Exploring the Ghosts of New York City's Elevated Railroads

From 1867-1955, four different elevated railroads (aka "Els") traversed Manhattan, which provided the first true rapid transit to a city choked by traffic. From Civic Center to Chinatown and Little Italy to the Lower East Side, it's time to hit the streets and uncover the story of the long-departed transit routes that defined 19th-century NYC — and the hidden-in-plain-sight remnants that are still standing over 100 years later.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the downtown Manhattan remnants of the former elevated railroads that ran between Brooklyn and Manhattan — from the downtown portions of the 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue Elevated Railroads to the trains that ran across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Led by NYC Tour Guide Michael Morgenthal, our experience surrounding the Els of the past will include:

• How the Els came to be, and how they radically transformed neighborhoods such as the Civic Center, Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side
• The story of Allen Street, which was widened in the 1930s in part to alleviate the dirt, noise, and shadows caused by the elevated trains
• A discussion around the trains that ran across the Brooklyn Bridge, and how they influenced the design of the Municipal Building near City Hall
• A brief trip inside the NYC subway system to uncover secrets of its transit history (MetroCard swipe or OMNY card tap needed)
• The great transfer points that once existed including the City Hall Elevated spur and Chatham Square, the latter of which caused chaos and confusion for those looking to transfer between these two lines — for a fee!
• A walk past the ghosts of the Elevated, including a Manhattan power station hiding in plain sight

See you there!

*Since this tour access the subway system, a MetroCard swipe or credit card / OMNY card tap will be needed to enter the subway system

**Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!

***The tour ends at the corner of Grand and Allen Streets

Testimonials

" Mike was extremely informative, very well prepared with ancillary materials, and responsive to all and any questions. We've been very satisfied with both virtual and in-personal NY Adventure events. They are consistently informative, well-presented, and very professionally run." -TM

" I liked the pacing, and spotting all the ghosts of the tours. Very cool!" -Hannah

" Mike strikes a great balance between being very knowledgeable but not overwhelming. He definitely knows his stuff and presents it in a very approachable way." -Jessica

" Learning about the history and seeing the remnants of the topic of the tour" -Lawrence

" Mike, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and prepared with terrific supplemental visuals. As we toured, he showed us images from the 19th century as we reached points on the route that corresponded to those photos—that made it easy to imagine the heyday of the El trains. Mike was thoughtful of our comfort, sticking to the shade on this hot day and stopping a couple of times to present info to us as we sat on benches. Great tour! Recommended! Mike was a great source of information about New York in general (not just about tour topic material ) and was generous in responding to questions." -John

Disclaimer

Event takes place rain or shine.

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Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

Host or Publisher New York Adventure Club