Greenwich Village isn’t just about artists, writers, and Bohemians. For almost 150 years, a vibrant Italian-American community has existed on the neighborhood’s southern edge. Starting in Washington Square Park, Marc Catapano will explore the history and cultural legacy of the “Italian Village,” 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 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 Tsiang’s writing and made him an “original.” 

Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, The Mamas & The Papas, Bruce Springsteen…. So many great careers were launched on the rickety stages of Greenwich Village. Join Ann McDermott for a trip “down the foggy ruins of time” to learn the real stories behind A Complete Unknown and the lives of Dylan, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Hear how The Woodstock Festival of Music and Art had its origins on Village streets.

Take 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 Lovin’ 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 Heller’s, New York’s most swinging go-go dance club, and delve into Bruce Springsteen’s garage rock beginnings. Experience the era’s explosive energy that ignited revolutions in music, art, and fashion that directly led to the 1969 Woodstock Festival, with 400,000 souls the biggest “happening” of the decade. Join Marc Catapano to relive this magical, transformative time.