About us
This Meetup group is not affiliated with any organization. It is designed for people who are fit and in reasonably good shape and who want to get some exercise and learn more about New York City. New York City Hiking Tours is “more walk and less talk. The hikes and walks vary in length from 4-10 miles and can last anywhere from 3-6 hours or so. These events are fairly fast paced although I will stop on occasion a number of times to talk very briefly about what we see. We cover a lot of ground at a reasonably steady pace and the goal is to see as much of a specific area in New York City as possible. It is my hope that on each and every hiking tour you will not only experience something that will give you a sense of wonder and excitement but you will enjoy yourself as well.
I plan on visiting and exploring many different areas in New York City. For example, I really enjoy exploring Central Park (I have guidebooks from the 1860’s), the lower Manhattan Waterfront, Riverside Park, Prospect Park, Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Chelsea and the Meat Packing District where I am familiar with a number of art galleries there, Roosevelt Island, Governors Island, City Island, Long Island City etc. etc. I tend to focus on certain areas and know some of these areas better than others.
I make it a point to insure that the hikes and walks I lead are a lot of fun. BUT and this is a big BUT, I take the RSVP process very seriously and expect that any participant should do the same. I will often limit registration to keep the group size manageable and I do not like to keep a “Wait List” for a lengthy period of time. I want you to be able to plan your day in advance and I want to be able to plan the event as well. If you RSVP for an event and are a “No Show” because you did not remove your RSVP and do not have a good reason for not showing up, I am going to simply delete you from the group. If you make it a habit of withdrawing your RSVP shortly before an event begins, I am also going to delete you from the group. Meeting Details will only be provided to those who RSVP and will not be publicized on the website. I also require that members use a real first name unless I know them. I’m just asking that people be considerate to me and the others in the Group and that every one act responsibly.
As an Organizer I have to pay Meetup a relatively small fee each month but I spend much time and effort planning and preparing for an event. I am a Iicensed NYC tour guide with many years of experience leading tours around NYC. I am going to request that anyone who attends an event make a monetary contribution but the amount of that donation is entirely up to you. However, on many events I will not accept any monetary donations.
ABOUT ME
I’ve been a licensed NYC sightseeing guide for around 20 years. I have led professional tours in different parts of New York City for tourists from all over the world, camp kids, locals who want to learn more about the City, college and alumni groups and even a fairly large group of Danish architects (coincidentally, I once lived in Copenhagen while I was in college). I have also led tours for Open House New York and the Guides Association of New York City (GANYC). At one time, I have been a volunteer hike leader for probably the premier hiking club in the Northeast where I have led tours in the woods upstate and in New York City for 15 years.
In July 2018, a book I wrote called You Gotta Have Heart was published. It's a coming of age story about an orphaned boy growing up in New York City. Some of the most memorable scenes of the book take place in areas of New York City that we tour. The book is suitable for both adults and children.
Healthy living is very important to me. I spend a lot of time exploring NYC, read a lot, enjoy listening to music and watching movies and I have extensive training in the martial arts and even train to this day – although I have to admit I’m getting my butt kicked in an awful lot learning new disciplines. But-it’s all fun.
WAIVER OF LIABILITY
Your participation in any activities of New York City Hiking Tours is your acknowledgement that you are solely responsible for your own assessment of your abilities and your physical fitness to participate in that activity.
Walkers and Hikers must be physically fit. There are always inherent risks that can cause or lead to injury, property damage, illness *including the corona virus*, emotional trauma, disability or death to participants or others when participating in an activity. Some, but not all of these risks include: hazardous and unpredictable ground, water or weather conditions, traffic conditions, misjudgments made by the leader or a participant, the potential that the participant or others may act carelessly or recklessly, etc. etc. New York City Hiking Tours cannot assure a participant’s safety or eliminate any of these risks. The participant is voluntarily participating in any activity conducted by New York City Hiking Tours with knowledge of these risks, and therefore the participant must accept full responsibility for the inherent and other risks (both known and unknown) of these activities, and for any injury, damage, death or other loss suffered by the participant.
By joining any event conducted by New York City Hiking Tours, the participant agrees to release and not sue New York City Hiking Tours and/or Bruce Bernstein with regard to any and all claims, liabilities, suits, or expenses (including reasonable costs and attorney’s fees) for any injury, property damage, illness including the corona virus, emotional trauma, disability or death to participants or others in any way connected with the participation in an activity. Should a participant bring an action against New York City Hiking Tours and/or Bruce Bernstein despite this waiver of liability that participant will be responsible for any and all attorneys fees incurred by New York City Hiking Tours and/or Bruce Bernstein in defending such action.
