Tag Archives: tours

New York City Sites, New York City Tours

The Statue of Balto

There are more than fifty statues in Central Park, but perhaps the most popular among young and old, is the statue of Balto, a Siberian marmaluke created by the renowned sculptor, Frederick G.R. Roth.

In the winter of 1925, there was a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska, and the nearest supply of serum was 674 miles away. Because of temperatures well below zero and blizzard conditions, delivery of the medicine by air was not possible. Instead, teams of dog sleds were assembled (twenty in all) to deliver the medicine.  This was an around the clock mission, as the life-saving serum was passed from one team to the next along the route, their progress followed by newspapers around the country..  

Balto was not supposed to be on the final leg of the journey, but his musher missed the roadhouse because of the whiteout conditions and he and his team ccontinued making him the lead dog on the team which delivered the serum to Nome.   (Photo, NYPL Digital Collection).

After this heroic deed, the New York Times advocated that a statue be built in Balto’s honor and a group of dog lovers heard the story and raised the money for a statue.   On December 16, 1925 the statue was unveiled and Balto attended the event, one of the few to ever attend a statue unveiling in his own honor., certainly in Central Park. (Photos above and below, NYPL Digital Collection.)

   

Balto died in 1933 and his body has been preserved and now resides in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

To learn more about Balto and other Central Park treasures, send an email to brendan@nyctoursthenandnow.us or message us here.

New York City Tours

The Windows at Bloomingdale’s

Macy’s is not the only New York City department store to go all out on their holiday windows.

Bloomingdale’s is also a yearly must-see. 

This year’s windows were made in collaboration with the new Warner Brothers “Wonka” movie, with sculptures of Willy Wonka, giant candies and chocolates and much more.   

A major highlight is the collection of candies and lollipops made of handblown glass and covered with Swarovski crystals by renowned artist Abby Modell.   

Book a holiday tour and see New York’s department store windows and everything else that makes New York such a magical place during the holiday season.   Email brendan@nyctoursthenandnow.us or message us here for more information 

New York City Tours, Uncategorized

Department Store Windows

New York City department store windows are always a must-see for visitors and locals. 

The first department store to decorate their windows for the holidays was Macy’s. They have  been decorating their windows since 1874!  

This year’s windows have a wonderful interactive element to them as well.  You can sing Christmas carols, take pictures and lots more.   They feature Tiptoe the Reindeer, ( a Macy’s character) .

And her friends Polar Bear and Penguin.

Book a holiday tour and see all of the best holiday displays.   Private tours are available 7 days a week.  

Email brendan@nyctoursthenandnow.us or message us here for more information. 

New York City Sites, New York City Tours

Chanukah!

This year, the Jewish Festival of lights began at sundown on December 8th. Chanukah decorations are everywhere. 

Giant dreidels on the sidewalks…

Menorahs of all sizes…

Even the Empire State building is lit up in blue. 

Book a holiday lights tour, and we will make sure you see a wide selection of the seasonal decorations that New York City has to offer.  Email brendan@nyctoursthenandnow.is or message us here for more information 

New York City Tours, Uncategorized

Christmas Tree Bragging Rights 2023

Everyone has heard of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

(For the record, this year’s tree is an 80-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Vestal, NY.)

While it may be the most famous Christmas tree in New York City or anywhere else, the Rockefeller Center tree does not hold the distinction of being the tallest — at least this year. 

That honor goes to the tree in front of the New York Stock Exchange, which is an 81 foot tall Norway spruce from Poughkeepsie, NY.

Book a holiday lights tour and you can see both of these trees along with many other spectacular holiday decorations. Private tours can be booked 7 days a week. Email brendan@nyctoursthenandnow.us or message us here tor more information.

Uncategorized

Brooklyn Bridge Tragedy–May 18, 1883

From the NYPL Digital Collection.

When the Brooklyn Bridge opened to the public on May 24, 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and already being referred to as one of the seven architectural wonders of the world. Nonetheless, despite being built of 80 percent stone and 20 percent steel, and based on sound engineering principals, some people were still skeptical that the design would hold up. 

From the NYPL Digital Collection.

