New York City NY Tourism: Tours

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Reservations are required for some of the tours listed, but even if they're not, it's always best to call ahead to confirm prices, times, and meeting places.

Double Decker Bus Tours

Taking a narrated bus tour is one of the best ways to see and learn quickly about New York's major sights and neighborhoods. However, keep in mind that the commentary is only as good as the guide, who is seldom an expert. Tour guides tend toward hyperbole and might get a few of the facts wrong. The New York Times once found tour-bus guides spouting the following inaccuracies: New York has the oldest subway system in the world (third, behind London's -- 41 years before New York -- and Boston's, which was the first in the U.S.); Frank Sinatra was born in Jersey City (it was Hoboken); and Herald Square was named after the founder of the New York Herald Tribune (there was no Mr. Herald). But the idea is to see the highlights, not write a dissertation from this stuff. So enjoy the ride -- and take the "facts" you hear along the way with a grain of salt.

Transportation Alternatives

You really don't want to burden that nag with a carriage ride through Central Park in the middle of the summer, do you? Better you should hire a real beast of burden -- a driver of a pedicab who probably really needs the money. Pedicabs are becoming very common sights on the streets of New York. The drivers are friendly, informative, and don't litter the streets. Manhattan Pedicab, Inc. (tel. 212/586-9486; www.ajnfineart.com), one of the two primary pedicab companies, charges $35 for a half hour, $65 for a full hour, and $10 for an impromptu street pick-up. Tours are also available, including Upper East and Upper West Side Bar and Restaurant Tours, and a Central Park-Rockefeller Center Tour. Another option is the Manhattan Rickshaw Company (tel. 212/604-4724; www.manhattanrickshaw.com), where fares range from $8 to $15 for a pick-up to $50 for an hourly ride.

Harbor Cruises

Note that some of the lines listed may have limited schedules in winter, especially for evening cruises. Call ahead or check online for current offerings.

Specialty Tours

In addition to the options listed, those interested in touring the Financial District with a knowledgeable guide should also consider the World of Finance Walking Tour offered Fridays at 10am by the Museum of American Financial History, 28 Broadway (just north of Bowling Green) (tel. 877/FINANCE or 212/908-4601). Also, both the Municipal Art Society (directly) and the Grand Central Partnership offer free walking tours of Grand Central Terminal, Wednesdays at 12:30pm and Fridays at 12:30pm, respectively.

The Alliance for Downtown New York, the Business Improvement District in charge of Lower Manhattan, offers a free, 90-minute Wall Street Walking Tour every Thursday and Saturday at noon, rain or shine. This guided tour explores the vivid history and amazing architecture of the nation's first capital and the world center of finance. Stops include the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, Federal Hall National Monument, and many other sites of historic and cultural importance. Tours meet on the steps of Cass Gilbert's gorgeous U.S. Customs House, at 1 Bowling Green (subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green). Reservations are not required (unless you're a group), but you can call tel. 212/606-4064 or visit www.downtownny.com to confirm the schedule.

Cultural Organizations

The Municipal Art Society (tel. 212/439-1049 or 212/935-3960; www.mas.org) offers excellent historical and architectural walking tours aimed at intelligent, individualistic travelers, not the mass market. Each is led by a highly qualified guide who offers insights into the significance of buildings, neighborhoods, and history. Topics range from the urban history of Greenwich Village to "Williamsburg: Beyond the Bridge," to an examination of the "new" Times Square. Weekday walking tours are $12; weekend tours are $15. Reservations may be required depending on the tour, so it's best to call ahead. A full schedule is available online or by calling tel. 212/439-1049.

The 92nd Street Y (tel. 212/415-5500 or 212/415-5628; www.92ndsty.org) offers a wonderful variety of walking and bus tours, many featuring funky themes or behind-the-scenes visits. Subjects can range from "Diplomat for a Day at the U.N." to "Secrets of the Chelsea Hotel," or from "Artists of the Meat-Packing District" to "Jewish Harlem." Prices range from $20 to $60 (sometimes more for bus tours), but many include ferry rides, afternoon tea, dinner, or whatever suits the program. Guides are well-chosen experts on their subjects, ranging from highly respected historians to an East Village poet, mystic, and art critic (for "Allen Ginsberg's New York" and "East Village Night Spots"), and many routes travel into the outer boroughs; some day trips even reach beyond the city. Advance registration is required for all walking and bus tours. Schedules are planned a few months in advance, so check the website for tours that might interest you.

