Touring Brooklyn's Underrated Landmarks

I was recently asked to create a new, custom tour focusing on two underrated Brooklyn areas: Vinegar Hill, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Sandwiched in between DUMBO and Williamsburg— two areas that get a decent amount of tourism— these areas are not a tourist destination, but are both rich in history.

Vinegar Hill is a small, beautiful historic district that feels quiet and detached from the bustle of neighboring DUMBO. And the Brooklyn Navy Yard maintains its connections to the past, today as a growing industrial park housing hundreds of businesses, from distilleries to rooftop farms to a movie/TV studio. It was great treat to design a tour that covered both areas on a lovely Fall afternoon.

Here is a writeup about the tour:
https://brooklynbridgeparents.com/the-zolan-rossiter-team-hosts-another-brooklyn-walking-tour-sponsored/#

An architectural journey along the High Line

It's been a while since I did a longform video, so I decided to take a journey up the High Line, to highlight the amazing new architecture springing up around it. On a walk up this linear park, you can see buildings by Bjarke Ingels, Zaha Hadid, Thomas Heatherwick, Neil Denari, and others.

Join me on this architectural walk!

2025 Tour Schedules

As 2025 approaches, our tour schedule remains largely the same. We have two regularly-scheduled public tours: Art Deco & Midtown Architecture (Monday, Wednesday, Fridays at 10am) and Central Park (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays at 10am).

And we remain available most days for private, custom tour requests (inquire for morning or afternoon availability).

Private tour options include: Street art tours, Greenwich Village, High Line & Hudson Yards, Victorian Flatbush, Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO, Bronx Art Deco, Billionaires Row, Prospect Park, holiday tours, and more. And of course we always take custom requests.

We hope to see you on tour soon!

Victorian Flatbush Tour Has a New Home

My popular Victorian Flatbush tour has a new home with Bowery Boys Walks. It will be available once a month, with the first date set for Sunday June 16. Info: https://www.boweryboyswalks.com/walking-tours/victorian-flatbush-brooklyn-gilded-age/

It can also still be booked with me as a private tour on the date of your choosing.

34th Street Tours

I am very proud to announce that I have partnered with the 34th Street Partnership for their official walking tours. They have 3 tours scheduled through July, with more possible in the Fall if there’s a good response.

These are one-hour tours that I designed to highlight the area’s rich history, most famous buildings, and the evolution of its 21st-century master plan to revitalize this part of Midtown. There’s a lot to see in 60 minutes!

The 34th Street Partnership is a not-for-profit business improvement district (BID).

Preview of our Tours

Here is a 5-minute video, previewing our most popular walking tours:

NYC Subway

I recently made some 2-minute videos exploring the NYC subway system, which are the arteries that keep the city moving.

This first one explores the history of the subway, including a look at some of its oldest stations:

In this second video, we look at the evolution of the system. The subway has been adding more modern trains, and this year saw the debut of the first open gangway trains in the system. Currently, there's just a couple of them running on the C line, but more trains are being added over the next few years

Contrary to the usual media sensationalism, the subway remains the best way to get around New York. And at $2.90 a ride (capped at $34 in a 7-day period, no matter how much you ride), one of the best bargains in town.

Here's a 2-minute video looking at this:

A Phenomenal Journey

Getting praise from a fellow tour guide is always amazing, and I got such praise in the form of my now favorite review earlier this year. A tour guide from Mumbai went on my Art Deco architecture tour, and left the below review.

To have a fellow tourism industry professional absolutely nail the way I crafted to this tour to be appealing, made my week. I hope that I convey this same spirit to all my guests on my many tours.

Summer Streets 2023

On the first 3 Saturday mornings in August, a series of streets in Manhattan are closed to cars (and therefore open to cyclists and runners and pedestrians!), from 7am to 1pm, so people can enjoy and celebrate their city in a unique way. The current route runs from just north of the Brooklyn Bridge up to 125th St in Harlem.

