New York – Location Guide
History & Politics
Exceptional Tours Expertly Delivered
Our location guide offers you information on the range of visits available in New York. All visits are selected with your subject and the curriculum in mind, along with the most popular choices for sightseeing, culture and leisure in the area.
The information in your location guide has been provided by our partners in New York who have expert on the ground knowledge of the area, combined with advice from education professionals so that the visits and information recommended are the most relevant to meet your learning objectives.
Making Life Easier for You
This location guide is not a catalogue of opening times. Our Tour Experts will design your itinerary with opening times and location in mind so that you can really maximise your time on tour.
Our location guides are designed to give you the information that you really need, including what are the highlights of the visit, location, suitability and educational resources. We’ll give you top tips like when is the best time to go, dress code and extra local knowledge.
Peace of Mind
So that you don’t need to carry additional money around with you we will state in your initial quote letter, which visits are included within your inclusive tour price and if there is anything that can’t be pre-paid we will advise you of the entrance fees so that you know how much money to take along.
You also have the added reassurance that, WST is a member of the STF and our featured visits are all covered as part of our externally verified Safety Management System.
HISTORY & POLITICS VISITS
THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM Located on the World Trade Center site this memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honour to the people killed in the terrorist attacks of 9 September 2001. The main feature of the memorial is the twin reflecting pools which sit within the footprints of where the twin towers once were. The names of every person who died are inscribed into bronze panels edging the pools. The 9/11 Memorial Museum includes an exhibition on the events of 9/11 and the aftermath.
Educational Resources: The website has a range of resources including timelines, lesson plans and an online guide for searching for names if you wish to follow individuals’ stories
Website: www.911memorial.org/commemorate-911 Subway: Fulton Street Broadway-Nassau, Park Place or World Trade Center
9/11 TRIBUTE MUSEUM Located next to FDNY firehouse and across from the World Trade Center site, the 9/11 Tribute Museum offers a ‘person to person history’ to help visitors to New York understand the historic events and the people who experienced them. Your students can have the unique opportunity of taking a guided tour around the 9/11 Memorial with a Tribute Center Walking Tour Guide; survivors, workers who assisted in the recovery efforts, lower Manhattan residents, or family members that lost loved ones. Each tour will offer a unique personal experience of the events, the aftermath and how life goes on.
Educational Resources: The website has a range of lesson plans. Follow this link to go straight to the education section: Tribute Museum Teaching
Top Tip: Encourage your students to ask prepare and ask questions of the guide during the tour. This is a one off chance to really find out more and help them to connect with the personal side of the 9/11 events.
Website: 911 Tribute Museum
DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN WALKING TOUR As always the best way to get around and see a city is on foot, especially when looking at it from a historical perspective. Explore the history within some of the most famous destinations in New York. With visits to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, Battery Park, Little Italy and Soho, your students can soak up the culture and history in these iconic landmarks.
Top Tip: This tour is ideal for covering the Wall Street Crash and the Depression.
ELLIS ISLAND MUSEUM Located in the Main Building of the former immigration station complex, the Ellis Island Museum holds the history of the 12 million immigrants who came to America through the golden door of Ellis Island. The exhibits in this museum include artefacts, photographs, prints, oral histories and much more.
Top Tip: Opt for an in-depth tour where you can view detailed interviews with historians, architects and archaeologists.
Website: Ellis Island
MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE A trip to the Museum of American Finance can help your students to learn more about the Wall Street Crash and to understand how finance impacts their daily lives today. Whilst visiting the Museum, along with a guided tour, your students can take part in a 45-60 minute lesson taught in the education center by museum educators and industry experts. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Top Tip: Printing copies of the Museum’s scavenger hunts can be a fun and educational way for your students to explore the exhibits, if you take a self-guided tour.
Website: http://www.moaf.org/index Subway: Wall Street, Broad Street and Rector Street
RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL As the largest indoor theatre in the world, when depression hit this prime spot in Midtown New York, it was turned into the Radio City Music Hall. Visiting Radio City can allow your students to learn about its history, listen to the ‘mighty Wurlitzer’ and enjoy ‘a masterpiece of American Modernist design’.
