Name: The Upper West Side: The Evolution of a Neighborhood + Live Jazz on the Hudson!
Start: 2025-07-27T20:30:00.000Z
Location: Barnes & Noble

**Join us on Monday, June 19th the observed holiday (City, State and Federal) for Juneteenth. *RSVPs opened on Wednesday, June 4th at 9:00pm***. This tour is free with an optional donation to your guide. Space is set aside for new group members and those landing on the waiting list who have yet to attend more than one events. If this applies to you, please email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot.

**Note change of start time to 3:30pm as the Indoor Visitor Center with Restrooms will close at 4:00pm.** Highly recommended are the exhibits inside (opens at 10am), you can easily spend 30-45 minutes.
***Note that this is a National Monument with free admission and you will pass through metal detectors. Address is 290 Broadway between Duane and Reade Streets ,1.5 blocks north of Chambers Street.***
More information here:
https://www.nps.gov/afbg/planyourvisit/visitor-center.htm
**[Event on Juneteenth:](https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?id=5E1402C1-BDA2-781D-1A7A9C2FCDAB2C4F)**[ ](https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?id=5E1402C1-BDA2-781D-1A7A9C2FCDAB2C4F)

**Tour Meeting Location at 4:00pm**: Outside of 290 Broadway - between Duane and Reade Streets.
**To Bring:** Snacks, water to drink, sun protection, additional subway ride. This is a 3 hour + experience that entails about 4 miles of walking.

**ABOUT JUNETEENTH**
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States which existed for well over hald of this country's history going back to the 1600s. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th of that year that Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free, two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. On June 17, 2021 President Biden signed into law a bill making June 19th a federal holiday. In 2022 NYC Mayor Adams declared that Juneteenth will be a paid city holiday.

**OVERVIEW**
**Neighborhoods briefly visited: Five Points Chinatown), Tribeca, Civic Center, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights.**
As we recount the background of the Juneteenth holiday, we'll visit a number of historic sites in Brooklyn and Manhattan. While Manhattan became a leading force in the movement against slavery, Brooklyn, during part of the 19th century, essentially became sanctuary city in which blacks and whites played leaderships roles in combatting slavery sometimes at risk risk to their lives and livelihoods.

NYC's history with regarding to slavey is quite complex: On one hand it became the most active city in the country with respect combatting slavery and in challenging the Fugitive Slave Act allowing recapturing escapees in free states like New York. On the other hand, NYC business interests were profiting from slavery due to their relationships with textiles and sugar that were produced in the south and shipped north for processing and manufacturing. We'll cover this fascinating history as we visit other sites including:

**4:00pm: Where We Start - 290 Broadway Entrance - Indoor Museum.** We will see the outdoor portion when we start our walk or check it our if you arrive early (around the corner on Duane Street).

The African Burial Ground National Monument (pictured above), the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. Arrive earlier if you like if you would like to spend more time: https://www.nps.gov/afbg/index.htm
*There are restrooms which you should definitely use before we start*

After about a 30-40 minute self-guided visit, we'll continue on to key anti-slavery sites in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, including the site of the first church established by people of African descent. We'll also visit locations related to 18th century slave rebellions and the site of one the largest 18th century slave markets in the northeast United States,

**On to Brooklyn**
We'll take a short subway ride to Downtown Brooklyn we'll make a stop at an historic Underground Railroad house that was recently saved from demolition. Still standing is the the historic Bridge Street Church building, which was used by the African Wesleyen Methodist Church congregation starting in 1854 until 1948, and played an important and active role in the anti-slavery movement. Many escaping enslaved people were housed in the basement of this building as they made their way northward to freedom.

We'll traverse Downtown Brooklyn to Brooklyn Heights and end our tour at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims which played a prominent role in the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery movement. The head minister, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, according to Abraham Lincoln, who visited this church, was "the most influential man in America."

The endpoint of the tour is convenient to the A, 2,3,4,5, and R subways. Potential afterparty at a local establishment in nearby DUMBO or Brooklyn Heights.

Your organizer and guide,

Hank
646-596-3005

Exploring NYC History and Neighborhoods

Hank Orenstein

April

Carlos

pennelope Goodfriend

Juliette McDowney

Carole

Rise 

Arlin

Liza

Diane

Larissa

Miriam

Yolanda

Snehal Kanakia

Sara Li

Kathy

Mihaela Lisov

Nicholas Mahoney

A Juneteenth Holiday History Tour From Manhattan to Brooklyn

African Burial Ground National Monument

RSVP's begin Wednesday, July 9th at 9:00pm. **Space is set aside for new members, first and 2nd timers should you land on the waiting list. Email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot.**

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

**To Bring:** Water to drink and sun protection.

**SCHEDULE:**
**4:30pm**: Meet in front of Barnes & Noble on Broadway between 82nd-83rd Streets. Arrive early to use the restrooms in the cafe upstairs.
**4:30pm - 6:30pm**: Guided walking tour
Find a spot, have a bite and/or a drink at Pier 1 Cafe in Riverside Park
**7:00pm - 8:30pm**: Optional live music overlooking the Hudson River

**OVERVIEW**
Back in 1890, the Upper West Side and Central Park West looked like the picture above! What happened? This free tour (with voluntary donation) will cover the Upper West Side from 89th Street - 72nd Street.

From its humble beginning as the hamlets of Harsenville and the village of Bloomingdale, the Upper West has evolved over the past 100 years as one of NYC’s most desirable neighborhoods and one of the most densely settled places in America. Join us on this guided walk to learn about the history and development of the West Side from farms and country estates to the iconic apartment houses, brownstones and architectural treasures.

The Upper West Side is home to NYC's largest historic district and some of the world's most magnificent apartment buildings and beautiful brownstone streets. We'll also talk about the history of Broadway as a major thoroughfare, having started out as an American Indian trail. We'll bring to life the creation of both Central Park and Riverside Parks and their impact on the development of the neighborhood. We'll visit the site of Edgar Allan Poe's mid 1800's home, and the "Villa Julia" mansion which functions today as a children's school.

The tour will end in Riverside Park's Pier 1 at 70th Street where there will be live music starting at 7pm, restrooms, and food and drink available for purchase (credit cards accepted). Below is a link to the menu.
https://www.piericafe.com/

**About the live band performing 7pm - 8:30pm:**
REBOLU with some of the finest Colombian musicians in the United States, Grupo Rebolu with founders Ronald Polo, Morris Canate, and Johanna Castaneda join their talents to lead and ensemble rich of musical traditions of their ancestors; the afro-descendants of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

With the strong mesmerizing beats, of urban modern Caribbean sounds, this music goes into your system like a dose of pure contagious energy!

Cheers from Hank!

hankorenstein@gmail.com
646-596-3005

The Upper West Side:  The Evolution of a Neighborhood + Live Jazz on the Hudson!

Barnes & Noble

Hank Orenstein's Exploring NYC History and Neighborhood

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