However, you’ll have a much better time if you land in Manhattan armed with some local knowledge on the best spots and some historical context. There is simply far too much to possibly say in one blog — or perhaps even one book — so we are merely plucking out a few of Manhattan’s most famous spots to talk about today.

We would be delighted if anything in this guide inspires you to explore Manhattan with CityWalksNY; take a look at our Custom & Private Tours in NYC if you’d like to find out more. And please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Guide to Visiting Midtown

Magnificent Midtown Manhattan

When one thinks of Manhattan, some of the things that come to mind are Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Broadway Theater district. What do all of these have in common? Their location in Midtown Manhattan — an area that includes a significant portion of what makes NYC so iconic.

Midtown Manhattan is home to some of the most definitive architecture and cultural areas of the city. These institutions evoke the image of NYC whenever brought up in conversation. One feels the true meaning of being a New Yorker when walking through Midtown Manhattan, understanding the lore behind the development of the iconic structures that reside in the area.

The Private Midtown Tour from CityWalksNY will take you through one of the most valuable real estate regions in the world, as your private tour guide provides a running commentary on the valuable history behind each iconic institution.

It can be difficult to approach or design a visit to an area as densely packed with significance as Midtown — there are so many different landmarks that probably require a separate tour of their own if you are to enjoy their full significance. But the Midtown Classics tour will attempt to provide at least a basic understanding of what’s so great about this area of NYC. Containing architecture from a wide range of schools — Neo-Gothic, Art-Deco, Post Modern, and more — Midtown is an architectural smorgasbord.

The unique history behind each of Midtown’s attractions will delight and inspire. Prominent locations such as Grand Central Terminal (pictured above) and the newly renovated New York Public Library have a significant cultural importance, as they are renowned not just for their aesthetic beauty, but the impact they have had on New Yorkers over the years.

Since Midtown is so large and so diverse, there are a great number of options as to where one can go exploring. On your custom tour with CityWalksNY, you can sit down and indulge in the tranquil atmosphere of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Ave or enjoy the festive activities available year-round at Bryant Park. 

Your private tour guide will not only point out the best places to capture the essence of NYC, but they will also help you understand what it is that makes all of these places so iconic and emblematic of the city.

Guide to Visiting Wall Street

The Street, The Wall, The Legend

Of course, when we refer to “The Street” we’re talking about Wall Street — so named because it is the site of a wall that was built here in 1653.  That wall wasn’t built by New Yorkers, however, because in 1653 the southern tip of Manhattan Island was not New York but the Dutch trading colony of New Amsterdam and the wall was the northern boundary of the city. 

In 1664 the English arrived.  On their ships, they had a gun for every building in New Amsterdam.  And so New Amsterdam became New York without a shot being fired. Eventually the wall came down but the street that had run parallel to it retained the name: Wall Street.

Due to its proximity to the piers where goods and raw material were imported & exported, Wall Street was an active trading location from its earliest days.  One of the imported resources found on Wall Street in the early 18th century were slaves.  In 1711, the New York Common Counsel made the corner of Wall Street and Pearl Street the city’s official slave market.

In the late 18th century, under a buttonwood tree at the foot of Wall Street, a group of traders would meet and transact business together.  In 1792 they signed “The Buttonwood Agreement” which stipulated that they would henceforth trade only with one another, and the New York Stock Exchange was born.

Wall Street, though synonymous with the financial industry, is also very important in American History. New York was the first capital city of the United States after our Constitution was ratified.  Wall Street is where the first U.S. congress met, where the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution, and it is where George Washington took the oath of office as the First President of the United States in 1789. In fact, it’s where many of our founding fathers both lived and worked!

Guide to Visiting NYC’s Upper West Side

See New York City as a Local

The Upper West Side in Manhattan is a neighborhood bounded by Central Park to the East, the Hudson River to the West, Columbus Circle on the South and 110th Street on the North end. The Upper West Side is primarily residential; the only major commercial tenant of the Upper West Side being the ABC Television Network HQ & production facilities from which they currently broadcast “Live with Kelly & Ryan.”

There are major cultural and educational institutions in Manhattan’s Upper West Side including The American Museum of Natural History and The New-York Historical Society as well as Lincoln Center near the southern boundary of the neighborhood and Columbia University in the north. 

The Dakota

The Dakota was built b/t 1880 – 1884 as the first luxury apartment building in New York City.  It was developed by Edward Clark, head of the Singer Sewing Machine Company and designed by Henry Hardenbergh who also designed the Plaza Hotel.  At the time it was being built, most New Yorkers of means lived in townhomes, houses.  Multifamily dwellings were considered the reserve of the working class. 

For this reason it was called “Clark’s Folly.”  However, the joke was on them, all apartments were leased before the building was completed.  According to lore the building is so named because it is so far north and west, outside of the developed part of the city at that time and therefore far from civilization, it might as well be in the Dakota territories.  

