Bargain Shopping: Chinatown & the Lower East Side

Chinatown Where can you purchase a Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Christian Dior or Gucci fabulous fake for less than twenty dollars? Discover the streets of Chinatown. Shop for purses, watches, and scarfs as you learn how to barter for the best price.

Lower East Side More than extra suitcases, apparel and home furnishings can be found in the shops along the streets in the Lower East Side. Negotiate nicely for fabulous fakes and genuine bargains.

City Highlights: New York in a Nutshell

Upper West Side & Harlem The Upper West Side: Lincoln Center, The Dakota, Central Park, Museum of Natural History. Harlem and Morningside Heights: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Columbia University, Grant's Tomb, Riverside Park, Hudson River, George Washington Bridge, The Apollo Theater.

The Upper East Side & Conservatory Garden The Upper East Side: Upper Fifth Avenue, Museum Mile including The Frick collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Neue Gallerie and Guggenheim Museum.

Midtown to the Financial District Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Garment District, Flatiron District, and Ladies Mile. Greenwich Village and SoHo. Chinatown and Little Italy. Wall Street and the Financial District: Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero Memorial site, and Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The Financial District to Downtown Wall Street and the Financial District: Battery Park, Statue of Liberty and Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Stock Exchange, and The South Street Seaport. The Lower East Side and East Village East Midtown: The United Nations, Tudor City, Turtle Bay and Park Avenue.

The Chelsea Art Scene

Chelsea Galleries Why is Chelsea the hotbed for artistic activity? Where are the new galleries and who are the emerging artists? What's in the private viewing room? We will explore some of the established contemporary galleries and new gallery spaces as well as visit some of the younger, up and coming dealers. Find out who is hot and who's not.

Artist Studio Visit What is an artist's studio like? How does an artist start a painting or sculpture? Acrylic or Oil? Why does an artist prefer one method to another? Take a look behind the art-market and visit an artist in their studio. Speak one-on-one with the artist, hear about his/her methods and see works in progress.

Chelsea Shopping Are you are ready to purchase the most fashionable stiletto boots or just want to try them on? Shop among models, artists, fashion editors, socialites, and celebrities as you visit the newest downtown fashion mega boutique Jeffrey New York, home of hot designer duds. Also see Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons boutique, a 5,000 square foot space which one enters through a strange tunnel with curved aluminum walls.

A Look Inside SoHo: Shops, Art, Architecture & Design

Chelsea Galleries and Studio Visit How is SoHo changing? Who is new to the area and who is leaving? What significant galleries and studios are in SoHo? What's the difference between SoHo and Chelsea? Visit several prominent galleries and meet with an artist in their private studio. Go inside an artist's mind as you listen to an artist talk about their work and see works in progress. See firsthand how the art market works, and learn about contemporary art.

Architecture and Design Why did artists develop SoHo? Why do designers call SoHo home? How did these manufacturing spaces and warehouses become stylish boutiques, galleries and restaurants? Take a private look at where new design, performance, high-end furniture, fashion, and art intersect. Examine the 19th century cast iron architecture as you explore the winding streets of this popular area.

Specialty Shopping What new stores are opening in SoHo, TriBeCa and NoLita? Why are architects like Frank O. Gehry designing them? What is the latest fashion trend to hit New York? Check out the Prada store designed by architect Rem Koolhaas along with other design stores and stylish boutiques.

An In-Depth Look at Photography in New York

The International Center for Photography Who wouldn't love to capture their own memories? Everyone loves to take pictures, and New York is a great subject. Who are some of the greatest photographers of the 19th and 20th century? What new helpful hints can you pick up at the International Center of Photography? Explore the amazing variety of shapes and angles in the architecture of New York City and tour ICP's new campus. Cameras and materials provided.

Photographing New York's Harbor Next, we'll take the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island. Along the way, we'll see how the same image changes our perception as we move further away, and get closer to objects.

The Alice Austen House Museum and Garden How did Alice Austin contribute to documentary photography depicting life in New York at the turn of the 20th Century? We'll visit Alice's restored 1890's home. By the end of the day, learn how to set up a camera, create a shot, understand lighting and have the results to keep as a souvenir of their trip to New York.

The Four Squares - Gramercy, Madison, Union and Washington

Gramercy Square Journey around Manhattan's famous squares where New York's most fashionable citizens lived and worked. Gramercy Park is home to The Players and The National Arts Club. Residents of this area are granted a key to the Park with their leases.

Madison Square Madison Square, named after President James Madison in 1847, was once a potter's field. Today it is enjoying a resurgence as the trendy new Flatiron District. Teddy Roosevelt was born in this neighborhood. Edith Wharton lived here. We will explore the neighborhood and learn the history from the time of the Civil War until the present.

Union Square We will discover the history of Union Square, explore the Greenmarket with its wonderful selection of produce picked within 24 hours from local farms. The changes in these neighborhoods range from the slight to the extraordinary.

Washington Square Explore Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park, Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Garden and the Church of Saint Luke's in the Fields. Discover the differences between community gardens, public parks, and vest pocket parks.

The New York Botanical Garden & the Cloisters

New York Botanical Garden Where can you find tulips, cherry blossoms and 100,000 daffodils without leaving the city? Take a private tour through one of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in America. Founded in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden covers 250 acres. Explore the garden's Conservatory, a New York City landmark built in 1902 and inspired by London's Crystal Palace and the Palm House at Kew Gardens. Explore the garden's Native Plant Garden, Perennial and Herb Gardens.

Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters Explore a Medieval Cloister on the Hudson, set in a 20th Century park, Fort Tryon Park. Designed by Frederick Olmstead Jr. it is complete with landscaped terraced gardens and the Cloisters, an amalgam of medieval buildings brought here from Europe and placed on a hill overlooking the Hudson. The gardens were designed as a heath and heather garden, many of which still remain. A beautiful pathway leads you to Fort Tryon where the last battle of the Revolution in NYC took place.

Costumes & the People Who Care for Them

Costumes: From the Script to the Designer Whether it is a play, a musical, an opera, all use costumes. How are the costumes designed? How are the fabrics' chosen? Which comes first, the costume or the actor? How are the fabrics selected? Who keeps track of all the bits and pieces that make up the costume? How can one costume fit different size people? Meet the people who create the designs who help create the characters. Visit a major costume house and see the where the characters are dressed for entire shows. Learn how they actually "build" a costume, and how fabric flows across a stage.

The Costume Collection at the Museum of FIT The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology has the largest collection of 20th century pieces of fashion in the world. Hear about the collection, how it is used and by whom. See pieces pulled from the collection just for you which represent a brief history of fashion through the decades of the 20th century. What are the differences between a ready-to-wear piece and a couture piece?

Mysteries of Make-Up for the Stage

Transforming the Character How do you create scary characters, fairy princesses, pirates and princes? How do you make someone's eyes slant, or nose grow? Watch as a make up artist transforms you! Through demonstration you will learn the basics of make-up application and effects rendering, and gain an appreciation for the many "behind the scenes" jobs that contribute to a successful performance.

Voices and the People Who Train Them

So, you want to be the next American Idol! What is song styling? What breathing techniques are necessary to become a great singer? How do you involve an audience in your performance? Although designed for the experienced student, this workshop explores the art of marrying music and drama effectively to achieve great emotional impact. You'll work with a professional theatre director and musical director, to be coached through basic warm-ups and exercises.

Oscar Hammerstein's Influence on Theater - Lunch with Andy Hammerstein

Oscar Hammerstein III Oscar Andrew Hammerstein has devoted his life to studying and preserving his family's heritage and their contribution to American culture. He lectures before universities, institutes, theatrical and civic organizations on the Hammerstein Family's pivotal role in shaping the development of theatre and popular entertainment in America from the 1860s to present day.  Single Lecture topics include: Oscar Hammerstein the 1st - The Opera-Mad Father of Times Square; Oscar Hammerstein the 2nd - Broadway's Premier Lyricist; Willy Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre - The 'Nut House' of Vaudeville; The Hammersteins of New York - A Whirlwind Historical Overview. Two-part lectures include: The Hammersteins of New York; The Unabbreviated History of New York City Theatre in 10 Easy lessons.

Lunch at Gallagher's Steakhouse Helen Gallagher created this wonderful New York institution in 1927 as a place to entertain her friends. Today, it is the only steakhouse in New York that serves prime meat and cooks it over a charcoal fire. For fish lovers, the salmon is superb! Each guest will get to take home an oven mit and apron as a souvenir of their lunch.

Broadway Matinee We're of to see one of the great shows playing on or off Broadway! Check the Theater and Entertainment section of our website to see what is currently playing.

