New York City Bleecker Street Walking Tour

Step into the heart of New York City’s most iconic neighborhood on an unforgettable walking tour of Bleecker Street, led by NYC licensed guide Dave King. From the hidden Picasso to the previous homes of Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Carrie Bradshaw and the apartments of a few Friends, this tour is a deep dive into the creative pulse of the Village.
On this 90-minute tour, you can:

• Take pictures outside of Taylor Swift's Cornelia St. home, the Friends building, and Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment from Sex and the City
• Discover the hidden home of Marvel’s Dr. Strange
• Absorb the nostalgia of modern rock & roll’s birthplace at CBGB’s
• Eat a cupcake in NYC’s most famous bakery, Magnolia Bakery and visit Cafe Reggio to see the first espresso machine in America’s first coffee shop
• Find a giant Picasso sculpture hidden among New York University’s campus
• Visit NYC’s most popular stand-up comedy venue, the Comedy Cellar
• Pop into the Chess Forum, the home of chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer

Meeting Point

Astor Place Theatre

434 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003, USA

This tour of the Bleeker Street Art Beat begins in Astor Place, next to the big black cube.

What's included:

• A 2 hour pop culture journey through the heart of NYC's vibrant art scene.
• Professional, entertaining, licensed tour guide
• Use of audio equipment during tour

Not included:

• Gratuity

What to expect:

Duration: between 1 hour, 30 minutes and 2 hours

Astor Place Theatre

434 Lafayette St, , New York City, 10003-6918, New York

Astor Place Theater is where our tour starts. At this site, we discuss John Jacob Astor, the origins of big black cube in the square, and the Astor Place Riots.

10 minutes

Cooper Union Foundation Building

East 7th Street to Astor Place, Cooper Square, New York City, 10003, New York

At the time of its erection, it was one of the tallest buildings in lower Manhattan, built just 10 years after the bloodshed of the Astor Place Riot. Fittingly, the purpose of Cooper Union was help reduce social class tensions by offering free tuition to every student at its university.
The college’s founder, Peter Cooper, had a dream to give talented young people the one privilege he lacked: a solid education from a from a world-class university. He declared that discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, or sex at his university would be expressly prohibited. A novel concept to be sure, but keep in mind this was pre-civil war!

5 minutes

McSorley's Old Ale House

15 E 7th St, , New York City, 10003-8291, New York

Established in 1854, this historic ale house has been a gathering place for generations, offering a unique glimpse into the city’s rich past.
If you step inside, you’ll be immediately transported back in time. The sawdust on the floor, the well-worn wooden bar, and the walls adorned with decades’ worth of memorabilia all tell stories of the countless patrons who have passed through these doors. McSorley’s has a storied tradition of serving its own ale, famously offering only two choices: light or dark.

5 minutes

54 Great Jones St

54 Great Jones St, New York, NY 10012, USA

Jean Michael Basquiat is arguably the most famous African American artist to have ever lived. He once called Andy Warhol his best friend and even dated Madonna. Madonna's 1983 music video, Borderline, pays tribute to her then-boyfriend with her use of spray-painted graffiti art towards the end of the video.
Andy helped Basquiat keep his drug use under control during the most prolific time of his career by giving him a sense of stability and this place to call home. 57 Great Jones Street serves as the ultimate symbol of their friendship.

5 minutes

John Varvatos

315 Bowery, New York City, 10003-7151, New York

This was the original site of CBGB's. Contrary to owner Hilly Kristal's initial intent to showcase Country, Bluegrass, and Blues (hence the name CBGB's), this venue quickly became known as the birthplace of American Punk Rock.
The Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Blondie, The Misfits, The Dead Kennedy's, Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Joan Jet & The Blackhearts, The B-52's, The Beastie Boys, and countless other icons of the 70's and 80's all got their start on these hollowed grounds.
Nirvana played here in 1989. 2 years later, they would be a worldwide success, 4 years after that, the band's frontman, Kurt Cobain, would join the infamous 27 Club alongside Jean Michael Basquiat.

5 minutes

Picasso's Bust of Sylvette

NYU Silver Towers, Bleecker St, New York City, New York

Check out this 36-foot Picasso sculpture, hidden in the heart of New York City!
The Bust of Sylvette was physically created by Norwegian artist / sculptor Carl Nesjar, based on Pablo Picasso's exact designs and specifications. These two artists had a very close professional relationship and collaborated on many projects together. This sculpture was completed in 1968 and is based on a series of paintings and drawings of a young French woman named Sylvette David (later known as Lydia Corbett). She was Picasso’s muse in the mid-1950s.

