New York Adventure Club

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1992837832603

Just shy of ten acres, Bryant Park is a midtown Manhattan refuge with grassy lawns, ornate fountains, and activities like winter ice skating and summer night films and concerts. But throughout its 300+ year history, it's been home to everything from New York City's first World's Fair to a massive reservoir. It's time to uncover every inch of this beautiful urban oasis like never before.

Join New York Adventure Club as we delve into the evolving history and hidden gems of Bryant Park, from its statue of the park’s namesake — newspaperman and abolitionist, William Cullen Bryant — to its neighboring marble masterpiece, the New York Public Library.

Led by NYC tour guide Ginny Poleman, our exploration of Bryant Park and the surrounding buildings will include:

• A brief historical overview of the square before it was a public park, from being the site a potter's field, New York's Crystal Palace exhibition hall, and a 20-million gallon, Egyptian-inspired reservoir (the remnants of which can still be seen if you know where to look)
• Stops at the park’s sculptures and monuments including the Buddha-like Gertrude Stein, Nikola Tesla Corner, and iconic Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain
• A discussion of the buildings surrounding the park, including the early 20th century landmarked American Radiator Building and mid-century modern, sloped Grace Building
• A walk past the Beaux Arts New York Public Library to learn about its inception and construction, as well as the meaning behind Patience & Fortitude — the two majestic marble lions that sit out front
• Accompanying vintage photographs that showcase the park from the time of Edgar Allan Poe to the crime-ridden 1980s
• A look at secrets hiding in plain sight including the hidden door to the 37 miles of library books just below the lawn to New York City’s landmarked bathroom

See you there!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be on our feet for most of the tour
**This tour does not go inside the New York Public Library

About Ginny
Ginny Poleman is a graduate of Cornell University, a licensed NYC tour guide, docent for the Municipal Art Society, as well as an educational and costume collection guide for New York’s largest art museum. Additionally, she offers private tours for her own company, NYC Encounters, covering New York City Art, Architecture, and History. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @Art_Encounters and @NYC.Encounters.

Disclaimer
Event takes place rain or shine.
By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.
Photo Credit: Main - Bryantpark.org
Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1992837824579

From its beginnings in the early 1800s as a retreat for wealthy New Yorkers escaping the overcrowding of lower Manhattan, to the modern neighborhood that looks much like it did 100 years ago, Brooklyn Heights has a fascinating history to tell, one that in many ways mirrors the journey of New York itself. This is the story of where modern Brooklyn was born, and why it remains one of the most prominent and vital neighborhoods in all of New York City.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the rich tapestry and lesser-known tales of Brooklyn Heights, a New York City neighborhood that has shaped American history and culture throughout the past 200 years.

Led by NYC Tour Guide Michael Morgenthal , our on-the-ground exploration of this small, yet influential waterfront neighborhood will include:

-A look at its pivotal role in The American Revolution , and how The Continental Army was almost squashed there in 1776
-A visit to the many religious institutions based in the neighborhood, including the rise and recent departure of the Jehovah's Witnesses
-Stories of the neighborhood's strong ties to the abolitionist movement , with a look at homes that were reputed stops on the Underground Railroad to pastor Henry Ward Beecher of Plymouth Church, whose strong support for the abolition of slavery enticed Abraham Lincoln to speak there on several occasions
-A stop at the houses of literary giants who called the neighborhood their home , including Walt Whitman, Truman Capote, and Thomas Wolfe
-A visit to the Brooklyn Heights promenade with sweeping views of Manhattan to discuss the past, present, and future of development and preservation in Brooklyn Heights — from the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, to the birth of the landmarks preservation movement, to the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway's (BQE) construction and now controversial plans for its reconstruction

See you there!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!
**This tour will conclude at the corner of Henry & Middagh Streets, which is close to the A/C train at High Street and the pedestrian entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge

Disclaimer
Event takes place rain or shine.
By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service .
Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1993575021555

New York runs on systems most of us never stop to think about — the barges hauling our trash, the tunnels moving wastewater, and the plants keeping it all flowing. With many of these sites clustered along the East River, what kinds of structures are hiding in plain sight along its banks? Step aboard an NYC ferry and get ready to explore the essential infrastructure that keeps the city clean, running, and (mostly) rat-free.