Upcoming events
3
The Queens Way-The Possible High Line of Queens & Forest Park and Forest Hills
Location not specified yetWe would like to add some first timers who actually are serious about joining us.
If you have NEVER attended an event before with this group, please send me your e-mail to my e-mail as requested below whether you are on a going list or wait list AFTER CAREFULLY READING THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS EVENT. DO NOT SEND YOUR E-MAIL TO ME THRU A MEETUP MESSAGE. See below.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER ATTENDED AN EVENT BEFORE WITH THE GROUP, I AM ASKING FOR YOUR HELP AND COOPERATION AS I PLAN THE EVENT. I AM THEREFORE REQUIRING THAT YOU SEND ME AN E-MAIL AFTER CAREFULLY READING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT TO bsb2@att.net AS SOON AS YOU RSVP, EVEN IF YOU ARE ON THE WAIT LIST, AND PUT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE TO ME. THIS WILL HELP ME COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THOSE WHO RSVP. SOMETIMES MEETUP MESSAGES DO NOT GET DELIVERED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. IF YOU CAN'T ABIDE BY THIS SIMPLE REQUEST, YOU ARE GOING TO END UP ON THE NOT GOING LIST. If you think this request is just too much for you to bear, please let me know.
I use capital letters to emphasize stuff not to shout at you!
WE ARE LOOKING TO ADD SOME FIRST TIMERS. PLEASE READ WHAT I WRITE CAREFULLY. DO NOT RUSH THE RSVP PROCESS. THERE IS NO NEED TO. NO GUESTS FOR FIRST TIMERS. YOUR GUEST CAN SIGN UP AS YOU DID.
I consider this a members appreciation event. We will NOT accept any monetary contributions on this one. I want to primarily reward those members who have supported this group in the recent past by attending at least one event and hopefully more with few cancellations. It helps if you are also a member of my other group called NYC Wanderers. See: https://www.meetup.com/nyc-wanderers/?eventOrigin=your_groups
As always, the waitlist for this group does NOT operate in the conventional way. Those on the waitlist will NOT be moved automatically to the going list when a space becomes available.
IF APPLICABLE, ALWAYS JOIN THE WAIT LIST WITH LOW PRIORITY WHICH IS FREE. IF THERE IS A WAITLIST, IT APPEARS MEETUP WILL ASK YOU IF YOU WANT TO JOIN MEETUP + BUT IN SMALLER LETTERS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE YOU CAN CLICK CONTINUE WITH THE FREE PLAN. There is NEVER a need to pay extra to use Meetup's High Priority wait list classification for this group.
THIS IS THE ONLY THE THIRD TIME WE ARE DOING THIS PARTICULAR EVENT AND THE SECOND TIME I AM DOING IT. In 2025, I felt this may have been the most unique event we did that year.
This event will be a fun, fast paced approximately 6 mile hike. We will begin by walking through a bit of Forest Hills and Forest Hills Gardens where I will provide limited commentary. We will then get a glimpse of where the first section of The Queens Way is hopefully going to be built-IT HAS FUNDING NOW- but we will NOT walk on the abandoned railroad tracks on this first section. (The Queens Way is designed to be a linear park built on an abandoned stretch of rail tracks in Central Queens with some similarity to the High Line but it has NOT been built yet). Then it gets rather gritty as we walk towards what is another section of The Queens Way-no funding to build yet- where we will scramble up a slight incline from some abandoned railroad tracks to get into Forest Park. There we will do a relatively short hike in the Park to finish.
MEETING DETAILS WILL BE SENT OUT VIA A MEETUP MESSAGE TO ALL THOSE WHO RSVP NO LATER THAN THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT.
YOU CAN GET THERE EASILY BY SUBWAY OR THE LONG ISLAND RAILROAD. WE WILL NOT BE ENDING WHERE WE STARTED-2 SHORT SUBWAY STOPS AWAY-ABOUT A LITTLE MORE THAN A MILE- BUT WE WILL FINISH NEAR A MAJOR SUBWAY STATION AND NOT FAR FROM THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD.
We will meet a bit BEFORE 10:15 A.M. Be ready to go. WE LEAVE ON TIME.
