The Brooklyn Bridge & Heights
Cross the Brooklyn Bridge and recount the dramatic story of how it
was built. Then stroll the Heights to explore the rich architectural,
social and literary history. Stops could include: abolitionist Henry Ward
Beecher’s Plymouth Church, many exquisite examples of 19th-century
architecture, and sites associated with Walt Whitman, Truman Capote,
Arthur Miller, and Emily Roebling. Tour concludes on the Promenade in
Brooklyn Heights with a spectacular view of downtown Manhattan.
MEET: The southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park.
TRAINS: 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, 1/2/3/A/C/E to Chambers Street, R to City Hall.
.......................................
DUMBO & Vinegar Hill
Come explore DUMBO and Vinegar Hill, once the center of Brooklyn’s
industrial era and later a thriving artistic community. Our walk combines
the history, architecture, people and contemporary gentrification of
these lesser-known neighborhoods. Stops could include the Eskimo
Pie factory, Brooklyn’s “Gracie Mansion,” historic Fulton Ferry, and sites
associated with George Washington, Walt Whitman, John Roebling, Jean
Nouvel and America’s oldest national chain store.
MEET: NE corner of Jay St & York St, next to the York St F train station. TRAINS: F train to York Street.
.......................................
Historic Brooklyn Heights
Explore New York City’s first Landmark District on a special tour
co-sponsored with Brooklyn Historical Society. We will discuss the
neighborhood’s agricultural roots, its emergence as the country’s first
suburb, and its 20th century decline and dramatic regeneration. Stops
could include: The Hotel St George, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims,
and sites associated with Seth Low, George Washington, Arthur Miller,
WEB DuBois, and Gypsy Rose Lee.
Meet: Steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall, facing the plaza. Trains: R/2/3/4/5 to Borough Hall; A/C/F to Jay Street.
.......................................
Historic Fort Greene
America’s Museum: Art & History
of the Metropolitan
Originally founded in 1870 with 174 paintings, the Metropolitan Museum
has grown to cover more than 2 million square feet – the same size as the
Empire State Building! This tour, led by Big Onion guides who are PhD
candidates in Art History, will take you through the museum in a new
and unique way. While discussing a diverse selection of the magnificent
works of art we will also explore America’s most popular museum in the
context of New York’s greater cultural history. This tour could include:
Canova’s Perseus and Medusa, the Pompeii Cubiculum, some of New
York’s most iconic civic sculptures including Diana by Augustus SaintGaudens, as well as the stories of Richard Morris Hunt, JP Morgan, Luigi
Palma Di Cesnola, and the only Met Benefactor to be eaten by cannibals.
Our tour is limited to 20 participants per guide.
Reservations and pre-payment are required for this tour. Fee (INCLUDES
full Metropolitan Museum admission fee): $40 per adult; $34 for seniors;
and $28 for full time students.
Book online at: www.bigonion.com/tours/americas_museum or call:
(212) 439-1090 ext. 4 or in the U.S. (888) 606-WALK ext 4.
MEET: In front of the group admission door located at 5th Avenue and 81st Street. This entrance is
to the left of the main Met staircase. Please look for our guide holding a sign that reads “Big
Onion Walking Tours”.
TRAINS: 6 train to 77th Street or 4/5/6 to 86th Street. The C train to 81st Street exits across Central
Park from the Museum.
Tour Schedule
For our tour schedule, call (212) 439-1090
or visit our website at
www.bigonion.com/schedule
Gift Certificates
A walking tour exploring one of Brooklyn’s most diverse neighborhoods.
Join us as we stroll the streets of this wonderful neighborhood with
forays into Clinton Hill and the area surrounding the Pratt Institute.
Stops could include sites associated with the Underground Railroad,
Spike Lee, Marianne Moore, Stanford White, Richard Wright, and the
Arbuckle family. Tour developed in association with the Brooklyn
Economic Development Corporation.
MEET: Under the Barclays Center oculus (the circular structure lined with LCD screens)
TRAINS: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q or R train to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center Station
Big Onion offers gift certificates for public tours as well as for private
walks. Gift certificates are good for one year from date of issue and
can be used on any of our walking tours
Park Slope
Our Frequent Walker Card is a prepaid discount card for the show-up
tours offered by Big Onion Walking Tours. The card is available for
adults, students or seniors. Simply prepay for five Big Onion tours ($100
for adults and $75 for students & seniors) and the sixth walk is free.
