New York vacation
Lower East Side: Immigration and the City Discover how the Lower East Side evolved as it welcomed wave after wave of immigrants, including the Irish, Germans, Eastern Europeans, Italians, Chinese and Latin Americans. Learn about life in the tenements in the late 19th and early 20th century. You will see what people endured to come to America and learn how they lived, worked and made the best of what they had.
Every culture that passed through the Lower East Side left its mark- discovers an intact synagogue from 1887, and another synagogue that is now a Buddhist temple. Before the arrival of the immigrants, the area was farmland. In fact, Orchard Street on the Lower East Side was named for what it once ran through: Mr. de Lancy's orchard. Several stops will be made along the way to illustrate the area's rich history.
Lower Manhattan: The Birth of a City and a Country New York vacation traces its rich history to Lower Manhattan, the meeting point of the Hudson River and the East River. Originally named Nieuw (New) Amsterdam, New York vacation began as a small Dutch settlement in what is now known as Lower Manhattan. Broadway, which was then called Heere Straat (Gentleman Street), was nothing but a small road. Wall Street actually had a wall back in 1653 to protect the settlers from attacks. As the city grew, so did the nation. New York was the first capital of the United States and the spot where George Washington was inaugurated is marked by his statue. Over the years, Lower Manhattan has become the financial capital of the world. Today, the streets are teeming with people and filled with stories of New York's past, present and future. As you explore Lower Manhattan with your guide, you'll see the World Trade Center site, St. Paul's Chapel, Battery Park, and Trinity Church and the history of the Native American, Dutch, and the English.
" The Quaint Streets of Greenwich Village: " Shunning street grids, societal conventions and commercial developers for centuries, the West Village proudly displays its hard-won heritage. We lead you to some of the neighborhood's most enchanting sites, revealing extraordinary histories, architectural delights and secrets unknown even to many new Yorkers. Stroll along genteel Commerce Street, with its restored Federal-style residences and historic Cherry Lane Theater. Around the corner on Bedford Street, Chumley's Ale House discreetly plied its boozy trade during the 1920s Prohibition era. Pass by one of the narrowest pieces of real estate on the island of Manhattan on Grove Street. Your tour includes sights of historical significance and your guide has stories to share with you about each.
SoHo: From Trendy to Trashy and Back Again Like most of the developing city in the early years, SoHo (which stands for South of Houston Street-and by the way, it's pronounced How-ston), started as a small village. Over time, the neighborhood went from the wealthiest, to the most industrial, to a slum called "Hell's 100 acres." Now it is back to trendy again. SoHo is one of the most stylish neighborhoods in NYC, with clues of its past around every corner. Several of its cast iron buildings built in the mid 1800's still stand. As you explore the area, you will get the feel of its many cobblestone streets. When artists arrived in SoHo in the 1970s, they began the revival of the neighborhood. You'll visit two of SoHo's famed art galleries, including the Earth Room. Next to SoHo is NoLIta-which is Northern Little Italy. The area is home to the old St. Patrick's Cathedral. One story in particular your guide will impart is the 1799 murder of Elma Sands, the "Ghost of Spring Street."
Central Park: New York's Backyard Where else can you see a castle, a sled dog, Alice in Wonderland, a pair of hawks and a 4,000-year-old obelisk from Egypt in one place You guessed it. Central Park is more than just a green space in the middle of Manhattan Island. It is an 843-acre oasis, 150 years in the making and a favorite retreat for New Yorkers of
all walks of life. An essential part of the urban landscape, Central Park is something that no New York vacation could live without. It fits into the Manhattan environment so naturally, that many people never realize it is entirely man-made. Follow your guide on the winding paths and over the bridges and through the tunnels, and learn how the architects Olmsted and Vaux created New York's "backyard."
Chinatown: A City within a City Although it's called Chinatown, this eclectic neighborhood is home to people from around the world. You'll discover the oldest Jewish cemetery in the country dating back to 1683, as well as a piece of Revolutionary War history. The infamous Five Points, back in notoriety thanks to the movie Gangs of New York, was located in what is Chinatown today. People from all across China, along with Malaysians, Burmese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and many other nationalities reside in Chinatown. As you explore this unique neighborhood with your guide, you'll see how Chinese life and culture have completely enveloped the area. The Chinese first arrived in New York in the 1820s and 1830s. Immigration slowed at the end of the 1800s due to anti-Chinese laws. Today, new waves of immigrants from China and many other Asian nations continue to arrive and settle in Chinatown.
Harlem: Yesterday and Today
Harlem is more than just another neighborhood on Manhattan Island. It is almost a city onto itself. It has its own neighborhoods and boasts a population with people from all over the world. Its history and diversity is so rich, it is hard to know where to begin. But your guide will know-as you explore the area that has become the center of New York's African-American culture. Founded by the Dutch in 1658 as New Harlem, the Harlem of today boasts museums, libraries, streets and parks that reflect the heritage of African-Americans. On your walk, you'll learn how the area has changed over the centuries, including how the Harlem renaissance of the 1920s left its mark on the history of New York vacation.
Brooklyn Heights: A Neighborhood of History
One of the best-kept secrets of the City of New York vacation is Brooklyn Heights, a beautiful district in Brooklyn. Some historians call it one of the first suburbs in the United States. Brooklyn Heights is unique as it radiates a hometown atmosphere while situated right next door to one of the most recognizable cityscapes in the world. In 1965, Brooklyn Heights was the first area designated as a New York City Historic District and you will understand why as you see Federal style homes built in the 1820s, brick and brownstone homes from the 1830s and 1840s, and two Italianate mansions that overlook Pierrepont Street.
South Street Seaport and Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is where New York vacation City began, and many say where the Modern United States began. In the 1600s Dutch homes lined the southern portion of Pearl Street (the eastern former shoreline) and Wall Street was the northern Border of the Dutch Colony, where there was actually a wall built to stop an attack from the British. Today the streets are teeming with people and filled with stories of New York's past, present and future. As you explore South Street Seaport with your guide you will wonder into the streets that make up the Historic District. Your guide with point out and talk about the following sites, plus several in between.
