The Bowery Official Historic District Tour
Join us on a journey through over four centuries as we walk down NYC’s oldest street! Originally a Native American footpath and Dutch farm road, site of the first free Black homesteads, it witnessed gang wars, the bloody Astor Place Riot, & Lincoln’s famous anti-slavery speech at Cooper Union. It was the working-class main street for sailors, shopgirls, gangs, gays, and waves of immigrant Irish, Italians, Germans, Jews, and Chinese. NYC’s first entertainment district, it has seminal links to tap dance, vaudeville, Yiddish theater, Houdini, Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Mae West, modern tattooing, Abstract Expressionism, Beat literature, improvisational jazz and punk rock. Though it declined in the 1900s, when flop houses and dive bars proliferated, it nonetheless became home to affordable jewelry, lighting, and restaurant supply stores, and a live-work home for artists like Marc Rothko, Maya Lin, William Burroughs, Robert Frank, and Debbie Harry.
About this activity
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Check availability too see starting times.
En
Additional Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Includes
- Sightseeing Guide
- Gratuity
Special Instructions
Itinerary
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
Meeting point is at the Confucius Statue at Confucius Plaza, corner of Bowery and Division Street
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
We'll stop at the entrance to Doyers Street, aka Murder Alley and the Bloody Angle during the 19th Century
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
Manhattan Bridge : We'll pass by the Triumphal Arch and Colonnade of the Manhattan Bridge, we'll stop to talk about the Original Diamond District on Bowery and Canal, the old Citizens Bank Building, Confucius Plaza and former sights of the German Winter Garden and Windsor Theatre
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
We will stop near the old Bowery Ballroom, one of the last music vestiges of the Bowery, we'll also talk about the old LIncoln Hotel, former site of one of the Germania Bank Buildings and more
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
Stopping near the New Museum of Contemporary Art Building we will talk about the Bowery Mission, Italian Opera Houses, Yiddish Theatre and more
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 5 minutes
We will stop near the Bowery Poetry Club and talk about the Punk Rock era of Bowery. Right across the street was the location of the famous CBGB's. We are not far from Electric Ladyland and former residence of Deborah Harry (Blondie)
Free Admission
-
Estimated Time : 10 minutes
As we approach the Cooper Union Foundation Building we will also have a few stops along Cooper Square including the old Village Voice Building, Carl Fischer Music Building, McSorley's Ale House, and more
Free Admission