Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- New York Public Library
- Chrysler Building
- Grand Central Terminal
- Times Square
Photos & Highlights
- Traverse 42nd Street from East to West
- Led by an architecture or history expert
Select a date
Tour Description
In this three-hour NYC Architecture Tour, we'll join a local architect or historian for a stroll down 42nd Street and through 150 years of Manhattan's history. We'll gaze up at the Chrysler Building, step inside the Daily News Building, and explore Grand Central Station. At the end, we'll come away with a better understanding of the way that architecture has shaped (and is still shaping) one of the greatest cities in the world.
Itinerary Details
Beginning at the East River in the hidden residential enclave Tudor City, we’ll consider how the development’s neo-gothic spires and brick facades created a mythology for up-and-coming New Yorkers in the 1920s. With the distinctive United Nations Building and spectacular views of the East River as a backdrop, we’ll delve into an overview of the architectural history of the city and the fantastic ways that the human and built environments collide. Heading east on 42nd Street, we’ll make stops at several significant landmarks. We’ll consider the Ford Foundation Building’s large, tree-filled atrium and investigate a trio of skyscrapers that epitomize Art Deco style: the Chanin Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Daily News Building.
We’ll continue along to Grand Central Station, a magnificent Beaux-Arts structure and temple to transportation, where we’ll gaze up at the star-flecked sky of the Main Concourse and discuss the Terminal’s origins during the heyday of long-distance passenger rail service. Just two blocks away, we’ll visit the New York Public Library, a building that offers sumptuous exterior decoration and interiors for a very different purpose. We’ll conclude our walk in Bryant Park, one of the signature examples of New York City’s revival in the 1990s, or perhaps head down to the New York Times Building.
We’ll continue along to Grand Central Station, a magnificent Beaux-Arts structure and temple to transportation, where we’ll gaze up at the star-flecked sky of the Main Concourse and discuss the Terminal’s origins during the heyday of long-distance passenger rail service. Just two blocks away, we’ll visit the New York Public Library, a building that offers sumptuous exterior decoration and interiors for a very different purpose. We’ll conclude our walk in Bryant Park, one of the signature examples of New York City’s revival in the 1990s, or perhaps head down to the New York Times Building.
Interested in further exploring the architecture of New York? Consider our Upper East Side Tour.
FAQ
Where do we meet? Where does it end?
Generally speaking, the walk begins near Tudor City on 2nd Avenue. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map. The walk typically ends near Bryant Park or Times Square.
Do we go inside the venues or just see them from the outside?
You will go inside the lobbies of several of the skyscrapers we discuss on the walk. Some of these include the Chrysler Building, Daily News Building, and Grand Central Terminal.
What if it’s raining?
Tours operate rain or shine, but in the case of inclement weather, your guide will modify the tour so more time is spent indoors. It never hurts to have an umbrella on hand.
Is this tour good for kids and teens?
Yes! We have some excellent family-friendly guides who can appeal to the learning styles of children. When booking, feel free to provide us with information about your children, such as favorite school subjects and hobbies. This way we can match you with the best possible guide.
Is this a walking intensive tour?
This walk covers about 1.25 miles overall. There are occasional opportunities to sit, use the bathroom, and get something to drink if needed.
Generally speaking, the walk begins near Tudor City on 2nd Avenue. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map. The walk typically ends near Bryant Park or Times Square.
Do we go inside the venues or just see them from the outside?
You will go inside the lobbies of several of the skyscrapers we discuss on the walk. Some of these include the Chrysler Building, Daily News Building, and Grand Central Terminal.
What if it’s raining?
Tours operate rain or shine, but in the case of inclement weather, your guide will modify the tour so more time is spent indoors. It never hurts to have an umbrella on hand.
Is this tour good for kids and teens?
Yes! We have some excellent family-friendly guides who can appeal to the learning styles of children. When booking, feel free to provide us with information about your children, such as favorite school subjects and hobbies. This way we can match you with the best possible guide.
Is this a walking intensive tour?
This walk covers about 1.25 miles overall. There are occasional opportunities to sit, use the bathroom, and get something to drink if needed.
Where You'll Start
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189 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
This was very different from our previous Context Tour of the Vatican Museum. We used it as our first introduction to the art and culture of Italy - it helped us understand all we saw after. In this case, we have been to New York many times, but this tour helped us really see some things which we'd walked right by before without understanding their significance. It was nice to have the architecture tour focused around 42nd Street and gave it a good structure rather than a more wandering route would have done.
It turned out to be pretty cold and spitting rain that morning, so the east end of the tour overlooking the UN had to be contracted a bit unfortunately. Otherwise, we were able to dodge raindrops by going into building lobbies and Grand Central Station. This worked pretty well. Nice to have the newspaper buildings on both ends of the street as bookends (almost) of the tour, plus having Tudor City included added a very nice contrast of residential development of the City, not just commercial.
Regarding the guide, Matico: he did a good job starting us off by getting to know our backgrounds a bit and being able to modify the tour to bring in points he thought we'd be particularly interested in. He was genuinely enthusiastic about his material, but also just as enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with the group and wanting us to have an excellent learning experience. He did a great job answering questions. There were also several places throughout the tour when one of the group brought up a point, and he gained a new perspective or tiny bit of information. Not a big deal - but it makes you believe that the tour is always getting richer since the guide is open to learning or seeing the world a bit differently.
We liked Matico and would seek out tours by him again, or recommend him to others.
Thanks for an excellent concept for Context Tours, and your very professional execution of the concept. We first heard about you on the Rick Steves podcast.
Janet
Reviewed on:
Apr 5, 2014
Hansel was engaging, fun and well informed. He had things say about the neighborhood and smaller homes and buildings. I liked that he asked for my opinion on the things we saw. He was sharp and a pleasure to spend time with.
Robert
Reviewed on:
Mar 16, 2014
Andrew was excellent. He shared a lot of information and engaged the group at the same time. His delivery is low key, slow paced and very thoughtful.
Joan
Reviewed on:
Jan 21, 2014
