During the pandemic shutdown, there were so many offers of interesting things to do online -- cooking, crafting, indoor exercise, art classes, author readings, and on and on. I didn't do any of it. I began piano lessons with Pianote, read books, took walks, and generally (although somewhat guiltily) enjoyed myself.
One online series looked interesting to me, but I kept forgetting to do it. The New York Times posted walking tours of different areas of New York City, hosted by Michael Kimmelman. Kimmelman was formerly the paper's longtime chief art critic, now the architecture critic. Although I miss former architecture critic Paul Goldberger, whose columns taught me how to look at buildings, Kimmelman brings a similar open, inclusive perspective that I enjoy. For each walk, Kimmelman is joined by a historian, architect, or writer who has a connection to the area.
I'm off work this week, and as we bite our nails and hold our collective breath waiting for the results of the US election, I'm working my way through the virtual tours. For lovers of history, architecture, and New York City -- I am all three -- they are a treat.
Oddly, the Times has not updated the page listing all the tours; more tours show up in Google than are listed on the Times website.
So far I've done these:
Brooklyn, Before It Was a Global Brand: Walk Its History
When Manhattan Was Mannahatta: A Stroll Through the Centuries
Broadway Is Shuttered but Its Buildings Sing: A Virtual Tour
Classic Skyscrapers Define New York: Take a Virtual Tour
Take a Virtual Tour of New York' Museum District
Rockefeller Center's Art Deco Marvel: A Virtual Tour
Jackson Heights: Global Town Square
Still to come:
A Walk Through Harlem, New York's Most Storied Neighborhood
The East Village, Home of Punks and Poets: Here's a Tour
Carnegie Hall and the Jewels of Midtown: Stroll the History
Take a Virtual Tour of the Financial District and the Battery
The East River Waterfront Dazzles: Take a Virtual Tour
Brooklyn Bridge, Star of the City: Here's a Tour
The Hidden Feats that Built New York's Skyscrapers
I believe Kimmelman is still doing this, so perhaps more will be posted in the future.
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