The Grand New York City Walking Tour

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Format: 05-Sep-2010
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Bowling Green – Wall Street – Ground Zero – City Hall – Brooklyn Bridge – Civic Center – Five Points – Chinatown

The Grand New York Tour is one of our newest private walking tours.  On this leisurely-paced sightseeing tour, we’ll explore early New York, starting in downtown Manhattan at the site of the first Dutch settlement--the US Customs House.  See points of interest from New York’s Dutch and English past, including the nation’s first seat of government, the New York Stock Exchange, and the home of some of the world’s largest (and perhaps infamous) financial institutions. 

Next, when in the historic Wall Street district, we’ll catch glimpses of bankers rushing on errands while catching a quick lunch at the many distinctly New York delis along Broadway.  From here, we’ll go to Ground Zero, the site of the new World Trade Center with a view of the World Financial Center, and if you like, we’ll also shop and save at New York’s largest discount department shopping store.

Our next stop is City Hall Park--the perfect spot to sit and look at the many landmarks that point to the area’s past as the city’s first theater district, newspaper center and now government center.  You’ll also get to see the Brooklyn Bridge, with an option to walk along it and take photos of the breathtaking view of the world-famous skyline including the Empire State building, and the Statue of Liberty and Governor’s island to the south and east.

Next, we’ll pass the Civic Center and see some of the beautiful façades of the city’s administrative buildings.  Also located just west is an African burial ground with approximately 15,000 Africans graves dating from the early days of English settlement.  From here, we’ll travel north to the first true residential neighborhoods of the tour: the former Five Points and Chinatown. 

Five Points was known as the most dangerous slum in 19th century America.  Our tour will focus on the history of the area and the diverse immigrant groups that helped shaped not only New York, but also America.  One of these groups is the Chinese.  We’ll take a trip into history as we trace the beginnings of Chinatown to its current place as the largest Chinatown outside of Asia.  

While the tour ends here, the fun doesn’t!  On offer as a free service, we’ll introduce and package a different experience for you to do on your own after your tour.  We’ll show you other attractions and popular activities that you can do including a traditional Chinese massage or if you like to have dinner, to any of a number of great restaurants!

 Special Note:

- Tour price includes all fees and taxes.
- If you’ve enjoyed this day tour, think about booking and joining our other NYC sightseeing tours!
- If you had a good time please tip your guide; the standard tip is 15% to 20% of your tour total. 
Distance: Approximately 3 to 3.5 hours, 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers
Meeting Point: The steps of the Customs House outside the Bowling Green subway stop
Meeting Time: Flexible. To be determined after your purchase.
Direction: Take the 4 or 5 subway train (green line) to the Bowling Green Stop