The Viele Map

"No other city is so spitefully incoherent"

--James Baldwin

Welcome to Manhattan Unlocked Walking Tours

Discover the hidden-in-plain-sight history and have fun decoding the architectural assortments of New York's most iconic (and architecturally complex) neighborhoods.

About Us

Manhattan Unlocked began as a blog over a decade ago to explore and explain the complex and captivating histories behind New York's constellation of neighborhoods that stretch nearly five miles from the Battery to Central Park--what most people consider New York City. It was a journey to test the waters for a book project, and the results were promising enough to dive into discovering the single story history behind the architectural creation of New York City. Our method of research and exploration involved creating immersive walking tours for key New York neighborhoods that together tell a unifying story of the city.

Our Walking Tours

Join us on a journey through time and space and re-discover long lost geographies and bygone transit systems. Manhattan Unlocked walking tours cover neighborhoods with their own unique stories to tell, but that were all part of the "city's" move uptown from City Hall to Central Park.

What Makes Our Tours Special?

  • Historical Insights:We believe that understanding Manhattan's long lost geography is crucial to grasping how "the city" moved uptown.
  • Transit Tales:Learn how different forms of rail transit--from horsecars in the 1850s to subways in the 1900s--shaped the city's architectural diversity.
  • The Pump Uptown:Discover how the daily act of "commuting to work" played a pivotal role in the city's growth, turning it into the vibrant metropolis we know today.
  • The Book: Build: The History of New York City on the Island of Manhattan

    While our walking tours provide a taste of Manhattan's history, we're also hard at work on a book that will dive deep into the city's past and explain the logic behind the "conveyer belt" of neighborhoods running up Broadway and Fifth Avenue, along a path of modern-day "ruins" of forgotten "cities."

    Join Us on a Walking Tour

    We are relaunching our walking tours over the Fall 2023 after the challenges of covid. We hope to see you on a tour of the history behind the world's most inspiring streetscapes.

    Re-launch dates:

    Sept 18: Midtown Manhattan Art and Architecture Walking Tour

    Midtown west

    Sept 27: Holdouts! Based on the Alpern & Durst Book

    Midtown east

    Oct 10: Recreate the Most Requested Walking Tour of 1840s New York

    NoHo & SoHo to City Hall

    TBD: Explore the Ruins of a Forgotten City in the Middle of Manhattan

    Astor Place to Madison Square

    TBD: A Disastrous History of Housing the Poor

    Chinatown and The Lower East Side

    In the meantime, the old blog for "testing the waters" remains below.

    Click Here to See Tours

    Sunday, March 6, 2011

    Pawn Stars, Carlo Gambino & SGS Associates

    Just a quick, fun post.  I was watching Pawn Stars and a guy walked in with a canceled check signed by Carlo Gambino from 1962.  It was from S.G.S. Associates, and you could see the address on the check: 141 East 44th Street.  So I Google Earthed it…The Fitzpatrick Grand Hotel.  I originally thought the flag out front was Italian--my bad,  it's the Irish flag.  Still, they're close (orange instead of a red stripe).

    141 East 44th Street

    16 comments:

    1. When was that converted into a hotel? Was that an office building before? Otherwise how could a corporation operate out of a hotel?

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    2. I couldn't find out much online about the history of the building, so I called the hotel directly and you are exactly right. They informed me the hotel took over the space in 1998, and before that it was an office building. Thanks so much for reading!

      ReplyDelete
    3. Nice post. I saw Pawn Stars as well. I'm working across the street from this building.

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    4. Funny That there is another for sale for $2499.00. Rick got his for $500.00. See for yourself http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?bw=1&documentid=283128

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    5. That's a great post and people may not be aware of this address fact and its original location. deals for cheap park and fly

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    7. Most prices at pawn shops aren't set in stone and you can negotiate a better price if you try. Set a ceiling for the amount you'll pay and stick to it. Taking cash along and leaving debit and credit cards at home might help your negotiations and guarantee you won't pay more than you decided originally. jewelry buyers phoenix

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