Website: http://www.radiocity.com/ Subway: Rockefeller Center - 50th Street
THE TENEMENT MUSEUM The Tenement museum shows the experiences of 19th and 20th century immigrants from many different cultures. It allows the students to visit one of the tenement apartment buildings which was home to almost 7000 working class immigrants and tells the stories of their lives in America. Guided tours at the Tenement museum can be fairly interactive with visits such as the Victoria Confino tour. This allows students to visit the flat of Victoria Confino, a 14 year olds girl who lived in the tenement in 1916. An actor will be playing the role of Victoria Confino, allowing the students to ask her questions about her life as a poor immigrant in 19th century America.
Top Tip: There are plenty more interactive tours where students can ‘meet the residents’ so be sure to check the website and decide which tour is for you!
Website: http://www.tenement.org/ Subway: Grand Street, Delancy Street, Essex Street
UNITED NATIONS BUILDING The UN Building is the work place to representatives of the earth’s six billion people who discuss and decide issues of peace, justice and economic and social wellbeing. Going on a guided tour of the United Nations headquarters in New York can offer your students a behind-the-scenes view of this organisation at work. Visits are not possible on weekends.
Top Tip: Arrive approx. 30 – 45 minutes before the start of your tour to allow time for the strict security screening on entering the building.
Website: http://visit.un.org/ Subway: Grand Central Station
CULTURAL VISITS
MEET AND GREET QUIZ We always arrange a meet and greet for your group on arrival in New York, so a representative will meet you at the airport, take you to your coach and transfer to your accommodation to ensure your arrival in New York is a smooth one. If you want to make it fun and really get them ready for the next few days ahead, then we can arrange for your guide to do a fun quiz all about New York city on board your coach and each student will get an I Love NY T-Shirt as a reminder of their trip. Ask us for more details and prices.
GUIDED WALKING TOURS As always the best way to get around and see a city is on foot, especially when looking at it from a historical perspective. We offer a wide choice of walking tours that can be tailored to study needs and interests. The most popular walking tours are: Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour – including Fifth Avenue, 42nd street, Central Park, Times Square, Empire State Building Downtown Manhattan Walking Tour – Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, Battery Park, Little Italy, Soho Top Tip: These walking tours last for 4 hours so be sure to take comfortable walking shoes!
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING No visit to New York is complete without a visit to the top of New York’s most iconic skyscraper.
Top Tip: This is an ideal visit for your first evening. It will help to shake off the jet-lag from your days travelling and the views of New York by night are spectacular.
Website: www.esbnyc.com Subway: 34th Street & Herald Square
FRIENDS OF THE HIGHLINE This unique visit allows the public to explore what was once a major train line known as New York Central Railroad. The train line, which was very popular in the 1930’s became less successful in the 1980’s, forcing it to close. In 1999, Friends of the Highline decided there was still life in the old railroad yet and embarked upon a journey of re-development. The train line is now a beautiful public park and architectural masterpiece. School groups can opt for a structured visit or they can simply guide themselves around. There are also free educational materials to support your visit available on their website.
Website: http://www.thehighline.org/
HARBOUR CRUISES Get a close up view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island you can choose from two options: Liberty Cruise - A 1 hour cruise of the harbour. Island Cruise - You can disembark at both Liberty Island and Ellis Island on this hop on hop off cruise
Top Tip: If you are on a tight budget, you could ride the Staten Island ferry. It’s free and goes past the Statue of Liberty so you can pick up some great photos.
Subway: South Ferry
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ALL ACCESS TOUR An insider’s look at this state of the art arena. You will explore the Knicks and Rangers locker rooms and relive historic moments with the new Garden 366 experience and Defining Moments exhibit.
Website: www.thegarden.com/tours.html Subway: 34th Street Penn Station
NBC STUDIO TOUR Go behind the scenes of some of the most well-known TV shows. You will visit the NBC Sharp Globe Theatre, Broadcast Operations, the Make Up room, and even produce your very own news and weather programme.
Top Tip: The NBC tour is the Rockefeller Plaza which means it’s a perfect visit to do before or after a Top of the Rock tour.
