I took a private NYC tour in a vintage 1933 Buick with startup Nowaday and I saw a different side of the city
Nowaday's vintage car team is located in Detroit, although the cars come from all around the country.
It purchases its cars from private collectors and dealership auctions.
All of the vehicles have been restored and "extensively tested" before they are sent to New York for the tours, according to Getto.
"We obviously maintained the vintage exterior, but there are things like heat and AC sound and stereo system, things for comfort and safety, that we've done," Getto said.
The tour starts at Central Park, across the street from the JW Marriott Essex House.
There, four Nowaday cars were parked, including a tan 1928 Ford Model A.
A navy blue 1932 Ford Model B.
A maroon and silver 1931 Chrysler Model 70.
And a black 1933 Buick Sedan.
While I was there, I noticed people walking by were also admiring the vintage vehicles and photographing them with their phones.
"People are just not used to seeing these on the road, right?" Getto later elaborated. "You either think of a movie shoot going on or you've only ever seen a photo of it. So people just lose their minds."
Finally, it was my turn to begin my hour-long New York City tour in the 1933 Buick Sedan.
Before we started, Josh, my tour guide and driver, gave me fake pearl necklaces to wear to further add to the 1920's jazzy, glitzy, Gatsby-esque theme.
The first landmark on the tour was One57, nicknamed "The Billionaire Building." It's also where Michael Dell, the founder of the eponymous computer technology company, resides. He purchased his One57 home for over $100 million, making it the most expensive penthouse ever sold in New York City.
Source: PBS, Business Insider
Josh also pointed out Carnegie Hall across the street, mentioning tidbits such as its conception in 1898 and current use as a concert and school graduation hall.
I asked him how long it took to memorize these facts. "Why, I grew up during that time," he responded, staying in his 1920's character.
Up next was Times Square, a tourist’s dream and a local’s nightmare.
But before we reached Times Square, a woman scrambled up to the car while we were mid-tour and parked at a red light to tell us how much she enjoyed seeing the car on the road.
"So it's very common for the onlookers to be scrambling to get their phones out and get their shot [of the cars]," Getto said. And she was right. Throughout our trip, I saw many onlookers and pedestrians taking their phones and cameras out to snap a photo of the vintage car with us inside.
I knew we started getting closer to Times Square when Josh began rattling off more Times Square facts, explaining the history of the area and its brothel-laden past that was put to an end when former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the NYPD cracked down.
We then circled by Bryant Park and its Winter Village and learned a very important lesson about the park: it's privately funded, which means it has "the best public restroom," according to Josh.
Our tour then passed by the New York Public Library and down Fifth Avenue before driving by the Empire State Building, which I learned was built in 414 days, thanks to Josh's commentary.
However, because the Empire State was too tall, and the car too short, I was unable to grab a photo of it, which I found to be an expected but recurring issue throughout the tour.
Along the way, we caravanned with several other Nowaday cars, including the navy blue 1932 Ford Model B…
...and maroon and silver 1931 Chrysler Model 70.
We then cruised by Madison Square Park, where Josh's self-proclaimed favorite restaurant first opened: Shake Shack, a fact I didn't know despite living quite close to the park.
He also pointed out Eataly across the street, speaking highly of the Italian marketplace and restaurant collection's fresh pasta and cheese...
...and noted Flatiron across the street, although it's currently blanketed under scaffolding.
We then maneuvered around Grand Central Terminal, where I learned that the south side of the station holds a Cornelius Vanderbilt statue to honor the iconic shipping and railway magnate.
And although we didn't go inside the Terminal, Josh elaborated on the Grand Central station celestial mural that was once forgotten and hidden because of a buildup of indoor cigarette smoke residue.
He also explained the bumps we were driving over while passing Grand Central Terminal. The flexible expansion joints — or as he called them, "rubber joints" — were placed on the roads so they don't collapse as the train moves by underneath.
I was also given chocolate taffy during the ride for answering Josh's trivia questions about the city.
One of my favorite facts that I learned was why New York taxi cabs have their signature bright yellow color.
According to Josh, there was once a lawsuit between two people: a man who owned a taxi company and claimed he made all of the taxis yellow because it was his wife's favorite color, and a man at the University of Chicago who did a study and found that the color yellow was easy to spot from far away, hence why they colored the taxis its bright hue. Although Josh claims they are both true stories, the University of Chicago man won the lawsuit.
We then drove down the Diamond District. Josh informed me that 90% of all diamonds that enter the US pass through New York and most gothrough this block, and I've since rattled this fact off to multiple people.
We then hit Sixth Avenue — otherwise known as “Avenue of the Americas,” a title that the former Mayor of New York City Fiorello H. LaGuardia gave the avenue in hopes that it would encourage more international business — and Radio City Music Hall.
And, after an hour of driving around Midtown and receiving a deep-dive into the sights, we found ourselves parked in front of south Central Park once again.
But the tour didn't end until Josh quizzed me on my park knowledge: apparently, the "big giant rocks" throughout Central Park are the only items in the park that were not added by the builders, and the permits for the food carts lined up around Central Park cost $300,000.
Overall, the tour was fun, even as a local. I learned more about the city than I ever have, and it was all presented in a fun, playful manner by my knowledgeable tour guide.
However, if you’re looking for a tour that will allow you to snap photos of the city, this might not be the one for you. Because the buildings are tall, and the car obviously small, I was unable to grab photos of certain buildings.
Regardless, it was a unique way to experience the bustling city.
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