June 29, 2009 Memo

Hi NYC residents, visitors and walking tour enthusiasts,

Here comes Fourth of July weekend 2009! If the current forecasts of clear skies for Thursday and Friday hold up, maybe the sun will stick around to celebrate the weekend, too. We have my three most popular tours scheduled for you, your family and friends --

Thur. July 2, 11 am, The Flamboyant and the Bohemian - Greenwich Village and How it Became Famous

Sat. July 4, 1 pm, Central Park – The Big Backyard of the City

Sun. July 5, 1 pm, Gangs of New York and the Bloody Five Points

Have a great July 4th holiday, and I look forward to celebrating it with you!

Tour Features...

CENTRAL PARK — THE BIG BACK YARD OF THE CITY
July 4, 2009
 
On Saturday, July 4, 1 PM Manhattan historian Joyce Gold will present a walking tour through the history of New York's Central Park,
the first great park in the United States.

Fast-growing, business-oriented New York City had largely ignored quality of life issues for its citizens. By the middle of the 19th century this omission had become so apparent that the city government arranged a competition for the design and creation of a great park. The winning design of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux transformed 843 acres into an educational, recreational, and horticultural marvel.

Highlights include:
       •  The Arsenal, which pre-dates the park
       •  Bethesda Fountain and Angel of the Waters
       •  The Mall and its literary figures
       •  The impact of Central Park on the entire nation
          at large
       •  The Metropolitan Museum of Art mistake
       •  Where did they get all those trees?

The tour begins at the statue of General Sherman, 59th St. and Fifth Avenue. The walk costs $15 per person ($3 discount for seniors 62+,) lasts 2 hours, and no reservations are needed.

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GANGS OF NEW YORK AND THE BLOODY FIVE POINTS
"A human dump of mythic proportion"
July 5, 2009
 
On Sunday, July 5, 1 PM, Manhattan historian Joyce Gold will present
a walking tour through the history of one of the great immigrant sections
of America — the notorious 19th century Five Points.

Just east of today's City Hall and Municipal Building, this was once was a foul-smelling, disease-ridden district. Brought to life in the movie Gangs of New York, it was a place of violence, gang wars, poverty, and corruption. The district evokes such places of notoriety as Paradise Square, Cow Bay, Bottle Alley, and such gangs as the Roach Guards, Plug Uglies, Shirt Tails, Dead Rabbits.

Highlights include:
       •  Five Points visitors — Davy Crockett, Charles Dickens,
          and Abraham Lincoln
       •  A Five Points success story — Al Smith — Tammany
          protege, state governor, presidential candidate
       •  The oldest Jewish graveyard in North America
       •  The Roman Catholic church with Anglican, Cuban, Irish, Italian, Chinese, and Buddhist history

The tour meets at the northeast corner of Bayard St. (1 block south of Canal St..) and the Bowery, at the Bank of America. The fee is $15 per person, ($12 for seniors 62+) and no reservations are needed.

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THE FLAMBOYANT AND THE BOHEMIAN — GREENWICH VILLAGE
AND HOW IT BECAME FAMOUS
July 2, 2009
 
On Thursday, July 2, 11 AM, Manhattan historian Joyce Gold will present
a walking tour of the history highlights of Greenwich Village.

In its earliest years Greenwich Village was a refuge from the yellow fever epidemic downtown. By the early 20th century, the Village had become home to artists, writers, and playwrights looking for an unconventional environment and creative freedom. Protesters came here in their struggles for the vote for women, better working conditions, opposition to war, and gay and feminist rights.

Highlights include:
       •  The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the labor movement
       •  Literary figures — Henry James, Edna St Vincent Millay,
          Willa Cather, Eugene O'Neill
       •  19th century residential architectural as a social document
       •  Coffeehouses of the Beat Generation
       •  The Minetta trout stream and street design
       •  Landmarking and preservation controversies

The tour begins at the Washington Arch, Fifth Avenue below 8th Street. It costs $15 per person ($3 discount for seniors 62+) and no reservations are needed.

Joyce Gold teaches New York history at New York University and the New School for Social Research. She has published guidebooks to the history of the Financial District and Greenwich Village and contributed entries to The Encyclopedia of New York City.