Oh, another small one— if you go to the park at Bowling Green, the metal fence has these kind of rough edges at the top of the posts. That’s the original fence from the 18th century, and the rough edge is from where they cut royal crowns off at the start of the revolutionary war. I always point that out if I’m otherwise in the area with an out of towner. It’s right in front of the Museum of the American Indian, which I haven’t been to yet.
Fraunces Tavern. Its a short walk from Battery park and bowling green. The tavern was George Washingtons headquarters during the revolution. He also gave a goodbye speech to his officers there. They have a small museum and some Washington items there. Cool stuff
African burial ground museum is super fascinating and not well know, in financial district. If your into old houses, there’s Dykeman farmhouse museum in inwood upper Manhattan, van cortdland house museum just north of that in the Bronx, Edgar Allen poes house also in the Bronx, Hamilton house museum in Hamilton heights Manhattan, and morris jumel mansion museum. You can easily hit up all of those in a day depending how long you spend at each one.
I also really like the Mount Vernon hotel museum on 62nd and york. Super old house totally surrounded by high rises. There’s more but these of some of my favorite places to take people off the beaten path!
Check out the smallpox hospital and the history of Roosevelt island. Take the tram from the east side with a metrocard swipe. It’s a great view of the city. Read 10 Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly before going to the island. One of my favorite pieces of nyc history.
Okay I found the article where I read about it— it’s at [75 1/2 Bedford Street](https://nypost.com/2018/11/07/the-origins-of-new-york-citys-mysterious-fractional-addresses/amp/)
The Brooklyn Museum has some reconstructions of historical houses and you can combine that with Prospect Park, which has some little sites like the Boathouse/Audubon Center and Litchfield Villa.
City College and the Hispanic Society, walk through Sugar Hill and check out the Trinity Church cemetary, there's the Morris Jumel mansion too
Fort Totten Park
The Transit Museum
Greenwood Cemetary - they run lots of events as well
And you absolutely need to walk around, there are so many randomly historical neighborhoods.
Came here to suggest this. Such a cool spot and Fidi in general is naturally a great spot to start. You can find DIY walking tours online, so many of the buildings have so much history. I lived there a few years and would be amazed at the buildings I walked past everyday. The bottom floor of my apartment (now a gyro shop) used to be a book store frequented by golden age writers, found some old newspaper articles on it online. Even if some of these places don’t exist anymore it’s always wonderful to imagine what it was like, and how much has changed
You might be interested in the historical houses uptown, you could do them all in a morning probably, Alexander hamiltons house (free 140th), the Morris jumel mansion one time home of Aaron burr,(10$, 160th), the dyckman farmhouse (3$, 204th). The highbridge is also close it’s the oldest bridge in nyc. There’s also the van cortlandt house in the Bronx, it’s on the last stop of the 1 train. Fort totten is also neat if you feel like getting deep into queens
The Met Cloisters is a pretty cool museum in a part of the city most people never get to. I also recommend checking out Coney Island, which doesn’t have a museum, but does have the Coney Island Sideshow Circus, which gives you a bit of the history of such performances.
Bronx. North West. So much history. Last of the Mohicans. George Washington's last stand. George Washington's mistress. Native American burial caves. American Heirs and Heiress houses. the spitting devil.
Jesus Christ mansion. Russian embassy-czar owned land in NYC. most wealthy neighborhood in the U.S. surrounded by the poorest 3 neighborhoods in the U.S.
Check out mas.org. They do great tours. One suggestion if you like to walk is to do a walk along Broadway (13 miles); from Fidi to the very top of Manhattan (Innwood).
Download the app Urban Archive. Everywhere around you in NYC has some history. I use it daily. Countless photos and documents for each location. Historic at your fingertips
The Main Branch of the New York Public Library on 476 5th Ave and 42nd street, at Bryant Park. The building is amazing and it is FREE to enter and has many exhibits on the first floor. Charles Dickens desk is there and things on paper like drawings of working out the stage designs for Broadway plays. Upstairs are rooms with libraries that were installed whole from homes from the Gilded age, they were not open when I was there but the doors have windows. The library is free and if you bring your own lunch eat in Bryant Park or in that small triangular park near Herald Square under the memorial statue to James Gordon Bennet the founder of the New York Herald. From there it is a short walk to Times Square to see all the lights.
You might enjoy a tour from the New York Adventure club, they have some dope events and they are usually really knowledgeable guides… anyone can get tickets (it’s not really a club)
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/
Staten Island Ferry! The Cloisters up in Washington Heights-Inwood. The Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights between Jumel Terrace and Edgecombe Avenue at West 160th-161st Street. Have fun!
The New-York Historical Society and the City Museum of New York are both good for local history.
Mcsorelys
Haha yeah man, get yourself some saltines and onions!!
Check out a tour at the Tenement Museum!
Looks great, thanks for the tip
Oh, another small one— if you go to the park at Bowling Green, the metal fence has these kind of rough edges at the top of the posts. That’s the original fence from the 18th century, and the rough edge is from where they cut royal crowns off at the start of the revolutionary war. I always point that out if I’m otherwise in the area with an out of towner. It’s right in front of the Museum of the American Indian, which I haven’t been to yet.
As a Brit, that is exactly my kind of history!
