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Central Park; The Gem Of Manhattan Isle
Central Park is 843 acres, or 344 hectares of almost entirely man-made landscaped park. Central Park was designed by two gentleman; Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmstead, neither of whom had ever before undertaken a large scale landscape design project. Their proposed plan for Central Park - The Greensward Plan - won the contest for the park's design. Central Park offers beautiful vistas, fun family activities like a handsome carriage ride and a green sanctuary where one can relax with a picnic lunch and recharge from the onslaughts of New York.
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Magnificant Midtown Mahattan
The Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, The United Nations Headquarters, Macy's, The Waldorf Astoria, MOMA, Rockefeller Center & St. Patrick's Cathedral! And of course there are the fabulous Fifth Ave Designer stores like Bergdorf-Goodman, Tiffany's, and Sak's Fifth Ave. Just a few of the many modern wonders to be found in New York's Midtown Business district. We can combine the Magnificant Midtown tour with Times Square for a full day New York Extravaganza or take a lovely 3 hour walking tour just to cover the Midtown Business District alone.
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Times Square the Crossroads of The World!
Yes it has been called "The Crossroads of The World" as well as "The Devil's Playground" Times Square has been the seat of New York's Entertainment business for well over a century. For 3 or more hours we can view and discuss the history of New York's great Broadway theatres as well as the sites of the renowned celebrity cafes and restaurants which once graced this neighborhood.
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Artists, Writers & Music of Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village has long been considered the Bohemia of New York City. Some of New York's and America's greatest writers, artists and musicians, have originated in Greenwich Village. Washington Square park, now the jewel of Greenwich Village, was once a dueling ground, a potter's field and a place for executions - the great elm which allegedly served as a hanging tree still stands in Washington Square Park! I will conduct you along a 3 hour walking tour and point out places where cultural history has been made
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The Soho Cast Iron District
Most know that Soho NY is now synonymous with fashionable shopping. What many people do not know is that Soho NY is the largest stand of "cast iron architecture" in the world. What do I mean by "cast iron architecture"? Well you'll have to join me to find out! It would be more accurate to say that Soho is once more a fashionable shopping district because that was it's original purpose when Soho was first developed in the 1830's. In fact Soho is where Lord & Taylor originated almost 150 years ago. That would have been unbelievable to visitors to New York just 30 years ago when the Soho district was abandoned, desolate and decrepit! As well as in the 1980s when Soho was the center of the art world in NYC. Yes, Soho, like all of New York City has undergone numerous transformations and no doubt more will be forthcoming!
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The Financial District & Historic Lower Manhattan
This tour will emcompass The World Trade Center site where within the next few years the new Freedom Tower and the World Trade Center Memorial Museum will open. From there we will proceed to New York's City Hall and just east of City Hall is the Brooklyn Bridge which we can walk across as part of our tour. We will continue down lower Broadway, known as "The Canyon of Heroes" as this is the place in NYC where our famous tickertape parades have occurred. There are many sites of National Historic importance in this district as New York City was the first Capital city of the United States and we will see not only the place where George Washington was inaugurated as the nations first President but also where he went to pray on the day of his inauguration. We will also view the tavern where six years previously he said farewell to his officers and staff at the end of the American Revolutionary War. This southern tip of Manhattan is where the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam once stood, the second European city in North America and one which went on to become the continent's most important trading port over the next century. For this and many other reasons, Lower Manhattan is rich in U.S. history.