5 minutes

Generation Records

210 Thompson St, , New York City, 10012-4841, New York

A key pillar of every thriving artistic community is its record store. And the Village has had more than a few. Sadly, many have closed over the years due to rising rents in the hippest area of New York. But Generation Records remains here to stay. Opened in 1992 by Shawn Schwartz, an avid punk rock fan and CBGB regular, Generation Records has become an essential destination for music lovers, particularly those interested in punk, hardcore, metal, and rock genres.
Notable artists who've shopped here include Kurt Cobain, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed and even Martin Scorsese.

Generation Records has a unique authenticity that makes it particularly special. It's like a living portal back to the 1990's, where even cassette tapes and CDs still feel cool and relevant.

5 minutes

Chess Forum

219 Thompson St, New York City, 10012-1304, New York

The Chess Forum opened in 1995, by Imad Khachan. It's one of the few chess shops left in the city, but this one is incredibly special.
If you visited this store in the 90's, you might have seen a tall gentleman in a blue short-sleeved button down, staring intensely at the placement of his opponent's pieces on a chessboard. This would be the legendary American Grand Master Bobby Fischer, who was known to spend hours here, playing strangers during his time away from the public eye.

5 minutes

177 Bleecker St

177 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012, USA

177 Bleecker Street is more than just an address; it is a symbol of the intersection between historical architecture and modern pop culture.
In the Marvel Comics universe, 177A Bleecker Street is famously known as the Sanctum Sanctorum, the mystical residence of Doctor Strange. And Greenwich Village, with its historic and often unique buildings, provided a perfect backdrop for Dr. Strange's imagined Victorian brownstone.

Contrary to popular belief, Marvel writers Roy Thomas and Bill Everett, who purposefully chose this address, did not actually live here. This location was simply chosen for its cultural resonance, specifically being on Bleeker Street, in the middle of the eclectic Greenwich Village. They believed that choosing a real address gave a sense of grounding to the otherwise fantastical elements of Doctor Strange's world. Thereby bridging the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary, a central theme to Doctor Strange's character.

5 minutes

Cafe Wha?

115 Macdougal St, , New York City, 10012-1202, New York

Initially, Cafe Wha? was a place where beatniks and folk musicians gathered, reflecting the bohemian spirit of the area in the late 1950s and 60s.
When Bob Dylan moved here from Minnesota in 1961, this was one of the first places he played. Jimi Hendrix, then known as Jimmy James, performed here in the mid-1960s before becoming a rock legend. Bruce Springsteen also started his career here.

This legendary venue didn't just break musicians, it was also a launching pad for groundbreaking comedians of the day: We're talking Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, and even Woody Allen, who was doing stand-up before becoming a storied filmmaker.

These were some of the most influential comedians of the 20th century, and "Cafe Wha?" was their proving ground.

5 minutes

Comedy Cellar

117 MacDougal St, , New York City, 10012-1267, New York

Comedy Cellar is one of the most famous comedy clubs in the United States and often has A-list comedians stopping by to perform unannounced shows. They do this because stand-up comedy is one of the only performing arts that you can't actually rehearse. You have to do it in front of a live audience, over and over again, to see if the material is any good…. even if you've been doing it for years. The same goes for Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, Amy Schumer, and many more performers who continue to practice their new material at this very club to this day.

5 minutes

Caffe Reggio

119 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012, USA

Cafe Reggio is one of the oldest coffeehouses in New York City. It has been a beloved spot for artists, writers, and coffee enthusiasts since its founding in 1927. And it is this very spot that Domenico Parisi, an Italian immigrant, brought the first espresso machine to the United States.
The name "Reggio" is a nod to Parisi's hometown of Reggio Calabria, a city in southern Italy.

5 minutes

Minetta Lane

Minetta Ln, New York, NY, USA

Before it was a street, a stream ran through here. The brook was originally known as "Manetta", which is derived from the Native American word "Manette," which translates to "Devil's Water".
This stream was surrounded by foliage and wildlife that would use it as a watering hole. My best guess is the Native Americans that lived here before us saw this little stream as a perfect kill spot for hunting. Hence the name "Devil's Water".

During the Dutch colonial period, this area was settled by freed African slaves, who formed one of the first free black communities in New York, known as the "Land of the Blacks." They continued to live and farm off this land through the 18th and into the early 19th centuries. But as New York City's population grew, the demand for housing and urban development grew with it, and Greenwich Village began its rapid transformation from a rural farming area into a more densely populated urban neighborhood.

5 minutes

23 Cornelia Street

23 Cornelia Street New York, New York City, New York

Taylor Swift's Previous Home - While many Swifties make a pilgrimage to New York expressly to take pictures in front of this extraordinary address, the reality is Taylor only lived here for a few short months.
It's what happened to her during that time that left a lasting impression... This was an era when she started dating British actor Joe Alwyn. Reminiscing on the romantic budding of their relationship, she actually wrote the song Cornelia St. several years after she'd moved back to Tribeca.

