Overview

Explore New York’s art both outside and indoors on this brilliant combo tour of Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On this 5.5 hour semi-private (8 Guest Maximum) guided combo tour, visit one of the world’s most elaborate collections of art and historical artifacts, then stroll the paths of the infamous urban green space.

Description

Stop At: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York City, New York 10028

Start at the Met, where your guide will show you a collection that rivals those of the Louvre and British Museum. With no less than 2 million works of art and artifacts on hand, the Met showcases objects from Ancient Greece and Egypt as well as modern art from Europe and beyond. During this tour, you’ll start at the sumptuous Great Hall before moving to the museum’s most important galleries. In the Medieval Europe Gallery you’ll learn about the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace as well as armory worn by Henry VIII. The American wing hosts the staircase from the Chicago Stock Exchange as well as the iconic portrait of Washington crossing the Delaware River. Learn about the turbulent and inspiring lives of several European painters including Vermeer, Seurat, and Van Gogh in the European wings. The museum itself has stories to tell, and your guide will explain how this American gallery differs from its older European counterparts, especially since it began before the United States was even 100 years old!

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Stop At: Central Park, 59th to 110th Street, Manhattan Borough, from Central Park West to 5th Avenue, New York City, New York 10022

After a break for lunch, Central Park. Designed to give New Yorkers a breath of fresh air. More than just green space, it’s also a venue for memorials and artwork honoring figures like Bolivar and Marti, as well as Balto and Hans Christen Andersen. As your enthusiastic young guide shares the park’s history, you’ll cross the famous Gapstow Bridge on your way to the Central Park Zoo. You will follow the tree-lined Mall and discuss the literary figures memorialized in statues on either side. You will discover the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, sight of countless Hollywood moments. Cross Bow Bridge on your way to Strawberry Fields towards the Dakota to learn about John Lennon’s assassination at his memorial. You’ll discover the resplendent restaurant, Tavern on the Green, before joining the locals in Sheep Meadow, where New Yorkers of all walks of life can get away from city life for a moment.

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Stop At: 432 Park Avenue, 432 Park Ave, New York City, New York 10022

After meeting your guide at the Latin America History equestrian statues on the corner of 6 Ave & 59 St, you will enter the park. One of the first things you will see is the surviving ASPCA horse drinking fountain sited in 1912. Although we are well into the world of the automobile, this represents the only place in the city where one can bring a horse to drink water if they happen to have one.

You will then walk west to get a stunning view of the new SuperScrapers. 432 Park Avenue is a residential skyscraper that overlooks Central Park. The skyscraper is the second tallest building in New York behind One World Trade Centre, making it a prime location to live at.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Cir, New York City, New York 10019

Next you will see the Time Warner Center, a mixed-use building complex that consists of two twin towers bridged by a multi-story atrium. The complex contains upscale retail shops as well as some office and residential flats. Yet another impressive skyscraper for you to photograph!

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Bow Bridge, 74th Street, West of Bethesda Terrace, Connecting Cherry Hill and The Ramble, New York City, New York

Afterwards, you will visit Bow Bridge, the largest bridge in the park. It is a cast iron bridge, decorated designed with Classical Greek refinement during the 19th century. While other bridges in the park are inconspicuous, Bow Bridge is made to stand out from its surroundings, decorated with an interlocking circles banister and intricate elements underneath the arch span.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Gapstow Bridge, 62nd Street, New York City, New York 10019

Another bridge you will come across during your tour is the beautiful schist Gapstow Bridge that ws initially built in 1874. The bridge offers one of the best views of the New York City skyline and you will be able to get some great shots of the city.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Turtle Pond, Central Park, New York City, New York

Then, you will make your way to the Great Lawn, a site of 55-acres that is considered one of the most famous lawns in the world. The Lawn is a great place to have a picnic on a spring afternoon or catch some rays in summer. Close by you will see the Turtle Pond, where most of the park’s turtles live.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: The Dakota, 1 W 72nd St, New York City, New York 10023

After this you will see the Dakota, perhaps the most famous cooperative building in the city. Constructed in 1884, it still maintains much of its original character. It was the home of John Lennon, former Beatles member from 1973 until his murder in the archway of the building in 1980.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Memorial, W. Park Dr. and W. 72nd St., New York City, New York 10023

Following, you will visit Strawberry fields, a 2.5-acre area in Central Park that pays tribute to the late Beatle, John Lennon. A designated quiet area in the park, Strawberry files is lined with elm trees, shrubs, flowers and rocks, making it a tranquil, picturesque site.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Bethesda Fountain, Midpark at 72nd St. Transverse, Central Park, New York City, New York

During your walk you will come across what is known as the Angel of Bethesda atop of Bethesda Fountain. Located in the centre of Bethesda Terrace, the angel became New York City’s first major piece of public art commissioned from a woman.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Central Park Zoo, 830 5th Ave, New York City, New York 10065

Finally, we will end our tour at the Central Park Zoo, at the southeast corner of Central Park in New York City. Here, you can either stay and enjoy the stunning landscapes of the park, or your guide will accompany you to the nearest subway.

Duration: 10 minutes