Events

There was a time when it was the whims of nature that dictated our course over terrain – a bubbly brook, the slope of a hill, a thicket of thorns made us pawns of topography. So we invented the turnpike, straight lines across a landscape that save us time and effort.This program looks at three roads that played a role in building Long Island City: Vernon Boulevard, Jackson Avenue-Northern Boulevard, and Astoria Boulevard.

If laid out in one line, Manhattan’s coastline would stretch from Boston to DC, which is why its surprising that only a handful of NYC’s islands are known by name. On this tour, we’ll follow the 520 miles of city coast and learn about many of NYC’s 42 islands. This tour will introduce you to some new stories, like the crown jewel of the Dutch East India Company, and you’ll also learn the details behind some familiar tales, like that of Typhoid Mary and the history behind the Hart’s Island potters’ field.

Over the past two decades, West Chelsea has been transformed from a quiet warehouse district into one of Manhattan’s most fashionable destinations. This virtual tour will try to make sense of the new construction that borders the High Line, south of 30th Street, including contextual works and daring designs by such starchitects as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Thomas Heatherwick and Bjarke Ingels.

Before the creation of New York's beloved Bryant Park, this area behind the New York Public Library(then occupied by a monumental water reservoir,) was the site of the first American international exhibition. Inspired by an earlier exhibition in London, New York, in 1853, built its own Crystal Palace and with its display of the latest discoveries and creations in the fields of arts and sciences, not only impressedthe world, but also put the US on the map as a true competitor. Samuel Otis showed his elevator here, David Alter presented new methods of manufacturing and purifying bromine, important for the iron industry, the newest Daguerreotype cameras, microscopic and Fresnel lenses were shown, but also the arts were well represented, including Tiffany's showroom as well as a picture gallery. Next to the main building NY's first observatory attracted many visitors and after the exhibition the spaces were used for performances by PT Barnum. Tragically a fire destroyed all buildings in 1856, but the city was forever changed!

The measure of any society is in how it takes care of those not able to take care of themselves. Because Stuyvesant Heights and Crown Heights were primarily developed in the final two decades of the 19th century, many of Brooklyn's charitable organizations, both religious and secular, were able to purchase multiple plots of land in those neighborhoods relatively cheaply. They built large hospitals, orphanages and old age homes on those properties, as Brooklyn grew up around them. Some of them are long gone, while others still remain – tangible reminders of a by-gone era before social safety nets and public care. Our tour takes you to some of the most memorable, with an emphasis on those buildings still standing. Join us to see how "giving back" was so admirably expressed.

On January 24, 1961, four days after the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan arrived in New York City at the age of 19.This tour celebrates the 60th anniversary of that occasion, and Dylan's entry into the dynamic culture of Greenwich Village.Historically, the Village was a magnet for writers, activists, musicians, artists, and outcasts. Its allure attracted creative souls from all sections of the country. Bob Dylan "landed up on the downtown side" on the heels of the Beats and the revival of the folkies. This tour with popular Jane's Walk leader and MAS Grand Central Docent Robert Depczenski will trace Dylan's footsteps, visiting places he gathered, lived, and performed. Traversing the Village streets, we'll relive the forces that influenced his formative years. The ghosts of Village past including Poe, Whitman, and Kerouac, and the presence of Guthrie, Van Ronk, and Ginsburg nourished Dylan and fueled his work. This synergy between place and genius will be the focus of our journey.

Almost everything about New York City has changed since Stanford White was the most fashionable architect of what was called the American Renaissance, designing a vast variety of buildings, many of which are still around, but often dwarfed by the surrounding glass towers: Villard Houses, Judson Memorial Church, Bowery Savings Bank, Bronx Community College, and Washington Arch. Others have long been demolished, like Madison Square Garden and the magnificent Herald Building. On our virtual tour we will visit all his most significant designs and consider their place in the history of our city.

This virtual tour traces the growth of Queens from the time of the five-borough Consolidation in 1898 to the present. We will journey through neighborhoods to reveal how immigration policies have shaped "The World's Borough" and the lives of its residents.

Subway Art Tour Three takes you from Hudson Yards to Harlem and then back down the East Side. The tour begins on Manhattan's West Side, in the newly created community known as Hudson Yards. Heading across town and then uptown, we will ride three different subway lines. We survey the art at 10 different subway stations. This will be as unusual a journey as Subway Art Tours One and Two are. You will discover that part of New York City that very few take the time to see: art underground. The Tour ends at Grand Central Terminal. Discover the art museum at the core of the Big Apple. Step aboard for another fantastic ride!