FREE TOURSNow that the temperatures are rising above, say, freezing – we can put away our jugs of honey, crawl out of our caves and try to remember what it's like to stand up and walk.
Exercise! It's the medical community's mantra. And walking, they tell us, is one of the best forms of exercise. To make our walks more enjoyable New York City offers a great variety of free guided tours. Most of the free tours listed below are presented by Central Park's Conservancy. And such tours are scheduled throughout the year. To see more tours, visit: Http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageNavigator/progrAMs_walkingtours
WEST SIDE STORIES:
Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, Lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare. Meet inside the Park on the north side of
West 81st Street at Central Park West.
Walk through a scenic area on the western
edge of the Park, much of which is off the
beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different
styles, and a garden with flowers and
plants mentioned by Shakespeare. Call 212-772-0210 for further directions.
Saturday, February 28, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 7, 12:00 PM
Sunday, March 15, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 21, 2:00 PM
Sunday, March 29, 12:00 PM
WATERWAYS AND VISTASWalk from the Dairy to Belvedere Castle and learn about the intricate design of Central Park’s web of pastoral landscapes and formal romantic vistas. Meet outside the Dairy Gift Shop,
mid-Park at 65th Street Walk from the Dairy to Belvedere
Castle, and learn about the intricate
design of Central Park's web of
pastoral landscapes and formal
romantic vistas. Call 212-794-4064 for directions.
Saturday, March 14, 2:00 PM
Saturday, March 28, 12:00 PM
THE CASTLE & ITS KINGDOM
Take a walk around the lands dominated by Belvedere Castle, situated high on Vista Rock. Visit this tiny 55-acre realm on an eclectic tour of history and nature. Meet at Belvedere Castle, Mid-Park at 79th Street. Take a walk around the lands dominated
by Belvedere Castle, situated high on
Vista Rock. Visit this tiny 55-acre realm
on an eclectic tour of history and nature. Call 212-772-0210 for directions.
Saturday, February 28, 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 1, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 7, 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 8, 12:00 PM
Sunday, March 15, 12:00 PM
VIEWS FROM THE PASTAs you promenade through the heart of Central Park, imagine living in 19th-century New York City. Learn about the Park’s history and hear how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to make their vision our reality.
Meet outside the Dairy Gift Shop,
mid-Park at 65th Street.
Call 212-794-4064 for directions.
Wednesday, February 25, 11:00 AM
Thursday, February 26, 11:00 AM
Saturday, February 28, 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 3, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 4, 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 5, 11:00 AM
Tuesday, March 10, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 11, 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 12, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 18, 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 19, 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 22, 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 24, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 25, 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 26, 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 29, 1:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31, 11:00 AM
SENECA VILLAGESeneca Village was Manhattan’s first known community of African American property owners, on land that would become Central Park. Learn about the history of the village, the property owners, and what New York City was like at the time. Meet inside the Park at the southeast
corner of 85th Street and Central Park
West. Call 212-772-0210 for directions.
February 22, 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 8, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 21, 12:00 PM
CROSS-PARK PROMENADE
You will see many surprises: a hidden bench that tells time, miniature boats powered by the wind, a magnificent sculpture celebrating fresh water. These are just some of the sites on this east-to-west walk through the Park. Meet inside the Park at Fifth Avenue and East 72nd Street, in front of the statue of Samuel F. B. Morse.
Call 212-772-0210 for further directions.
Wednesday, February 25, 1:00 PM
Thursday, February 26, 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 1, 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 3, 1:00 PM
Wednesday, March 4, 1:00 PM
Thursday, March 5, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 7, 2:00 PM
Tuesday, March 10, 1:00 PM
Wednesday, March 11, 1:00 PM
Thursday, March 12, 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 14, 12:00 PM
Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 PM
Thursday, March 19, 1:00 PM
Spring Equinox Special
Friday, March 20, 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 22, 1:00 PM
Tuesday, March 24, 1:00 PM
Wednesday, March 25, 1:00 PM
Thursday, March 26, 1:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31, 1:00 PM
UNION SQUARE:Given every Saturday at 2:00 PM, this free 90-minute walking tour called "Crossroads of New York," investigates the societal and political record of the Union Square neighborhoods, including its history, architecture and interesting citizens. How did Union Square get its name? Where did Tiffany & Co. once stand? What other secrets can you learn to give you bragging rights when you next stroll through Union Square?
Meet at the Abraham Lincoln statue by the 16th Street transverse in Union Square Park. Look for the guide holding a Union Square: Crossroads of New York sign.
Reservations are not required for individuals, but are required for groups.
For more information (212) 517-1826.
FINANCIAL DISTRICT TOURTake a free tour of Wall Street, courtesy of the downtown New York Alliance. This 90-minute guided tour will take you to the U.S. Custom House, historic Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other cultural and architectural sights. These tours begin on the front steps of the U.S. Custom House, at One Bowling Green, every Thursday and Saturday at noon. No reservations are required, but groups should call (212) 606-4064.
FREE TOUR OF GRAND CENTRAL AND THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODGrand Central Terminal, one of the city's greatest architectural gems, is the focus of Justin Ferate's FREE illuminating and educational tour every Friday at 12:30. Justin Ferate does an outstanding job depicting the history of Grand Central, dispelling myths and misconceptions, and makes this educational tour fun and engaging.
For more information: http://gonyc.about.com/od/toursbr/a/ferate_tour.htm
THE LATE, GREAT PENNSYLVANIA STATIONA free walking Tour begins at the 34th Street Partnership's Tourist Information Kiosk in the main Rotunda of Penn Station on the fourth Monday of each month at 12:30 PM. Conducted by John Turkeli, the ninety-minute tour takes visitors from Pennsylvania Station's turn-of-the-century beginnings to the forces that brought about its destruction in the 1960s. Tours are sponsored by the 34th Street Partnership. For more information: http://www.powwmedia.com/pennsy/
