NEW YORK SCAVENGER HUNTS
Ready for team-building with a dash of culture? On each of our scavenger hunts, you decipher clues to answer tricky, funny questions about the places you visit and things you find. Our hunts have been acclaimed by the New York Times, ABC News, the Washington Post, Citysearch, Time Out New York, Daily Candy, Newsday and numerous other media outlets. More than 80,000 hunters have gone our scavenger hunts from more than 200 prestigious companies, not to mention trade associations, social groups, alumni groups, bachelorettes, school groups and more. For details on how the hunts work, and to see our rave reviews and prestigious clients, visit the Private Hunts page. Our New York area locations include...
NEW YORK MUSEUM AND OTHER INDOOR HUNTS
American Museum of Natural History
Brooklyn Museum
Ellis Island
Grand Central Terminal
The Jewish Museum
Madame Tussauds
Metropolitan Museum of Art, including the acclaimed Murder at the Met Hunt
Museum of Modern Art
Museums of Lower Manhattan
Queens Museum of Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
NEW YORK OUTDOOR HUNTS
Bronx Zoo
Brooklyn Heights
Central Park
Chelsea
Chinatown and Little Italy
Citywide “Conquer New York” Hunts
Columbia University / Morningside Heights
East Village
Gourmet on the Go Hunts
Gramercy Park, Union Square and Madison Square Park
Greenwich Village, including the Ghosts of Greenwich Village Hunt and a gourmet hunt
Lower East Side
Meatpacking District
Midtown Manhattan
The Sex and the City Hunts
Starring Manhattan: TV & Movie Locations Hunts
Wall Street and Battery Park
LONG ISLAND HUNTS
The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Old Bethpage Restoration and More
ALBANY SCAVENGER HUNTS
The New York State Museum and the Albany Institute of History and Art
SPECIAL EDITIONS
The Anywhere Hunt and the Grab-’n’-Go Classic Scavenger Hunt
Limousine Hunts
Bachelorette Hunts
Hunts for Kids
More New York City Area Hunt Options
Print Out Our Tri-State Area Brochure
Contact Us
Try a Public Hunt, See Our New York Newsletter
NEW YORK OUTDOOR SCAVENGER HUNTS
The Bronx Zoo: The Wild Wildlife Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
When was the last time you went to the zoo? It’s high time to return to one of the world’s preeminent centers for wildlife conservation. One minute you’re inside a tropical rain forest; the next, you’re peering across the African savannah. From the Mouse House to the Monkey House, from toucans in the World of Birds to bats in the World of Darkness, it’s a safari you won’t soon forget. You’ll search for answers to such questions as...
• Find the only non-primate in the Monkey House, which may remind you of a sound you make with a baby. What does it get from monkeys? Answer: The acouchi gets fruit, dropped from trees by monkeys.
• In Africa, who has more cervical bones in the neck, you or a giraffe? They’re equal—trick question!
• In the Jungle World building, what fish would probably hook your tongue and sting your fillings if you bit down on it? The tinfoil barb fish.
We offer 90-minute and two-hour hunts at the zoo, in editions for adults and for kids. On the optional Photo Safari edition, we give each team a Polaroid camera and challenge you to take creative Team Photos. You get to keep the pictures as a souvenir! We can easily accommodate large groups at the zoo—we staged a hunt for more than 150 employees of American Express here. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Brooklyn Heights: Historic Homes, Quaint Streets, Sweeping Skyline Views,
Writers and Movie Stars
Recommended by the New York Times
One of the most beautiful neighborhoods in New York City, Brooklyn Heights is a largely intact 19th-century enclave of scenic streets and great views. You’ll discover beautiful brownstones in a variety of styles, including ones that have been home to authors Truman Capote, Thomas Wolfe, Arthur Miller, Henry Miller, Carson McCullers and Norman Mailer. You’ll recognize locations from TV shows like NYPD Blue and Law & Order, and such films as Prizzi’s Honor and Moonstruck. And best of all, you’ll enjoy one of the most spectacular views in the city, from the Brooklyn Heights Esplanade. You’ll search for answers to such questions as...
