Explore the creative synergy between architecture and design over three fascinating days in New York City and Connecticut on a tour led by architecture and urban studies specialist Bill Keene.
The Manhattan itinerary includes a docent-led walk along the High Line, the public park built on a 1930s elevated freight rail line that runs from the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street. Visit one of New York’s unique landmarks, the Vessel, designed by London’s Heatherwick Studio. Composed of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs and 80 landings, the 150-foot-high structure is an interactive public art piece designed to be climbed.
Before leaving the city, board the yacht Manhattan for a private early-morning tour of New York harbor. Led by a member of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the excursion covers architectural and engineering landmarks from all eras of the city’s history, as well as current urban planning and environmental issues affecting urban waterfronts.
Begin a visit to Connecticut with the Glass House, completed by Philip Johnson in 1949. This symbol of the International Style is the centerpiece of the architect’s compound in New Canaan, which also encompasses a guest house, lake pavilion, painting and sculpture galleries, and other structures, all set in 49 beautiful acres. Participants visit the Glass House and other Johnson-designed buildings on an in-depth guided 2 ½-hour tour of the site’s pastoral landscape, including his newly opened studio.
Enjoy a morning walking tour of Yale’s campus that offers a look at three centuries of architecture and urbanism and focuses on great modern works by Louis Kahn, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, and Paul Rudolph. A three-course lunch follows at New Haven’s Union League Café, located in a Beaux-Arts-era landmark.
Accommodations in Manhattan are at the EVEN Hotel in Times Square South (near Hudson Yards) and the EVEN Hotel in Norwalk, Connecticut. The small chain’s 4-star boutique properties focus on modern design, healthy lifestyle, and green technology.
Know Before You Go
- Important Note: This is an active tour that involves significant walking and standing at all sites.
- Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, all activities, admissions and fees, gratuities, and meals (2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 1 dinner).
- Overnight accommodations are at the EVEN Hotel in Times Square South in New York City and the EVEN Hotel in Norwalk, Connecticut.
- Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW, with a stop at the Doubletree Hilton, 15101 Sweitzer Lane in Laurel, Maryland, at about 8:40 a.m.
- Single-room supplement $210 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Nonmember pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is emailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
- Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.
General Information
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