BRING SNACKS AND WATER. THERE IS NO LUNCH BREAK. THIS GROUP NEVER STOPS TO BUY FOOD ON AN EVENT.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, ON YOUR DESKTOP, PLEASE CLICK ON YOUR PROFILE WHICH IS ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE SITE, THEN CLICK "SETTINGS", THEN CLICK E-MAIL UPDATES" ON THE LEFT. MAKE SURE YOUR E-MAIL UPDATES ARE ON AND WHERE IT SAYS "UPDATES ABOUT YOU”, CHECK MESSAGES BOX. THIS WILL HELP TO INSURE YOU GET MESSAGES FROM ME. I LIKE TO THINK THOSE MESSAGES ARE IMPORTANT. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOUR SETTINGS FOR A SPECIFIC GROUP WHICH MAY BE HELPFUL IF YOU BELONG TO MANY MEETUP GROUPS.
I am going to ask that people not post any comments or questions prior to the event. You have more than enough information to do this once you get the meeting details. No offense, but I don’t need to know-and probably neither does anyone else- what you are doing that day if you can’t make it or what you think the weather will be. AFTER the event, post as many comments and photos as you like. PLEASE RESPECT MY WISHES ON THIS.
We will probably finish by 1:45p.m. and not far from a major subway station. It won't be easy to leave before we finish because of the route we are taking. WE WILL NOT FINISH WHERE WE START. IT WILL BE EASY TO GET TO THE EVENT AND HOME BY SUBWAY. FOR DRIVERS, YOU CAN PARK NEAR THE BEGINNING, THE END OR IN BETWEEN LOCATIONS. SUNDAY PARKING IS FREE.
If the weather forecast is really bad, I will post a notice on the day of the hike by 7:00 A.M. If there is no notice, we go. RAIN DATE WILL BE SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22.
28 attendees
Unlock the Secrets of Indoors/Outdoors Lower Manhattan-Day After Thanksgiving
Location not specified yetThis event has NOT been announced to all members yet but you can RSVP now AFTER carefully reading the description of the event.
We are going to spend a good bit of time navigating around and thru underground passages, skyways, hotel lobbies etc, etc in order to explore parts of lower Manhattan including the waterfront. Especially when we enter some luxury hotels, you will have to display a certain degree of "coolness" to fit in. (If necessary, we may have to practice to achieve this state. I suspect it will be necessary.)
IF YOU HAVE NEVER ATTENDED AN EVENT BEFORE WITH THE GROUP, I AM ASKING FOR YOUR HELP AND COOPERATION AS I PLAN THE EVENT. I AM THEREFORE REQUIRING THAT YOU SEND ME AN E-MAIL WHETHER YOU ARE ON THE GOING LIST OR WAIT LIST AFTER YOU HAVE CAREFULLY READ THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT TO bsb2@att.net AS SOON AS YOU RSVP AND PUT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE TO ME. THIS WILL HELP ME COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THOSE WHO RSVP. SOMETIMES MEETUP MESSAGES DO NOT GET DELIVERED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. IF YOU CAN'T ABIDE BY THIS SIMPLE REQUEST, YOU ARE GOING TO END UP ON THE NOT GOING LIST. If you think this request is just too much for you to bear, please let me know. And tell your friends.
I use capital letters to emphasize stuff not to shout at you!
ON THIS EVENT, WE WILL REQUIRE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENT BUT THE AMOUNT OF THAT CONTRIBUTION IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. THERE IS ALWAYS A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF YOU FEEL I HAVE NOT EARNED YOUR CONTRIBUTION. (See below)
WE ARE LOOKING TO ADD SOME FIRST TIMERS. PLEASE READ WHAT I WRITE CAREFULLY. DO NOT RUSH THE RSVP PROCESS. THERE IS NO NEED TO. NO GUESTS FOR FIRST TIMERS. YOUR GUEST CAN SIGN UP AS YOU DID.
We have done this event or a variation of it on the day after Thanksgiving for many, many years. This has become one of my favorite events to conduct. It's always a lot of fun and interesting. And since we will be underground or in enclosed open space a good bit of time, this event will be especially good in colder weather or a possible bad forecast. (We don't do rain.)
Meetup charges an Organizer like me to run the group-it's not a fortune- but the amount was raised substantially and I spend much time and effort planning and preparing for an event. Again, You can contribute whatever you want at the BEGINNING of an event IN CASH. (On most events, I will NOT accept any monetary contributions).
The wait list for this group does NOT operate in a conventional way. Those on the wait list will NOT be moved to the going list automatically.
IF APPLICABLE, ALWAYS JOIN THE WAIT LIST WITH LOW PRIORITY WHICH IS FREE. IF THERE IS A WAITLIST, IT APPEARS MEETUP WILL ASK YOU IF YOU WANT TO JOIN MEETUP + BUT IN SMALLER LETTERS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE YOU CAN CLICK CONTINUE WITH THE FREE PLAN. There is NEVER a need to pay extra to use Meetup's High Priority wait list classification for this group.
