New York walks & tours: Critics’ picks
Find this week's best walks and tours in New York City, as chosen by Time Out's editors.
The Classic Bike Tour of Brooklyn
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
The cycling fanatics at Get Up and Ride, a bike-tour company that launched last summer, lead this spin through a few Brooklyn neighborhoods. The 12-mile ride (which takes about four hours, so you’re going at a leisurely pace) includes stops both at historic sites, such as the Brooklyn Heights
- Location TBA
- Sun May 26 - Wed Oct 9
Bike Month NYC
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Each year, Transportation Alternatives and several biking businesses and nonprofits collaborate to make May the most cycling-friendly time of year. The full schedule is still to be announced, but look out for pedal-powered events such as Bike Expo New York (May 3, 4) and the TD Five Boro Bike Tour
- Various locations
- Sun May 26 - Fri May 31
Green-Wood Cemetery
- Rated as: 4/5
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions A century ago, this site vied with Niagara Falls as New York State’s greatest tourist attraction. Filled with Victorian mausoleums, cherubs and gargoyles, Green-Wood is the resting place of some half-million New Yorkers, among them Jean-Michel Basquiat,
- 500 25th St, at Fifth Ave
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions Those searching for a little peace and quiet would do well to spend a few hours at this verdant oasis. The garden—which abuts two other neighborhood gems: the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park—was founded in 1910 and features thousands of types of flora,
- 990 Washington Ave, at President St
City of Water Day
- Critics choice
- Free
Locations vary; visit cityofwaterday.org for details. Anyone who’s spent time in landlocked parts of the country will tell you that a city without water is like…erm, a city without water. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance celebrates NYC’s best accessory at Governors Island and Jersey City’s
- Location TBA
- Sat Jul 20
Washington Square Park
- Rated as: 4/5
- Critics choice
- Free
RECOMMENDED: 50 best New York attractions The hippies who famously turned up and tuned out in Washington Square Park are still there in spirit, and indeed often in person. In warmer months the park—which was once a potter’s field—is one of the best people-watching spots in the city, hummings with
- W 4th St to Waverly Pl, between MacDougal St and University Pl
Radio City Stage Door Tour
- Critics choice
This hour-long tour of the Art Deco theater includes a look at the Roxy Suite—created for vaudeville producer Samuel Lionel "Roxy" Rothafel when the stage opened in 1931—a meet-and-greet with a Rockette, and a glimpse at the VIP-signed guest book. Attendees can even pose in a (digitally
- Radio City Music Hall 1260 Sixth Ave, at 50th St
- Sun May 26 - Tue Dec 31
The Grand Tour
- Critics choice
- Free
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers pass through Grand Central daily, but they probably don’t pay much attention to anything other than navigating the crowds. The Grand Central Partnership seeks to educate natives and tourists alike on the idiosyncrasies of the terminal and its surrounding ’hood
- Grand Central Terminal, Main Concourse 42nd St to 44th St
- Fri May 31
History of Art, Crime, Drugs and Punk Rock on the Lower East Side
- Price band: 4/4
- Critics choice
From grimy clubs to gang hangouts, stops along this three-hour tour show the connection between crime and artistry in one of Manhattan’s most complicated communities. Tour guide and Cro-Mags frontman John Joseph leads this walking autobiography, as he takes people through “the side of NYC that no
- Astor Place Cube E 8th St, at Fourth Ave
- Sun May 26
Radio City Music Hall Art Deco tour
- Critics choice
Take a monthly, hourlong architecture-focused tour of the iconic building. You’ll hear the story behind interior designer Donald Deskey’s plans as you visit the theater, swanky lounges and the Roxy Suite, which served as venue manager Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel’s private apartment.
- Radio City Music Hall 1260 Sixth Ave, at 50th St
- Sun May 26
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