Today we are heading up to 59th and 5th Avenue to take part in a tour. Today’s tour is the 5th Avenue Gilded Age tour.
Before the tour we decide to try Taco Bell for lunch. That was a mistake. I wouldn’t recommend Taco Bell to anyone. The food was ordinary and lacked flavour. We both leave most of what we’ve ordered.
We then catch the subway up to 59th and 5th.
As we wait for the tour to start, I’ve venture into Central Park and take a few quick photos at the duckpond. A few minutes later I head back to meet Mardi as the tour commences.
Our tour guide, Richard, is an experienced guide and native New Yorker.
We start the tour in the forecourt of the Plaza Hotel. He talks about the Astors and Vanderbilts, who made their money in railways. Right time and right place which catapulted the families to their wealth and influence on society.
Although some of the clan weren’t the brightest. They’d build mansions and then knock them down and move them to one up each other. They hosted events to show off their wealth and waste money on the fad of the time. A bit like the Musks and Bezoses of today.
After the introduction we start walking up 5th Avenue. Every few blocks we’d stop and Richard would tell us a story about a mansion. In many cases the mansion didn’t exist but had been torn down as the city grew and apartment living became the thing. Nonetheless a number of fine examples were still there. From time to time we’d venture into Central Park or down a side street. One such diversion took us to entrances to exclusive gentlemen’s clubs. Another frivolity of the rich and famous. Create your own club as an escape from the toils of your family. One such club, the Knickerbocker Club, was so clandestine that as of today no one really knows what transpires behind the closed doors.
We venture beyond 72nd street and the clubs to see some wonderful mansions and travel as far as 82nd street.
The tour lasts around two hours and we enjoy the history and architecture, but are leg weary by the time we get to 82nd street. We bid farewell to Richard and other tour participants. We look for a cafe or somewhere to sit and relax. Mardi is well prepared and consults her extensive list of restaurants in the local area. She finds a cafe called Kings Carriage House.
We wander down to 2nd Avenue along 82nd and find a tiny door into a tiny space. It’s like we’ve stumbled upon our own gilded age. Photographs and paintings adorn the walls depicting welldressed men from a bygone era. There are various antlers and heads of a variety of slaughtered animals hanging as well.
We take a seat and are shown a menu. Basically this is an afternoon tea parlour. Avid and regular readers of my blog will know of our love of a tea parlour in Greenwich Village called Bosie Tea House. Sadly Bosie closed in 2021. While we weren’t looking for a replacement we stumbled upon this place. Nothing will replace the ambience we enjoyed in Bosie and this place is a bit out of the way. We enjoy our afternoon tea nonetheless. Sandwiches, cakes and scones. Nothing too special. But pleasant enough and a nice quiet place to recover after our two hour walk.
We wander a few blocks once we are done and catch the subway home. It’s been a long afternoon and we decide to have a night in. We have some snacks from our visit to Whole Food Markets to enjoy.
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