Independent Operators

NYC Discovery Tours (tel. 212/465-3331) offers more than 70 tours of the Big Apple divided into five categories: neighborhood (including "Central Park" and "Brooklyn Bridge and Heights"); theme (such as "Gotham City Ghost Tour" and "Art History NYC"); biography ("John Lennon's New York"); tavern/food tasting; and American history and literature ("The Charles Dickens Tours"). Tours are about 2 hours long and cost $13 per person (more for food tastings).

All tours from Joyce Gold History Tours of New York (tel. 212/242-5762; www.nyctours.com) are offered by Joyce Gold herself, an instructor of Manhattan history at New York University and the New School for Social Research, who has been conducting history walks around New York since 1975. Her tours can really cut to the core of this town; Joyce is full of fascinating stories about Manhattan and its people. Tours are arranged around themes like "The Colonial Settlers of Wall Street," "The Genius and Elegance of Gramercy Park," "Downtown Graveyards," "The Old Jewish Lower East Side," "Historic Harlem," and "TriBeCa: The Creative Explosion." Tours are offered most weekends March to December and last from 2 to 4 hours, and the price is $12 per person; no reservations are required. Private tours can be arranged year-round, either for individuals or groups.

Myra Alperson, founder and lead tour guide for NoshWalks (tel. 212/222-2243; www.noshwalks.com), knows food in New York City and knows where to find it. For the past 6 years, Alperson has been leading adventurous, hungry walkers to some of the city's most delicious neighborhoods. From the Uzbek, Tadjik, and Russian markets of Rego Park, Queens, to the Dominican coffee shops of Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, Alperson has left no ethnic neighborhood unexplored. Tours are conducted on Saturday and Sunday, leaving around 11:30am. The preferred means of transportation is subway and the tours generally last around 3 hours and cost $20 ($30 for Bronx Bites), not including the food you will undoubtedly buy on the tour. Space is limited, so book well in advance.

On Location Tours (tel. 212/209-3370; www.sceneontv.com) offers narrated minibus tours through TV history on their Manhattan TV Tour; tickets are $30 for adults. Or, if you want to see Carrie Bradshaw's Big Apple, cut right to the chase and take the company's 2 1/2-hour Sex and the City Tour, which includes over 40 show-related sights; tickets are $35. Most tours take place on Saturdays and depart from the Times Square Visitors Center, usually at noon and 2:30pm, respectively. There's also a 3-hour Sopranos Tour that will take you over to New Jersey for an afternoon of sights that range from Satriale's Pork Store to the Bada-Bing! club; this tour leaves from Bryant Park on Sundays at 2pm and costs $40. Reservations are strongly suggested for all tours, as most sell out in advance; it also makes sense to confirm days and times and check for any additional offerings.

Harlem Spirituals (tel. 800/660-2166 or 212/391-0900; www.harlemspirituals.com) specializes in gospel and jazz tours of Harlem that can be combined with a traditional soul-food meal. A variety of options are available, including a tour of Harlem sights with gospel service, and a soul-food lunch or brunch as an optional add-on. The Harlem jazz tour includes a neighborhood tour, dinner at a family-style soul-food restaurant, and a visit to a local jazz club; there's also an Apollo Theater variation on this tour. Bronx and Brooklyn tours are also an option for those who want a taste of the outer boroughs. Prices start at $30, $23 for children, for a Harlem Heritage tour, and go up from there based on length and inclusions (tours that include food and entertainment are pay-one-price). All tours leave from Harlem Spirituals' Midtown office (690 Eighth Ave., between 43rd and 44th sts.), and transportation is included.

Active visitors with an adventurous spirit can hook up with Tours by Bike: Bike the Big Apple (tel. 201/837-1133; www.bikethebigapple.com). Tours by Bike offers guided half-day, full-day, and customized tours through a variety of city neighborhoods, including the fascinating but little-explored Upper Manhattan and Harlem; an ethnic tour that takes you over the legendary Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and Little Italy, and to Ground Zero; and around Flushing, Queens, where you'll feel like you're biking around Hong Kong. You don't have to be an Ironman candidate to participate; tours are designed for the average rider, with an emphasis on safety and fun; shorter (approximately 2 1/2 hr.) and longer versions (around 5 hr.) are available. Tours are offered year-round; prices run $69 to $89, and include all gear, including bike.

