New York Political Presidents Walking Tour

For four years (1981-85), Mr. Trump and Obama lived four miles apart. This walking tour - with one subway ride - is objective. Tourists may share political views, civilly.
Other presidents are along the way: Nixon, Grant, Eisenhower, Clinton and both Teddy & Franklin Roosevelt.

Meeting Point

Grand Central Terminal

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, USA

Meet at the info booth clock in the middle of the station.

What to expect:

Duration: 3 hours

Grand Central Terminal

89 E 42nd Street, , New York City, 10017-5503, New York

Trump, 29, rebuilt his first building here in 1975. His Dad wanted to keep the family business in Queens. Meet the guide in the middle of Grand Central (1913) at the clock/information booth. See the star ceiling which also has the biggest mistake in NYC. Downstairs is a food court that still has the feel of 1913.

15 minutes

Dag-Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket

47th Street at Second Ave, New York City, 10017, New York

Obama, 22, was a corporate journalist at the Business International Corporation. Here at this UN subcontractor, he realized that he's very good at writing and presentation. See the UN down the block. Pass the Daily News Building which was the 'Daily Planet' for Superman in 1978. Also pass Pfizer pharmaceuticals which hands half of our Covid shots.

15 minutes

Upper East Side

New York City, New York

Both Trump and Obama have a history here. Trump Tower on Park was a hotel from 1929. Today it's 120 condos and 8 penthouses. Obama's 2nd apartment is a mile from here, too. The trip to 339 East 94th Street is too far for the 3-hour walk, but you may return later. He said drug addicts were near his place in 1983. Today, this neighborhood is many doormen buildings.

15 minutes

Trump Tower

725 Fifth Avenue, New York City, 10022-2519, New York

The signature home of Donald and his three marriages. The apprentice was filmed here. Also see the Plaza Hotel that he rebuilt. He had a cameo there in Home Alone.
NYC's first female construction manager supervised the construction site, 1983.

30 minutes

Central Park

New York City, New York

Rebuilding the Wohlman ice rink put Trump in the news in 1986. At Trump Parc (1930) a penthouse sold for $27 million. Hear the highlights of Central Park, built 1857-74. Pass the Zoo that inspired Simon & Garfunkel's 1960s song.
Obama once posed for a photo at "The Pond."

30 minutes

Columbus Circle

Broadway & 59th Street, New York City, 10019, New York

The architect Philip Johnson rebuilt the Gulf and Western Building, which is now the Trump International Hotel. Pose at the 1892 monument of Christopher Columbus. See the home of Denzel Washington and the CNN building. Most of the filming of "Taxi Driver" (1975) with Robert DeNiro was here. Also see the big architectural mishap at the Hearst Building.

15 minutes

Columbia University

116th Street, , New York City, 10027, New York

Most of Obama's four years in NYC were here. He had two apartments. He ate at, the 'Seinfeld' Restaurant; it's still there. He jogged along Riverside drive.
For his first night in NYC, he slept in an alleyway.
Undergrad student Obama partied in the Village and had a girlfriend in Brooklyn.
In 1985, he moved to Chicago. Became a lawyer. Met his wife. The rest is history.
Also hear how Columbia University, 1754, is associated with 86 Nobel Prize winners, 'Sgt Carter' from Gomer Pyle and Subway sandwiches.
Tourist must pay for the subway here. After the tour, clients may visit Grant's Tomb, which is a 10-minute walk.

1 hour