INFINITE CITY #1: Artists, Eccentrics and Botanics in the Heart of the Village

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INFINITE CITY #1: Artists, Eccentrics and Botanics in the Heart of the Village

New York City audio tour: INFINITE CITY #1: Artists, Eccentrics and Botanics in the Heart of the Village
This is a 0.6mi walking tour
It takes an average of 25 mins to complete.
Archived
This tour isn’t available for download. We’ve preserved the script and audio as a record of its moment in time, but we don’t recommend doing the tour. It was published in May 2017.
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About the Tour

INFINITE CITY is a series of walking tours exploring New York City in endless detail. And this is the first tour in the series.

On this thirty-minute tour, we’ll walk two loops around a section of Greenwich Village. Each successive trip around the block reveals another layer of information about the people, buildings and trees surrounding you. First, you’ll meet the artists, eccentrics and visionaries who lived on this block, including Henry James, Jackson Pollock and the founder of the Whitney Museum. Then, on the second loop, you’ll uncover the history hidden within the botanics of this place, and the unique stories behind each species of tree that lines these streets.

Join us on a walking tour unlike any other where, by putting this city block under a microscope, you'll learn about:

  • The mass grave beneath the park
  • The park’s public hangings
  • Druids and tree worship in the city
  • Author Henry James’ connection to the block
  • The last alleys in New York, and where to find them
  • The origin of two of the city’s greatest museums

Each tour in the INFINITE CITY series is an accumulation of a particular place’s memories, and an obsessive compendium of its often overlooked minutiae. Keep a look out for the release of Tour #2 on VoiceMap’s app soon!

Categories

Tour Producer

Akiva Saunders is a New York City teacher who uses technology and software to explore the frontiers of education. He is the chair of Latin at the Latin/Greek Institute, a teacher in the NYC public school system and a founder of Spectacle Theater, a microcinema in Brooklyn now celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Preview Location

Location 10

Origin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Continue to the corner and stop to notice the building to your right. Although no plaque commemorates it, another great museum began in this building, in what was once a stable for horses.

In 1856, a mansion was built here, the first residence in New York to be built of wh...
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How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

  • Washington Square Park

  • Whitney Museum

  • Greenwich Village

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.
  1. Total distance
    931m
  2. Distance back to start location
    23.96m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at the north side of Washington Square Park, across the street from the marble arch. When you find the arch, cross the street and stand facing the park with the arch slightly to your left. You’ll be at the northwest corner of 5th Avenue and Washington Square Park North. Nearby subways include the A, B, C, D, E, F, M, R, W and 6 lines.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Stumptown Coffee, Amelie Wine Bar, South of the Clouds Chinese restaurant.

Best time of day

Daytime

Precautions

Stay aware of traffic, especially bicyclists who can come from both directions.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”
App Store Review
“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”
Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

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17 Ratings
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