Run by the DOT (Department of Transportation), the program's goal was to help New Yorkers imagine transportation and streetscape alternatives.

While this video focuses on the Manhattan Summer Streets, this year also marked the first time Summer Streets dates were made available for the other 4 boroughs of the city.

What To Look For When Hiring a Tour Guide

I am featured in the newest issue of Groups Today, a travel magazine for industry and business news. Here, I discuss what to look for when hiring a tour guide.

The full issue of this magazine is available: HERE.

Videos: Moynihan Connector, Central Park Reopenings, 6 1/2 Ave

Here’s some recent walkthrough videos, shot in the past week:

1. A look at recent reopenings in Central Park: the revamped Chess & Checkers House, and the Boathouse and restaurant (not dead, despite rumors last year!):

2. The first extension of the High Line beyond the borders of the original rail line upon which it was built. Called the Moynihan Connector, it connects the northern spur of the High Line into the Manhattan West complex, where you can walk to Moynihan Train Hall/Penn Station:

3. A walk through 6 1/2 Avenue, and then through to Rockefeller Center. This thoroughfare connects several privately owned public spaces into a cohesive city pedestrian avenue in Midtown:

How to Become a New York City Tour Guide

I was recently interviewed for local publication The City for their article, ‘How to Become a New York City Tour Guide’.

The article explores how the NYC government legally defines a tour guide, the licensing and exam process to become a legal guide in the city, and what it takes to be a successful guide in a crowded industry. This is a career that I truly love, and one I proud to represent through my side volunteer work with the Guides Association.

Featured in StreetEasy!

New York City is known for being a concrete jungle, and for its large buildings and bridges and streets, but some of my favorite places in the city are its massive green + open spaces. Near where I love in Brooklyn, I love having easy access to both Prospect Park (526 acres), and Green-Wood Cemetery (478 acres).

So I was thrilled to speak with StreetEasy about the best green spaces in the city beyond the obvious ones, like Central Park. Here is the article:

9 Underrated Parks in New York City (and the Neighborhoods with Easy Access)

Next Stop: Grand Central Madison!

This week, Grand Central Madison-- the largest expansion of Grand Central since this iteration of the complex opened in 1913-- had its official/soft opening. It was the culmination of discussions begun in 1963 of bringing the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) into the east side of Manhattan. In the LIRR's long history, its one and only stop in Manhattan has been Penn Station on the west side. Finally breaking ground in 2001-- after decades of all talk and no action-- the "East Side Access" project was then projected to bring an additional 250,000 commuters a day into Grand Central (no projections today, given changing post-pandemic work patterns). The final cost for the project ended up around a whopping $12 billion.

Many have read that this new hub is deep underneath the original Grand Central complex. How far? I filmed this video to explore!

In the first section (time: 0:00): I show how long it takes to get from the platforms (where you'd disembark the train) up to Grand Central's original concourse, and then out to 42nd St. It took right around 11 minutes, so feel free to scroll through the video at whatever pace you prefer.

Next section (time: 11:49) : What is it like to transfer from Metro-North to the LIRR (or vice versa) at Grand Central? Pretty simple, and without need to hustle back up to the landmark Main Concourse.

Third section (time: 13:51): How about transferring from the subway at Grand Central to the LIRR concourse? Also pretty simple.

Architectural Digest Video Compilation

My Midtown architecture tour remains my best seller, so I know that there are a lot of architecture lovers coming to my site. Welcome!

The magazine/website Architectural Digest has been doing a series of videos over the last few years, featuring architects + experts exploring some of NYC’s most impactful landmarks. After watching their excellent new video on the Chrysler Building today, I thought it might be worth compiling here some of the best in that series. Enjoy!

1. The Chrysler Building:

2. Rockeller Center:

3. Grand Central Terminal:

4. The New York Public Library:

5. The Plaza Hotel:

Bonus 1: Breaking down common NYC apartment styles:

Bonus 2: The Architecture of the NYC Subway