.......................................
Explore Brooklyn’s “Gold Coast.” As one of New York’s finest residential
neighborhoods, Park Slope is a landmark district filled with remarkable
brownstone architecture and splendid history. Stops could include: The
Montauk Club, Litchfield Villa, Grand Army Plaza, and sites associated
with architect Charles P.H. Gilbert, Mayor William Gaynor, and the site of
the 1960 plane crash.
MEET: Southeast corner of Plaza Street West and Flatbush Avenue, at the newsstand.
TRAINS: 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza.
.......................................
Prospect Park
Designed by Olmsted & Vaux and covering almost 600 acres, Prospect
Park is a masterpiece of design, including a 60-acre lake, meadows,
hills, and waterfalls, not to mention Brooklyn’s only remaining natural
forest. Stops could include: the Oriental Pavilion, the Vale of Cashmere,
the Long Meadow, the Camperdown Elm, and sites associated with
Stanford White, Lord Stirling, and Marianne Moore.
MEET: The intersection of Prospect Park West and Ninth Street, at the Marquis de Lafayette
memorial. TRAINS: F to Seventh Avenue.
Give Big Onion tours!
Frequent Walker Card
For more information please call us at 888.606.WALK (9255) or email
us at [email protected].
Big Onion Books
Take a Big Onion tour when the time is right for you!
About Big Onion Tours
Since 1991, Big Onion Walking Tours, Inc., has led walking tours
through New York City’s historic districts and ethnic neighborhoods.
Our tours uniquely combine the history, architecture, people and
events that make New York one of the greatest cities in the world.
Big Onion tours are the finest, most comprehensive, and thoughtprovoking walks available. We’ve been called “astoundingly informative”
by Time Out New York, “rigorously trained” by Travel+Leisure, “expert”
by the Washington Post, and “New York’s most prestigious historical-tour
company” by The Rough Guide to New York.
We are proud to partner with some of New York’s leading
institutions to present the best walking tours in the city. Our
programming partners include: The Brooklyn Historical Society,
The South Street Seaport Museum, The New-York Historical
Society and WNET-New York Public Media.
Big Onion Walking Tours, Inc., is directed by Seth Kamil. Our guides
hold advanced degrees in American history from leading universities,
including Columbia University, CUNY and New York University. All
guides have teaching experience and are licensed by the City of New
York. Big Onion Walking Tours is a member of NYC & Company.
Big Onion offers public ‘show up’ tours year-round.
TOURS
Big
Onion
Walking Tours
“Best Walking Tour”
–New York Magazine
Tour Information
Tours meet at locations specified in tour descriptions. Tours last
approximately two hours. Visit our website to see a full tour
schedule at: www.bigonion.com/schedule/
Pricing
Adults
$20 Public Tours
$25 Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour (includes food)
Students/Seniors (aged 65+)/BHS & Seaport Members
$15 Public Tours
$20 Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour (includes food)
We do not require pre-payment for public tours except America’s
Museum. Just show up and join us at the meeting site. The MultiEthnic Eating Tour requires reservations.
America’s Museum: Art & History of the Metropolitan
$40 Adults
$34 Seniors (aged 65+)
$28 Students
America’s Museum Tour requires reservations and advance
payment. Cost INCLUDES full Metropolitan Museum admission fee.
Reserve online: www.bigonion.com/tours/americas_museum. BHS &
Seaport discounts do not apply to America’s Museum tour.
Private and Group Tours
Big
Onion
All Big Onion tours are available for private and group bookings. We
are available to lead private and group tours seven days a week, at
almost any time of day. Big Onion can accommodate groups of 1 to
500. Our tours are highly recommended for educational field trips,
alumni associations, corporate events, new-hire orientations, and
visiting clients, relatives or family. Fee minimums apply.
Contact Us
Phone: 212-439-1090 or (888) 606-WALK (9255)
To book a private tour: Extension 5
E-mail:
Fax: Mail:
[email protected] Online: www.bigonion.com
(718) 499-0023
Seth Kamil, President
Big Onion Walking Tours, Inc.