• Find a house of slaphappy suitors. Outside of the clubhouse, who first fooled clubmen with a flick of his wrist? Answer: Creighton, who invented the curveball and lived in a house that was once the Jolly Young Bachelors Clubhouse, according to a plaque outside the building.
• Visit a church that was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was built for the charismatic abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain came to hear him preach. But what’s the real rock star here? A piece of Plymouth Rock is at Plymouth Church.
We have 90-minute and two-hour versions of the Heights Hunt, and you can add Team Photo Questions. The hunt can also include the nearby New York Transit Museum, with its collection of antique subway cars in a former station. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Central Park: Different Scavenger Hunts to Explore the Park’s
Different Faces and Places
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
The historic park has as many distinct places and personalities as the city itself. It’s a great hunt location if you want to feel like you’re getting away from the city for a few hours. We offer two editions of our hunts in the park: On the Classic edition, you’ll uncover the secrets of places below 72nd Street, such as the Pond and the Lake, the Nature Sanctuary, the Carousel, the Sheep Meadow, Strawberry Fields, Bethesda Fountain...and Balto the Wonder Dog. The West Side edition takes you on a quest to explore the west side of the park between 67th and 81st Streets, including the Ramble (including a stone bridge), Belvedere Castle, Shakespeare Garden and the Great Lawn, as well as Strawberry Fields, the Sheep Meadow and Bethesda Fountain.
Along the way, you’ll discover the answers to such questions as...
• Near the edge of the Lake, which King is honored by a humble throne? (The answer may be behind a back.) Answer: Tennis legend Billie Jean King is honored with a plaque on a bench.
• From Shakespeare, follow a path that leads downhill through an arch. Visit a hero who had his own film and made a cameo with Will Smith in Six Degrees of Separation. If this hero saw your teammates go past in 1925, why would he like to get to know ’em? They could have helped Balto the dog in his race to deliver antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, a feat recognized by a statue.
• Follow the path known as the Mall. The park’s designers intended it to be the only straight path in the park. It’s a favorite location for movies and TV shows, including Kramer vs. Kramer (Dustin Hoffman sends his son to live with his mom here), Big Daddy (Adam Sandler plans to give up his “adopted” son here), Ransom and Sex and the City (Carrie went sledding here). What Americans are you asked to protect here? American Elms, some of the few to escape the elm blight that wiped out most of America’s elm trees. The park keeps a very watchful eye on them.
• If you’re on a park path, you’re almost always about 15 yards away from something reassuring—particularly because it bears a number that tells you the nearest cross street. Find this code near Gapstow Bridge. What two digits tell you what street you’re near here? The first two of four numbers on the nearby lampposts are 61, because you are near 61st Street.
We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of the park hunts, plus an edition for kids. You can add Team Photo Questions to heighten the fun and bring out creativity, plus the hunters get to keep a souvenir of the day. We can also include the Central Park Zoo on the hunt, for an additional fee to cover zoo admission. The Secrets of Central Park Hunts have been featured in Time Out New York and the New York Times, among other media outlets. You can also read testimonials from happy hunters. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
The Chelsea Chase Scavenger Hunt
Originally commissioned by the Rubin Art Museum, the Chelsea Chase Scavenger Hunt is a tour that takes in the many surprising faces of the neighborhood—the swank new stores in 19th-century cast-iron palaces, the quirky side-street emporia (including former carriage houses and a startling magic shop), places that served as sets for famous movies and TV shows, and the hidden history and haunts of famous New Yorkers, including Andy Warhol, Diddy, Al Pacino, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joni Mitchell, William Cullen Bryant and many more.
Highlights include a secret cemetery, restaurants and cafes featured on Sex and the City, legendary artist hangout the Chelsea Hotel, the place where Marcel Duchamp bought a bathroom fixture that rocked the art world, a bakery with amazing chocolates, the location of the club where Madonna danced in Desperately Seeking Susan, and the place where Janet Jackson bought the outfit that led to her infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction.
The questions don’t require any previous knowledge, but you must be standing in the right spot to find the answers. And of course you need good teamwork. You’ll tackle such questions as...
• The former church on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 20th Street was once the notorious nightclub Limelight. If you left the place today and looked to the heavens for guidance, Hugh’s name would you find? Answer: Hugh O’Neill, the name of a bygone department store, seen at the top of the building.
• On 23rd Street, David’s place was originally a YMCA. Its members included playwright Edward Albee, Andy Warhol and Al Pacino. The steam room hit in The Godfather was shot here. Another hit that this Y directly inspired was the song “YMCA.” If the Village People needed G strings, they could go to a place on the south side of the block. What song is sung in the window? Answer: “Mystery Train,” in a photo of a performance at Les Paul’s 81st birthday, in the window of a guitar store.
The Chelsea hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour versions. You can also add Team Photo Challenges for an additional charge. For more information, contact us.
Back to the top
Chinatown and Little Italy: The Gangsters’ New York Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
On our popular Gangsters’ New York Hunt, you’ll explore the streets where gangs ruled, Tongs waged war and wiseguys got rubbed out. You’ll see locations featured in such movies as The Godfather and visit the notorious Five Points spot that inspired the book and movie Gangs of New York. You might even find Jimmy Hoffa. You’ll learn that there was a gang called the Bowery Boys (and you’ll see their headquarters, where a riot began in 1857), but there was no Dead Rabbits gang (sorry, Leonardo). But you’ll learn much more than gangster lore—you’ll also discover cafes, bakeries, teahouses, colorful stores, exotic sidewalk markets, historic buildings, even movie and TV locations, including the street where Irving Berlin sang, Christopher Walken’s goons had a gunfight, and the Sex and the City gals strolled.
As you might expect, these neighborhoods aren’t keen on putting up plaques telling you about bygone gangsters, so our hunt’s questions are filled with historical notes and tales to paint a vivid picture of what went on in the old days. For example...
• In Little Italy, Mobster Joey Gallo was rubbed out at a restaurant that’s no longer there. He was shot inside, then he staggered outside and died in the middle of Hester Street. (As they say, “He ordered clams and got slugs.”) What word has been almost rubbed out on this corner today? (Hint: Think cement shoes—or at least cement and shoes.) Answer: Umberto’s, the name of the restaurant, was spelled out in the cement (under your shoes) at one corner. You can still see the ghostly, filled-in impression of the letters.
• In 1872 the New York Times called one building “a resort for the vilest type of low people.” Here, a thief shot and killed his lover, “a waitress in a low concert saloon,” because she went out with friends despite his objections. On the same block, a large green killer enjoys a cool treat (and so should you). What kind of factory does he work at? Answer: The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is marked by a large flag with a dragon eating ice cream. Stop in for some of the best ice cream in the city.
We’ve left out the directions that help guide you to the right location to answer these questions. Part of the thrill of this hunt is that the streets are narrow and twisting and often confusing to most visitors—but with our clues, directions and map, you’ll feel like a master navigator.
We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of this hunt. You can add Team Photo Questions to heighten the fun and bring out creativity, plus the hunters get to keep a souvenir of the day. We can also help you set up a post-hunt party or meal at one of the many fine restaurants in the area. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Citywide “Conquer New York” Scavenger Hunts
Would you like to taste the best of the Big Apple with one big bite? Then this is the hunt for you. It’s virtually our Watson Adventures Greatest Hits package, featuring the best locations and questions from all of our hunts—plus questions in cool places that other hunts never visit (and most visitors never discover). You can travel either by limousine or by mass transit (with very specific, helpful directions) as you tackle questions in dizzying Times Square, pastoral Central Park, mazelike Wall Street, exotic Chinatown, rambunctious Little Italy, historic and hoppin’ Greenwich Village, chic SoHo, the funky and punky East Village, elegant Gramercy Park, trendy TriBeCa, and more. Plus our questions are filled with historical tidbits that explain what you’re seeing and keep the journey interesting along the way. Consider these sample questions:
• At the start of Broadway, visit Bowling Green, the oldest park in the city. The fence is the oldest official landmark—and you can literally touch history when you feel the ragged tops of the fence posts, where crowns were hacked off during a riot in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was first read in the city. What once made the Green something to sneeze at? