Tour One: Museum Mile from the Guggenheim to the Frick Collection
This tour covers many of the famous museums on the city’s Upper East Side, near Central Park.

Guggenheim Museum – The Guggenheim is located at Fifth Avenue and 88th Street. Take the number 4, 5 or 6 train to 86th Street. Upon exiting the train, walk west on 86th Street to Central Park. Turn right, walking north, parallel to the park and the Museum will be on the right.

Designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this mammoth spiral structure inspires as much debate as the art it houses. The museum permanently displays works by Chagall, Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee, Van Gogh and many others. The Guggenheim also mounts temporary shows.

Upon leaving the Guggenheim, cross Fifth Avenue and turn left. Walk south, parallel to Central Park for several blocks. As you walk, you will see some of New York’s poshest apartment buildings facing the park along Fifth Avenue.

Metropolitan Museum of Art – Built in 1870, the vast Metropolitan Museum of Art houses numerous collections that rank among the finest in the world. Tours and talks are available. Popular exhibits include the Egyptian Collection and the Temple of Dendur, European Paintings and the Medieval Art Room.

Whitney Museum of American Art – Exit the Met and cross Fifth Avenue. Turn left on 82nd Street and walk to Madison Avenue. Cross Madison Avenue and turn right. Walk south on Madison until you reach 75th Street. The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at 75th and Madison. There is a small permanent exhibit, but the focus is on temporary shows.

Frick Collection – Exit the Whitney and cross Madison Avenue. Turn right on 74th Street and walk west towards Fifth Avenue. Turn left on Fifth Avenue. The Frick Collection is located on Fifth Avenue at 70th Street.

The Frick Collection building impresses as much as its art collection. Once the private mansion of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, it reminds New Yorkers of the city’s opulent past. Its collection includes masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer and El Greco.

Tour Two: The East Village, Veniero’s Pasticceria to Tompkins Square Park
This tour weaves itself through the East Village, south from Veniero’s Pasticceria on 11th Street and First Avenue to Tompkins Square Park.

Veniero’s Pasticceria
On 11th Street and 1st Avenue is Veniero’s Pasticceria, established in 1894. An array of sweet treats is offered, from strawberry millefoglie to chocolate covered cannoli.

Cinema Classics – A bit west, on the same side of the street, is Cinema Classics. This small complex contains a cool cafe, an underground video store and a movie theater that screens old and new classics.

11th Street Shops
As you move westward, eclectic shops pepper 11th Street. Standouts include the fashionable Min-K, upscale, bargain rich Tokyo Joe and the hip and sophisticated Guava.

Urban Outfitters
Looping left and southward onto Second Avenue lies trendy Urban Outfitters, supplying contemporary, club-kid flavored clothing, goofy books and shiny new kitsch to the world.

Before turning left and eastward onto 10th Street, cross the street to behold a marvel, Second Avenue Deli, a bonanza of Jewish delicacies.

The Theater for a New City Foundation
Founded in 1970, The Theater for a New City Foundation is a sprawling complex that appears perpetually under construction. It presents 30 to 40 plays a year by new artists and playwrights, with tickets at a bargain $5 to $10.

Enter 9th Street westward and see shop after shop, most of which do not open before 2pm. Check out witchcraft, candles, incense, books, music and magic at Enchantments. Or, if beautiful handicrafts are more your speed, stop by Clayworks Pottery.

St. Marks Place
Walk southward two blocks to 7th Street and turn left (eastward). This street has exploded with alternative clothing shops in recent years. Now, head northward to the carnival atmosphere of St. Marks Place and turn eastward. If you are hungry, stop by the always fun Yaffa Café. At the end of this lively street is the respite of Tompkins Square Park.

Tour Three: The Downtown Park to Park to Park Tour, from Tompkins Square to Washington Square
Tompkins Square Park
Accessible by the L Train at 14th Street and 1st Avenue, Tompkins Square Park begins where St. Marks Place ends. Here is a vital place that is bound by 10th Street to the north, 7th Street to the south, Avenue B to the east and Avenue A to the west.

This urbane park embodies its East Village neighborhood, a vigorous mix of peoples within the larger melting pot of New York City. In August 1988, the Tompkins Square Riot was a result of the City’s repeated attempts to clear the park of homeless people and empty nearby buildings of squatters. Shades of its tense past remain, but it is now predominantly a place where the neighborhood’s tenants relax. There are playgrounds, a dog run, and even grass to hang out on.

Washington Square – Head westward on 8th Street, taking in the numerous shops and tiny restaurants at your leisure. Walk all the way to Fifth Avenue, turn southward and there’s the Washington Square arch designed by Stanford White.

To the north, Washington Square Park is bound by Waverly Place, southward by West 4th Street, eastward by University Place and westward by MacDougal Street. It is accessible by the A, B, C, D, E, F and Q trains at the West 4th Street and Sixth Avenue station; by the N and the R trains at the 8th Street and Broadway station and by the 4, 5 and 6 trains at the Astor Place station. Surrounded by New York University buildings, it is heavily populated with students.

The land for Washington Square Park was purchased by New York City in 1827 and the neighborhood rapidly grew. A row of historic houses survives on the park’s north side. During summer, everybody hangs out on the inner steps of the park’s fountain. Numerous street performers also use the park as their headquarters.

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