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​​Guided Walks in New York with Deborah Zelcer

Art Wars! The Founding of the Met, MOMA, and the Whitney, (and What Each Will Argue Is Art):  After the Civil War, stewards of our young nation sought to develop artists with talent to rival that of Old Europe. Their goal was to elevate the level of refinement of the average American, and prove that we could be preoccupied with more than the almighty Buck! On this pleasant Museum Mile trek, we will discover how the keepers of our first cultural collections defined art and decided what would hang within their walls, in the process competing with each other and the highbrow institutions of overseas. This is an outdoor tour focusing on museum architecture as a reflection of their founders and the collections inside. Tour includes viewing and discussion of the exterior of the National Academy of Design and Whitney Museum uptown, as well as the landmarked Metropolitan and Guggenheim Museum facades. Allow an hour and a half for this VIRTUAL ONLINE tour, or 2 hours for this live stroll on generally level sidewalks.

​A Phoenix Rises from Ashes: the New York Central Railroad and the Making of Midtown: In 1902, the dominance of the Vanderbilt-controlled NY Central Railroad was threatened by a ban on their steam powered locomotives in Manhattan, as well as by the rival Pennsylvania Railroad tunneling under the Hudson River and arriving on Manhattan's west side. Join ProwlerNYC to learn how the NY Central responded to these challenges,  creating a precedent in development that continues to revolutionize New York City real estate to this day. Content covers the growth of midtown and the development of the skyscraper, with stylistic examples from its earliest incarnations, to today's 'Supertall' structures on or near Park Avenue. Tour begins in front of the Pershing Square Cafe,  90 West 42nd St. across from Grand Central Terminal, and ends at architect Rafael Vignoly's 432 Park. Allow 2 hours for this tour on generally level sidewalks.  

​Castles In the Air - Glamorous Hudson Yards and its Historical Underpinnings:  Join me to Prowl through North America's largest private mixed use real estate development - Hudson Yards. This massive new commercial-residential realty project is just beginning to transform the far west side of Manhattan. We will trace its evolution from industrial and then dilapidated property, into a glamorous, transformative pedestrian culmination for the recently developed High Line and for the evolving 34th Street corridor. All this, while leaving intact its foundations in the railroads and tunnels that brought and continue to bring the masses into New York. Highlights include a walk through the upscale new retail area anchored by Neiman Marcus, and through the public plaza area, including The Shed performance and exhibition venue, and a short section of the High Line. The tour will culminate with a visit inside the magnificent public sculpture currently known as The Vessel. This is a 2 hour tour on mostly level terrain, with the exception of the Vessel which is accessed by stair or elevator, and the indoor shopping area, accessed by escalator. 

​​​So, What Brings You Here?" - Immigration in New York, From Its Beginnings until Now:  Join ProwlerNYC for a pleasant ride on the Staten Island Ferry, to view Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, and our impressive metropolis from the water, while learning about government policy toward immigrants since the founding of New Amsterdam. This interesting discussion will surprise you with little known facts about how the Federal government has relied upon science and social policy to control and reform immigration and the American population. This is a non-partisan discussion of immigration policy and how it has evolved in response to changes in prevailing values of our nation. We will meet at Castle Clinton in lower Manhattan, proceed to the ferry, ride it to and from Staten Island non stop while viewing vistas of interest on both sides of the ship, and return to the ferry port in lower Manhattan. Allow 2 hours on generally  level sidewalks, stairs or ramps. 

​Worship Around the Park:  "all the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey...I stopped into a church, I passed along the way..." ("California Dreamin", the Mama's and the Papa's) What better time to view architecturally noteworthy houses of worship than the colder weather. Join me to visit religious sanctuaries of architectural interest on Central Park West, focusing on religious movements that originated or proliferated in the United States. Including the West Side YMCA, the Society for Ethical Culture, the Fourth Universalist Society, and the Second Church of Christ, Scientist. Allow 2 hours on generally level sidewalks. 

The Grande Hotels of (Manhattan's) Grand Army Plaza:  Terminating the remains of the opulent 5th Avenue luxury retail zone sit the still-reigning hospitality jewels of yesteryear. The surviving triumvirate of The Plaza, The Pierre and the Sherry Netherland Hotels are notable Grande Dames of hospitality . These luxurious destinations have catered to discriminating travelers and local residents wishing to wake at the doorstep of rarified purveyors of finery, connoisseur quality restaurants, and the timeless romantic elegance of Central Park. Lets explore tales behind the creation of these landmark abodes, and their relationship with the evolving character of Millionaires Row and the changing city beyond. Allow 2 hours on generally level sidewalks. 

​New York City - A Native American Skyline:  American Indians traded Manhattan to Europeans for trinkets, but later exchanged their monumental talents for a handsome living that took them off the reservation and to dizzying heights. Join me for this enlightening walk in the charming and rapidly changing Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn, where we will Prowl about this lovely brownstone community and discover the history of the Kahnewake Mohawks, who once had a thriving community here. They fearlessly built the towering steel structures for NY’s most notable skyscrapers and bridges of the 20th century, but their lives were forever changed when High Steel went Up In Smoke... Allow an hour and a half for this VIRTUAL ONLINE tour, or 2 hours LIVE on generally level sidewalks. 

The Little Pillbox Hat Tour – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the Preservation of Our Architectural Treasures: From quietly influencing the powerful people she was surrounded with, to outright personal action, JKO fought to advance an enlightened cultural agenda inspired by her storied upbringing. Join me to learn about the very important role that our most unforgettable First Lady played in defining good taste, high culture, and the importance of preserving the livability and distinctive architectural character of American cities. We will visit buildings associated with her charmed and often not-so-charmed existence, and consider her very important advocacy work in shaping and preserving New York. Allow an hour and a half for this VIRTUAL ONLINE tour, 3 hours for this tour live, on generally level sidewalks)

Spectacular Grand Central Terminal:  In the pulsing heart of midtown sits this Grande Dame of NYC landmarks. Hear the magical history of this magnificent structure and the very influential New Yorkers that birthed it, designed it, moved through it, saved it, and continue to breathe new life into it as this quintessential symbol of the city of New York survives and thrives in our modern day. Now easily accessible for Long Islanders through East Side Access bringing LIRR patrons directly into the terminal. Allow 2 hours for this fast paced tour on multiple levels of the terminal, using comfortable sloped ramps. Some sidewalk access on level but imperfect pavement.

CHECK OUT PROWLERNYC ON LONG ISLAND! Many tours accessible from Long Island Railroad Stations -

​Historic Harlem, from the 1600s thru the 1920's and Beyond:  Join me for a very Picturesque Prowl through historic Harlem, once a bucolic estate setting for gracious mansions, later a hub for European immigrants, and then the destination of southern Blacks fleeing Jim Crow and migrating to the North in pursuit of jobs and rights. We will visit settings associated with all of these phases of Harlem's history, while concentrating on the emergence of the Harlem Renaissance, that wonderful period of Harlem history when the creativity of Black writers, musicians and performers became a sought after and much admired influence on American and world culture. We will walk past Sylvan Terrace, the Morris-Jumel mansion, the Triple Nickel, Trinity Church Cemetery, Hamilton Grange, Hamilton Heights, the historic City College campus, Strivers Row, and the Abyssinian Baptist Church, and see sites where well known Harlem residents lived. We will end this enlightening and pleasurable Prowl at a special pavilion to view historic WPA era murals depicting the lives of Harlem's Black residents. Allow 2 hours for this ONLINE VIRTUAL tour, or 3 hours live (can be shortened) on urban sidewalks, level and sloped downhill. 

Like Nature? Contact Prowler directly to learn about guided walks on trails in preserves and parks across Long Island. "Forest Bathing" is good for you!

​East Meets West - 15 Central Park West and the New Uptown Aristocracy:  The Upper East and West sides have been staring each other down since before the last century. In the 1800s, the East River and the Hudson River were active ports lined with the often unsavory industries that catered to sailors and merchants. As a result, the truly wealthy avoided the waterfront and built mansions in Greenwich Village, eventually migrating uptown along Fifth Avenue. On the other side of the park at Central Park West, the first apartment buildings and co-ops emerged; a middle class answer and perhaps challenge to the lifestyles of those across the way. Join us for a walk and discussion on how the two major avenues flanking the park competed, clashed, and copied each other, from then until now. Allow 2 hours on generally level sidewalks. 

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​Sea Cliff Grove - From Religious Retreat to Artsy Long Island Island Hamlet: Join me for this walk through beautiful and historic Sea Cliff, where we will admire stunning vistas over Long Island Sound, charming Victorian era buildings, and shady verdant parks. We will enjoy details of village history, including Sea Cliff's role in 19th century resort travel and how the Grove was part of a national pattern of Bible study and religious education which gave America a legacy of picturesque seaside villages. Allow 2 hours on level and sloping sidewalks. 

CUSTOMIZED FARM AND WINERY TOURS ON THE NORTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND:  Inquire about seasonal tours incorporating the agricultural bounty of the East End of Long Island. Experience the diverse range of products farmed and fermented in this beautiful terrain, so close to our major metropolitan population centers. Select from local participating farms, wineries and breweries to craft a custom culinary and/or educational experience. Email Prowler directly for further information.

​​Historic Oyster Bay LI: Including the Culper Spy Ring, Teddy Roosevelt, Robert Moses, and Billy Joel!:  Join ProwlerNYC for a beautiful and entertaining Prowl through the charming streets of Oyster Bay Village. We will explore landmarked buildings revealing Revolutionary War history, the tenure of resident Governor and then President Theodore Roosevelt, Depression-era politics and art, and the ever evolving community of live and ghostly Oyster Bay residents of the past, up to the present day. Our stroll will take us past charming colonial era buildings and cottages, Queen Anne and gothic-styled churches, leafy streets and charming secret gardens, and the spectacular Oyster Bay waterfront. Allow 2 hours for this stroll on mostly level sidewalks.

Philistines at the Hedgerow - Prowling Historic Southampton: Join Prowler for a stroll through the spectacular estate section of Southampton. We will view historic homes, landscapes, social clubs and houses of worship, and enjoy the distinctive architectural character of these noteworthy structures and surrounding gardens. Tour departs from lovely Southampton Village. Fab shopping! Allow 2 hours on mostly level sidewalks or lawns. 

The Merchant Prince of the 19 Century: A.T. Stewart and the Creation of Garden City, Long Island:  Join me to Prowl the lovely historic streets of Garden City, a stately enclave in central Nassau County, envisioned and created by the wealthy founder of NYs first major department store. We'll learn about one of the wealthiest yet soon forgotten men in American History: Alexander Turney Stewart, an Anglo-Irish immigrant who built America's leading 19c retail emporium. Stewart simultaneously hastening the arrival of mail-order shopping and managied both shopping empires through their explosive growth. This tour meets at the Garden City LIRR station, and includes sights such as the Garden City Hotel, the Cathedral of the Incarnation, gracious homes, and courtly avenues. Lunch following can be easily arranged nearby at a number of fine restaurants in town. Allow 2 hours on gently sloped and level sidewalks. 

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​Inspired Insanity! – Nikola Tesla's Life in New York:  Prowl the local haunts of the mad genius who brought us the Induction Motor, Current Wars, power distribution, a deluge of patents, and a fantastic deserted monument meant to generate wireless power, graphic images, sounds, data and maybe even a focused DeathRay into the aether! Backed and then deserted by the Robber Barons of the last century, Tesla’s musings, inventions and rantings predicted and gave form to our modern technological era. Join me to walk in the local New York footsteps of this eccentric and colorful resident, who left a charged impression on Our Fair City.  Allow an hour and a half for this VIRTUAL ONLINE tour, 3 hours for the live tour on generally level sidewalks.

Shelter Island Grove - From Bible Study Encampment to Upscale Victorian Retreat:  Another wonderful settlement with roots in the era of the Protestant Great Awakenings that swept across America between the 18th and 20th Centuries. On this tour we will admire stunning vistas of Shelter Island Sound and Gardiners Bay while strolling through present day Shelter Island Heights. We will enjoy details of village history, including how Shelter Island Grove was part of a national pattern of Bible studay and religious education which gave America a legacy of picturesque seaside villages. Allow 2 hours on level and sloping paths, including brief ferry transportation. Shelter Island can be accessed by ferries departing from Greenport on Long Island's North Fork,  or from North Haven in the Hamptons.

Lovely Locust Valley- Discover this beautiful, quaint and historic enclave on Long Island's Gold Coast. Hear tales of Robber Baron estate owners that set the tone for sophisticated, upscale, country club living, while Prowling the shopping/restaurant district, glimpsing the estate section, and wandering through enchanted woods and preserves all transporting you back to the beauty and romance of the Gatsby era. Allow 2 hours for this stroll on slightly inclined sidewalks and pathways.

​​Not-Starving Artists: How The 1800s New York Art Scene Spawned the Co-op:  While socialism emerged in the 1800's European utopian dialogue, NY artists sought to make their mark on the international art scene. Our walk will illustrate how this utopianism was adapted domestically, through the genesis of co-op living arrangements, originally by and for artists. Their goal was to enhance innovation and collaboration through proximity to an extended creative community. Join Prowler to see the West 67th St. Artists Colony; a string of well designed and appointed co-op residences that to this day are peopled with creative individuals. Then off to West 57th St. to see the institutions that were originated by these dynamic individuals - Carnegie Hall, the Art Students League, and other beautiful classic studio buildings along the way. Allow 2 hours for this tour on level sidewalks. 