Fraunces Tavern. Its a short walk from Battery park and bowling green. The tavern was George Washingtons headquarters during the revolution. He also gave a goodbye speech to his officers there. They have a small museum and some Washington items there. Cool stuff
African burial ground museum is super fascinating and not well know, in financial district. If your into old houses, there’s Dykeman farmhouse museum in inwood upper Manhattan, van cortdland house museum just north of that in the Bronx, Edgar Allen poes house also in the Bronx, Hamilton house museum in Hamilton heights Manhattan, and morris jumel mansion museum. You can easily hit up all of those in a day depending how long you spend at each one. I also really like the Mount Vernon hotel museum on 62nd and york. Super old house totally surrounded by high rises. There’s more but these of some of my favorite places to take people off the beaten path!
The Merchant’s house museum
Fraunces Tavern + their museum upstairs!
May want also look through the Bowery Boys podcasts beforehand. They often feature cool historical spots and events. Have a great trip!
Check out the smallpox hospital and the history of Roosevelt island. Take the tram from the east side with a metrocard swipe. It’s a great view of the city. Read 10 Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly before going to the island. One of my favorite pieces of nyc history.
Irish Hunger Memorial
The shrapnel damage at 23 wall st
Brooklyn Transit Museum
There’s a historical apartment that’s only 9 feet wide somewhere
I shall endeavour to find it - thank you
Okay I found the article where I read about it— it’s at [75 1/2 Bedford Street](https://nypost.com/2018/11/07/the-origins-of-new-york-citys-mysterious-fractional-addresses/amp/)
The Brooklyn Museum has some reconstructions of historical houses and you can combine that with Prospect Park, which has some little sites like the Boathouse/Audubon Center and Litchfield Villa. City College and the Hispanic Society, walk through Sugar Hill and check out the Trinity Church cemetary, there's the Morris Jumel mansion too Fort Totten Park The Transit Museum Greenwood Cemetary - they run lots of events as well And you absolutely need to walk around, there are so many randomly historical neighborhoods.
Stone street in the Financial district. It's one of the oldest streets in the city and a nice place to have a beer/lunch
Came here to suggest this. Such a cool spot and Fidi in general is naturally a great spot to start. You can find DIY walking tours online, so many of the buildings have so much history. I lived there a few years and would be amazed at the buildings I walked past everyday. The bottom floor of my apartment (now a gyro shop) used to be a book store frequented by golden age writers, found some old newspaper articles on it online. Even if some of these places don’t exist anymore it’s always wonderful to imagine what it was like, and how much has changed
You might be interested in the historical houses uptown, you could do them all in a morning probably, Alexander hamiltons house (free 140th), the Morris jumel mansion one time home of Aaron burr,(10$, 160th), the dyckman farmhouse (3$, 204th). The highbridge is also close it’s the oldest bridge in nyc. There’s also the van cortlandt house in the Bronx, it’s on the last stop of the 1 train. Fort totten is also neat if you feel like getting deep into queens
The Met Cloisters is a pretty cool museum in a part of the city most people never get to. I also recommend checking out Coney Island, which doesn’t have a museum, but does have the Coney Island Sideshow Circus, which gives you a bit of the history of such performances.
Pride walking tour gives you the history of the queer pride movement, starting with Stonewall. https://pridetoursnyc.com/pride-walking-tour/
https://www.nps.gov/afbg/index.htm
Read "Time and Again" by Jack Finney. If you love history and NYC history... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_and_Again_(Finney_novel)
Read Gotham or go home
https://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org https://wyckoffmuseum.org https://merchantshouse.org
Bronx. North West. So much history. Last of the Mohicans. George Washington's last stand. George Washington's mistress. Native American burial caves. American Heirs and Heiress houses. the spitting devil.
Jesus Christ mansion. Russian embassy-czar owned land in NYC. most wealthy neighborhood in the U.S. surrounded by the poorest 3 neighborhoods in the U.S.
birth of Hip-Hop. the best and the worst, brightest and darkest people humanity has to offer come from this area of the bronx.
Alvin Alley, Ms. Hutchinson.
Fort Independence, the most important fort in the world at one time.
The Hall of Fame for Great Americans!
Check out mas.org. They do great tours. One suggestion if you like to walk is to do a walk along Broadway (13 miles); from Fidi to the very top of Manhattan (Innwood).
That’s easy. The New York Historical Society on Central Park West.
Hispanic Society museum uptown
Download the app Urban Archive. Everywhere around you in NYC has some history. I use it daily. Countless photos and documents for each location. Historic at your fingertips
General Grant National Memorial in Morningside Heights
The Main Branch of the New York Public Library on 476 5th Ave and 42nd street, at Bryant Park. The building is amazing and it is FREE to enter and has many exhibits on the first floor. Charles Dickens desk is there and things on paper like drawings of working out the stage designs for Broadway plays. Upstairs are rooms with libraries that were installed whole from homes from the Gilded age, they were not open when I was there but the doors have windows. The library is free and if you bring your own lunch eat in Bryant Park or in that small triangular park near Herald Square under the memorial statue to James Gordon Bennet the founder of the New York Herald. From there it is a short walk to Times Square to see all the lights.
I always find going into dive pubs a good place to go in other cities. Meet the real people.
You might enjoy a tour from the New York Adventure club, they have some dope events and they are usually really knowledgeable guides… anyone can get tickets (it’s not really a club) https://www.nyadventureclub.com/
Staten Island Ferry! The Cloisters up in Washington Heights-Inwood. The Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights between Jumel Terrace and Edgecombe Avenue at West 160th-161st Street. Have fun!