The esterior of the building was used in the movie “Rosemary’s Baby.” Some of the Dakota’s famous residents include Leonard Bernstien, Connie Chung, Rosemary Clooney, Lauren Bacall, Boris Karloff, Judy Garland, Lillian Gish, and Roberta Flack. And, of course, the Dakota was the home of John Lennon & Yoko Ono as well as the childhood home of Sean Lennon and where John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980. Yoko still lives here.

249 Central Park West

249 Central Park West, the corner house at 75th Street is one of three remaining of nine that were built between 74th and 75th Streets from 1888 to 1891 — all by the same developer and architect. They were built to be luxury townhomes and are so today after the mid-20th century neglect and abuse they suffered. 

By the 1950’s the Beck house, the corner brownstone, had been converted to apartments with the exterior modernized and slathered in white paint.  It was actually fortuitous that, in 1989, a chunk of masonry broke off the building and forced the owner to strip the building and reveal the original red brick and brownstone beneath.

In 2006 it was purchased for $14.4mm and reconverted to a single family home which required removing two floors that had been added to the top.  In 2013 it was sold for $20mm.

That’s all we have time for with this guide to Manhattan. But there will be lots more where this came from, and we are committed to writing more NYC travel guides in the future. So, keep an eye on the CityWalksNY Blog for even more New York City guides

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New York City is more than just a city – it’s several cities brought together to form a larger mega-city! There are several islands that are an important part of the fabric of New York City. CityWalksNY provides visitors looking for a truly immersive New York City experience a personal tour of Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island. Take the Roosevelt Island tram to explore the island of the same name. Most people are familiar with Ellis Island with its important place and rich history in American immigration. Then there is Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty stands tall and watches over New York Bay. In recent years people are starting to re-discover Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island as the local government has revitalized parts of the island as public space, performance and event venue and a fantastic summer getaway.

Roosevelt Island

The forgotten islands of the city include Roosevelt Island, located in the East River between Manhattan island itself and Queens. At one point in its extensive history, the Island was known as Welfare Island for its hospitals. During its long and interesting history, the island has been home to a variety of different institutions from prisons to hospitals, mental asylums, lighthouses and residential buildings. Roosevelt Island is home to a myriad of architectural styles, marking the different phases of development and the changing administrators for the island.

Today the island boasts multiple residential buildings with 11,500 full-time residents on the island. Today Roosevelt Island also boasts a beautifully restored lighthouse, the Blackwell Island Light. Also on the island are 2 large parks on the island, Southpoint Park near Goldwater Memorial Hospital and Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park opened as a state park in 2012. For quick and easy access to Roosevelt Island, hop on the recently restored tram that reopened in 2010.

Roosevelt Island has seen considerable investment from the private sector as well with Cornell University announcing the establishment of a Technology Research campus on the island. Announced in 2010, the new initiative is a joint venture between Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. With the ground breaking ceremony held in 2014, the building of the new campus is currently underway and with classes slated to start in late 2017.

Randall’s Island

Randall’s Island is often skipped over because of the bridge that spans across the island. With 1,650 full-time resident’s on it’s also another small island that is often forgotten in the frantic pace of New York City. With an area of 520 acres, it’s not a small piece of land at all. Even though there are several vehicular and pedestrian bridges leading visitors to the island, it’s often forgotten in the shadow of its larger sibling, Manhattan Island. At one time or another Randall’s Island has been home to an orphanage, a poor house, burial grounds for the poor, an asylum, a hospital of homeopathy and eventually was even a home for Civil War veterans.

There a variety of facilities on the island for hospitals, shelters, the New York City Police Department and The New York City Sanitation Department. One of the more memorable and unique facilities that exist on the island is the New York City Fire Department’s training academy where all new recruits train. Hopefuls looking to join the Fire Department of New York City must go through the grueling training regimen that includes removing people trapped in cars, providing emergency care to injured civilians, to rescuing people from burning buildings. While this facility is not open to the public because of the inherent dangers associated with fires and the risks they may pose for civilians.

During its storied history, Randall’s Island has been host to a number of important and memorable events, including the men’s Olympic trials in 1936 and women’s Olympic trials in 1964. Today there are a number of facilities on Randall’s Island that are frequently visited by locals and visitors alike. In 2005, Icahn Stadium was opened on the island along with a major renovation of the park space surrounding it. Not long after, in 2008 a renovated golf center was opened on the island. In 2009 the island added a newly built tennis center featuring 20 courts, a cafe and indoor facilities for men and women. In the winter the courts are bubbled over for continued use by patrons through the harsh New York winters. The park also boasts 60 athletic fields for use in sports ranging from football, rugby, soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, and field hockey.

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