Description
The influx of nations and the resources of a financial powerhouse come together to make New York a unique centre of cultures. This tour takes in Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, permeated by stories of the “huddled masses” who flocked here for safety and success and bohemian Williamsburg, today a culturally diverse and vibrant neighbourhood. In contrast are the gems of world art acquired by the phenomenal wealth of others – Titian, an Egyptian temple, Greek vases, Goya, Manet, Lichtenstein, the study of an Italian Renaissance prince, historic ships which carried the trade of the city ……..just some of the treasures in museums ranging from the palatial Fifth Avenue home of a robber-baron to a modernist masterpiece to (most unexpected of all!) a cluster of medieval monasteries.
Pricing
This tour is offered WITHOUT flights and on a “land arrangement only” basis. If there is enough interest, flights will be added at a later date or you can book your own but please don’t do so until we are sure the trip will go ahead. For further information, contact Mary Bromley on 0770 288 7383 or write to [email protected]
Based on 15 participants and strictly limited
Price per person for single occupancy of a room £5,250.00
Price per person for double occupancy of a room £4,200.00
Price without accommodation or flights (visits programme and included meals only) £2,650.00
The price includes:
6 nights room only accommodation at the Yale Club
Lecturing by Nicole Mezey throughout
Services of a local guide whilst in New York
Coach transport to and from the airport
Coaching for a full day visit to Brooklyn
Coaching to The Cloisters Museum
Subway Pass for the duration of your stay
2 dinners
1 lunch
All entrance charges to visits as per the itinerary
Vox headsets
Gratuities
The price does not include:
Flights
Please do not book your own flight until we are sure that the tour will go ahead. For further information, contact Mary Bromley on 0770 288 7383 or write to [email protected]
Breakfasts (Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Lunches (Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Dinners (Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
Teas or coffees during any mid-morning/mid-afternoon breaks
Refreshments
Any incidental and personal expenditure (laundry/telephone etc)
Taxis or other transport not specified
Personal insurance
YOUR LECTURER
Nicole Mezey
Nicole studied at the Universities of Sussex, York and Paris before becoming Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University, Belfast, where she established the Department of Art History and worked extensively with adult students on part-time degrees and Open Learning programmes. Nicole is currently a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society, the National Museum of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University and the National Trust. Her publications focus on adult education and the arts. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
YOUR HOTEL
The Yale Club of New York
50 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017, United State of America
5* https://www.yaleclubnyc.org
The club is located at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, at the intersection of East 44th Street, across Vanderbilt Avenue from Grand Central Terminal and the MetLife Building. The 22-story clubhouse contains three dining spaces (the “Tap Room,” the “Grill Room,” and the Roof Dining Room and Terrace) four bars (in the Tap Room, Grill Room, Main Lounge, and on the Roof Terrace) banquet rooms for up to 500 people (including the 20th-floor Grand Ballroom), 138 guest rooms, a library, a fitness and squash centre with three international squash courts and a swimming pool, and a barber shop, among other amenities. The heart of the clubhouse is the main lounge, a large room with a high, ornate ceiling and large columns and walls lined with fireplaces and portraits of the five Yale-educated United States presidents, all of whom are or were members of the Yale Club: William Howard Taft, Gerald R. Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
DAY 1 12 APRIL 2026
LONDON/NEW YORK
Flight arrangements to be confirmed in due course
On arrival transfer by coach to the Yale Club in central Midtown and check in for 6 nights’ accommodation on a room only basis.
At leisure in The Yale Club
Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 2 13 APRIL 2026
BATTERY PARK AND ELLIS ISLAND
Meet your local guide and travel by subway to Battery Park for a harbour cruise including the Statue of Liberty and a visit to Ellis Island, symbol of America’s immigrant population. The museum tells the poignant story of 12 million people who landed here.
Return to port, with time at leisure for lunch.
Walk or take subway to area of North Cove, Irish Hunger Memorial, and Sept 11th Memorial.