Where Have all the Gargoyles Gone?  Exploring the Salvage Companies

Salvage Companies Where do the bits and pieces of New York's buildings go when they are torn down? One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure. Search the salvage companies and find where the gargoyles go. New Yorkers have a rich urban history that is captured by architectural fragments, furniture and sometimes junk.

Shopping in SoHo SoHo is the largest and best-preserved Victorian Cast Iron commercial district in America. In this landmark neighborhood, lined with fanciful cast iron facades, find inspiration while shopping alongside interior designers, trendsetters and film producers.

Museum Exhibit Why is New York considered the center of the art world? Which great works exist in New York today? Look closely as you visit the most significant related exhibition making its way through New York. Whether it be at the Museum of Modern Art or Morgan Library see first hand why the exhibition is so riveting.

Design in Transit

The Historic Transit System Hailed as a great civic venture, travel under the streets of the city to discover: the classical Beaux Arts designs of the turn of the century, the geometric and colorful Arts and Crafts designs of the Teens and Twenties, the Machine Age Modern of the Thirties, and the renovated and restored stations of today. Visit several subway stations noted for their complexity of design and intricacy in detail.

Grand Central Which architects designed Grand Central? Why did Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis fight to preserve Grand Central as an historical landmark? Discover Grand Central, the world's largest and busiest transportation building. Take a private tour through this magnificent and historic building containing 75-foot arched windows, fluted columns and recently restored hand painted ceilings.

NYC Transit Museum or Brooklyn Trolley Museum Visit the New York City Transit Museum or the Brooklyn Trolley Museum. See how the world's most famous underground railway got its start and evolved into a system that carries 3.5 million passengers a day. Take a private look at vintage subway cars, antique turnstiles, and the oldest New York City rapid transit railway car in existence, Money Car "G".

East Side & West Side: A Tale of Two Cities

East Side: Fifth, Madison and Park Avenue Gain an insight into the history of the Upper East Side, the city's posh residential district, and the Upper West Side, one of New York's most dynamic neighborhoods. Explore this traditional bastion of townhouses, mansions, apartment buildings, private clubs, major institutions and luxury shops. Walk the quiet tree-lined streets and avenues where the well-heeled and well-known discreetly make their home.

The Upper West Side: New York's New Gold Coast Across Central Park, the Upper West Side is home to the city's most creative movers and shakers in the performing arts and media. Walk and explore this "Parisian styled" district of eclectic architecture and theatrical lifestyles. Uncover the history of the famous Dakota and Lincoln Center.

Life at the Top: Skyscrapers in New York

Lower Manhattan Walk through the dense canyon at Manhattan's southern tip, and discover the birthplace of the New York Skyscraper. Explore the eclectic classicism of the turn of the century, the romantic Art Deco of the 20's and 30's, the sleek glass forms of the post-war era and post-modern historicism. Discover the enormous technological, social and economic forces that produced these icons of the 20th Century.

Midtown Visit the city's greatest collection of skyscrapers from the 1920's through the 1990's. Explore the works of such masters as Raymond Hood, William Van Allen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, Gordon Bunshaft, Edward Durell Stone, Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei. Discover some of the landmarks of the Art Deco, Modern and Post-Modern movement such as the Chrysler Building, The Daily News Building, Seagram Building, Lever House, and the Sony/AT&T building.

Noshing Through New York's Neighborhoods:

The Upper West Side Where are the best bagels and lox, pickles and pastrami? Noshing through New York's Neighborhoods gives history a new flavor. Understand who lives and works where in New York and what they eat and why. We'll visit H&H bagel factory, and then head to Zabar's appetizing store to explore this emporium of smoked fish, delicatessen items, coffees and over 700 kinds of cheese. The fresh fish displayed in the windows of Citarella are considered "food art".

Chinatown We'll explore the wonders of Chinatown and visit the markets where the locals shop. See the noodles, fish, vegetables, and sample some of the local delights.

Lower East Side Who makes up this famous melting pot community? After a stop at Gus's Pickles, we'll visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum available Tuesday through Sunday. Between 1863 and 1935, over 7,000 people from more than 20 countries made their home in this 5-story tenement building. Compare your lifestyle to that of the former tenants of this National Trust Historic Site. Next, we'll stop by some of the famous candy shops in the neighborhood.