Select Tours NYC

Select Tours NYC As a licensed New York City tour guide, I offer a diverse selection of fun, high-quality walking tou

Happy New Year!First year’s birds were good ones - turkey vultures, bald eagle, common mergansers, common goldeneye (lif...
01/01/2025

Happy New Year!

First year’s birds were good ones - turkey vultures, bald eagle, common mergansers, common goldeneye (life bird). Not sure this is sustainable.

#2025

Completed my final tour of 2024. I did better this year than last, so, for that, I’m grateful.
12/27/2024

Completed my final tour of 2024. I did better this year than last, so, for that, I’m grateful.

I was a little dubious due to the operatic flavor of her voice but, no fear, Audra McDonald was a spectacular Momma Rose...
12/20/2024

I was a little dubious due to the operatic flavor of her voice but, no fear, Audra McDonald was a spectacular Momma Rose. Because our seats were in the balcony, I’m glad I brought my binoculars, because watching her *act* while singing her two showstoppers was amazing. I had goosebumps at the end of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” She was absolutely all in as Rose.

The show itself is a classic, of course, packed with notable songs like “You Gotta Get A Gimmick,” “Together, Wherever We Go,” and the aforementioned “…Roses.” The production is populated with an excellent supporting cast, including a very sympathetic Danny Burstein as loyal under appreciated Herbie.

I’m grateful we obtained tickets to the final preview night this week. This one is a straight up winner.

Give peace a chance ✌️
12/08/2024

Give peace a chance ✌️

This poor decapitated turkey float (I think) made a quick getaway to New Jersey after yesterday’s parade.
11/29/2024

This poor decapitated turkey float (I think) made a quick getaway to New Jersey after yesterday’s parade.

The red maples on the Great Lawn in Central Park were in full color this week. Perfection.
11/23/2024

The red maples on the Great Lawn in Central Park were in full color this week. Perfection.

My friends and I enjoyed delicious drinks and lunch at Tavern on the Green. The Boathouse Cafe in Central Park might ha...
11/16/2024

My friends and I enjoyed delicious drinks and lunch at Tavern on the Green. The Boathouse Cafe in Central Park might have the edge on setting, but I love the old sheepfold which houses Tavern On the Green, and Tavern wins on meal quality. This cocktail, called a Brooklyn, is a version of a Manhattan and was fabulous.

One thing remains constant. Central Park is beautiful.
11/08/2024

One thing remains constant. Central Park is beautiful.

Let’s do it, America!
11/05/2024

Let’s do it, America!

Save the Date! October 28 at 8 PM!Join me for an unforgettable evening of virtual storytelling where scandal, intrigue, ...
10/20/2024

Save the Date! October 28 at 8 PM!

Join me for an unforgettable evening of virtual storytelling where scandal, intrigue, and the bizarre come to life!

🔍 What to Expect:
- Meet a self-made brothel keeper who entertained mobster Dutch Schultz, Duke Ellington, and even FDR!
-Discover the shocking lengths a Colonial descendant went to for her inheritance.
- Dive into a Jazz Age romance that was anything but ordinary.
- Unravel the tragic story of Alexander Hamilton’s great-grandson.
- Witness a very public affair between a newspaper mogul and his movie star lover.
- Learn about a murderer who used the most unconventional weapon!

💵 Just $12 for 90 minutes of captivating tales from the comfort of your couch!

👉 Register for “Scandalous Tales from Early 20th-Century Upper West Side & Harlem” here:
https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/scandalous-tales-from-early-20th-century-upper-west-side-harlem-webinar-registration-1021720642947/

I didn’t think it would happen but I went back to the Kit Kat Club to see Cabaret. I had seen it with its original cast...
10/19/2024

I didn’t think it would happen but I went back to the Kit Kat Club to see Cabaret. I had seen it with its original cast it this past April and really didn’t like it.