Return to hotel by subway.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 3 14 APRIL 2026
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
Travel by subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In the morning, we will visit the European painting galleries, including works by Velasquez, Breughel, Rembrandt, Vermeer and an unparalleled collection of works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists.
Lunch at leisure
We meet after lunch to discover some of the other highlights, including complete reconstructed period rooms from France, Italy and England, the ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur, sculpture and works by Americans such as John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt.
Return to Club by subway.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 4 15 APRIL 2026
BROOKLYN MUSEUM & WILLIAMSBURG
By coach to the Brooklyn Museum.
Housed in a landmark building in the heart of Brooklyn, this is one of the oldest and most encyclopaedic of collections in the US. The highlight of the visit is one of the most important works of the 20th century, Judy Chicago’s installation, The Dinner Party, a celebration in textiles and ceramics of the lives and achievements of women, from the Primordial Goddess to Georgia O’Keefe.
Lunch at leisure
We continue to Williamsburg, one of Brooklyn’s most fascinating and culturally diverse neighbourhoods, where there will be a guided walking tour around the historical landmarks, colourful street art and the spectacular views of the Manhattan Skyline.
Return to Club by coach.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 5 16 APRIL 2026
FRICK COLLECTION AND GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
Subway travel to the Frick Collection, cited by so many as their favourite museum of all. Housed in the vast Fifth Avenue home of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, this is his exceptional collection of paintings and decorative art, intended as a memorial to himself and bequeathed to the nation, offering a sense of the opulent life-style of a robber-baron during the Gilded Age. Recently refurbished, the collection has been reorganised to show to best advantage masterpieces by Vermeer, Holbein, Bellini, Boucher and Constable, among others.
Lunch at leisure
We continue, either on foot or by subway, to the Guggenheim Museum. The building itself is a masterpiece by Frank Lloyd Wright, and houses a collection of modern art including Leger, Chagall, Kandinsky and Modigliani. The top floor sculpture gallery commands a magnificent view of Fifth Avenue and Central Park.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 6 17 APRIL 2026
TENEMENT MUSEUM, SEAPORT DISTRICT, SOUTH STREET MUSEUM AND BROOKLYN BRIDGE
By subway to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, where the experience of C19th and C20th immigrants is brought to life through a guided tour of this historic building
By subway to the Seaport District, for Lunch at leisure
Established as a port for the Dutch West India Company in the 17th century, the area remained a commercial hub until the 1970’s and is today vibrant with restaurants, shops, cultural sites and the South Street Seaport Museum. The museum includes an extensive collection of maritime art and artifacts and includes admission to the historic ships moored by the pier. Enjoy a drink with a prime view of Brooklyn Bridge!
Return to the Club on public transport.
Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 7 18 APRIL 2026
CLOISTERS MUSEUM
Check out from the Yale Club.
Travel by coach to the Cloisters Museum, a cluster of 5 medieval monasteries, dismantled and reassembled here, all of which, and the core of the collection, were given to the Metropolitan Museum by John D Rockefeller. The whole is a unique immersive experience, in which we will wander past tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass and panel paintings, including Robert Campin’s Mérode Altarpiece, before emerging into gardens overlooking the Hudson River.
Farewell Lunch in a local restaurant/diner prior to returning to the airport for an early evening flight to London.
DAY 8 19 APRIL 2026
Arrive London
Booking Information
For further information:
Contact: Mary Bromley
Telephone: 0770 288 7383
Email: [email protected]
Write: The Course, 105 William Court, 6 Hall Road, London NW8 9PB
This tour is organised by Heritage Group Travel who are responsible for all the arrangements. Please refer to Heritage Group Travel Booking Terms and Conditions which can be sent upon request. The Company holds ABTOT number 5093 and AITO licence number 5060 for your protection. This itinerary is subject to change should local conditions or unexpected restrictions occur. As the tour is arranged many months in advance visits may be subject to amendment.
