New York
Five Days, Five Boroughs
Program No. 1725RJ
Discover authentic New York on insider-led walks as you learn about architecture, historic monuments and cultural institutions in each of the city’s five boroughs.
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals (
5B, 3L, 4D
)
2 expert-led lectures
11 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
New York
Meals:
D
Stay:
New Yorker Hotel
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
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. We will learn from local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. We will be walking a lot 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! 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.
Dinner:
At a restaurant conveniently located inside the hotel. Dinner is included at this restaurant 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.
Evening:
The balance of the evening is at leisure to settle in and start to get to know your fellow Road Scholars.
Day
2
Introduction to NYC, Queens Field Trip, Times Square
Location:
New York
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
New Yorker Hotel
Activity Note
Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking up to 8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
In the Tick Tock Diner.
Morning:
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. We will begin our week of exploring NYC by meeting a New York City historian for an introduction to the City, its 5 Boroughs and many neighborhoods. Following our lecture, our group leader will distribute OMNY passes which will give us unlimited access to the city's subways and buses over the course of the program. Using our passes, we will board the subway and head out to Queens. Queens is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse counties in the entire United States. Today we will explore a neighborhood that exemplifies this cultural mosaic.
Lunch:
Lunch is something of a moveable feast as we learn about and taste a variety of flavors from a variety of cultures in a variety of locations.
Afternoon:
We will return to Manhattan via the #7 train line, often called 'The International Express.' Elevated in Queens, it gives us a bird's eye view of several neighborhoods before dropping below ground to travel under the East River. The #7's terminus is at the new Hudson Yards complex where we will head up into the sky and visit The Edge Observatory for a “big picture” look at the city. 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. Returning to street level, we will walk just a few blocks back to the hotel.
Dinner:
At a restaurant near the hotel.
Evening:
Continuing our exploration of the city, we have a series of elective after-dinner walks with a local expert. Tonight’s 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 while in town, our local expert will explain how to use the TKTS booth located in the heart of Times Square to secure discounted tickets.
Day
3
Brooklyn, Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Location:
New York
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
New Yorker Hotel
Activity Note
Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking up to 8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
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.
Lunch:
At a restaurant in Brooklyn.
Afternoon:
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 subway.
Dinner:
At a restaurant near the hotel.
Evening:
After dinner, we'll head out to Brooklyn once more for a stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge.
Day
4
Staten Island, Free Evening
Location:
New York
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
New Yorker Hotel
Activity Note
Use of New York City public transportation (subway); stair climbing. Getting on/off a ferry. Walking 5-8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
With our Group Leader, we will travel via subway to the very bottom of Manhattan Island, where we will board the Staten Island Ferry for a ride across bustling New York Harbor to the borough with the city’s smallest population (less than 500,000). On our way, we’ll have a fantastic close-up view of the Statue of Liberty. Upon arrival, we will meet a Staten Island native for a look at the historic St. George neighborhood.
Lunch:
At a restaurant on Staten Island.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will board a motor coach which will take us deep in to Staten Island for a visit to Fresh Kills Park. The park started life as Fresh Kills Landfill, the largest garbage dump in world so the history we will learn as we explore is a reclamation story like no other and speaks to the resiliency of Staten Island, NYC and the planet as a whole. The coach will return us to the hotel, arriving at approximately 4:30pm.
Dinner:
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.
Evening:
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.
Day
5
The Bronx, Upper Manhattan
Location:
New York
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
New Yorker Hotel
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; city driving, several hours riding time throughout the day. Use of New York City public transportation (subway); extensive stair climbing. Walking 3-5 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our private motor coach at the hotel this morning. With our local expert, we’ll see how Manhattan's neighborhoods mesh one into the other as we ride from midtown to Upper Manhattan. After a brief stop in Harlem, we will cross the bridge into The Bronx for a look at a variety of neighborhoods representative of the vast changes that impacted this borough over the last hundred years.
Lunch:
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.
Afternoon:
Our exploration will continue through The Bronx.
Dinner:
At a neighborhood restaurant near the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
We’ll hop on the subway one last time and head downtown for a visit to 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. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and departure after our closing session in the morning.
Day
6
Living in New York City, Program Concludes
Location:
New York
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 am
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
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!
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.