Midtown Manhattan Art And Architecture Walking Tour

Rob, our guide, was meticulous with the detail he provided about Manhattan's history and the history of architecture, not only as it pertains to Manhattan, but in general. His charts added to the experience. The tour was three hours and much more than we expected. One note however, the tour is not completely accessible for those using mobility devices. This impacted on the tour in that Rob's clients were unable to experience the underground tunnels as I could not use my rollator on a escalator. This is a highlight of Rob's tour.

This was a wonderful tour with Robert, who generously shared his incredible knowledgeable about architecture, art, history and high society, with stories about the past and present about his beloved city. I loved discovering the underground pathways and ubiquitous “privately owned public spaces” and amazing art displays around Manhattan. Thank you Robert for a highly entertaining and informative tour!

We had such fun on our tour seeing all the artwork and architecture of midtown! As someone born in New York, I never even knew about the history of these buildings or the art displayed inside some of them. I would just hurry to my destination, never stopping to notice any of it. Robert, our tour guide changed all that. He was knowledgeable, informative, and entertaining. He was also very considerate, checking on us frequently to make certain we didn't need a rest or bathroom break . I highly recommend this tour and specifically Robert!!

It was a great experience! Our guide was very knowledgeable and genuinely fun. We were in a small group and it felt personal and we had great conversations. The tour itself was very thorough and it didn’t felt too long, just perfect. As an architecture student, it felt like an insider/local experience and learned a lot.

Rob was our guide and he was excellent, very knowledgeable and very accommodating. This was our first tour and it really helped cement our understanding of how New York buildings developed and orientate ourselves with Midtown Manhatton. It was also good to meet a local on our first trip to New York! Thanks Rob.

Superb range and depth of knowledge and engaging energy.

This was a great historical overview of architecture. We enjoyed learning more about the city and it's architecture. As a bonus we were able to see some really cool public art. This tour is amazing!

Great time with Robert! Really professional, informative tour. We so appreciate the effort Robert has made to creating this tour. His enthusiasm really turns it up to 11.

Robert Amell was perfect. He knows so much about the city. He listened to our questions and added a stop here and there. Its like we had a curated tour. It was a great tour.

Robert was a tremendous tour guide! He carefully laid the groundwork for his tour with detailed maps and data and then proceeded to show us the city sights demonstrating his points. He was so very knowledgeable. We learned so much about the building of the city. He is worth every penny! Don’t think about it anymore— book this tour!

Awesome Experience I've done many of these tours in the past, and they never get old, especially because each guide has a different perspective and how they present it to the group.

Another awesome tour by Robert! We walked around midtown Manhattan area, criss crossed various different "privately owned public areas", and heard so much about the fascinating stories of art, architecture, and history about New York. The tour was very easy to follow as it's a small group, short(ish) distance walking tour that's often underground - turned out the skyscrapers here are all connected underground - so that we were shielded from the weather if needed.

One of the best walking tours I have been on! Tons of great info and stories with well thought out stops to sit and talk. Robert has done so much research on the area and shares his knowledge with infectious enthusiasm. You’ll visit public spaces you did not know existed. Highly highly recommend to history and architecture buffs!

i heard and learned sooooo much todeh about new york architecture...i wish i could do this tour everydeh of my new york visit!!!

This was the best tour in New York that we participated in. Robert is very knowledgeable, he could answer all our questions with detailed and deep explanations. He takes time to tell the history of the city and how its architecture and art comes about. He took us to places we would not thought we could visit on our own. A lot of these places are privately owned public areas with beautiful modern art pieces but as a tourist you would have not found them on your own.

We have been to midtown NYC many times but this was a great way to learn more about the art and architecture of the area, as well as the history of the development of the city and much, much more. The tour was engaging and well paced. A wonderful experience for anyone who wants to learn about New York.

If you love art and architecture and would like to know more about how New York developed as a city then this is the tour for you. My husband and I recently spent an amazing few hours with tour guide extraordinaire Rob. We especially appreciated his love of the city and his expansive knowledge. He guided us to POPS (privately owned public spaces) that we never would have found on our own. Likewise, he led us through many underground passages that most tourists never get to experience. Add in seeing inspiring art in corporate spaces, and you have a perfect tour. NYC Is so amazing. You will appreciate it even more if you take this tour.

A well crafted tour of Midtown Manhattan's architecture and art. Robert did an excellent job of describing midtown Manhattan building codes, open to public spaces and even private spaces. There were interesting anecdotes connected to the buildings and paintings. Robert keep the tour interesting and lively. I have to add that I grew up in New York City and never gave a thought to the interesting history of the city. Even if you are a New York or visiting from someplace else, take the tour and you'll be pleasantly surprise.

You think you’ve seen it all in Midtown! Well, we were wrong and you’ll be surprised too. The art, the history, the intrigues to get structures built, the families behind it all….Rob knows it all and shares it with enthusiasm and a sense of the awe and fun of NYC. The three hours raced by and we decided to take two more tours with him with our remaining two days in the City. Best use of our time we could have hoped for. He’s a scholar with a gift for connecting dots not unlike Robert Caro. In fact, if Rob writes a book about NYC history, you’ll want to read that too?

An excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable and personable! Opened our eyes to much that we had just walked by in mid-twon in the past.

What a terrific walking tour this was (albeit a long tour - 3-1/2 hours - so we were tired by the end), but it was so worth every minute. Rob is enormously knowledgeable on NYC history, art installations in unexpected locations, how building codes and regulations influenced architecture. He comes fully prepared with maps and photographs illustrating his points so that it became easy to understand what we were looking at. We learned so much and are still talking about how much fun we had.

Incredible experience especially since I thought I “knew New York”! Sharing his knowledge of architectural periods Rob made us understand the underlying meaning and power of the art and architecture we saw. What a terrific adventure.

Our guide Rob was terrific! Lots of art and architecture knowledge passed along to us with charm and wit! Would highly recommend…and a steal at the price!

We are thrilled with the wealth of information Robert provided us with during this tour and the enthusiasm with which he imparted his in-depth knowledge of the functioning of this fascinating city. We left with our heads spinning, but that's only because we weren't able to soak up all the interesting things and unconventional sights that Robert was able to present to us. If you ever want to gain a different view of New York, this tour is highly recommended - it's worth every penny!

Rob was extremely knowledgeable about Manhattan. We saw some great examples of architecture and learned a lot. We’ll be viewing Manhattan buildings in a new light.

My fiancé and I thought this tour was incredibly informative and a lot of fun! The tour guide was so knowledgeable and seemed very excited to pass on that knowledge. We felt like we learned so much about New York City and its history. The art you get to see is really amazing and the architecture is so unique and interesting to learn about. Highly recommend!

History of buildings and viewed old to new buildings and seen many park histories too. And experience off how the building were being built.

Excellent tour with lots of historical, architectural, and artistic details. Visited many buildings in Midtown, some via passageways we would never have discovered ourselves. If you want to learn more about why Manhattan is “put together” as it is, find public access to private spaces, and see some iconic buildings and works of art—highly recommended!!

What an amazing tour - one of the best city tours I've ever taken, and I've done quite a few. Unique, engaging, and incredibly informative - Rob is a wealth of knowledge, and seamlessly weaved together history, architecture, urban planning, art, economics - the full picture! Genuinely nice, patient, and easy going - rare qualities in someone with his level of expertise. We especially appreciated the fact that he was willing to conduct the tour with just the 2 of us, even after the third person in our group had to cancel last moment. Also worth noting - the tour is incredible value for the money. We fully intend to take his other tours whenever we are back in NYC - thanks again Rob!

Robert had a well prepared presentation of NYC history concerning movement of districts and architecture types through the years.

My partner and I took this tour with Robert Amell. We were captivated with Rob's history of NYC and his detailed explanations. The tour was well-paced, with opportunities to sit down while Rob offered his excellent explanations of the architecture and artwork of the buildings. We really enjoyed the tour and felt enlightened by the experience.

Rob have us a great tour, we saw and learned a lot about midtown history, architecture, public art... Awesome experience!

We were the only two people on this tour so felt really privileged! Our guide was fantastic. His knowledge of the city is amazing. He showed us the most amazing art work that we would never have seen on our own.. it was better than any of the art exhibitions we had been to during our stay! Everything is brought to life by the great resources he has. This was our 7th time in NYC and we saw so many things we never knew existed. We can’t recommend this tour highly enough. Thank you so much!

The perfect way to tour Midtown Manhattan on a snowy winter day. A unique tour through the tunnels and public spaces connecting a couple centuries of architectural design and artwork. Rob has done his research and shared his expertise about the history of Manhattan. Very fun and educational.

We absolutely loved this tour. Rob was extremely knowledgeable and we couldn’t have learned more! Probably know more than most New Yorkers now!

Super interesting tour that covered a swath of Midtown I have visited numerous times before, but this helped me see it in a whole new way. My sons, 18 and 16, found it fascinating too. We learned the architectural history of buildings around us, the history of the city and viewed a great mixture of art in public and private spaces. Small group, super knowledgeable guide, I highly recommend!

My husband and my 26 yr old son and I all enjoyed this very much. You walk in the passages that connect buildings. This is not some sort of subterranean world, just normal corridors just below the city. The guide was very knowledgeable and show us a number of places that if I lived in the city and was looking for a chill place to hang I would have returned. There is definitely some walking, but at a leisurely pace.

<p>VERY unique tour with the underground halls and above-ground atriums. Numerous art displays, and excellent quick-history backstory on new, landmark, and previous no longer existing buildings, along with existing 18th and 19th century hold-outs, former mansions of the past. Our guide, Rob, was knowledgeable and amiable. He was conscientious about the pace of the walking and restroom breaks--this isn't his first rodeo! His research was much appreciated. Bravo.</p>

<p>Guide was very friendly, personalized experience.<br/> President's Day caused most of the underground privately-owned portions of the tour to be closed and thus inaccessible. However, our guide gave us the option to continue with a slight variation of the tour and we were so glad we did! Lots of lesser-known places we'll want to spend more time in on repeat trips.</p>