476 Thirteenth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
212-439-1090 or
888-606-WALK (9255)
www.bigonion.com
Tour Schedule
For our tour schedule, call
(212) 439-1090
or visit our website at
www.bigonion.com/schedule
The Original Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour
Reservations Required
Our “noshing” tour combines the history and gastronomy of the multi-ethnic
Lower East Side. Learn about the Jewish East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown
as we walk through the neighborhoods sampling traditional foods from
some of the most significant and historic shops & markets in the area.
MEET: Southwest corner of Delancey & Essex Streets, in front of the Chase Bank.
TRAINS: F to Delancey Street, J/M/Z to Essex Street.
.......................................
Historic Lower Manhattan
Explore the neighborhood where New York began! Meeting on the
former site of the Dutch Fort Amsterdam, this tour will span 400 years
of New York City history. From the original Dutch settlement and trading
outpost at Bowling Green, to the peaceful takeover of the British in
1664, to the world financial capital of today, this tour has it all. Our walk
weaves together the history of Lower Manhattan with the architecture,
people and events that power “Wall Street”. We could visit many stops
including Trinity Church, Federal Hall, the New-York Stock Exchange,
sites associated with 18th century slave uprisings, Alexander Hamilton,
George Washington, Victoria Woodhull, JP Morgan and Abbie Hoffman.
MEET: Front steps of the U.S. Custom House, located at Bowling Green.
TRAINS: 4/5 to Bowling Green, R to Whitehall Street, 1 to South Ferry.
.......................................
Revolutionary New York
A tour of Lower Manhattan visiting sites associated with our nation’s
War of Independence and New York’s role in the early Republic. Stops
could include: Fraunces Tavern, the graves of Alexander Hamilton and
General Richard Montgomery, Federal Hall, and sites associated with
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Albert Gallatin.
MEET: Intersection of Broadway and Murray Street, at gated entrance to City Hall Park.
TRAINS: 2/3 to Park Place, 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, R to City Hall.
.......................................
Immigrant New York
A walking tour through the many layers of the multi-ethnic Lower East
Side to see the historic and architectural landmarks associated with
African, Chinese, German, Irish, Italian, Jewish and Latino immigrants.
Stops could include: The “Tweed” Courthouse, Five Points, the African
Burial Ground, and sites associated with Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Jacob Riis,
Abraham Cahan, Pierre Toussaint, Emma Goldman, and many others.
MEET: The southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park.
TRAINS: 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, 1/2/3/A/C/E to Chambers Street, R to City Hall.
.......................................
The “Official” Gangs of New York
A tour exploring the legends and lore of Five Points and Herbert
Asbury’s 1927 classic The Gangs of New York – the inspiration for Martin
Scorsese’s film. Stops could include: Paradise Square, “Murderer’s
Alley”, the African Burial Ground, the lost intersection of Five Points, and
sites associated with Bill “the Butcher” Poole, William M. Tweed, Master
Juba, and the 1857 Police and 1863 Draft Riots.
MEET: The southeast corner of Broadway & Chambers Street, at City Hall Park.
TRAINS: 4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge, 1/2/3/A/C/E to Chambers Street, R to City Hall.
“Satan’s Seat”:
New York During Prohibition
Created in conjunction with WNET New York Public Media, a walking tour
based on the 2011 Ken Burns’ documentary “Prohibition”. On our walk
we will discuss and explore the history, politics, culture and speakeasies
of New York in the Roaring ‘20s - one of the most volatile eras in American
history. Stops could include: McGuirk’s Suicide Hall, the “White House”,
Chumley’s and sites associated with Margaret Sanger, Carrie Nation,
and Henry D. Cogswell.
MEET: Northeast corner of Bowery & Houston Street, in front of the community garden.
TRAINS: F to Second Avenue; 6 to Bleecker Street; B/D/F/M to Broadway-Lafayette.
.......................................
Seaport Historic District & Museum
A walking tour exploring the Seaport Historic District and inside the
South Street Seaport Museum. The East River waterfront was crucial
to the early history of New York City. By the 19th century the area’s
booming shipping industry helped move New York to become the
world’s commercial epicenter. On this tour we will explore the history,
architecture, and people of the oldest intact Manhattan neighborhood.
