The East Village and Alphabet City: Artists and the Counterculture
Overview
We’ll start around Astor Place and the famous Mosaic Trail, a guerrilla art installation by local legend “Mosaic Man.” Along the way, we’ll talk about the gritty 1970s and 80s, when crime was high, but creativity was even higher. This was the era when Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat partied alongside Madonna at Club 57, and when Andy Warhol forever changed nightlife culture. We’ll also explore the legacy of Yiddish Broadway and visit Little Ukraine.
From there, we head into Alphabet City, once raw and dangerous, now vibrant and fashionable. Here we’ll discuss the Tompkins Square Park riots, the rise of drag performance, and how every form of counterculture found a home in these streets.
This activity includes:
- The Cooper Union
- The Public Theater
- St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
- Tompkins Square Park
- Ottendorfer Library
- Colonnade Row Plaque
Our Guides
On arrival
Take the 6 train to "Astor Place," and the meet-up is right across the street. You can also take the R train to "8th St NYU" and walk 1 block east on 8th St. We meet near the big Iron Cube known as "the Astor Place Cube." Look for the lady with the long platinum hair and the red flag!
Things to note
This tour has a restroom break about halfway through, should you not have time before the tour. The closest restrooms to the meeting point are in Pret a Manger at Astor Pl and Broadway, but they may ask you to buy something. The closest free public restrooms are in the Ottendorfer Library, on Second Ave near St. Marks Place, about a 5-minute walk East of the meeting point.
Free Cancellation
You are free to cancel a booking anytime. We kindly remind you to cancel bookings you cannot arrive for. Being reported as absent decreases your customer level points and the benefits you can enjoy.
