Spooky Washington Square, Plan Now for the Village Halloween Festivities!

By Jared the tour-guide Goldstein, exclusively for Uncle Sam’s New York.

Washington Square Park, the Heart of Greenwich Village, was a long-time burial ground. The American Natives, who farmed at the local Minetta Stream, buried their loved ones a bit north-east, here.

Then this land was used for mass burials in the wake of yellow fever and typhus epidemics (due to New York City’s poor water and sewage services, or lack of them).

It became a Potter’s Field where the penniless or forgotten were buried in simple graves. In all, some 20,000 souls might be attempting to rest here.

The northwestern tree in the park is reputed to have been a hanging tree where patriots, slaves, and the wrongly accused were hung.

When the lovely early Greek-revival row houses were constructed by the beginning of Fifth Avenue on Washington Square North in the early 1830s, Washington Square was converted to a military training ground. During parades, the heavy artillery would crack open the shallow pine coffins, breaking the bones inside, making Washington Square Park the most haunted place in America.

Since 1973 this park has been graced by the Annual Village Halloween Parade.

Since the late 1950s this park has been where folk musicians have played and jugglers juggled.

To learn more about Washington Square Park take the Edgar Allen Poe Greenwich Village Tour. Click here now to reserve your tour. Halloween in Greenwich Village is coming sooner than you think!

Expert Traveler Gives Her Insight on Pub Crawl

Carly Blatt recently posted her descriptions and thoughts on our West Village pub crawl on JohnnyJet. Check it out!

Uncle Sam's New York West Village pub crawl
Explore New York's West Village through a historical pub crawl. By Carly Blatt

If you're looking to join a pub crawl with a dash of history, an Uncle Sam's New York tour might be just the right fit. Offering walking tours, pub crawls and nightlife tours throughout various neighborhoods in Manhattan, Uncle Sam's fits a niche for people looking for an enjoyable alternative to the double-decker bus tour experience.

Because the West Village is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, I decided to check out Uncle Sam's New York West Village pub crawl. Our tour began at the White Horse Tavern and consisted of a mixed group, comprised of both tourists and locals. Four of the guys were from England and had joined the tour simply because the word "pub" was in the name, while a couple from Queens signed up for the tour since they'd always been curious to know more about the West Village and thought it'd be a good way to play tourist in their own city.

WHITE HORSE TAVERN
Once everyone in the group had introduced themselves, Sam gave us a brief history of the White Horse Tavern, including how it began as a longshoreman's bar and later became a hangout for writers in the 50s. He talked about how the tavern played into the rumors surrounding Dylan Thomas' death and shared a few stories about Jack Kerouac's time at the famed bar.

After a few minutes of history, our group went inside to explore the tavern, see the white horse decorations inside and check out the old photographs adorning the walls. Sam bought beers for everyone and shared a few more stories about the pub and how his passion for history had gotten him into this business. He'd been in the army and lived all over the world and his enthusiasm for exploring cities has clearly spilled over into his tours.

Unlike many walking tours in which participants blindly follow a leader and rarely interact with each other, this experience was different: socializing with our fellow pub crawl members was as much a part of the tour as learning the history. Our group quickly transformed from an anonymous cluster of people into a collection of new friends who just happened to be on a pub crawl tour together.

KETTLE OF FISH
After about 40 minutes at the White Horse Tavern, Sam led us to our next stop: Kettle of Fish, another bar rich with literary history. Along the way, he talked about why the streets in the Village were so haphazardly placed and pointed out where the Stonewall Riots took place as well as how the Stonewall Inn got its name.


KENNY'S CASTAWAYS
The third and final stop was Kenny's Castaways on Bleecker Street, a venue that's hosted such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and Blues Traveler. Sam arranged for our group to skip the cover charge and we were able to catch one of the musical acts. By the end of the tour, our group was having so much fun that we all ended up staying for another drink and listening to a few extra sets.

Uncle Sam's New York pub crawls are a good fit for history-loving visitors looking for a casual but organized way to check out some of New York's bars. Although you could easily go to each of the bars on your own, the fun of the tour lies in hearing the history and meeting new like-minded people.

The West Village pub crawl is $50 per person and includes three drinks. Uncle Sam's New York also offers an Empire State Pub Crawl, a Hell's Kitchen Pub Crawl and an East Village Pub Crawl. If you prefer a regular walking tour, check out the Alexander Hamilton Financial District Tour, the Edgar Allan Poe Greenwich Village Tour or the George M. Cohan Theater District Tour. Nightlife fans can try the Chelsea Night Club Tour. Walking tours are $20 per person and nightlife tours range from $35 to $45.

If you have a New York Pass, you'll receive $20 off the cost of a pub crawl and you can attend any of the walking tours for free.

Carly really enjoyed our historic pub crawl and was able to meet some really cool people in the process. Not a bad way to spend your evening!
Click here to reserve your spot on the next West Village pub crawl.

Battery Travel Tips

By Jared "the tour guide" Goldstein, exclusively for Uncle Sam’s New York

Many subways go the Battery, since it is in the Financial District; Manhattan also gets really narrow here, and the Battery is close to the Staten Island Ferry and Brooklyn. You can take:


4 & 5 to Bowling Green


R & W to Whitehall St / South Ferry


1 to South Ferry or


J, M, Z to Broad St.


You can take a cab to #1 Broadway, or the intersection of Broadway and Battery Place. There is so much to do in and around the Battery, and it is all within short walking distance to discount shopping, dining, drinking, small, affordable, very good museums that are not crowded, historic sites and churches, architecture, the Staten Island Ferry, the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island Ferry, and the NY Water Taxi.

Get the most from the Battery by experiencing the Alexander Hamilton Financial District Tour.

Click here to reserve your tour now!

The Battery: Where New York City Begins

By Jared "the tour guide" Goldstein, exclusively for Uncle Sam’s New York

New York City started on Manhattan Island in today’s Downtown, Lower Manhattan Financial District below Wall Street. It began at the Battery on the bottom of the island.

The "Battery" refers to the fort, Castle Clinton, which protected New York City from the mighty British Navy with its battery of cannons. In the 19th Century, Castle Clinton served as P.T. Barnum’s Castle Clinton Gardens, where Jenny Lind, ‘the Swedish Nightingale,’ entertained thousands for her American debut. It also served as an immigration point of entry for eight million immigrants before Ellis Island opened for immigration in 1892. It later became the New York Aquarium, the largest in the world. After World War II the Aquarium moved to Coney Island and the Fort was restored and reopened as a National Monument.

Alexander Hamilton came to Boston as a 16 year-old immigrant from the Caribbean, but came to this area shortly after.


Experience the Battery on the Alexander Hamilton Financial District Tour.

Click here to reserve your tour now!