Join New York Adventure Club as we embark on a one-of-a-kind ferry trip along the East River to explore the vital water and waste systems that keep New York City running.

Led by licensed guide and urban planner Rayn Riel — who has worked on real-world infrastructure projects across sanitation, wastewater, and beyond — our unique experience from Lower Manhattan to the Bronx and back will include:

• A look at the journey of your trash and recyclables, spotting the barges that ferry them toward landfills, incinerators, or recycling facilities
• A glimpse of NYC’s 14 wastewater treatment plants and the century‑old sewer and utility tunnels beneath the river — some predating the subway
• A view of the Hell Gate Bridge’s three‑in‑one structure, explained so you’ll see what most miss
• A ride past hidden sites like North Brother Island, once home to NYC’s deadliest disaster
• A float past the Bronx River mouth, NYC’s only true freshwater river
• Unexpected sights along the way, including a decommissioned prison barge, the evolving Fulton Fish Market, and Roosevelt Island’s forgotten elevator (along with the site of its once-infamous sewage fountain)
• An earpiece for each guest to hear the guide over the sounds of the ferry

This experience is limited to only six guests.

See you there!

*This ticket includes roundtrip NYC Ferry service between Wall Street / Pier 11 & Soundview.
**Guests are free to disembark earlier on the return voyage at the East 34th Street or Stuyvesant Cove ferry landing as the tour content will be finished by then.
***Each NYC Ferry has food and snacks available for purchase, as well as a restroom.
****This experience will take place indoors on the trip up to Soundview, and outdoors on the return trip to Manhattan (weather permitting).

Tour Schedule

• (0m) Gather at Meeting Location
• (30m) Depart Pier 11 on Soundview Ferry
• (1hr 30m) Turnaround at Throgs Neck / Ferry Point Park
• (2hr - 2hr 30m) Disembark at Preferred Ferry Landing - East 34th Street, Stuyvesant Cove, or Pier 11

About Rayn Riel
Rayn is an urban planner and tour guide based in New York City. He’s worked on infrastructure projects across the five boroughs and is passionate about exploring how cities function.

Disclaimer
Event takes place rain or shine.
By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.
Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1795654012489

“I’ve been having chuck steak ever since I’ve been on the force, and now I’m going to have a little tenderloin” -Police Inspector Alexander “Clubber” Williams
From the end of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th century— the so-called Gilded Age — the area straddling the Manhattan neighborhoods of Chelsea and NoMad was New York City’s premier entertainment district, filled with theaters, hotels, and restaurants. But it was also the city's red light district known for its saloons, gambling dens, and brothels — especially brothels. It's time to hit the streets and explore a neighborhood that one historian estimated had 250 “houses of ill repute,” and as many as 4000 “ladies of the evening,” at its peak in the 1890s.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the stories and remnants of the Tenderloin, New York City's notorious hub of sin and vice between the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Led by licensed NYC tour guide Robert Brenner, our on-the-ground experience exploring Chelsea and NoMad's scandalous past will include:

• An overview of the Tenderloin's evolution spanning from why it became New York's most "entertaining" neighborhood to the factors that stripped it of its notorious reputation
• Reformers who largely failed to clean up the neighborhood, from a future U.S. president to a Presbyterian minister who went undercover — way undercover — to expose wrongdoing
• Stories of questionable characters who added to the Tenderloin's seediness, including the corrupt police inspector known as “the Czar of the Tenderloin;” an alleged “stockbroker” who made a fortune running a string of saloons, gambling dens, and brothels; and the licentious architect who built a “snuggery” into every edifice he designed
• A visit to neighborhood sites where high-profile acts of vice were committed

Take a trip back in time and find out how our ancestors blew off steam!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!
**Our experience will conclude at the southeast corner of 6th Ave. and 36th St., in front of Keen's Steakhouse

About Robert
Robert Brenner is a licensed New York City tour guide, a certified member of the Guides Association of New York City (GANYC), and an almost lifelong New Yorker. He is currently pursuing a Masters in New York Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Disclaimer

Event takes place rain or shine.
By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.

Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours