Tour G - Northern Manhattan - A Cornucopia of Unseen Delights!
Select Mondays, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
The typical tourist map doesn’t even admit that northern Manhattan exists, but we present a checklist of the veritable cornucopia of sights, sounds, and smells to revel in! You’ll experience sights that rival those of Europe and street flavor that will transport you to the Caribbean.
Riverside Church - a cathedral built to rival Chartres with Rockefeller money and the mantra “spare no expense” - it has more bells than any other church in the world as well as the largest one in the world. If you are not in awe once you enter the main sanctuary you are probably blind! The adjoining neighborhood centers around Columbia, the third oldest university in the United States, and its spacious urban campus.
The Little Red Lighthouse - the last remaining lighthouse on Manhattan Island with a backdrop unbeleivable in a metropolitan area of over 12 million. Scheduled for demolition, it was saved because of a classic childrens book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. As you admire its bucolic setting, you’ll hear live excerpts from this classic book during “story time.” Then you’ll be cycling along the most magnificent part of the Hudson River Greenway. The next stop is to gaze at a public park with world-class athletic facilities, built on top of a major sewage treatment plant!
Washington Heights - this neighborhood has so many Dominican residents that their country set up polling places here for them to vote in their own presidential election. The aromas of Caribbean cooking contrast with the smells of the neighborhood’s live poultry market. Recent immigrants from rural third world villages have made the city adapt to them! Cycling through this neighborhood will also take you to the highest natural point on the island. Then down to sea-level to observe the site of a colossal urban landslide of a few years ago!
The Morris-Jumel Mansion - the oldest standing private residence in Manhattan with
a fascinating history. George Washington not only slept there, but from there he commanded
colonial troops during the Revolution, and even held a cabinet meeting there as President.
The surrounding streets have little traffic and a distinctly non-Manhattan feel.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine - there is no need to travel to Europe to experience the grandeur of the largest Gothic cathedral in the world! Next door is the Peace Fountain, an awesome sculpture. Across the street is a Hungarian cafe, where you will feel like you are on the left bank of the Seine.
Sugar Hill - where the Black elite once lived in the days of residential segregation. The architecture of the townhouses here is distinctly Dutch, while their prices are purely New York!
This tour leaves most Mondays, April through October, weather permitting, at 9:00 am, several blocks north of Central Park (a block from several major subway stations). It is approximately 14 miles and lasts about 6.5 hours.
The
$95
$90 (when booked through March 15th)
cost includes the bike, a helmet, and the licensed tour guide ($10 less with your own bike).
Click below to reserve your spot:
(Select the date you would like a reservation on, then click "Reserve Spot")