Altman’s! Bergdorf! Saks! - A History of Elite Shopping on Fifth Avenue: Join me for this colorful tour of 5th Avenue retail palaces, endearing themselves to the Ladies of Fashion while displacing them from what was initially New York’s most exclusive and expensive residential real estate. We will enjoy the architectural details of these and other sumptuous Fifth Avenue buildings while learning about the quirkiness, genius, and motivation that fueled the ambitions of their creators and propelled New York to become fashion capital of the world.  Allow 3 hours for this tour, in and outdoors on generally level sidewalks.

​Down the High Line - (Former Path to Hell!):  What a meat market! Join me for a Prowl through Manhattan's gorgeous new park, where drug addicts, prostitutes and gay/transgender life flourished in the years before its magical renaissance in the early 2000s. We'll have a colorful discussion about the industrial, architectural and social history of this pulsing artery traversing sought-after neighborhoods that restored or replaced former rail yards, food markets, slaughterhouses, and dark recesses that accommodated the seamier side of life. Join our parade of peeping Toms as we peer through glass facades at area occupants who willingly reveal their lives to this public promenade. We will learn how the High Line's history still shapes its future, while becoming familiar with Hudson Yards, Chelsea, the Meatpacking District, and prominent old and new buildings nearby. Allow 2 hours for this tour on generally level sidewalks.  

Puritans, Immigrants and Slaves - Central Park and the Vision of a Cohesive Society:  A new way of seeing an old classic. The Erie Canal and industrial expansion propelled NYC to the economic forefront in 1800s America. People flooded in to seek opportunity. Yet, inadequate housing and sanitation bred epidemics and squalor. Old World monarchs and aristocrats and Southern plantation owners derided the Yankee and his unholy metropolis. Join us to discover how the stewards of New York development addressed these problems, while hoping to elevate American culture and unite the city's disparate classes, religions and ethnicities through the gift of a Central Park. 2 hours, generally level paths 

Rockefeller Center and the American Century: Join Prowler to explore how Rockefeller Center's form, art program, and distinguished public spaces reflect the legacy of the corporate powerhouses once located there, and the personal contributions of these corporate leaders to America's rise as a superpower. We will focus on the substantial influence that the Rockefeller family, and other political and cultural stewards with offices in the distinguished complex, exerted in the Second World War and in 20th century politics. Includes surprising details on the role of the Rockefellers and Rockefeller Center in the formation of America's clandestine services, their fellow players in politics and public life, the growth of 20th century technologies, and America's rise as a superpower.  (allow 1-1/2 hours for this online or live tour)

Decked Out in the City (Deco-Era Buildings and NY Glamour): Step off the sidewalk and back in time to the glamorous twenties. Explore the backdrop of that romantic and high living era by joining me to view magnificent period lobbies in buildings including 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the Fred F. French Building,  the Chanin Building, and the iconic Chrysler and Empire State buildings. These opulent landmarks are local place markers in the chronology of architectural form. Learn about the frenzied one-upsmanship that bred the 1920's race to build the tallest building in the world, and the colorful characters that competed in it, forever transforming the skyline of New York and creating a vivid new language of architectural style. Allow an hour and a half for this VIRTUAL ONLINE tour, or 2 hours for this live tour on generally level sidewalks. (tour can be modified in foul weather to be mostly indoors) 

​ AVAILABLE LIVE AND ONLINE - SCROLL DOWN TO SEE DESCRIPTIONS BELOW!

"I was on Deborah's East Meets West tour. By far, she is the best guide I've had over the many years I've wandered on these walks. Knowledgeable, funny, experienced--all delivered with a full sense that she is enjoying herself and wants us to share that pleasure."  Ira B. 

"Deborah - You were an overwhelming success! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed your tour. We had the most beautiful day! Thank you so much!!! It was such a pleasure to work with such a consummate professional and lovely person! Please feel free to use me, and our group as a reference. Warm regards, Deb K." Nassau North - Long Island Transitions Network)

"Deborah, You’re a wonderful speaker and the tour was great, (Art Wars). Like a spectacular PBS special but with way more panache! We will definitely catch another of your walks in the future" - Dan N.