The "Gilded Age" on HBO-Max has become a big hit...it's created by Julian Fellowes of "Downton Abbey" fame, Gosford Park and other English period dramas. Fellowes has called this show the "American Downton Abbey." 

As a New York City tourguide I have been touring around New York for years--decades actually- general sightseeing tours but also specialized tours such as my "Rich & Famous" tour which shows where bold-face names live, shop and party. The Gilded Age has always fascinated me and it's a "spin-off" of the Rich & Famous Tour. 

Today there are suddenly many guides doing a "Gilded Age" tour so I shall join the pack. It's a fun walking or riding tour around Manhattan's Eastside to view the surviving homes of Astors, Vanderbilts and other "first" families of old New York. Many fun stories and anecdotes which were used as the basis for the real and fictional families on the television show.

My friend Leon Liss has designed his "Gilded Age" tour and his accompanying Facebook page...he brings many visual aids...photos of people and long-gone homes to resurrect memories of a bygone era in his tour. His tour is wonderful but only for the hardy walkers because it begins at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Fifth Ave. & 50th Street) and tours up to Fifth Ave & 92nd Street! More than 2 miles! Leon lives in Philadelphia and has generously offered me the chance to do some of his tours when he's unable to travel to New York on designated days.

Please contact me and let's do a tour. At the moment I'm not posting actual tour dates because tourists I've discovered, can be fickle...they will claim to want to join a tour but then cancel and demand refunds after I've rearranged my schedule for a tour that either is forced to cancel or the numbers have dropped so precipitously that there is no financial incentive for me to keep the tour going.

Please email JimDykesNY@gmail.com.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Only Murders in the Building location

Image
  ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING location As a New York City private tour guide over the years, people always want to see their favorite movie & TV locations because New York is full of them. In this blog I’ll mention many of them from the “Carrie Bradshaw” brownstone in SEX & THE CITY, to the white marble mansion on WHITE COLLAR to many other locations. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING is a television show produced for HULU and most was recently viewed on ABC and it's a quirky mystery/comedy entering its 4 th season. It’s about a group of neighbors doing a true crime podcast in their Upper West side luxury apartment building dubbed The Arconia- and they actually stumble onto various murders and assorted crimes in their building!  It stars Steve Martin (also a producer), Martin Short and the youngest Selena Gomez as a very unlikely group of curious neighbors. Lately this is the building every tourist asks about…I’ve had tourists from South Carolina, Texas and most recently
Read more

Gilded Age mansion: the gorgeous RoseCliff in Newport

Image
HBO's THE GILDED AGE is a popular show and has awakened many people to that period of extravagance in late 19th century-early 20th century. Many scenes were filmed at the grand homes in Newport, Rhode Island, which were built during the "gilded age" as summer houses for the New York wealthy including the Astors, the Vanderbilts and many others. Many are now museums. Rosecliff is my favorite  "Gilded Age" mansion....the home of silver heiress Theresa Fair (later Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs). Theresa (Tessie) grew up in a mining town in Nevada but after her father struck his silver lode and became fabulously wealthy, she adapted to life as a wealthy woman easily. She was known for her kindness, natural class and common sense. Designed by Stanford White for the lovely Theresa, Rosecliff is best visited in May/June when the gardens that surround the home are in bloom. Attached to each chandelier, notice the small clear crystals at the bottom. Theresa had these filled with
Read more

Vanderpump Rules! Met the charming and beautiful Lisa Vanderpump with husband Ken and tiny pup Jiggy at a Hollywood party!

Image
Vanderpump rules! Was able to meet the very nice Lisa Vanderpump on a recent trip to Los Angeles at a Bravo party, arranged by my good friend Lisa DiGiovine, one of my dearest friends and a longtime Los Angeles TV producer.  Lisa was with her husband Ken Todd and her adorable puppy Jiggy. We were all mingling in the space at the famed WILTERN THEATRE in L.A. located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.  I looked up and there was Lisa and Ken, smiling. I quickly said, "Lisa would you mind if we snapped a picture?" And she said "of course dahling...." Originally from England, Lisa was an actress and now she and Ken own restaurants and nightclubs all over the world including several in LA and a new place in Las Vegas. But she first gained fame as one of the REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS on Bravo.  Lisa is a huge animal lover and has many pets including dogs and horses, etc.  I asked her about her little dog Jiggy and she said "I take the old
Read more