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 1 of this series will start near East 23rd Street and end near the NYPL Main Branch, totaling around 1.25 miles. Keith will touch on themes such as: How was the city growing and changing in the years following the Civil War? Where did early Gilded Age Society live and why did they move north? What infrastructure changes allowed for this area's continued growth?

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