BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Meetup//Meetup Calendar 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH NAME:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods X-WR-CALNAME:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316923785@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T170000 SUMMARY:Halloween Prelude! Haunted Greenwich Village Tour DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\nRSVPs open on Sunday\ , October 18th at 11:00am. Space is set aside for new group members\, firs t and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. Email me to request a spot AFTER you have RSVP'd.\n\nThis is free with a welcome donation to your gui de via cash\, Venmo or Zelle at the end of the tour.\n\nJoin us for a Hall oween-themed tour to visit the haunted locations in Greenwich Village whic h is likely NYC's most ghostly neighborhood. Note that this tour is not fo r the faint of heart - at least we're not doing this at night which also a llows for those indulging in Halloween night to go home and get your costu mes ready!\n\nIn between the haunted buildings and locations I will cover the multi-layered history of Greenwich Village from its early development 200 years ago through the area's artistic\, literary\, dramatic and musica l legacies and impact on NYC's enduring creative spirit. I will also tell the backstory of the famous Village Halloween Parade.\n\nWe'll meet in fro nt of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center which opens at 10am a nd has restrooms and worthwhile exhibits. Plenty of coffee shops nearby as well and the Jefferson Market Library (Lower level) over on 6th Avenue ne ar 10th St\,\nhttps://stonewallvisitorcenter.org/\n\nThe tour will end at Washington Square Park.\n\nCheers from your organizer\,\nHank\n646-596-300 5\nhankorenstein@gmail.com\n\nPictured: St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery is said to be haunted by the ghost of Peter Stuyvesant\, the Governor of New Amsterdam in the mid-1600s whose was buried in a vault beneath the church . URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316923785/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20261010T145514Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261010T145514Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316283316@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T163000 SUMMARY:Northwest Bronx: Van Cortlandt Park Hike and the Fieldston Histori c District DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\n**This is the 2nd of a series of 4 guided walks and tours in celebration of autumn and fall fol iage!**\n\nRSVP's begin Sunday\, September 27th at 9:00pm. Space is set as ide for new members\, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. * Feel free to email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot once yo u see you are on the waiting list.* **Please no repeaters if you have been on this walk in prior years.**\n\nThis tour is free with a welcome volunt ary donation to your guide at the end via cash\, Venmo or Zelle.\n\n**Meet ing Place:** In front of the Van Cortlandt House Museum which is about a 5 minute walk once you enter the park. After exiting the #1 subway at West 242nd Street (last stop)\, walk along the park and enter the park about on e block past the small restroom building which is one of two restrooms opt ion before the tour begins. The enormous open field will be on your left.\ n\nWe'll meet in front of the historic stone house (pictured). Optional: I f you like come early to take a self-guided tour of the house which opens at 11am: Admission is $5\, for seniors $3. Free for Bronx Residents. Restr ooms are in the nature center which is located past the house along the ma in path.\nhttp://www.vchm.org/visit.html\n\n**Bring lunch and water to dri nk.** Wear sturdy shoes as there will be some hiking on woodland paths. Yo u may want to bring a walking/hiking stick. Please be able to walk uphill at times and be healthy and fit as this is more like a hike than a walking tour although there will be a good amount of narration by me. The nature trail that we will take is rated moderate as opposed to easy. Estimated di stance is 6 miles. We'll have a lunch break in the park convenient to rest rooms.\n\nThere's also a place by the train station for beverages and san dwiches (before we begin our walk). A good option is The Best Deli\, 201 W est 242nd Street\, corner of Broadway. Once the walk begins there will be no place to purchase food or drink so be prepared!\n\n**Tour ends at 242nd Street & Broadway by the #1 train near where we began! Optional afterpart y at a local restaurant.**\n\n**TOUR DESCRIPTION**\nInside the park we'll start out with a for a good look at the Van Cortlandt Mansion (pictured ab ove). This historic house\, the oldest remaining building in The Bronx\, w as built in 1748\, is a national and NYC landmark\, has a rich history as part of a large family farm and George Washington stopped here on his way to reclaim New York on Evacuation Day\, November 25\, 1783\, marking the e nd of the American Revolution. The Van Cortlandt family had enslaved Afric ans to work the farm and we'll pay homage to that history and visit what i s believed to be an African Burial Ground.\n\nVan Cortlandt Park\, 1\,146 acres covering ridges and valleys of the Northwest Bronx\, is New York Cit y’s 3rd largest park - and is larger than Central Park. Van Cortlandt wa s established as a park in 1888 and is home to the country’s first publi c golf course\, the oldest house in the Bronx and the borough’s largest freshwater lake. It also features a popular cross-country running trail an d a riding stable.