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Offered languages
- English
New York wasn't always the city the world fell in love with.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Midtown was struggling with financial collapse, rising crime, and a fading reputation. Today, it's one of the world's safest and most visited urban centers.
Walk from Grand Central Terminal to Bryant Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and St. Patrick's Cathedral as you uncover the people, bold decisions, and unlikely partnerships behind one of history's greatest urban comebacks.
Who saved New York? By the end of this tour, you'll have your answer.
Led by a licensed NYC guide and lifelong New Yorker.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We will meet at the world famous clock, which is atop the information booth in the center of Grand Central Terminal - any New Yorker will point you in the right direction if you ask, "where is the clock!"
Our tour ends the church, in the tranquility where commerce and faith face off with each other.
Itinerary
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1Grand Central Terminal
We will see how this magnificent building rebounded from tragedy and reinvented NYC, and how the Supreme Court and a former first lady prevented the wrecking ball from destroying it.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2New York Public Library
A former reservoir and site of a tragic fire faced closure and came back and still stands as the largest research library on NYC and remains one of NYC's most iconic buildings today.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Bryant Park
A daily 1970s and 1980s crime scene, Bryant Park transitioned from urban blight that New Yorkers walked around to become the proof or urban renewals and a definitive blueprint for modern public spaces.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Times Square
Once one of the most dangerous blocks in the city, learn how NY's used eminent domain to chase out career criminals, to turn this area from the hub of urban vice into the Crossroads of the Universe, one the the leading global family destinations.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Shubert Theatre
The decline of NY included the decline of Broadway that turned around right here, at the Shubert Theater, located at Shubert Alley. Hear how one magical show lead Broadway's comeback, where it remained New York's largest commercial tourist attraction today.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6Radio City Music Hall
Globally recognized home of the Rockette's beat back its demise with the performers leading the resistance to their closing. JUST BARELY!
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7Rockefeller Plaza Manhattan New York City
Unable to pay its mortgage, Rockefeller Center emerged from bankruptcy three decades ago and is the globally recognized home of the Christmas tree and ice skating rink that people from all over the world love, adjacent to the beautiful windows of Saks and the grand St Patrick's Cathedral. How close did they come to collapse?
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8St. Patrick's Cathedral
As New York was nearing collapse, this magnificent house of worship was a source of hope. Since New York was saved, this building has gone through a major renovation, to last many decades and remains where faith and commerce face off daily.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Participants shoule be able to walk about 1.7 miles through a congested part of NYC, go up and down steps.
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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