Because my friend, Marty, having seen the show several times in the past, was undecided but decided to get a ticket, I elected to join him because Adam Lambert moved into the role of Emcee and I was curious. I’m so glad I did. Lambert has such a beautiful singing voice and inhabited the role in an appropriately decadent and sinister manner. Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, which I love, was a satisfyingly angry and defeated Sally Bowles. I really hope she does more musical stage work in the future. The supporting cast, including Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, are all very good.

I appreciated the pre-show arrangement downstairs more this time, despite being deprived of the free shot of schnapps. It’s fun being so close to the hunky, scantily-clad dancers and musicians (Marty and I wondered if klezmer music was actually a thing in 1930 Berlin club culture). They sure do a lot of work before the show even begins.

I’m glad to say I recommend seeing Cabaret. Go see it!

Photo notes: I love the shot of me in the alley before we entered the theater - no photos allowed inside!

Over the course of her career, Mia Farrow acted on Broadway a total of four times, including the current production of T...
09/26/2024

Over the course of her career, Mia Farrow acted on Broadway a total of four times, including the current production of The Roommate with Patti LuPone. The prior time was in 2014.

The arrival of new roommate, Robyn (LuPone) to her house in Iowa, proves to be the trigger that sets Farrow’s character, Sharon, aged 64, on a journey of extreme change. Mia does all of the heavy lifting here playing Sharon as she bounces off of Robyn and evolves in unexpected way. She’s funny, slightly ditzy, and powerful. My friend and I were very impressed with her acting skills, particularly given her lack of stage work. We know Patti LuPone is super comfortable on stage and it shows.

If you want to see a pair of pros doing their thing, you have until December to see this. We found our tickets at TKTS.

P.S. I’ve never seen a dog in the audience of a play. This little one in the photo was in the row in front of us and never made a peep.

While watching Suffs earlier this week, it occurred to me that it did the same thing Hamilton did several years back. S...
08/24/2024

While watching Suffs earlier this week, it occurred to me that it did the same thing Hamilton did several years back. Suffs is a refreshingly original piece based on an historic true story with a good book and really good songs, both written by Shaina Taub.

Taub also plays Alice Paul, the young upstart *third* generation leader of the women’s suffrage movement in the nineteen-teens (another similarity to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s portrayal of A. Hamilton). Having seen the excellent PBS two-parter about the women’s suffrage movement, I am familiar with the story, and was impressed with Taub’s skill in distilling the salient points of a very long fight into a two hour show. I haven’t yet seen The Outsiders, but I feel that this should have won the Tony Award for Best Show.

This is an important story and it’s an entertaining way to consume it.

I suggest watching The Vote for the extended story. It’s available for subscription on PBS but might re-air at some point.

Photo #3 is kind of fun - I managed to isolate (not intentionally) the conductor’s face during the bows.

Suffs Musical

A bucket list tour of the at her pier in Philadelphia. A relic of a more graceful era in transportation, she is Americ...
08/07/2024

A bucket list tour of the at her pier in Philadelphia. A relic of a more graceful era in transportation, she is America’s last ocean liner, the fastest ever, and built to military specifications.

The interiors are stripped but the hull is sound. The SSUS Conservancy needs to find a new home pier before 9/15 (they’re trying to get an extension to December due to hurricane season). The alternative is scrap or sinking as a dive wreck in Florida. SS United States deserves better. SOS!

Fun evening at the Lambs a few nights ago. We saw an homage to Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 dystopian political novel/play “It ...
07/23/2024

Fun evening at the Lambs a few nights ago. We saw an homage to Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 dystopian political novel/play “It Can’t Happen Here” with current writing by Wesley Savick, James Carroll, and Rachel DeWoskin for Writers for Democratic Action.

The original hit the stage right before the presidential election of that year. The reading on Friday was mimicked at the same time in 74 different locations.

It struck me how cool it was to sit less than ten feet away from five professional actors doing what they do best: , Timothy Jerome, Dave Rappaport, , . Great experience.

