Private Walking Tour in the Lower East Side with rooftop access

Meet your NYC-licensed guide in front of Economy Candy, on the corner now known as Morris 'Moishe' Cohen Way — honoring the founder of NYC's oldest candy shop. The perfect starting point to dive into the roots of the Lower East Side. Arrive 15 minutes early if you'd like to browse their selection of hundreds of candies from around the world!(10 min)

Get ready for a vibrant mural tribute to the Beastie Boys, created by artist Danielle Mastrion in the very neighborhood where the trio grew up. It's one of the Lower East Side's most beloved pieces of street art — and a can't-miss photo moment on your tour.(10 min)

Did you know that the Lower East Side is celebrating the photobooth — a New York invention with roots dating back a century, right here in Manhattan!(pass by)

By the turn of the 20th century, this part of the Lower East Side was the most densely populated place on Earth. Every wave of immigration left something behind — bagels, synagogues, the Henry Street Settlement — and you'll hear the story of the Moore family at 97 Orchard Street, and how Irish immigrants helped shape the neighborhood(10 min)

Along the way, you'll spot murals by legends like Hektad, Kobra, and Kenny Scharf, stumble upon a Soviet-era Lenin statue hiding in plain sight on a rooftop, and pass a boutique hotel hidden down a graffiti-covered alley that curates its own rotating street art collection — and that's only scratching the surface.(20 min)

Next, we'll step into Essex Market — the neighborhood's historic covered market, given a stunning revamp in 2019. There, you'll taste a sample smoked salmon, a Jewish culinary tradition that has flavored the Lower East Side for generations.(15 min)

Discover a community garden curated by a local art director since 2008, who invites street artists from around the world to transform its walls with ever-changing murals.(15 min)

Our last stop takes you to one of Manhattan's most iconic street art alleys — raw, uncurated, and covered in decades of stickers and pasteups. Add your own sticker to the wall using supplies provided by your guide. Then head to a nearby building for the opposite experience: a fully curated collection of 21 murals spanning a 20-story stairwell.(30 min)

Your guide will get you access to a rooftop with wide views over the city — since the Lower East Side has no skyscrapers of its own, nothing blocks the skyline beyond. Your guide will stay with you for 30 minutes, though you're welcome to stay longer on your own. Any drinks ordered on the rooftop are not included and are at your own cost(30 min)