Website: www.nbcstudiotour.com Subway: 50th Street & Broadway or 51st Street & Lexington, 47th – 50th Street & Rockerfeller Centre
TOP OF THE ROCK The observation desk at the top of the Rockefeller Center provides a unique 360 degree view of New York, including the Empire State Building.
Top Tip: Top of the Rock has interactive History and Geography exhibits and downloadable worksheets.
Website: www.topoftherocknyc.com Subway: 47th – 50th Street & Rockefeller Centre
ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY The tallest observatory in the western hemisphere, located at the 9/11 memorial site, offering spectacular panoramic views of New York. The visit also includes numerous videos and multimedia experiences. There are 5 lifts including a sky pod elevator that ascends to the 102nd floor in under 60 seconds. You can choose from various cafés and restaurants. The visit lasts approx. 45 to 60 minutes.
Website: https://oneworldobservatory.com
TV & MOVIE SITES TOURS Choose from a range of coach or walking tours around the city, taking in locations of well-known shows and movies, venues where the stars hang out and even see where your favourite celebrities live. Shows and movies include Friends, Seinfeld, Glee, The Devil Wears Prada, Spiderman, Elf, Hitch and many more. Themed tours include Sex and the City Hotspots, Central Park Movie Sites, Gossip Girl Sites and Sopranos Sites.
Top Tip: If you have a particular show or film you would like to focus on then let us know and we can ask our providers to include this in your tour, provided it was filmed in New York.
Website: www.screentours.com
NEW YORK’S ART GALLERIES: The Metropolitan Museum One of the largest art galleries in the world, located on Fifth Avenue next to Central Park. Closed on Mondays. Website: www.metmuseum.org
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Often seen as one the most influential museums of modern art, the MoMA offers a collection of both modern and contemporary art. It is centrally located between 5th and 6th Avenues. Closed on Tuesdays. Website: www.moma.org
The Guggenheim The Guggenheim is visited not just for its exhibitions of impressionist, post- impressionist, early modern and contemporary art, but also its iconic building which is known as one the 20ths Century’s important architectural landmarks. The museum is located on the exclusive Upper East Side. Closed on Thursdays. Website: www.guggenheim.org
Top Tip: If you buy a New York City Pass, entrance to these museums is included.
SPORTING EVENTS Subject to availability your group can attend a sporting event in and around the city. If you ask us early enough we can look at what is available with all the different New York teams for something to suit your budget.
METROPOLITAN OPERA ‘The Met’ opera company is located at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and is the largest classical music organisation in North America. The season runs from September to May and the schedule of performances offers some student rates on key performances throughout this time. Contact us for more details.
Website: Met Opera Subway: 66th Street Lincoln Center
BROADWAY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS Give your students an experience to remember by arranging a trip to a Broadway show. They’ll really go home with the ‘WOW’ factor. Here is a range of the most popular shows currently available on Broadway.
Top Tip: Price vary with each show so recommend you budget approx. £50 per paying person to cover the cost of most shows. If you are there on Friday or Saturday then prices will be higher.
Website: www.broadway.com
SHOPPING A trip to New York is not complete without a trip to world famous shops and department stores. Shops are open 7 days a week in New York, usually from 10.00 until 7.00pm on Monday to Saturday and 11 until 6.00 pm on Sunday. Department stores tend to stay open a little later.
Fifth Avenue: Some of New York’s best known shops can be found here including FAO Schwarz, Apple Store, Abercrombie & Fitch and Saks
Bloomingdales: Located close to Fifth Avenue, a little brown bag from Bloomingdales is an iconic souvenir from a trip to New York.
Macy’s: The largest department store in New York, located on West 34th Street
Century 21: A bargain hunters paradise, located close to Ground Zero
South Street Seaport: This Lower Manhattan’s eastside shopping destination offers a distinct mix of shops, restaurants and cafés.
RESTAURANTS We can arrange evening meals in restaurants in the city with options to suit all tastes. Our most popular choices are:
Planet Hollywood Hard Rock Café Bubba Gump Shrimp Buca Di Bepo Dave & Busters B Smiths Bowlmor – bowling and dining Italian Restaurants