This will be a fun, fast paced and interesting event of about 4 miles. (Don't ask me how I calculated the mileage because I don't know!). I will stop very briefly a number of times to talk about what we observe. We'll see public art, places of historical interest, some amazing structures, the inside of a couple of hotels and a haunting memorial or two etc. etc.
We will be outdoors at the very beginning of the event and then we will be INDOORS in OPEN SPACES alot of the time in Lower Manhattan navigating various underground passageways or inside different buildings. WE ARE GOING TO MINIMIZE THE TIME SPENT OUTDOORS WHENEVER POSSIBLE IF IT IS COLD OUT THERE. (Photo by Martina )PLEASE ALSO READ "WHAT WE'RE ABOUT" ON THIS MEETUP'S HOME PAGE BEFORE YOU RSVP IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WAIVER OF LIABILITY ON "WHAT WE'RE ABOUT” NOW SPECIFICALLY REFERENCES THE CORONA VIRUS. (THE WAIVER OF LIABILITY HAS BEEN POSTED SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THIS MEETUP GROUP)
NO FOOD STOPS. EAT BEFORE WE MEET. BRING SNACKS AND WATER. If somehow this presents a hardship to you, try to deal with it. Don't be a baby!
I SEND MEETING DETAILS VIA A MEETUP MESSAGE TO ALL THOSE WHO RSVP'D NO LATER THAN THE DAY BEFORE THE HIKE. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MEETUP SETTINGS ALLOW YOU TO RECEIVE MEETUP MESSAGES FROM ME.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, ON YOUR DESKTOP, PLEASE CLICK ON YOUR PROFILE (it's in the upper right of the Home Page), THEN SETTINGS ,THEN E-MAIL UPDATES AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN RECEIVE E-MAILS THRU MEETUP. THAT'S THE WAY YOU WILL LEARN WHERE THE MEETING PLACE IS. ALSO PLEASE CHECK THIS SITE RIGHT UP TO THE DAY OF THE EVENT TO SEE IF I HAVE POSTED ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE EVENT-I LIKE TO THINK THOSE COMMENTS ARE IMPORTANT! ALSO PERIODICALLY CHECK YOUR MESSAGES LINK ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE WEBSITE. YOU CAN CHOOSE WHICH MEETUP GROUPS YOU WANT TO RECEIVE MESSAGES FROM.
I am going to ask that people not post any comments or questions prior to the event. You have more than enough information to do this once you get the meeting details. No offense, but I don’t need to know-and probably neither does anyone else- what you are doing that day if you can’t make it or what you think the weather will be. You may even think you have some deep insight into something or other but please keep that deepness to yourself. AFTER the event, post as many comments and photos as you like. PLEASE RESPECT MY WISHES ON THIS.
If the weather forecast is really bad, I will post a notice on the day of the tour by 10:00 A.M. If there is no notice, we go. We will finish BEFORE 5:00 p.m. right near a major subway hub and close to wear we started.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.
13 attendees
Van Cortlandt Park Adventure- 5 Mile Hike-DATE NOT FINALIZED
Location not specified yetI AM RESCHEDULING THIS EVENT AS PER MY COMMENTS. THIS IS NOT A FINAL DATE.
WARNING: THIS EVENT MAY BE WAY TOO EXCITING FOR MOST OF YOU!
At this point in the process and because this is a Members Appreciation event, I may not add any more first timers to this event.
THERE ARE SERVICE DISRUPTIONS ON THE #6 LINE AND THIS EVENT WAS CHANGED TO VAN CORTLANDT PARK.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST EVENT WITH US, IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOU RSVP WHETHER YOU ARE ON THE WAIT LIST OR NOT, YOU MUST SEND ME YOUR E-MAIL TO MY E-MAIL AS EXPLAINED BELOW.
I use capital letters to emphasize stuff not to shout at you!
PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON THE RSVP BUTTON UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT VERY CAREFULLY. I just ask that all attendees be considerate with respect to the RSVP process.
I consider this a Members Appreciation Event.
WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY MONETARY DONATIONS ON THIS EVENT NO MATTER HOW STRONG YOUR URGE TO CONTRIBUTE IS.The wait list for this group does NOT operate in a conventional way. Those on the wait list will NOT be moved to the going list automatically.