\n\nWith some of the oldest trees in NYC\, the park's de nse woodlands\, natural waterways and geology provide a wonderful window i nto what NYC was like before the Europeans arrived in the 1600's. The Wiec hquaeskeck tribe of the Lenape nation originally inhabited the land and us ed it as a planting field\, a housing settlement\, and a burial ground. Th ey established a trail\, the Hudson River Path\, that ran from the southwe st Bronx to the site of the village.\n\nAfter exploring the park\, we'll a lso visit the nearby historic Fieldston neighborhood\, with its stately ho mes and winding streets\, a unique area whose streets follow the natural c ontours of the landscape. You won't believe you are in New York City\, let alone The Bronx.\n\nCheers!\n\nYour organizer and guide\,\nHank\n646-596- 3005\nhankorenstein@gmail.com URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316283316/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20260826T163533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260826T163533Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316490589@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261107T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261107T160000 SUMMARY:Fall Foliage Walk: Greenwood Cemetery to Prospect Park DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\nRSVPs open on Monday\ , October 19th at 9:00pm. Space is set aside for new group members\, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. Email me at hankorenstein@gm ail.com after you RSVP.\n\nThis tour is free with a welcome donation to yo ur guide at the end via cash\, Venmo or Zelle.\n\n**To Bring:** Picnic lun ch\, snacks\, water to drink. Wear sturdy shoes and you should be reasonab ly fit for this walk and there's some up and downhill in both Greenwood Ce metery and Prospect Park.\n\n**WALK OVERVIEW:**\nOn this approximately 5 m ile adventure\, we'll visit two of Brooklyn's most beautiful green spaces and learn about their history and unique features: Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park!\n\nWe'll meet outside the new visitor center at the corner of 5th Avenue and 25th Street which is set around the restored 1895 Weir G reenhouse\, this new space invites you to learn about Green-Wood before cr ossing onto the landscape itself. The center features exhibits and restroo ms.\n\nThe Cemetery and Prospect Park were established in the mid-19th cen tury and are great places to commune with nature. Greenwood Cemetery is kn own for it famous burials and varied terrain including Battle Hill\, Brook lyn's highest natural point and a battle site during the American Revoluti on (Battle of Brooklyn\, August 27-29\, 1776).\n\nThe Cemetery is the last resting place of many famous people including Leonard Bernstein\, Louis C omfort Tiffany\, Jean Michel Basquiat\, Horace Greeley\, Lola Montez\, Sam uel Morse\, and some infamous mobsters including Joe Gallo.\n\nAfter exiti ng the cemetery en route to Prospect Park\, we'll traverse a bit of th del ightful Windsor Terrace neighborhood. Prospect Park\, designed by the Cent ral Park team of Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Voux\, is a masterpiec e with three distinct areas: meadows\, woodlands and waterways. We'll brea k for lunch at Lakeside Area\, where there is a cafe and restrooms. The to ur will end when we exit the park at Grand Army Plaza\, convenient to the 2/3/Q subways.\n\nNote - Consider staying in Brooklyn for the First Saturd ays at the nearby Brooklyn Museum which is free and goes from 5pm - 11pm.\ nhttps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/event-series/first-saturdays\n\nThank you for your cooperation.\n\nYour organizer and guide\n\nHank URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316490589/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20260909T225853Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260909T225853Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316734834@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261108T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261108T170000 SUMMARY:Midtown Architecture and History Tour: From Pre-War to Art Deco to Modern DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\n**Note that this tour originally schedule for Friday\, October 16th is rescheduled for Sunday\, November 7th at 2:30pm.**\n**All registered maintain your same spots on t he going and waiting lists.**\n\nRSVPs opened up on Monday\, October 5th a t 8:00pm. **Priority given to those on the waiting list for the October 4t h tour who make their requesst prior to RSVP opening. If this is you email me to request your spot at hankorenstein@gmail.com before RSVPs open up t o our general membership.**\n\nSpace permitting - priority for new group m embers\, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. Email me at ha nkorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot AFTER you land on the waiting list .\n\nThis tour is free with a welcome donation to your guide at the end vi a cash\, Venmo or Zelle.\n\n**Overview**\nStrolling the Midtown East area of Manhattan helps tell the story of the changes in architecture styles tr ansitioned away from early 20th century European pre-war to Art Deco and t hen by the 1950’s to modern and international styles. We’ll stop by ma ny interesting and distinctive buildings including the American Radiator B uilding\, Chanin Building\, Socony Mobil Building\, Chrysler Building\, Da ily News Building\, Ford Foundation\, the spectacular GE Building on Lexin gton Avenue\, and of course the monumental Rockefeller Center and a person al favorite\, the Fred French Building on 5th Avenue.\n\nAlong the way we' ll dive into the history of midtown Manhattan and the Turtle Bay neighborh ood of the East 40s and 50s.\n\n**Restrooms before the tour:** The Library is open on Sunday and has restrooms. URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316734834/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20260927T135614Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T135614Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316910013@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261113T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261113T170000 SUMMARY:The Gilded Age Revisited! Upper East Side Art & Architecture Tour DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\n**This tour originall y scheduled for Friday\, October 23rd is now rescheduled for Friday\, Nove mber 13th.