Ephemeral New York’s Walking Tours Of Gilded Age Riverside Drive Are Back For Spring!

I’m thrilled to let everyone know that Ephemeral New York’s Gilded Age Riverside Drive walking tours are back and officially on the schedule this spring—and ready for sign-ups!

More tours are planned through the year, but these are the first three of the season. Click the link for more information and how to get tickets.

• Sunday, March 23 from 1-3:30 PM done in conjunction with Bowery Boys Walks, part of the popular Bowery Boys long-running New York City history podcast.

• Sunday, April 6 from 1-3:30 PM in partnership with the New York Adventure Club, which offers hundreds of in-person and online events in and around New York City.

• Sunday, April 27 from 1-3:30 PM in conjunction with Bowery Boys Walks.

The tours start at 83rd Street and end at 107th Street. In between we’ll stroll up winding, lovely Riverside Drive and delve into the history of this beautiful avenue born in the Gilded Age, when the Drive became a second “mansion row” and rivaled Fifth Avenue as the city’s “millionaire colony.”

Each tour explores the mansions and monuments that survive, as well as the incredible houses lost to the wrecking ball. We’ll also take a look at at the wide variety of people who made Riverside Drive their home, from wealthy industrialists and rich business barons to noted actresses, artists, writers, and various characters and eccentrics.

Though the tour covers a lot of territory, we go at a breezy, conversational pace, with a few dips into Riverside Park. It’s a wonderful way to experience the history of New York City and learn about the little-known stories and secrets of this dramatic avenue high above the Hudson River. All are welcome!

[Top image: MCNY; second image: MCNY; third image: NYPL Digital Collection]