Co-Sponsored with the South Street Seaport Museum, this tour will
include admission and a guided tour inside the Museum at no additional
charge. Stops could include: Schermerhorn Row; the Paris Café;
Old Fulton Fish Market; the Black Ball Line; and the stories of Joseph
Mitchell, Thomas Edison, George Washington, and Herman Melville.
MEET: The northeast corner of Broadway & Fulton Street, in front of the Chase Bank.
TRAINS: A/C/J/Z/2/3/4/5 to Fulton Street.
.......................................
Jewish Lower East Side
Stroll through more than 150 years of Jewish history on the Lower East Side
as we explore one of the fastest changing neighborhoods in Manhattan.
Our tour combines historic and religious sites, politics and people of what
was once the largest Jewish community in the world. Stops could include:
the founding site of the B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Daily Forward building,
Hester Street, the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue, sites associated
with Lillian Wald, Rabbi Jacob Joseph, Ab. Cahan, and Jacob Riis.
MEET: Southwest corner of Delancey & Essex Streets, in front of the Chase Bank.
TRAINS: F to Delancey Street, J/M/Z to Essex Street.
.......................................
The East Village
Explore the area made famous by radicals and immigrants alike,
combining the history of German, Ukrainian, and Jewish immigrants
with that of labor activism and the Second Avenue Stage. Stops could
include: the Fillmore East, St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, and sites
associated with Peter Cooper, Dorthy Day, Peter Stuyvesant, Sophie
Tucker, and the General Slocum disaster of 1904.
MEET: The Black Cube at Astor Place. TRAINS: 6 to Astor Place, R to 8th Street.
.......................................
Chinatown
New York hosts the largest “Chinatown” in the Western Hemisphere.
This neighborhood is a diverse Asian community settled by people from
many provinces of mainland China, as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand,
and Malaysia. Learn about Chinese immigration as our tour could stop
at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Church of the
Transfiguration, the Lee Family Association, the Lin Zeju and Confucius
statues, and outdoor markets.
MEET: The southeast corner of Grand & Chrystie Streets, at Roosevelt Park.
TRAINS: B/D to Grand Street.
.Photo
. . .Credits:
. . . .“Brooklyn
. . . .Bridge
. . .and
. .Manhattan,
. . . . .Unknown;
. . . . “Bowery
. . . . from
. . Grand
. . . Street
....
to Cooper Union”, Geo P. Hall, 1903. All courtesy of the Collection of The New-York
Historical Society
Chelsea & the High Line
Historic Harlem
Our tour explores the historic and architectural evolution of the area
originally named for the London borough. Chelsea features a dynamic
and rich history as it moved from rural farmland in the 1700s to the
industrial hub of Manhattan in the early 1900s. Our walk will include
the High Line (conditions permitting). Stops could include: The Chelsea
Hotel, “Death Alley”, General Theological Seminary, sites associated
with Dylan Thomas, Clement Clark Moore, Janis Joplin, John Sloan, and
the birthplace of the Oreo cookie.
MEET: In front of the Chelsea Hotel, 222 West 23rd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues).
TRAINS: A/C/E/F/1 to 23rd Street.
At the center of African-American history and culture, Harlem is one of New
York’s most significant neighborhoods, featuring a wide array of historic
churches, theaters, clubs and homes. Stops could include: Abyssinian
Baptist Church, Striver’s Row, the Apollo Theater, the Big Apple Nightclub,
and sites associated with the W.E.B. Du Bois, the Harlem Renaissance,
Madame C.J. Walker, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and many others.
MEET: Northwest corner of 135th Street & Lenox (Malcolm X) Avenue – in front of the Schomburg
Center. TRAINS: 2/3 to 135th Street.
Greenwich Village
Manhattan’s collective backyard is actually the largest man-made work of
art in the city. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a
place of spiritual uplift, today New Yorkers use it for much more. Stops could
include: the Sheep Meadow, Belvedere Castle, the Ramble, Bow Bridge, the
Lake, Seneca Village, the Casino, and the site of the “rocking chair” riot.
MEET: Northeast corner of 66th Street and Central Park West.
TRAINS: 1 to 66th Street, B/C to 72nd Street.
.......................................
Stroll through New York’s unique and legendary home to artists, writers
and radicals, with a special emphasis on the history and architecture of
this neighborhood. Stops could include: the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
fire, the “hanging elm”, the Stonewall Inn, and sites associated with
Stanford White, Aaron Burr, Edith Wharton, John Sloan, and Tom Paine.
