As part of our celebration of FRIENDS’ 40th Anniversary, we will be hosting a special series of walking tours focused on the northward growth that took place as the Upper East Side developed. In a three-part tour series, starting downtown and moving northward, we will trace the city’s growth following the Civil War and the many factors and infrastructure changes that allowed for movement uptown. This walking tour series will be led by Keith Taillon, the historian behind the popular Instagram account @keithyorkcity, whose musings on Gilded Age culture and architecture were profiled in The New Yorker.

Each tour will cover a specific topic related to the growth of the Upper East Side. Starting near East 23rd Street, Keith will take us on a three-part journey uptown, very much like the evolution of Gilded Age society as it moved from its focus around 34th Street, location of the former Astor Mansion, northward toward 90th Street, home of the Andrew Carnegie mansion. Join us for this three-part Friday evening series, “Society Moves Uptown: How the Gilded Age Found the UES.”

Bring your walking shoes! Part 3 of this series will start near East 90th Street and end near Carl Schurz Park, totaling around 1.7 miles. Keith will talk about what the UES looked like before the arrival of its mansions. He'll discuss the Croton Water System, Central Park, and Yorkville; the effect of Andrew Carnegie moving to 90th Street, and the German brewers who predated him. He'll also discuss the 96th Street dividing line between the UES and East Harlem.

This is a limited size tour, get your tickets before they sell out!