Skeptical or not, people were drawn to the span in droves for the experience of walking across. Whereas the promenade was made to hold 15,000 persons at a time, 20,000 people were strolling the bridge at numerous points during the first week. On the day after it opened, 140,398 people crossed the bridge. Two days later, on a Sunday, 163,584 made the trip. Then, less than a week after the bridge opened, on Decoration Day, May 30, 1883, tragedy struck. 

Headline from the N.Y. Times.

A woman nearing the New York terminus tripped and fell down a flight of stairs. A policeman went immediately to her aid and helped her out of the way, however, another woman inexplicably screamed. Panic seized the crowds of people and there was a rush for the exit stairs. One eye witness, Kate Ottinger, said that people cried out that the Bridge was sinking. Pickpockets, ready to take advantage of the crowd, may have fanned the flames by shouting similar false warnings. With people already nervous, a virtual stampede resulted in a crush on the stairs that killed twelve people and injured many more. 

A partial list of the victims, including a 13 year old boy, one of the last to be identified. N.Y. Times Archives.

Almost a year later on May 17, 1884, those who still questioned the safety of the bridge, were given further assurances. 

NYPL Digital Collection.

PT Barnum of the Barnum and Bailey Circus had 21 elephants, seven camels, and ten dromedaries march across the bridge. The famous white elephant, Jumbo, brought up the rear. No tolls were collected.

N.Y. Times Digital archives

Since elephants were thought to be able to detect structural problems, the safe and uneventful passage further calmed the populace.  Of course, this escapade also provided excellent publicity for PT Barnum’s circus, which opened a few days later.

NYPL Digital Archives.

If you would like to hear more stories of New York City, then and now, please book one of our tours.

New York City Sites, New York City Tours

The Vanderbilt Gates at the Conservatory Garden

One of the best places to visit in the north end of Central Park is the Conservatory Garden. Its flowers, trees and fountains are beautiful at any time of year.

But, as you enter from Fifth Avenue, don’t miss one of the truly unique features of the Conservatory Garden —the Vanderbilt Gates.

Forged in Paris, these gates are among  the few remnants of the mansion built  by Cornelius Vanderbilt–the fabulously wealthy New York City native who was worth  $100 million when he died (over 2 billion today).

The 58th Street side of the Vanderbilt mansion, showing the gates. (NYPL Digital Collection, Colorized by Kenneth Hicks.)

The mansion, thought by some to be the finest in New York City,  had four floors, 130 rooms, and took up an entire city block between 57th and 58th Streets, where Bergdorf Goodman stands today. In 1926, less than fifty years after it was built, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s wife, Alice Vanderbilt, sold the mansion for 7 million dollars and it was demolished within a week.

The gates were preserved and later donated to the city by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.   The Conservatory Garden opened in 1937 and the gates were installed two years later in 1939. 

Take a tour with us and learn more about the Conservatory Garden, the Vanderbilt Gates, and the north end of Central Park.

New York City Sites, New York City Tours, Uncategorized

Angel of the Waters, Bethesda Fountain

Bethesda Fountain is one of the most well-known and most-photographed locations in Central Park. 

Copyright Kenneth Hicks 2023.

The statue in the center of Bethesda Fountain is called Angel of the Waters, and was created by a female sculptor named Emma Stebbins in the late 1860s.  Ms. Stebbins was the first woman to be hired for a public art commission in the United States.   

Copyright Kenneth Hicks 2023.

It is also the only statue to be included in the original design plans for Central Park.    

Fanciful early portrayal of Bethesda Terrace and Fountain demonstrating central location. (Courtesy NYPL Digital Division).

Angel of the Waters celebrates the opening of the Croton Aqueduct in 1842, which brought a reliable source of clean drinking water to New York City for the first time. The name Bethesda refers to a pool of water in Jerusalem mentioned in the New Testament. 

Coutesy NYPL Digital Division.

The fountain has also been on screen on numerous occasions, including  Enchanted, Home Alone 2; Lost In New York, and the wedding scene in Gossip Girl. In the climactic scene Elf, Santa’s Sleigh actually bangs into Angel of the Waters.   

Schoolgirls visit Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain. (Courtesy, NYPL Digital Division).

Come book a Central Park tour with us and see it for yourself.  There is not end of the list of things to see and do.