Offbeat New York Tours

So maybe you've taken a harbor cruise or the double-decker bus tour, but you just don't feel you got a taste of the gritty, quirky, neurotic elements that make New York so unique. You want to see those sights that even many native New Yorkers have never seen. Here are a few alternatives to the conventional tours that might satisfy that need.

Soundwalk (www.soundwalk.com): This innovative company behind the audio self-guided tour CDs debuted in 2003, with audio tours offering insider's peeks at Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Times Square, DUMBO, and the Meat-Packing District. All of these are great fun and will take you places no double-decker bus ever will, but my favorite is the three-CD set "Bronx Soundwalk." The CD set includes Baseball, a tour of Yankee Stadium and environs, narrated by longtime employee Tony Morante; Graffiti, a tour of Hunts Point and the trail of some of the legendary graffiti artists, narrated by BG183 (aka Sotero Ortiz), founding member of the TATS Cru and Mural Kings of the Bronx; and Hip Hop, a Bronx River tour narrated by hip-hop DJ, the Original Jazzy Jay, which takes you to the birthplace of hip-hop and the haunts of rap pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and Cool Herc. These tours are so authentic; on the Bronx tour you'll even visit the G&R Pastry Shop where Mr. Steinbrenner, we learn, is a big fan of the shop's cheese Danish. CDs range from $13 to $19; all you need is a portable CD player, map, MetroCard, walking shoes, and an adventurous spirit. You can purchase CDs on the website, or at retailers listed on the site.

Wildman Steve Brill (www.wildmanstevebrill.com): If you ever get stranded in Central Park, a tour with Wildman Steve Brill might help you survive. I've seen him in the park, raggedy beard, shorts, hiking boots, and pith helmet, leading groups of eager-eyed followers while instructing them on what flora and fauna they can forage -- breaking off a stick of some edible tree and gnawing on it as an example. Brill's Central Park tours occur twice monthly and are not only hilarious, they actually are educational. If you're lucky, maybe he'll regale you with his tale of his arrest by a park ranger for eating a dandelion. Reservations must be made in advance; call tel. 914/835-2153. Suggested donation is $10.

Hidden Jazz Haunts (www.bigapplejazz.com): This tour hosted by New York Jazz expert Gordon Polatnick is the real deal for jazz buffs. Polatnick's tours are small (2 to 10 people) and are tailor-made to the jazz interests of his clients. If you're into bebop, he'll show you Minton's Playhouse, the still standing but now defunct jazz club that was the supposed birthplace of bop. From there he'll take you to other active Harlem clubs that he feels embody that Minton's bebop spirit. If you're into the Bohemian Village scene, he'll take you to clubs that represent that era. The tour lasts 5 hours and costs $100, including transportation, music charges, two drinks, and guide service. For reservations call tel. 718/606-8442.

Radical Walking Tours: Led by self-proclaimed "radical historian" Bruce Kayton, these are unconventional tours of conventional tourist sights. A tour to Harlem covers the Black Panthers, Malcolm X, and the Communist party in addition to the Apollo Theater and the Schomburg Center. My favorite is the Non-Jerry Seinfeld Upper West Side Tour, which stops at the home of Fidel Castro when he lived in the neighborhood in the late 1940s, the site of the shootout with Black Panther H. Rap Brown and police, and Lincoln Center and how it destroyed what once was a thriving Puerto Rican community. Call tel. 718/492-0069 or visit www.he.net/~radtours for more information. Tours are $10 and no reservations are necessary.

Adventures on a Shoestring: One of the earliest entrants into the now booming walking tour market, host Howard Goldberg has provided unique views of New York since 1963, exploring New York with a breezy, man-of-the-people style. Tours, which go behind the scenes of neighborhoods, range from a variety of Greenwich Village tours -- haunted, picturesque, historic -- to Historic Roosevelt Island, which includes taking the Roosevelt Island Tram. He even does theme walks such as "Marilyn Monroe's Manhattan" and a "Salute to Katharine Hepburn." Tours are a bargain at $5 for 90 minutes and are conducted year-round, rain or shine. Call tel. 212/265-2663 for more info.

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