22 days ago
5 Boroughs, 5 days did not disappoint me. I would highly recommend taking this program to learn things about NYC you don't find out otherwise.
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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment and take your luggage to your room, come to the designated hotel meeting room (location will be posted) to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your envelope when you check in.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m.: In the Tick Tock Diner just off the hotel lobby, we’ll have our first meal together and order from a select menu. This 24-hour diner features American cooking and “comfort food.” Dinner in the diner is included even if you arrive late. You may eat later but please attend Orientation first. Or, get takeout and bring your plate to the meeting room.
Evening: Orientation: 6:15 p.m. 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. Group Leaders on our programs are highly trained and knowledgeable about many aspects of the city. We will also have the benefit of local experts who will provide information and commentary on areas of particular interest. Periods in the 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. Following the Orientation session, we will walk three blocks with our Group Leader to the Empire State Building for a bird’s eye view of the city. The Group Leader will return to the hotel and you may stay as long as you like.
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 hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, and butter, plus milk (regular and low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea. Please arrive on time with a photocopy of your ID to register for a senior citizen MetroCard if you are 65 or over. During breakfast, we will register with the MTA for a senior citizen MetroCard (if you are 65 or over). This cost is included in the program price. 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. A few weeks after you return home you will receive a permanent card in the mail — your official invitation to come back to New York and ride around for half price. If you have been on a previous program and have a senior citizen's MetroCard, please bring it with you.
Morning: We’ll be joined by an architectural historian who will give us an introduction to the five boroughs of New York City — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island — each with its own history, personality, and appeal. We’ll then depart via subway for Queens. Each of the days on this program is designed to give a representative taste of the Borough visited. The #7 Train which runs straight through the Borough of Queens is nicknamed "The International Express." And that's our theme for Queens: "The International Borough." As of the 2010 Census, Queens was the single most ethnically and culturally diverse county in the entire United States. We begin with a short pre-lunch stroll through one of the neighborhoods that sprang up in the early 20th Century and has seen marked demographic change over the last 100 years.
Lunch: We break for lunch along the South Asian shopping strip of Jackson Heights for an Indian Buffet. The Jackson Diner is heralded as one of the best Indian restaurants in NYC, drawing diners from all over the city and the world.
Afternoon: This afternoon we travel further into Queens for a visit to the site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. In between the fairs, The NYC Pavilion was temporarily repurposed as the first United Nations General Assembly Building during construction of the current UN complex on The East River. Now The Queens Museum, the building opens especially for us this afternoon so that we may visit their signature exhibit: The Panorama of the City of New York. Created for the 1964 World's Fair and updated periodically, it is a scale model of the entire 5 Boroughs of New York... including every single building, all parks and even the airports - look for the planes taking off and landing at LGA!
Dinner: At a Chinese restaurant near the hotel, we’ll have a family-style meal with tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: We'll visit a Manhattan neighborhood with a local expert to see what's most interesting at the time of the program.
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: Hotel plated meal.
Morning: Today is "Brownstone Brooklyn." A subway ride will take us back in time as we travel with our architectural historian to a few Brooklyn neighborhoods where we will 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 local restaurant in Brooklyn.
Afternoon: This afternoon, we'll continue our exploration of Brooklyn with a stroll along the famous 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.
Dinner: At a restaurant near the hotel.
Evening: We'll take a stroll in one of New York’s historic neighborhoods with a local expert to see what's most interesting at the time of the program.
Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Limited use of New York City public transportation (subway); stair climbing. Walking 5-8 miles with stops along the way; city streets and sidewalks.
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room, we’ll have bagels, muffins, bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cold cereals, cream cheese, jelly, butter, milk (regular and low-fat), orange juice, coffee/decaf, tea.
Morning: This morning we travel via subway to the very bottom of Manhattan Island where we'll connect with our Staten Island expert for a discussion of "Staten Island: The Residential Borough on the Harbor." Our discussion will span the morning as we ride out and back on the Staten Island Ferry, explore the Victorian neighborhood of St. George and take a look at the changing waterfront.
Lunch: Returning to Manhattan on the ferry, we’ll have box lunches.
Afternoon: The Group Leader will take us on a walk through Historic Lower Manhattan ending at the 9/11 Memorial site by approximately 3:00 p.m. You may return to the hotel with the Group Leader or stay out to explore independently. If you wish to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum or the 1 World Trade Center Observatory, we recommend making reservations online ahead of time.
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.
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: Hotel plated meal.
Morning: Today we explore "The Evolving City" aboard a private motorcoach. With our local expert, we'll ride through Upper Manhattan, Harlem and The Bronx. We’ll make a brief stop in Harlem to take in one particularly well-preserved, historic block on foot before continuing our ride up to the South 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.
Lunch: In the Little Italy section of the Bronx, on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon: Our journey 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 via subway.
Dinner: In a neighborhood restaurant near the hotel, we’ll have a plated meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening: With a local expert, we’ll have an opportunity for another walk in Manhattan. Returning to the hotel, prepare for check-out and departure following our final session in the morning.
Activity note: Hotel check out 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast: In the meeting room.
Morning: As a closing highlight, we’ll be joined by a New Yorker who’s in touch with what’s happening in the five boroughs and who will lead a lively group discussion. The session will end at approximately 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!
