Five Days, Five Boroughs

Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. Join us in the meeting room to register with the program staff and receive a final itinerary and any updated information. The location of our Road Scholar meeting room will be sent to you the week before in a welcome email from the program provider. Hotel security will also be able to direct you. If you arrive after this evening’s scheduled events, the Group Leader will leave an envelope with the Front Desk; please ask for it when you arrive. Orientation: 4:30 p.m. In the same space, the Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. While this is not a hiking program, the activity level is high with extensive walking each day and using the New York City subway system which involves going up and down flights of stairs, long corridors, and often crowded conditions. It’s what New Yorkers do every day and how we stay in shape! Everyone will receive a MetroCard. If you've been with us before and have a Senior MetroCard, please bring it with you. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

In one of the hotel's restaurants. Dinner is available even if you arrive late. This program is able to offer vegetarian and gluten free meal alternatives. The gluten free meals are not guaranteed against cross contamination. While modifications to accommodate other dietary restrictions might be possible on a case by case basis, they cannot be guaranteed. Participants requiring other alternatives should discuss with the group leader upon arrival, be prepared to self-select from the included menu choices and discuss modifications with the serving staff at the restaurants.

Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in and get ready for an active week exploring the Five Boroughs.

In the Tick Tock Diner.

Our program is designed to give a broad overview of New York City with a taste of its five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. We’ll spend more time in some and less in others. As part of our exploration of the five boroughs, we’ll experience the wide variety of transportation New York offers its residents. We’ll start the day by registering with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for a senior citizen MetroCard (if you are 65 or over). A representative from the MTA will take your picture and a copy of your driver’s license to process your permanent MetroCard application. They will give you a temporary card to use for the week, enabling you to ride for half price. This cost is included in the program enrollment fee. A few weeks after you return home, you will receive a permanent Metrocard in the mail — your official invitation to come back to New York! If you have been on a previous program and have a Senior MetroCard, please bring it with you. If you’re under 65, you will be supplied with a full-fare MetroCard. Next, we’ll meet an expert who will give us an introduction to the boroughs, each with its own history, personality, and appeal. Following our lecture, our Group Leader will lead us via subway to the very bottom of Manhattan Island, where we’ll then board the Staten Island Ferry for a ride across bustling New York Harbor to the city’s smallest borough (population less than 500,000). On our way, we’ll have a fantastic close-up view of the Statue of Liberty.

At a neighborhood restaurant in Staten Island.

We will continue exploring Staten Island. Before returning to the hotel for a short break, we'll visit The Edge Observatory for a “big picture” look at the city. Just two blocks away from the hotel in the new Hudson Yards complex, The Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere. It provides an unequaled panoramic vista allowing us to take in the entire skyline from one place.

At a restaurant near the hotel.

Continuing our exploration of the city, we will have a series of elective after-dinner walks with a local expert. In the autumn, these walks happen after dark.Tonight’s elective walk will be to Times Square to learn some of the history and see this storied crossroads lit up at night. It is actually brighter at night with the lights on than it is in full daylight. If you’re interested in seeing a Broadway show on Wednesday, we'll stop at the TKTS discount booth to explain how to utilize it.

At the hotel.

Today it’s “Brownstone Brooklyn.” A subway ride will take us back in time as we go with our architectural historian to a few Brooklyn neighborhoods where we’ll learn about the development of this borough throughout the 19th century. Until it was consolidated into the City of New York in 1898, Brooklyn was an independent city. It was founded by the Dutch in 1646 as the village of Breukelen. Today it is one of the most densely populated of all the boroughs, and if it were its own city, it would be the fourth largest in the United States, rivaling Philadelphia and Houston.

At a restaurant in Brooklyn.

We’ll continue our exploration of Brooklyn with a stroll along the renowned Brooklyn Promenade and view the Brooklyn Bridge, one of America’s most significant engineering achievements in the 19th century. Designed by a German immigrant, John A. Roebling, this magnificent suspension bridge of granite and steel took 14 years to complete (1869-1883), spanning the East River to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan. Sadly, Roebling didn’t survive to its completion. His son Washington Roebling took over supervision of the construction until his health took a turn for the worse and was replaced in turn by his wife, Emily — an incredibly rare position of power for a woman in the 19th century. We’ll return to the hotel via the East River Ferry.

At a restaurant near the hotel.

Tonight’s walk will visit the outdoor 9/11 Memorial. Note: Our field trip does not include the 9/11 Museum or the 1 World Observatory that are separate from the Memorial. If you wish to visit them during your time in New York, we recommend making reservations online before leaving home for a date and time convenient for you.

At the hotel.

This morning, we head out to Queens. Our expert will lead us over to the #7 Train, often dubbed “The International Express.” Queens is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse counties in the entire United States. We will set out on a walking field trip through one of the neighborhoods that sprang up in the early 20th century and has seen marked demographic change over the last 100 years.

At a restaurant in Queens.

Continue exploring Queens.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. This is an excellent opportunity to take in a Broadway show. If you wish to attend a performance, you may want to order tickets in advance. The app TODAYTIX may be helpful in this regard. The fees are modest and significantly below those paid on Ticketmaster or Telecharge. And don't forget the TKTS Discount Booth in Times Square for day-of tickets which you'll see and learn about during the elective Times Square field trip earlier in the week. Many performances are available at 20-50 percent off regular prices.

At the hotel.

Today we will explore aboard a private motorcoach. With our local expert, we’ll ride through Upper Manhattan and Harlem, arriving in The Bronx where we’ll see a variety of neighborhoods representative of the vast changes that impacted this borough over the course of the 20th century. We’ll discuss some of the factors and results of these changes.

On your own to enjoy what you like along Arthur Avenue in the Little Italy section of the Bronx. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Our exploration will continue through The Bronx to Wave Hill where we’ll have some time to explore its beautiful gardens overlooking the Hudson River independently. We’ll then return to the hotel for a short break.

At a neighborhood restaurant near the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

We’ll hop on the subway one last time and head downtown for an elective stroll over the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure after our closing session in the morning.

At the hotel.

As a final highlight, we’ll be joined by a New Yorker for a closing discussion about living in the city: how current New Yorkers manage it, how celebrated writers have portrayed it, and how we have experienced it during our program. We expect the session to end by 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!