What we’re about
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.
ABOUT ME
I’ve been a licensed NYC sightseeing guide for more than 10 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 (2)
See all- Sunset Tour-Unlock the Secrets Of The Lower Manhattan Waterfront-Limited SpaceTo Be Determined, New York, NY
IF THERE IS HEAT, WE WILL TRY TO BEAT IT.
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU RSVP. When you RSVP it means you PLAN to go, it does NOT mean you have to go. I just ask that all attendees be considerate with respect to the RSVP process.
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, JOIN THE WAIT LIST WITH LOW PRIORITY.
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. (NO GUESTS UNLESS YOU HAVE ATTENDED AN EVENT BEORE WITH THIS GROUP.) IF YOU CAN'T ABIDE BY THIS SIMPLE REQUEST, YOU ARE GOING TO END UP ON THE NOT GOING LIST.
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.
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. You can contribute whatever you want at the BEGINNING of an event. (On many events, I will NOT accept any monetary contributions).WE HAVE DONE A VERSION OF THIS EVENT AROUND THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER FOR YEARS. This is one of my favorite events to conduct.
Join us on a 5 mile fun but fast paced tour that I like to annually do close to the first day of summer. There are a lot of unique parks and truly haunting memorials in this area as well as some sites of historical interest. Years ago, I have led a variation of this hike a number of times for Open House New York which is a city-wide event. This event will be much better. When we move, we will go at a relatively fast pace but I will stop very briefly a number of times to talk about what we see. (We even plan on visiting a couple of luxury hotels where we will briefly practice how to enter their lobbies in order to blend in with the guests!)
We are going to end around 9:00 p.m or so not far from the Fulton Transit Hub in Manhattan where there are connections to PATH and quick subway connections to Grand Central and Penn Station and basically everywhere else in the city. There will be plenty of surprises along the way. (Photo by Dean)
We are looking to add a number of First Timers to this event. However, No guests unless I know you. If you have attended events in the past you are welcome to add a guest.
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)
MEETING DETAILS WILL BE SENT BY E-MAIL TO THOSE WHO RSVP NO LATER THAN THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT AND PROBABLY SOONER.
DO NOT LOOK AT THE MEETUP MAP FEATURE TO SEE WHERE WE ARE MEETING. I SELECTED "TO BE DETERMINED" AND IT PROVIDED A LOCATION NOWHERE NEAR WHERE WE ARE MEETING!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.
WE WILL BEGIN A BIT BEFORE 4:30 P.M. BE READY TO GO.
WE WILL STOP FOR A BRIEF DINNER BREAK. PLEASE BRING DINNER AND WATER. THIS GROUP NEVER SHOPS FOR FOOD ON AN EVENT.
As an Organizer I have to pay Meetup a fee each month-it's not a fortune but they increased it dramatically- but I spend much time and effort preparing for an event. 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. You can contribute whatever you want at the BEGINNING of the event.
I am going to ask that people not post any comments or questions prior to the event. (Please just respect my wishes and don't do it.) 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. These comments are really annoying. AFTER the event, post as many comments and photos as you like.
If the weather forecast is really bad, I will post a notice on the day of the event by 1:00 P.M. If there is no notice, we go.
- Sunset Tour From the West Village/ Chelsea to the Hudson Yards -Limited SpaceNeeds location
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTED BUT NOT YET ANNOUNCED TO ALL MEMBERS BUT YOU CAN RSVP NOW.
WE TRY TO CONDUCT THIS EVENT EVERY YEAR AROUND THIS TIME.
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU RSVP. When you RSVP it means you PLAN to go, it does NOT mean you have to go. I just ask that all attendees be considerate with respect to the RSVP process.
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, JOIN THE WAIT LIST WITH LOW PRIORITY.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. (NO GUESTS UNLESS YOU HAVE ATTENDED AN EVENT BEORE WITH THIS GROUP.) IF YOU CAN'T ABIDE BY THIS SIMPLE REQUEST, YOU ARE GOING TO END UP ON THE NOT GOING LIST.
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.
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. You can contribute whatever you want at the BEGINNING of an event in cash. (On many events, I will NOT accept any monetary contributions).We are looking to add a number of First Timers to this event. However, No guests unless I know you. If you have attended events in the past you are welcome to add a guest.
This event will be relatively fast paced, fun and interesting on this extra long holiday weekend.
WE WILL START CLOSE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND WE WILL FINISH NEAR THE #7 HUDSON YARDS TRAIN STATION AT 34TH STREET AND VERY CLOSE TO PENN/MOYNIHAN STATION.
This will be a fun and interesting TOUR of around 5 miles. We are going to start in the West Village where we will explore some historic and architectural wonders and then wander along the Hudson River Waterfront to the Hudson Yards. We may walk on the High Line for a short while. The views from the waterfront are great. (Photo by Thomas)
I will keep things moving but I will stop to briefly talk about what we are observing.
PLEASE BRING DINNER AND WATER. THIS GROUP NEVER SHOPS FOR FOOD ON AN EVENT.
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)
MEETING DETAILS WILL BE SENT BY E-MAIL TO THOSE WHO RSVP NO LATER THAN THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT AND PROBABLY SOONER.
REGISTRATION IS LIMITED TO AROUND 20-25 MEMBERS.
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 EVEN CUSTOMIZE YOR SETTINGS TO GET MESSAGES FROM SELECT GROUPS.
I am going to ask that people not post any comments or questions prior to the event. (Please just respect my wishes and don't do it.) 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. AFTER the event, post as many comments and photos as you like.
If the weather forecast is really bad, I will post a notice on the day of the tour by 1:00 P.M. If there is no notice, we go.
