containers. Visitors are required to walk through a metal detector. No skateboards, bikes or scooters. Do not bring sharp items into the museums such as knives (including pocket or "Swiss Army" style knives), screwdrivers, scissors, etc. Other items not permitted include firearms, pepper spray, and Mace. For more information about the museum check out this link:
https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/reopening-ny

**After your self-guided visit, we'll meet inside the museum in the Rotunda room which is a large oval room juts past the lobby after you enter through security. (Museum is pictured above).**

**Walking Tour Description**
We will visit various sites in Lower Manhattan associated with local tribes which predated the Europeans by many centuries and discuss their interactions with the 17th century Dutch colonists who established New Amsterdam in Lower Manhattan in the 1620's. We will also explore the many contributions of American Indians including their many inventions and the influence on the U.S. Constitution and Democracy and the Women's Rights Movement of the 19th century. We will walk around 2 miles and will finish around 3:00pm.

We will also tell the true version of the story of the first Thanksgiving celebration held in 1621 by the pilgrims in Massachusetts after their first successful harvest with the help of the local Wampanoag tribe and Tisquantum (Squanto).

**Photography**
The Smithsonian permits still and video photography for noncommercial use only in its museums and exhibitions, unless otherwise posted.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Hank
hankorenstein@gmail.com
646-596-3005

Hank Orenstein

Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods

Hank Orenstein's Exploring NYC History and Neighborhood

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Honoring Our First New Yorkers with a Museum Visit & a Historic Walking Tour

American Indian Museum / Old US Custom House

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Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods

Honoring Our First New Yorkers with a Museum Visit & a Historic Walking Tour

Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods

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