First-Timers | Return Visitors | Budding Gothamites | NYC Insiders
TOURS FOR BUDDING GOTHAMITES
Central Park Conservancy
212-310-6600; centralparknyc.org.
These informative tours of Central Park attract both out-of-towners and Manhattanites looking for the truth behind urban legends such as that unconfirmed story about Robert Moses banishing the sheep from Sheep Meadow after they made him late. Tours spotlight iconic landmarks like Bethesda Fountain as well as less-traveled areas via the Ramble Tour.
Schedule: Daily; check website for details.
Reservations: Recommended for ticketed tours.
Duration: 45 minutes–1.5 hours.
Cost: Free for introductory tours; $15 for ticketed specialty tours; $150 for a private tour with a conservancy guide for one to ten people.
Shop Gotham
212-209-3370; shopgotham.com.
Out-of-town fashionistas flip for these no-holds-barred sprees that take visitors directly to the day’s hard-to-find sample sales and chic, celeb-frequented boutiques. On the Garment Center tour, shoppers visit wholesale showrooms in the West 30s and receive exclusive discounts on desirables like handbags and fragrances.
Schedule: Check website for details.
Reservations: Recommended.
Duration: 2.5–3 hours.
Cost: $38–$64, plus $2 ticket charge.
The Chocolate Tour of New York
besttours.com.
Start at Chelsea Market and indulge in seven decadent tastings, from mocha truffles at Li-Lac Chocolates (Manhattan’s oldest chocolate house) to Bisous Ciao’s delicate macaroons and Xocolatti's mango paprika slate. The tour ends at Vosges Haut-Chocolat with a spicy selection of designer chocolates (like ginger, hemp seed, and wasabi).
Schedule: Fri.–Sun; check website for details.
Reservations: Required.
Duration: 2 hours.
Cost:$50.
Food Tours of New York
212-209-3370; foodsofny.com
If your ideal souvenir is a bottle of cold-pressed olive oil rather than a foam Lady Liberty visor, sign up for one of Todd Lefkovic’s culinary jaunts through Greenwich Village, downtown Brooklyn, Chinatown, Nolita, or Chelsea. Food-loving raconteurs steer clear of tourist traps like Magnolia Bakery and treat participants instead to arancini from 107-year-old Faicco's
and Sicilian slices from Joe’s Pizza.
Schedule: Daily; check website for details.
Reservations: Required.
Duration: 3 hours.
Cost: $52–$125.
Municipal Art Society of New York
212-935-3960; mas.org.
Noted architects, designers, and scholars lead urban-planning buffs to some of the city’s best constructed landmarks. You’ll see Grand Central Station with new eyes after touring it with architectural historian Francis Morrone. Many tours have tie-ins with exhibitions, such as the Whitney Museum’s “Hopper Drawing” show, which has a complementary tour here.
Schedule: Daily; check website for details.
Reservations: Not required.
Duration: 2 hours.
Cost:$20; $15 for MAS members.