**\n**I am sorry if the new date doesn't work for you. I may hav e space available for new group members and first timers who land on the w aiting list.**\n**Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot.** \n\n**No repeats if you attend this tour previously.**\n**Cost**: This tou r is free with a voluntary donation to your guide/organizer at the end via cash\, Venmo or Zelle.\n\n**Note:** This tour works well in colder weathe r as we have 5-6 indoor attractions and art galleries.\n\n**Overview**\nTh is tour we will indulge in the East 80's between 5th Avenue and Park Avenu e and the residential architecture of the gilded age which consists of man sions and elegant townhouses often built in the Beaux Arts\, and Renaissan ce Revival styles\, and even the Chateau style. We'll cover the history of this area and how and why it developed as an enclave for NYC's wealthy el ite and how gilded age wealth gave rise to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and helped establish the Upper East Side as a center of the art world.\n\n Starting out at the garden of the Cooper Hewitt museum (pictured in photo) \, which was originally the mansion home of Andrew and Louise Carnegie\, w e'll visit several local art galleries during our journey\, along with sev eral other indoor locations with spectacular architecture. We will venture inside several buildings that were constructed as gilded age mansions and are now public spaces.\n\n**Restrooms before the tour: Tarulucci e Vino C afe at the Cooper Hewitt Museum.** You can enter the cafe via the garden w ithout having to pay admission to the museum. There is a quick bag inspect ion 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 Stre et & 5th Avenue. Once inside the church veer immediately to your right (on e stall).\n**Other nearby options: Met Museum pay what you wish for NY res idents. There is also an education entrance near 81st Street where you can go to the rest room withour visiting the museum. And of course any of the other local museums - Guggenheim\, Jewish Museum (admission charge).**\n\ nWe'll have a break and restrooms in Central Park or depending on time at the Met Museum's education entrance.\n\n**Tour ends at 84th Street & Park Avenue** convenient to the 4\,5\,6\,Q trains and numerous bus routes inclu ding the M86 crosstown.\n\nYour organizer and guide\,\n\nHank Orenstein\nh ankorenstein@gmail.com\n646-596-3005\n\n(photo courtesy of the Cooper Hewi tt Museum). URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316910013/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20261009T133120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261009T133120Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:event_316304145@meetup.com SEQUENCE:1 DTSTAMP:20261030T050423Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261115T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261115T163000 SUMMARY:The Grand Central Park Tour with Hiking and History! DESCRIPTION:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods\nNote change of Date f rom Saturday to Sunday due to the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Central Park on Saturday\, the 14th. Consider participating!\nhttps://act.alz.org/site/ TR/Walk2026/NY-NewYorkCity?pg=entry&fr_id=19\n\nThis the last of four guid ing walking tours with our group celebrating autumn in our NYC parks.\n\nR SVP's begin Wednesday October 28th at 9:00pm. Space is set aside for new g roup members\, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list after you RSVP. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot and a guest s hould you have one.\n\n**To bring:** A picnic lunch\, water to drink. stim ated walking distance 5-6 miles\, some up and downhill. Please be fit. Wea r sturdy shoes.\n\nThis tour is free with a welcome donation to your guide at the end via cash\, Venmo and Zelle.\n\n**Restrooms**: By our starting point inside the Deutsche Bank Building at the Shops at Columbus Circle Wa rner Center (Up the escalator\, 2nd and 3rd floors). Capital One Cafe at 1 843 Broadway (60-61st Street)\, or the Central Park Restoom at 61st Street \, just inside the park. Arrive early should you be needing a restroom. Th ere will also be many restrooms along our tour route in the park.\n\n**TOU R OVERVIEW:**\nWith any luck\, mid-November may be peak time for fall foli age in the park as color changes often arrive late as the park is surround ed by high-rise buildings which shield the trees from wind and cold.\n\nTh is tour will uncover many secrets of the park and we'll indulge in its fun and fascinating history\, along with some pop culture. We'll treat the pa rk as a both a work of art and a place to enjoy nature\, while stopping at various monuments and works of sculpture while enjoying the woodlands\, w aterways and bridges. Included will be visits to the Hallett Nature Sancua ry\, The Ramble (maybe we'll get lost)\, The picturesque North Woods (pict ured)\, Seneca Village site\, Bethesda Fountain\, Harlem Meer\, The Davis Center and the Conservatory Gardens.\n\nTour ends at 81st Street and Centr al Park West\, convenient to the C train and crosstown buses.\n\nCheers fr om Hank\n646-596-3005\nhankorenstein@gmail.com URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborhoo ds/events/316304145/ STATUS:CONFIRMED CREATED:20260827T225106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T225106Z CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.meetup.com/exploring-nyc-history-and-neighborho ods/events/ical/ X-WR-CALNAME:Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods END:VCALENDAR