East Midtown looks buttoned-up with diplomats, doormen, tiny dogs. But the neighborhood locals call Turtle Bay is gloriously weird. You’ll walk through lobbies and lanes where America’s first spy, Nathan Hale, met his fate; where the some of the greatest names in music honeymooned; and where Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra turned hotel hallways into gossip columns. Bring your curiosity because this corner of Manhattan has much to tell.
We’ll trace the neighborhood’s pop-culture and power trail: Andy Warhol’s first Factory rattling the neighbors, Bernie Madoff’s lipstick-red HQ for a billion-dollar scheme, and John Lennon’s legendary “lost weekend” in the clouds. Between stories, you’ll clock Turtle Bay’s Art Deco showpieces, secret courtyards, and taverns with more character than a newsroom on deadline.
$40
3pm
The northside of PJ Clarke’s on 915 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, between 54th and 55th Streets
Every day
2 hours
Max. 20
The best tour you’ll ever get via a guide who has lived in said area for over 20 years.
Despite the neighborhood’s name? Turtles will not be provided. Particularly those of the teenage, mutant variety.
Be ready for roughly a mile’s worth of walking. We crisscross/applesauce through many a block.
Bill’s tour of Turtle Bay is highly recommended. He’s full of knowledge, charm, not to mention energy, and has great stories about some of Turtle Bay’s more famous residents, particularly stars of the past.
Even though, it’s my neighborhood, I learned a lot from Bill.
Fun interesting Manhattan Turtle Bay Tour with Bill Schulz
Informative, interesting and fun, A tour around Turtle Bay, an eclectic mix of history, celebrity and quirkiness with some wonderful hidden gems. The walking tour was about a mile, paced well with an extremely knowledgeable historian who lives in the neighbourhood.
I would highly recommend this tour.
Bill Schulz was an engaging and super-fun tour guide!
Loved me the Turtle Bay/Midtown East walking tour guide Bill Schulz gave yesterday! I’ve lived in the neighborhood for a long time, and not only did i learn some totally new, eye-oping factoids, but Bill also delivered a lot of smiles and laughs along the way. I’ll def try a couple of Bowery Boys’ other tours this spring/summer!
As loyal fans of the TV series “The Gilded Age”, we were very excited for the Bowery Boys’ Gilded Age walking tour, and the tour delivered a fun and fact-filled two hours of architecture, history and scandal. Our tour guide Bill was both informative and entertaining – we highly recommend this tour!
The Bowery Boys tour of the New York neighborhood Turtle Bay was very interesting, entertaining and informative. An actual Turtle Bay resident himself, our guide Bill shared insider knowledge of the area. Plus being a professional, he shared great stories gleaned from research. Bill is a terrific storyteller. And funny, too!
It was a great tour, Bill, our guide, did a good job in showing us around and telling stories about the people who lived in the houses that we visited.
Bill was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable
