Facts About the City That Will Blow Your Mind on NYC Tours

If you think you know everything that there is to know about New York City, think again. During your NYC tours, you will learn a lot about the city’s cultural, historical, and architectural legacy. But some facts might be a little crazier than others.

Secret Basements and Platforms

Did you know that there is a secret basement approximately ten stories below the famous Grand Central Station? It was used during the Second World War and was guarded so heavily that you could be shot on sight if you tried to get too close. Another secret place is underneath the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. There is a secret train platform down there. The rumor is that President Roosevelt would use it to avoid the general public when he was traveling to the city. Speaking of hidden public transportation places, there is also a hidden subway station that is right underneath the City Hall. You can see it when taking the number six train in downtown Manhattan. Another abandoned subway station is found in Brooklyn. It hosts a secret art gallery known as the Underbelly Project.

Madison Square Garden

Another interesting fact you might learn about during your NYC tours is that each member of the Beatles made a performance at the Madison Square Garden. However, they never performed as an actual group there.

Historical Facts

Did you know that living in the city used to be much cheaper? During the Great Depression, the area around Times Squares lost a lot of its residents. They moved uptown for cheaper rent. In their place, a lot of saloons and burlesque halls were built, which gave the area a bad reputation until the 1980s. Another event that happened during the Great Depression that you might learn about during one of your NYC tours is that thousands of homeless families camped in Central Park. It was just an empty reservoir at that time. The price of a one-way subway ticket rose from $0.05 in 1914 to $2.50 in 2014. In other words, they increased by 5,000%.