Nestled in the tree lined Grove Street, in Greenwich Village, there is sits a white brick building with red trim. It stands out on the street full of mid-19th century townhouses not just because of its old fashioned sign and garish paint, but because late into the evenings, on any given night, the sounds of Broadway tunes can be heard ... Read More »
Harlem’s history usually elicits images and memories of it as the longtime citadel of black American life, but were it not for one enterprising young man from Massachusetts, such history might have never been written. When Philip Payton arrived in New York in 1899, real estate speculators were quickly throwing up modern apartment buildings and brownstones in formerly rural ... Read More »
The most exclusive club in New York isn’t guarded with a velvet rope, instead, members are given a key to the high iron gates and it’s only with proof of address that one is allowed access. Ever since 1832, when landowner Samuel Ruggles first pled his case to the New York City government to grant him permission to turn ... Read More »
In 1804, dueling wasn’t allowed in New York. Intrepid and determined souls had to cross the Hudson River to New Jersey to carry out their plans and even in the more lenient state, the stakes were high. Precautions, such as the pistols arriving aboard separate boats from their owners, had to be taken to ensure that all participants could plead ... Read More »
The Brooklyn promenade is without a doubt, one of the greatest sites in New York City. Forget for a second about the cobbled streets or gorgeous Gothic revival architecture of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood where it sits and instead, cast your eyes western, across the East River, and gaze upon one of the most famous and awe inspiring views ... Read More »
Millions of tourists flock to New York City each year but it is not often that they venture to Manhattan Island’s northernmost neighborhood, Harlem. Originally settled in 1658 by Peter Stuyvesant under Dutch rule, Nieuw Haarlem was lush agricultural land distinctly separate from Nieuw Amsterdam at Manhattan’s southern tip. Since then, Harlem has seen many rises and falls, ... Read More »
The Vanderbilts are one of those mythic American families whose name invokes wealth, industrialism and power. Patriarch of the Vanderbilt family, and one of the richest men to ever live, was Cornelius Vanderbilt, otherwise known as Commodore Vanderbilt, a nickname he received after he began operating ships. Uneducated, ruthless and shrewd Vanderbilt amassed a fortune which today would ... Read More »
The corner of Pearl and Broad streets has seen more history than most in New York City. There stands a stately mansion built in 1719, once home to one of the most prominent and controversial of early families, The Delanceys. The Delancey’s were real estate moguls in the early days of New York but when the Revolution came, pled ... Read More »
MUSEYON BOOKS Smart City Guides for Travel, History, Art and Film Lovers