A year ago I went on a local NYC tour with Urban Adventures called Tenements, Tales & Tastes. We met at City Hall Park and made our way in a loop around the Lower East Side, visiting 100-year old bakeries, churches, markets, and historic sites through Little Italy, Chinatown and more. A lot of the areas and places we visited were new to me and I had a great time. I guess they liked what I wrote about the tour because they invited me to try their Beyond Broadway walking tour.
Urban Adventures is about a new style of travel experience for those who want to get off the beaten path and really connect with a destination. The experience can be as short as a couple of hours or as long as a whole day. The parent company has franchises in 84 countries and 128 cities.
I thought I knew all the areas we were scheduled to visit but I was wrong. Nikki was the very knowledgeable guide for the four Californians, myself and another local in our group. Our meeting point was the clock in the middle of the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal. I have passed through the terminal many times but somehow never before looked up at the ceiling to see the painted astronomical ceiling mural constructed in 1912. Nikki also pointed out a patch of dark on the carefully restored blue of the mural. This patch shows the color of the ceiling before its restoration. It was left as a reminder of how much work was done.
We tried out the “whispering gallery” located on the dining concourse (one level below the main concourse) near the famous Oyster Bar & Restaurant. Here, the acoustics of the low ceramic arches can cause a whisper to sound like a shout. To test it out two of us stood in opposite corners of the large arched entryway. We faced the corner and whispered. I was able to hear the other person perfectly and she heard me. There were delis, bakeries, news stands, a gourmet and fresh food market as well as an annex of the New York Transit Museum on that level. Our first tasting experience was at Taste NY, which, as its name implies, carries only New York products, including wine. We snacked on crackers filled with NY cheese.
Nikki then lead our group through doors and down passages that took us to the parking garage (the daily rates could pay for a hotel room) and outside along East 44nd Street. We walked up Vanderbilt Avenue, past the Yale Club (I have eaten there many times) and made a brief unscheduled stop at the recently opened 20 stall food court called Urban Space at 45th Street & Vanderbilt.
I never realized there was a Grand Central North, opened in 1999 that provides access to Grand Central from 45th, 47th & 48th Streets. It is connected to the Main Concourse through two long hallways that run parallel to the tracks on the upper level. I also learned that the terminal has 44 platforms, the most in any railway station in the world.
On 48th Street just off Fifth Avenue is a 5 story stone building in the middle of skyscrapers that flies the Swedish flag, The Church of Sweden. There are comfortable couches, a library and in the rear one can buy the most delicious cinnamon rolls. I was told that less than 150 people come by every day to relax in this “hidden gem.” We then walked through the shopping atrium at the Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 45th Street. When one wants a few minutes of relaxation and time to read your e-mails a hotel lobby is ideal.
As we arrived at Rockefeller Center the ice rink was already in operation. It happened to be in the mid-70’s but people were already using the rink. We walked past the spot where the famed Christmas tree stands during the holidays and into the 70 story 30 Rockefeller Center (now known as the Comcast Building). Just because they bought NBC Universal doesn’t mean we have to say “meet me at the Comcast building.” The interior murals depict characters of the depression, oppression and struggle aiding each other to a future promising technology, equality and positive growth. Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi and Ralph Emerson are represented helping within the mural that wraps around the square columns of the lobby and ceiling. The mostly Art Deco complex stretches from 48th to 51st streets and 5th to 6th avenues, and encompasses 19 buildings, including Radio City Music Hall and the NBC Studios.
Next it was down one level to the shopping arcade with over 100 shops and subway tunnels connecting many building all the way to 7th Avenue, as well as the N, Q, and R subway lines. The glowing panels of colored lights made for a more serene trip avoiding the chaos above ground. Speaking of chaos we arrived at The Diamond District located between Fifth and Sixth Avenue on 47 St. Lots of shops and many hustlers trying to get you into the stores of their employers. We were getting another treat. There was no street side sign for the restaurant Taam-Tov. The door is unmarked, and the elevator is hidden behind Diamond District jewelers' stalls. Jewish men fill its small lunchroom, talking shop and kibitzing with the waitresses over plates of delicious, homemade-tasting Bukharan cuisine. We had takeout Samsas that we ate at the nearby plaza in front of 1185- 6th Ave (officially known as Avenue of the Americas; not by any New Yorker). This tiny shop off the lobby is called Simon Sips and we were here for some hot or iced drinks.
No tour of Midtown would be complete without seeing the bright lights of Broadway. We were standing right in the center of Times Square surrounded by flashing billboards, giant TV screens, and dozens of Broadway theaters. The costumed characters, painted ladies and ½ price ticket booth stood before us. I try to avoid Times Square at all costs but today I was soaking it all in. I even took a photo of our group against the background of all that glitz. I became a tourist for just a few moments. The last scheduled stop was at Beer Culture on 45th Street between Broadway & 8th Avenue. It is a small, dark craft beer bar with both tap and bottled beers. I had a chance to thank our guide and say goodbye to our out of town folks heading to a concert. I hate to admit it but I learned a great deal about the area that I did not know before. Heartily recommended.
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