A very hot, muggy tour in the north end of Central Park this morning for . The park, of course, was as beautiful as eve...
07/06/2024

A very hot, muggy tour in the north end of Central Park this morning for . The park, of course, was as beautiful as ever and full of Pokémon-ers!

Boisterous, exuberant, loud, colorful, joyful, beautiful, and GAY! 🌈 This is the CATS that I not simply sat through but ...
07/04/2024

Boisterous, exuberant, loud, colorful, joyful, beautiful, and GAY! 🌈

This is the CATS that I not simply sat through but really enjoyed. The original show is a bunch of songs written to poetry with no real story. This version of the Jellicle Ball presents the songs masterfully and frames them around ballroom culture (see Madonna’s Vogue, Paris Is Burning or Pose). It doesn’t need a narrative, just brilliant performers, who are more cat-ish than cats, and costuming, which it has in spades. The audience is encouraged to participate and cheer - a really fun evening.

The Perelman Arts Center - hoo boy, what a weird, Byzantine place. All stairs and one long corridor around the outer perimeter of the building. It’s so confusing, staff needs to be stationed throughout the interior to help guide people to their seats and bathrooms. Bonus points for many bathroom stalls in the women’s room and gender neutral bathrooms.

***r

I managed to catch another Tony-nominated musical prior to tonight’s awards. The strongest aspects of Water For Elephan...
06/16/2024

I managed to catch another Tony-nominated musical prior to tonight’s awards. The strongest aspects of Water For Elephants are its performers and the production.

The leads and supporting cast are all very strong - I think , who played ringmasters in both the past and present day, made the strongest impression. I was happy to see , late of Glee (mean prep school guy) and The Flash (superhero), in the lead role - he has a lovely singing voice and us a fine actor, as is versatile .

The production is really the star - great puppetry and fantastic acrobats including tumblers and ribbon and rope workers. The circus numbers were, by far, my favorites, both musically and choreographically. There were two really nice moments when the roustabouts sing a capella while pounding a tent stake into the ground.

It’s an enjoyable evening at the theater. I wish all the best to everyone associated with this show at the Tonys tonight!

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Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 7pm

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My primary reason for attending this year’s Prisoner convention in Wales was to see Catherine McGoohan speak about her father and his brilliant crazy TV show. She is a true keeper of the flame and warm, witty, and lovely. The convention itself has been a ton of fun. I told her privately that I’d seen the short film she acted in for Jonathan Del Arco (the Borg, Hugh, in one of my favorite Star Trek Next Generation episodes). She was pleasantly surprised and texted Del Arco who responded with “Wow!” I was over the moon. Nerd heaven! The people in the third photo are Sara Jenkin (Six of One), Tony Sloan (film librarian on The Prisoner - great stories about McGoohan), Catherine McGoohan, Dave Barrie (founder of Six of One) #theprisoner #patrickmcgoohan #portmeirion #thevillage #startrek #startreknextgeneration @jonathandelarco @sixofoneprisoner #selecttoursnyc

My primary reason for attending this year’s Prisoner convention in Wales was to see Catherine McGoohan speak about her father and his brilliant crazy TV show. She is a true keeper of the flame and warm, witty, and lovely. The convention itself has been a ton of fun. I told her privately that I’d seen the short film she acted in for Jonathan Del Arco (the Borg, Hugh, in one of my favorite Star Trek Next Generation episodes). She was pleasantly surprised and texted Del Arco who responded with “Wow!” I was over the moon. Nerd heaven! The people in the third photo are Sara Jenkin (Six of One), Tony Sloan (film librarian on The Prisoner - great stories about McGoohan), Catherine McGoohan, Dave Barrie (founder of Six of One) #theprisoner #patrickmcgoohan #portmeirion #thevillage #startrek #startreknextgeneration @jonathandelarco @sixofoneprisoner #selecttoursnyc

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