MEET: Northeast corner Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue South, in front of Duplex.
TRAINS: 1 to Christopher Street, A/B/C/D/E/F to West 4th Street.
.......................................
Gramercy Park & Union Square
Revisit the tumult of Union Square, once home to both fashionable
theater and socialist rallies. Then we stroll to the refined streets of the
exclusive enclave which surrounds New York’s only private park. Stops
could include: Tammany Hall, the Players Club, and the former homes
of Stanford White and Theodore Roosevelt.
MEET: The George Washington Statue located on the 14th Street side of Union Square.
TRAINS: 4/5/6/N/R/L to Union Square.
.......................................
We Built New York
A Labor History Tour
Weaving though the Central & East Village and the Lower East Side,
this tour features the role that immigrants and the labor movement
have played in the growth of New York City. Stops could include sites
associated with the first Labor Day Parade in 1882, the ILGWU, the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Samuel Gompers, Emma Goldman,
Peter Cooper, and Clara Lemlich.
MEET: Northeast corner of Washington Square North and Fifth Avenue, opposite the Washington
Square Arch.
TRAINS: 6 toAstor Place, R to 8th Street, A/B/C/D/E/F to West 4th Street, 1 to Christopher Street.
.......................................
SoHo & NoLiTa
Trace the historic evolution of the area “South of Houston” and the
district “North of Little Italy” from remote farmland to the Cast Iron
District. Stops could include: the “little” Singer Building, and many
revolutionary cast iron structures, Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and sites
associated with Weegee, James Bogardus, and Keith Haring.
MEET: Southeast corner of Spring & Lafayette, in front of the Duane Reade drugstore.
TRAINS: 6 to Spring Street, R to Prince Street.
.......................................
Central Park
.......................................
Upper East Side: A Clash of Titans
Explore one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in the world as we
delve into the personalities, scandals, and institutions that have made it
so legendary. Our tour will include a visit inside one of New York’s most
significant historic galleries and landmarked townhouses. Stops could
include: the Park Avenue Armory, the Frick Mansion, and sites associated
with Richard Morris Hunt, Alexander Calder, Stanford White, as well as the
Morgan, Tiffany, Vanderbilt and Houdini families.
MEET: SW corner Lexington Avenue & 68th Street, in front of Hunter College.
TRAINS: 6 to 68th Street; F train to Lexington/63rd St.
.......................................
The Upper West Side
In recent years, New York City has undergone an era of redevelopment unseen
since the days of Robert Moses over a half century ago. Our Upper West
Side tour ties together the opulent architecture, scandalous social history,
and progressive religious and class reform of this historic and ever-evolving
neighborhood. The walk culminates with Lincoln Center, where a recent
redesign has transformed the meaning of outdoor public space in New York
City. Stops could include Lincoln Center, the Dakota, The American Museum
of Natural History, The Ansonia, and stops associated with Florence Mills, Mae
West, Robert Moses, James Dean, The New York Dolls, and the Charleston.
MEET: Southwest corner of 81st Street & Central Park West.
TRAINS: B/C to 81st Street.
.......................................
Historic Times Square
Join us as we explore the vast history, architecture, theater and
underworld of legendary Times Square – the Crossroads of the World.
Stops could include: The New-York Public Library, Astor Hotel, Palace
Theater, Sardi’s and sites associated with the Shuberts, Flo Ziegfeld,
Bob Hope, Fanny Brice, and Damon Runyon.
MEET: The southeast corner of 42nd Street & Sixth Avenue, at Bryant Park.
TRAINS: 1/2/3/7/B/D/F/Q/N/R to 42nd Street/Times Square.
.......................................
Before Stonewall:
A Gay & Lesbian History Tour
Discover the many facets of lesbian and gay history as we trace the
development of Greenwich Village. Stops could include: The Stonewall
Inn, The Duplex, and sites associated with Bayard Rustin, Willa Cather,
Eleanor Roosevelt, and Audre Lorde.
MEET: Northeast corner of Washington Square North and Fifth Avenue, opposite the Arch.
TRAINS: 6 to Astor Place, R to 8th Street, A/B/C/D/E/F to West 4th Street, 1 to Christopher Street