The Bowery Official Historic District Tour

5.0
(16 reviews)

1 hour 30 minutes (approximately)
Offered in: English

Join us on a journey through over four centuries as we walk down NYC’s oldest street! Originally a Native American footpath and Dutch farm road, site of the first free Black homesteads, it witnessed gang wars, the bloody Astor Place Riot, & Lincoln’s famous anti-slavery speech at Cooper Union. It was the working-class main street for sailors, shopgirls, gangs, gays, and waves of immigrant Irish, Italians, Germans, Jews, and Chinese. NYC’s first entertainment district, it has seminal links to tap dance, vaudeville, Yiddish theater, Houdini, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Mae West, modern tattooing, Abstract Expressionism, Beat literature, improvisational jazz and punk rock. Though it declined in the 1900s, when flop houses and dive bars proliferated, it nonetheless became home to affordable jewelry, lighting, and restaurant supply stores, and a live-work home for artists like Marc Rothko, Maya Lin, William Burroughs, Robert Frank, and Debbie Harry.

What's Included

Sightseeing Guide
Gratuity

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Please meet in front of the Confucius Statue on corner of Bowery and Division Streets

End point

Tour ends at the Cooper Union Foundation Building

Itinerary

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (approximately)
  • 1

    Meeting point is at the Confucius Statue at Confucius Plaza, corner of Bowery and Division Street

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 2

    We'll stop at the entrance to Doyers Street, aka Murder Alley and the Bloody Angle during the 19th Century

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 3
    Manhattan Bridge

    We'll pass by the Triumphal Arch and Colonnade of the Manhattan Bridge, we'll stop to talk about the Original Diamond District on Bowery and Canal, the old Citizens Bank Building, Confucius Plaza and former sights of the German Winter Garden and Windsor Theatre

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 4

    We will stop near the old Bowery Ballroom, one of the last music vestiges of the Bowery, we'll also talk about the old LIncoln Hotel, former site of one of the Germania Bank Buildings and more

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 5

    Stopping near the New Museum of Contemporary Art Building we will talk about the Bowery Mission, Italian Opera Houses, Yiddish Theatre and more

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 6

    We will stop near the Bowery Poetry Club and talk about the Punk Rock era of Bowery. Right across the street was the location of the famous CBGB's. We are not far from Electric Ladyland and former residence of Deborah Harry (Blondie)

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 7
    Cooper Union Foundation Building

    As we approach the Cooper Union Foundation Building we will also have a few stops along Cooper Square including the old Village Voice Building, Carl Fischer Music Building, McSorley's Ale House, and more

    10 minutes Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Supplied by Tommys New York

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Tags

Cultural Tours
Historical Tours
Walking Tours
Nature Walks
Excellent Quality
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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Rating

5.0 Based on 16 16 reviews
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