IF APPLICABLE, ALWAYS JOIN THE WAIT LIST WITH LOW PRIORITY WHICH IS FREE. IF THERE IS A WAITLIST, IT APPEARS MEETUP WILL ASK YOU IF YOU WANT TO JOIN MEETUP + BUT IN SMALLER LETTERS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE YOU CAN CLICK CONTINUE WITH THE FREE PLAN. There is NEVER a need to pay extra to use Meetup's High Priority wait list classification for this group.
FIRST TIMERS: IF YOU HAVE NEVER ATTENDED AN EVENT BEFORE WITH THE GROUP, I AM ASKING FOR YOUR HELP AND COOPERATION. I AM REQUIRING THAT YOU SEND ME AN E-MAIL TO bsb2@att.net AS SOON AS YOU RSVP, EVEN IF YOU ARE ON THE WAIT LIST, AND PUT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE TO ME. THIS WILL HELP ME COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THOSE WHO RSVP. SOMETIMES MEETUP MESSAGES DO NOT GET DELIVERED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. IF YOU CAN'T ABIDE BY THIS SIMPLE REQUEST, YOU ARE GOING TO END UP ON THE NOT GOING LIST. (NO GUESTS UNLESS YOU HAVE ATTENDED AN EVENT BEFORE WITH THIS GROUP-Your guest can always sign up just as you did.)
PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE ATTENDED EVENTS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, HAVE FEW CANCELLATIONS AND HAVE NOT GIVEN ME A HARD TIME! IF YOU WANT TO BRING A GUEST AND I KNOW YOU, PLEASE SEND ME AN E-MAIL.
YOU CAN GET THERE BY SUBWAY-THE # 1 TRAIN- OR CAR AND I WILL PROVIDE DETAILED DRIVING/FREE PARKING INFO.
Join us on a relatively fast paced, fun, approximately 5 mile hike in Van Cortlandt Park. THERE WILL BE SOME HILLS WITH UPS AND DOWNS BUT THEY ARE NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO CLIMB.
This is a huge park and there are a lot of woodsy areas-you’ll almost feel as if you are in upstate New York. For a good bit of time, we will be roaming around in the area of the Park known as the Northwest Forest. It is easy to get lost in there because many trails are not well marked. I know this based on personal experience!
(In the photo posted above, look for the blue trail marker on the thickest tree in the left, middle of the photo-the brown object just to the right of the blue trail marker is a deer! If you don't see the deer, please have your vision checked before the event and bring a note from your eye doctor.)We will meet a bit BEFORE 10:15 A.M. Be ready to go. WE LEAVE ON TIME.
No LUNCH stop. Bring snacks and water. (You can always bring lunch to eat AFTER we meet.
IF YOU ATTEND YOU MUST WEAR LONG PANTS AND A LONG SLEEVE SHIRT. Where there are deer there are ticks.
MEETING DETAILS WILL BE SENT OUT VIA A MEETUP MESSAGE TO ALL THOSE WHO RSVP NO LATER THAN THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, ON YOUR DESKTOP, PLEASE CLICK ON YOUR PROFILE WHICH IS ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE SITE, THEN CLICK "SETTINGS", THEN CLICK E-MAIL UPDATES" ON THE LEFT. MAKE SURE YOUR E-MAIL UPDATES ARE ON AND WHERE IT SAYS "UPDATES ABOUT YOU”, CHECK MESSAGES BOX. THIS WILL HELP TO INSURE YOU GET MESSAGES FROM ME. I LIKE TO THINK THOSE MESSAGES ARE IMPORTANT. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOUR SETTINGS FOR A SPECIFIC GROUP WHICH MAY BE HELPFUL IF YOU BELONG TO MANY MEETUP GROUPS.
AS ALWAYS, I am also going to ask that people NOT post any comments or questions prior to the event. You have more than enough information to do this once you get the meeting details. No offense, but I don’t need to know-and neither does anyone else what you are doing that day if you can’t make it or what you think the weather will be, etc. etc. You may even think you have some deep insights into something or other but I ask you to keep that deepness to yourself. AFTER the event, post as many comments and photos as you like. The comments/questions you post BEFORE an event are almost always annoying and unnecessary and I'm not the only one who believes that. PLEASE RESPECT MY WISHES ON THIS.
I strongly recommend folks also sign up for my relatively new group. See
https://www.meetup.com/nyc-wanderers/?eventOrigin=your_groupsIf the weather forecast is really bad, I will post a notice on the day of the hike by 7:00 A.M. If there is no notice, we go.
We will probably finish by 1:30 p.m. right where we started.
22 attendees
Past events
234
