What To Expect
New York Pizza, Beer and History Tour Looking for what to do in NYC? Check out the best pizza and beer in Greenwich Village, a historical and cultural mecca on the West side, with the help of a licensed tour guide. You'll enjoy learning interesting tidbits and increase your cultural knowledge, all while savoring 3 pizza samplings and 2 beer tastings.About the Pizza: no neighborhood does pizza quite like Greenwich Village, with everything from amazing coal-fired thin crust pies, to traditional New York slices dripping with mozzarella cheese and oil, to newer "pizzaioli" (pizza makers), many recent immigrants from Italy, who are showcasing how pizza is cooked in their home regions in the Old Country. We have been eating pizza in the neighborhood for decades, and have scouted out 3 amazing spots to try 3 different styles of pizza. We will examine what makes each so unique, from inspiration to ingredients, to ovens.About the Beer: drinking in Greenwich Village has always been as big a part of the culture as music, painting and writing. Not even a little thing like Prohibition stopped the party -- the Village was home to some of New York’s most famous speakeasies, and we will enjoy a beer at one of its better-known former speakeasies. Learn how they snuck in the booze and kept their customers from getting arrested while enjoying drinks in the bars that helped transform Greenwich Village into “The Village” -- as much a state of mind as a physical neighborhood.Your 2.5-hour Pizza and Beer Tour includes:
- Enjoy 3 Pizza tastings from some of Greenwich Village’s best-known pizza restaurants
- Discuss the art of making pizza with one of New York’s top pizza chefs
- Toast to Village legends at 2 of the West Village’s most famous and notorious bars – including a former speakeasy and a bar that was one of the main hangouts of the Beat Generation. The first beer at each venue is on us!
- Insight, anecdotes and insider knowledge from your dynamic local tour guide
- Walk in the footsteps of some of America’s best-known writers, artists, and musicians along the quaint tree-lined streets and architecture of the West Village
- Be transported back to the many eras that made Greenwich Village so unique, and learn how Village luminaries lived and drank in the neighborhood. We’ll raise our glasses and toast those who have come before us – but this is not purely a pub crawl. We’ll be walking the same streets as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jackson Pollock, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan and other Village legends, chatting about what drew them all to this amazing corner of New York. We’ll schmooze, take photos and sightsee as well as eat and drink, learning the amazing stories of the Village and all of the establishments we visit. If you are looking for an experience that is solely a pub crawl, moving from bar to bar without the historical and cultural components, this is probably not the tour for you.
About Sidewalk Tours...The story behind Sidewalks of NY Tours began a decade ago, when it's founder, J.D. Hirsch started taking friends and family on walking tours of the city he loves. His biggest motivation was to make sure his guests experienced The TRUE New York. Through years of exploration, he had discovered the secret hideaways, and hidden gems that make New York unlike any other city in the world. He combed the streets, tasting authentic ethnic cuisines and culinary delights not found in any guide books. His lengthy walking adventures took him to dinky mom-and-pop specialty food shops, and ethnic eateries, which have stood the test of time. He began compiling a best of list in search of the best delicatessens, bagel and knish shops, coffee houses, bakeries, candy stores, hamburger joints, pizzerias, and so much more. A friend, who was visiting from out of town, noticed J.D.'s passion and enthusiasm showing people his discoveries, and suggested he start a walking tour business. And the rest, as they say, is history. Our mission at Sidewalks of NY Tours is to give exceptional walking tours of New York, so our customers will revisit these neighborhoods with confidence, and enjoy the various cultural options they provide. Our creative and fun itineraries, and friendly and knowledgeable tour guides are committed to making your tour the highlight of your stay in The Big Apple. Let us guide you on a journey to discover The True New York!