The City Speaks: Experience the Langs & Slangs of Lower East Side

5.0
(17 reviews)
New York, USA

2 hours (approximately)
Offered in: English

A walking tour meets street theater in this immersive performance of New York language and slang. Set in the historically linguistic melting pot of the Lower East Side, this two hour interactive experience brings the slang, accents, and languages of NYC to life through a performing guide in character as "The Tour" — but all guests participate.

•Break the ice with a small talk activity where chalk becomes the marker of your personal space.

•Participate in a scavenger hunt for stickers printed with common words New Yorkers pronounce in a funny way

•Find newspapers hidden in odd places as a delivery boy recounts in verse the impact media has on our everyday speech.

•Dance like it's 1990 in a demonstration of hip hop moves that originated in NYC

•Hail a ride from a multilingual Chinatown dispatcher...just be sure you know what street you're on.

•Listen to "Nico Ramone" rant about the problems in his bohemian life as you try to guess the words he borrows from Yiddish.

What's Included

Guide
Meals
Gratuities for quality service are strongly encouraged.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

*NOTE* This is NOT a physical address, but an approximate location. Tour begins at the top of the steps to the entrance of Sara D Roosevelt Park next to the M15/21 bus stop and basketball courts. The closest Subway station is Second Avenue (F train), with an entrance across the street.

End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Duration: 2 hours (approximately)
  • 1
    Sara D Roosevelt Park

    Make small talk with fellow guests in an ice-breaker activity about personal space and making acquaintances.

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 2

    Is it a "bodega" or a "deli"? Do you pronounce a place where one can buy everyday food items as a "gro-ce-ry" or a "gro-SHER-y" store?

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 3

    Know your Yiddish slang? Guess which words have been borrowed from this language while interacting with "Nico Ramone" as he endlessly monologues about the problems in his bohemian life.

    5 minutes Admission ticket free
  • Tenement Museum (Pass by)

    Solve riddles and join a scavenger hunt that partners you with a fellow guest in search of stickers printed with common words that New Yorkers pronounce in funny ways.

    Admission ticket free
  • 4

    Find newspapers hidden on the street while a newspaper delivery boy performs in verse about the slang we've borrowed from media.

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 5
    Chinatown

    Decode not only the logic behind Chinese characters ("Hanzi") but also hail a ride from one of Chinatown's multilingual ride service dispatchers...just be sure you know what street you're on.

    20 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 6

    The storefront featured in the iconic album cover of "Paul's Boutique" serves as a backdrop for a dive into the world of hip hop as an old-school b-boy demonstrates the words and dance moves that originated in NYC.

    5 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
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Supplied by The City Speaks
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Tags

Private and Luxury
Cultural Tours
Art Tours
Walking Tours
Literary Tours
Excellent Quality

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 17 17 reviews
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