Holdouts: A NYC Architecture Walking Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover another side of Manhattan’s ever-busy Midtown neighborhood—and explore details that most visitors overlook—during this walking tour. Venture beyond the tourist traps while you learn about people who contributed to the area's history, from the holdouts who refused to sell their properties to developers to the landlord who overplayed his hand.
- Discover a side of Midtown that most visitors overlook
- Learn about Midtown's history and the people who made it
- Admire Midtown's one-of-a-kind architectural landmarks
- Soak up NYC's atmosphere on a walking tour of Midtown
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 875 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022, USA
Lower level lobby
End point
- 22 E 54th St, New York, NY 10022, USA
Papillion Restaurant
Itinerary
1
TPR Holdings
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Lipstick Building (Pass By)
Citicorp Center (Pass By)
2
Wollensky's Grill
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Amster Yard
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Sparks Steak House
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Chrysler Building (Pass By)
United Nations Headquarters (Pass By)
5
42nd Street
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Grand Central Terminal
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
One Vanderbilt (Pass By)
7
Brooks Brothers
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
One Bryant Park | Bank of America Tower (Pass By)
The Roosevelt Hotel (Pass By)
Diamond District (Pass By)
8
Rockefeller Center
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Papillon Bistro & Bar
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 34 reviews
James_S, Apr 2026
This is a walking tour so be aware. That said I am elderly and the guide was happy to find sitting spots during the tour.
Very knowledgeable guid who combined architecture with general history of the city. Plenty of old pictures and graphs.
Also, we were interested in churches so the tour was modified to spend more time there.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for the great review, I truly appreciate it and hope to see you again!
patricia_t, Apr 2026
Tour guide was full of interesting details about the development of NYC, the buildings, the Open Spaces, the Underground alleyways and galleries- a truly delightful experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you!!! I hope to see you again!
Serena_F, Feb 2026
We really enjoyed the tour! Our guide was fantastic— extremely knowledgeable and friendly and very attentive to what the group might be interested in or need, etc. It’s a lot of walking (3 hours) but very enjoyable!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks so much for the great review and I hope to see you again!
Susanne_A, Sep 2025
Nice tour, a bit rushed, no time for photos or question, but interesting none the less. I learned about the Privately Owned Public Places which was helpful information that I shared with a young traveler visiting New York after me. My only suggestion would be to move quicker through the beginning of the tour where we sat and looked a printer copy of buildings. We could have done that during the tour and allowed for photo, questions, and a slower pace to enjoy the city scape.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the review. and this is a legitimate criticism to a point, and I'm sorry your experience wasn't better. I struggle with how much time to spend at the beginning putting the tour in context and discussing the city's development.
I try to be responsive to guests, could and would have slowed the pace, and definitely stopped to take pictures if I had any indication. This was a tour on holdouts, and we do pass some amazing spaces going from one holdout to another.
My groups are very small and everyone is different, and I try to match the pace with what I think people want. Of course I don't want my guests to feel rushed, I'm sorry I misjudged things.
robertj_m, Aug 2025
Excellent explanation of the NYC history of skyscrapers & how they began to flourish in the skyscraper race. Our guide, Rob, was outstanding! Answered questions throughly & new intricate ideas about city planning, building & impact on local housing. Intriguing view of NYC skyline.I highly recommend this tour! 5 stars
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for the great review! It was a pleasure taking you around, I hope the rest of your trip was awesome, and I hope to see you again!
Stephen_B, May 2025
Robert was amazing. Packed with so much contextual knowledge! Had a great pace and answered all of our questions enthusiastically.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you! It was great taking you around and I hope to see you again. You guys were awesome.
Sifredo_A, Dec 2024
Great! Very knowledgeable. We were the I ly ones so got an extra hour. Highly recomend. Got to learn a few secret spots to enjoy later on.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thnk you so much for the review, I hope to see you again!
Matthew_F, Nov 2024
My wife and I joined Rob and one other participant for this great tour of NYC Architectural Holdouts. Rob has studied the history and architecture of New York for many years, so it was cool to do the tour with an expert! He has a depth of knowledge that no other tour guide can compare with. He is generous with his time and knowledge. In addition to checking out a bunch of holdouts in midtown, we learned about air rights, privately-owned public spaces, buildings that are being "warehoused" until the lease of a tenant expires and the building can be torn down, and tons of interesting nuggets about the history of the city. We look forward to doing another tour with him!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much and I hope to see you again!!!
Jennifer_M, Jun 2024
Such a great in depth tour! Very interesting and engaging day. We enjoyed all the stories the guide had to share!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you and it would be awesome to see you on another tour!
Jess_Z, May 2024
This is one of the best walking tours I've ever been on - Rob was a fantastic tour guide! He has encyclopedic knowledge of all things NYC history, and was able to tailor our discussion to the topics we were most interested in, or explore additional tangents related to whatever building he happened to be in front of. We learned a ton, both about holdouts and about the general history of NYC and the phases of its evolution. Would definitely recommend this tour, and I'm planning to do more of them with Rob next time I visit!
Response from Host, May 2024
It was absoutely awesome taking you around and thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice review! See you next time you're in New York : )
Jonah_H, Nov 2023
Guide is very knowledgeable and funny! I'll never see Manhattan the same way again. I can't recommend this tour enough!
Response from Host, Feb 2024
You guys were great to take around, thank you so much! Hope to see you again.
aisling_c, Mar 2020
Thank you Rob - we really enjoyed the Holdouts tour it was very informative. It was great to walk around and enjoy the city.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
It was a pleasure having you to take around and share the city history with you. All best wishes and I hope to see you again.
Tracy_F, Feb 2020
This was a great tour with a lot of NYC history. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and kept up a good pace. Definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in urban history or urban planning.
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Thank you so much for your review! I very much appreciate it and I love having people like you to show the city to. I hope to see you again!
co4at, Aug 2019
Patrick is an excellent guide, leading you to hidden spots in the midst of Midtown Manhattan and raises your attention to impressive testimonials of Manhattan's manifold transformations. For getting a deeper knowledge of this borrow's (short) history and vivid development, this tour is a MUST. Highly recommended !
Response from Host, Aug 2019
Thank you very much for your review. (My name is Rob though.) Safe travels.
Elisa_P, Apr 2018
Thanks to tour guide Bob, this walking tour was the highlight of our 10 day trip to New York. Because we were a small group of 5, we could chat with Bob and discuss things we were seeing rather than simply being spoken at for 2 and a half hours! The subject of just how New York Midtown came to look how it does today is fascinating, and at times amusing. We came away with a greater understanding of the city, and how to spot features previously unnoticed. I uge you to seek out Bob and take one of his tours, best time and money you'll spend in NYC!
Brooke Y, Jan 2017
This was the second tour I did with Rob during my most recent to NYC. He is an excellent tour guide with a great knowledge of the history and planning of the city. This tour made me look up as I wandered the streets of the city and gave me a greater appreciation of why the city looks the way it does. Rob shared some fantastic stories and was a real delight to explore the city with. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the city in a slightly different light!
From $59.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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