The Italian Village, Walking Tour
Washington Square Arch at Fifth Avenue & Washington Square North NY, United StatesGreenwich Village isnโt just about artists, writers, and Bohemians. For almost 150 years, a vibrant Italian-American community has existed on the neighborhoodโs southern edge. Starting in Washington Square Park, Marc Catapano will explore the history and cultural legacy of the โItalian Village,โ visiting such landmarks as Our Lady of Pompei and St Anthony of Padua, plus sites associated with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Learn about notable Italian-American locals, such as Gregory Corso, poet and one of the youngest members of the Beat Generation; Diane DiPrima, poet and activist; and mobster Crazy Joey Gallo, "beatnik gangster" and the subject of a Bob Dylan song. And take a dive into the rich Italian culinary legacy, from coffee houses and pizzerias, to bakeries and grocers.
The Original: A Chinese Bohemian in the Village, Walking Tour
Washington Square Arch at Fifth Avenue & Washington Square North NY, United StatesThe Original is an immersive walking tour through Greenwich Village with Michael Salgarolo following the strange, hilarious life of Chinese American author H T Tsiang. Alternatively ignored and ridiculed in his own time, Tsiang is now known as a visionary forebearer of modern Asian American literature. His two major novels, The Hanging on Union Square (1935) and And China Has Hands (1937) challenged mainstream representations of Chinese Americans and presented a deeply unhinged satire of the American Dream. The Original explores how the cafeterias, hand laundries, and radical arts scene of the Depression-era West Village inspired Tsiangโs writing and made him an โoriginal.โย
Greenwich Village to Woodstock: The Greenwich Village Rock and Pop Scene of the 1960s, Walking Tour
Bagel Pub 815 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY, United StatesTake a trip to the Mod, Pop, Happening world of 1960s Greenwich Village, when the streets turned from black and white to Technicolor. Visit the Night Owl Cafe, where the Lovinโ Spoonful re-invented folk music, the Cafe Bizarre, where the Velvet Underground re-invented rock and roll, and the Cafe Wha? where Jimi Hendrix re-invented guitar playing. Discover Trude Hellerโs, New Yorkโs most swinging go-go dance club, and delve into Bruce Springsteenโs garage rock beginnings. Experience the eraโs explosive energy that ignited revolutions in music, art, and fashion that directly led to the 1969 Woodstock Festival, with 400,000 souls the biggest โhappeningโ of the decade. Join Marc Catapano to relive this magical, transformative time.