5 minutes

161 West 4th Street

161 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014, USA

This was Bob Dylan's first apartment in New York City. It's no wonder why he chose this location! Again, back in the 60's, this area was a cultural Mecca and the rent on this tiny first floor apartment was insanely cheap... just $60 dollars a month.
Bob Dylan only lived here for about a year and a half, but these were some of the most prolific months of his entire career, and he was just a short walk from the legendary Cafe Wha? that we visited earlier.

Just a few months after moving in, Bob met and started dating visual artist Suze Rotolo. Aside from being a painter and sculptor, she was an avid political activist and was deeply involved in the civil rights movement of the time. This had a tremendous influence on Dylan's early work.

Their relationship began to deteriorate in 1963, partly due to the pressures of Dylan's rising fame. But it is forever immortalized as a picture on the cover of Bob Dylan's second album.

5 minutes

Jones Street

Jones St, New York, NY 10014, USA

This is where Bob Dylan chose to photograph the cover for his second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". The album cover, of course, has become absolutely iconic. It's even referenced in the Tom Cruise film Vanilla Sky.
In the photo, Bob is walking arm in arm with his muse, Suze Rotolo, down the exact middle of the street facing us.

5 minutes

Friends Apartment Building

90 Bedford St, corner of Grove Street, New York City, 10014-5304, New York

This building has become an iconic Village landmark since the first episode of the world's most popular sitcom aired in 1994. While the interiors were filmed on a soundstage in Burbank, California, the building’s exterior is a must-see location for fans visiting New York City.
Any New Yorker will tell you that the size of Monica & Rachel's and Joey & Chandler's apartments were completely unrealistic. Seriously... bordering on fantasyland.

5 minutes

86 Bedford St

86 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Chumley's was famous because it never got shut down during the prohibition, yet remained insanely popular. Its secret feature was this back door... which was around the corner, on a different street than its main entrance.
When lookouts stationed along Barrow Street saw the cops coming to raid, they would run inside and alert the owners. The owners would then immediately escort guests out through the hidden back door at 86 Bedford.

But when the lookouts yelled to owners, they had to be quick, and not alarm the bar's patrons. So they used this particular phrase: "86 the guests!", which meant "kick the guests out, the cops are coming!".

Over time, the restaurant industry adopted this phrase to efficiently communicate that something was out of stock or off the menu. "86 mashed potatoes", for example. Or, "Have the mashed potatoes been 86'd?"

5 minutes

66 Perry St

66 Perry St, New York, NY 10014, USA

This was the apartment of one of the most enigmatic characters in the history of television, Carrie Bradshaw of Sex In The City. This brownstone was used for the exterior shots of Carrie’s apartment.
Here's a fun fact; The show used a different building at 245 East 73rd Street for the pilot, but the street proved too busy for film crews during production. So, from the second episode onward, 66 Perry Street was the primary location for exterior shots of Carrie's "Upper East Side" apartment.

This brownstone became a symbol of Carrie's independent lifestyle as a single woman in New York City. It represented a personal sanctuary and a place where much of the show’s narrative unfolded. If you're a fan of the show, you'll know that this apartment is as much a character in the show as the people. As you can see, it perfectly reflects the romanticized idea of living in New York City.

5 minutes

Magnolia Bakery

401 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Magnolia Bakery was founded in 1996 by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey. It started as a small neighborhood bakery and has since become a famous landmark in New York City.
As mentioned on the way here, this became instantaneously famous after being featured in an episode of "Sex In The City." In that episode, Carrie Bradshaw and Miranda Hobbes simply enjoy Magnolia cupcakes while sitting on a bench outside.

Their brand has become so synonymous with the show that in 2007 they introduced the ‘Carrie’ cupcake, which has since become a staple on their menu. I'm sure they'll have it in stock if you visit while they're open. It's a vanilla cupcake with pink icing, and a candied white daisy on top.

5 minutes

Corner Bistro

331 W 4th St, New York City, 10014-1901, New York

The Corner Bistro building dates back to the late 19th century and was originally built as a residential townhouse. It perfectly reflects the architecture of the period, with elements of Italianate and Federal styles.
During prohibition it was converted to a speakeasy bar. Surprise, surprise, right?

Sometime after the Prohibition Era, in the late 1950's, the speakeasy was transformed into a quaint little Japanese coffee house called The Golden Disk.

Remember, this was a culturally rich and extremely transformative period in the Village, so The Golden Disk was a huge part of the Village's artistic and cultural scene, attracting tons of burgeoning artists, musicians, and intellectuals.

And they were all being served by a young Japanese waitress and burgeoning artist in her own right. She would later couple with and influence one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century... Care to guess who this incredibly influential Golden Disk waitress was?

Yoko Ono, of course!

10 minutes