The Gilded Age Revisted! Upper East Side History, Architecture and Art Tour.

Back by popular demand! This tour was offered multiple times earlier this year and we had very long waiting lists.

RSVPs begin Saturday, November 15th at 10am. Space is set aside for new group members, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list after RSVP. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request your spot. No repeats if you have taken this tour before.

Cost: This tour is free with a voluntary donation to your guide/organizer at the end via cash, Venmo or Zelle.

To Bring: Snacks (suggest to eat a hearty breakfast beforehand), appropriate dress for the weather, warm socks and footwear. We will be going indoors on 5 occasions during the tour which will help should also serve has a break from cold weather.

Overview
This tour we will indulge in the East 80's between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue and the residential architecture of the gilded age which consists of mansions and elegant townhouses. We'll cover the history of this area and how and why it developed as an enclave for NYC's wealthy elite and how the area developed into a hub for the visual arts beginning with the opening of the Metropolitan Museum in the late 1800s.

Starting out at the garden of the Cooper Hewitt museum, which was originally the mansion home of Andrew and Louise Carnegie, we'll visit several local art galleries (TBD) during our journey, along with several other indoor locations with spectacular architecture, including a gilded age mansion.

Restrooms before the tour: Tarulucci e Vino Cafe at the Cooper Hewitt Museum. You can enter the cafe via the garden without having to pay admission to the museum. There is a quick bag inspection by a security guard. There are also public restrooms at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest across the street from the garden at 90th Street & 5th Avenue. Once inside the church veer immediately to your right (one stall).
Other nearby options: Met Museum pay what you wish for NY residents. There is also an education entrance near 81st Street where you can go to the rest room without visiting the museum.
The Jewish Museum is free on Saturday at 92nd Street & 5th Avenue, featured exhibit is early works by Anish Kapoor.
https://thejewishmuseum.org/visit/
Always free is NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at 15 East 84th Street (Current Exhibit is Rodin's Egypt:
https://isaw.nyu.edu/
And of course the other local museums - Guggenheim and Neue Gallery.
Note the Cooper Hewit galleries are currently closed as they are mounting a large new exhibition. The garden, SHOP, cafe, and select first floor mansion areas are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We'll have a break and restrooms in Central Park or depending on time and weather at the Met Museum's education entrance.

Tour ends at 76th Street & Madison Avenue or thereabouts.

Your organizer and guide,

Hank Orenstein
hankorenstein@gmail.com
646-596-3005

(photo: the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, courtesy of the the museum).