5 Boroughs, 5 days did not disappoint me. I would highly recommend taking this program to learn things about NYC you don't find out otherwise.
I loved this trip. You really get to know the city and you really do walk 5-8 miles a day.
Great trip. Fabulous guide. Learned so much about New York. Be prepared for lots of walking and steps. Everything handled very well by RD leaders. All you do is enjoy yours elf.
Wonderful experience, highly recommend it, excellent instructors, lot of fun.
This program is a home run! It is unusual to come back from a US trip- and feel as if I have been immersed in another country. Well done Road Scholar- highly recommend!
The website is confusing and hard to navigate. This is the ONLY criticism I have of Road Scholar. One can always reach someone on the phone and they are always pleasant, patient and helpful.
This is definitely a program that introduces you to all parts of New York City with knowledgeable leaders seeing not only the highlights but many hidden corners gaining a better understanding of todays New York City.
This program shows you the rest of New York; the locations that most tourists never see. Bring your best walking shoes, and tour the neighborhoods and environs that make up the true New York City. It's a super guide to the behind-the-scene places.
Road scholar is a the best program we have encountered. This is our 4th time using them and I would highly recommend them for your future vacations.
Simply wonderful! Our days and evenings were full, well paced, and lots of fun! If you like to walk, explore, and learn, this is the trip for you! I am sorry that the trip came to an end and to had to go home.
This is a great program to really see New York. The accommodations are in an excellent location and I loved using public transport to get around.
Step out of your comfort zone and experience NYC like a local. I’ll be back to visit NYC again on my own and now can ride the subway system with ease. I have a long list of places I still want to see.
The Five Days, Five Boroughs was a delightful trip. If you are interested in a very active and busy NYC experience this is the trip for you. Our guide Angela was very informative and organized. She made the trip the best that it could be. Our trip was in early October 2018 and we had very good weather.
A too short trip for what is covered. All 5 Boroughs are visited but very quickly. One borough, Queens, really not seen, only the WorldsFair grounds and a tiny museum. Subject matter very interesting and just deserves more time. A lot of subway riding!
The Five Boroughs program is a great introduction for the New York Ciyt greenhorn. Who doesn't hear references to Brooklyn and the Bronx on a regular basis and wonder just what those things mean to New Yorkers? You'll come away with a good sense of New York City overall and a little taste of each of the boroughs. Great fun!
What a beautiful experience. The lectures,the guides,the hotel and the friendly New Yorkers were unsurpassed.a shout out to our amazing guides Angela and John. The hotel conserag Anthony was very helpful and charming.cant wait for my next visit, thank you roadscholar.
What to see the whole city from street level, this is the trip. It was all I expected.
I would highly recommend Road Scholars Five Borough trip. Especially if it you first time in New York City. We explored all five boroughs and the public transportation system in a busy five days. The pace was quick and the days were full. The included meals were good. Our leader Angela was outstanding. Her knowledge, passion, and love for the city, was exemplary.
Being more of "small town person", I was surprised that this trip made me fall in love with NYC. I would love to return. The trip exploded the myth for me that NYCers are unfriendly, too busy to stop to help/talk to you, and are uninterested in anything but NYC. Our leader, Karl, was a superb tour director while dealing with the day to day challenges that come with leading a large group of 37 people up and down the streets of NYC. I truly enjoyed our guest instructors: John (so knowledgeable and personable), Omar (energetic, a great teacher), Christopher (hilarious - not to be missed) and Molly (so helpful with questions in preparation for the trip). You will not be disappointed by this trip.
This was our first Road Scholar trip and we loved it!! Loved the pace, loved the lectures, and loved getting to find our way around the city. Highly recommend!
Even if you have been to New York City before, this trip to all of the boroughs is an absolute must! One truly gets a fuller understanding of what it means to be a New Yorker. Would never have gotten to the outer reaches of the boroughs and experienced so much without Road Scholar. You will walk miles, but with good shoes -- very doable. Make sure to do the optional evening walks. NYC with Road Scholar is the way to go!
A tasty smorgasbord of what it is to be part of New York City. Take all the optional evening walks. Bring a comfortable set of headphone/earbuds. Wear comfortable sturdy walking shoes; they mean what they say, you walk five miles a day at a good pace. Very organized and service-oriented trip leader, knowledgeable and experienced instructors. The New Yorker is a perfect hotel; enjoy the photo gallery/museum downstairs near the business center.
Five Boroughs Five Days is an outstanding tour for anyone familiar with major New York City sites who wants a deeper exploration of the city. Lots of walking and some stairs but opportunities to sit as well. Don't be afraid. Wonderful experience.
This was a very informative trip. Angela was a very good leader and between her and our speaker Jim I learned a lot about what makes New York tick. I want to come back again. Lots of walking and subway stairs.
Don't let the activity level scare you - it scared me a little but it was so invigorating and so rewarding.
What a delight! The wonders of NYC are presented by skilled guides. Do not miss this marvelous opportunity.
This is a great trip. We learned so much about the diversity and vitality of NYC--and how to take the Metro. Karl, John, and Angela are amazing leaders and lecturers.
You will love getting to know NYC with Road Scholar. This is a not an exhausting program, just energizing and fun.
Wonderful program in a very exciting city. Be sure you're ready to do a lot of walking in all kinds of weather.