Big Onion Walking Tours — Spring 2022 Newsletter
“I like New York in the spring and in the fall. It's one of the best cities to walk that I've ever been in.”
- Terry O’Quinn, Actor
NOTE FROM SETH
April showers bring May flowers…and really nice walking tour weather!! Big Onion is ready to greet the season!
A number of our seasonal tours are returning to the calendar. Our Brooklyn Bridge & Heights as well as Central Park tours have returned. Historic Hudson begins Memorial Day weekend, and Prospect Park will then follow in June!
We very much appreciate everyone's patience as we slowly rebuild our team and tour schedule. Most of our walks have resumed for private bookings, and we are doing our best to keep the rotating schedule of public in person tours fresh and not too repetitive.
Last Spring, after years of planning, I launched a new tour company in Upstate New York: Hudson Valley Rover Tours. These half and full-day driving and walking tours are the culmination of a longtime dream to introduce people to the amazing history, architecture, people, farms, and craft beverages of the Hudson Valley and Northern Catskills.
I am so proud that, in our first year, we have been nominated for a “Chronogrammy” - a best of award from Chronogram Magazine. Winning the award requires support from our friends and fans, so we ask you all to please help us win by voting for Hudson Valley Rover Tours. Daily voting is allowed and encouraged!!
You can vote for us once a day. Hudson Valley Rover Tours is in the Family Fun Category under Tours.
All the best,
Seth
Tour Highlight — NYC History through Our Eyes & Steps
We will be discussing the word “Radical” quite a bit during May Day Weekend.
Saturday, April 30th, is the 224th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first American President. This event was a culmination of John Locke’s philosophy on the radical theory of liberal government — that is, that the governed are sovereign and have the right to replace a dysfunctional, tyrannical government when needed. The American Revolution was a tremendously radical event that has transformed the Western political world! Our in person walking tour “Revolutionary New York: Hamilton, Washington, and War” on Saturday, April 30th at 1:00 p.m.will explore the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Early Republic along the streets of Lower Manhattan.
The next day, Sunday, May 1st, is May Day. A different form of Radicalism will be explored on our 1 p.m. in person “Labor History Tour: We Built New York” outing. On this tour, walking from Washington Square Park to Union Square, we will dive into the history of trade unions, workers rights, and sites associated with the struggle to obtain much of what is today taken for granted: fire escapes, a minimum wage, and the end of child labor in America.
We have participated in many Big Onion tours over the years, the most recent being a tour of Hudson. The guides are always professional and extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area/building/event. We’re very fortunate to have this tour group in our area.