There's magic in the air in NYC this fall, from exhibits like the NY Historical Society's Harry Potter: A History of Magic, to the Speakeasy Dollhouse production of The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, to the ongoing interest in magic, tarot, and #witchesofinstagram.
Capturing the current mood, Boroughs of the Dead is debuting two new walking tours that will explore the city's arcane, esoteric, mystical, and magical histories.
"
Spiritualists and Magicians of NoHo" and "
Mystics and Fortune Tellers of the Lower East Side" will introduce you to the neighborhood's mystically-minded inhabitants of the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, encompassing the world of Spiritualists, stage magicians, occultists, and shop-front fortune tellers who lived and worked in the area's townhouses and tenements.
Spiritualists and Magicians of NoHo
NoHo contains a wealth of locales associated with the Spiritualists and magicians of the 19th century. This two-hour walking tour will lead you into the realm of self-styled mediums, spirit photographers, magicians who taught
Harry Houdini the ropes, radical suffragettes and Spiritualists including Victoria Woodhull -- and more! -- on a mesmerizing stroll through this elegant neighborhood.
Mystics and Fortune Tellers of the Lower East Side
Fortune-tellers, mystics, and clairvoyants abounded in the Lower East Side from the mid-19th to early 20th century. On this tour you'll learn about the Jewish mystic whose funeral was attended by a crowd of 10,000 people, an African American occultist living in the Five Points in the 1850s (who was New Age way ahead of his time), an infamous guide to the city's fortune tellers written in 1858 called "The Witches of New York" (many of whom resided on Broome Street!) and the strange fate that befell its author, plus much more!
Tours run Saturdays at 12pm (NoHo) and 3pm (Lower East Side), September 29th through November 3rd. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on site. Advance ticket purchase highly recommended. For customers taking both tours: use the promo code generated at checkout on your first ticket purchase; your second tour will be 20% off. Please see
our website for a full schedule, meeting points, and more details.
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