Alphabet City

[In-person tour] “A, you’re adventurous; B, you’re brave; C, you’re crazy; D, you’re dead” was a simple nursery rhyme repeated by many New Yorkers when visiting Alphabet City in the 1980s. What was once a bucolic fishing site for the Lenape and later filled with bowerijes (bouweries) by Dutch settlers, this neighborhood’s face and reputation have changed dramatically since its inception. On this tour with Zack Rhodes we will visit the sites and haunts of punk rockers, Nuyorican writers, Tammany Hall politicians, and the Astors. We will discuss how this neighborhood survived one of the worst maritime disasters in New York’s history, and the continued relentless work of community organizations to support the neighborhood. We will cover the many waves of immigrants that called Alphabet City home, and answer the question “Why can I see a statue of Lenin from Houston Street”?

In-person tours are limited to 20 attendees and are held outdoors.  Walking tours bring individuals into close proximity with each other, we therefore ask that all tour goers wear masks during the tours, regardless of vaccination status.  Your tour guide and your fellow tour participants will thank you for your cooperation.  Should the tours happen to venture indoors, many places require masks and/or proof of vaccination, so please be prepared to have both with you.

MAS Walking Tours last approximately 2 hours. Meeting location is provided with registration.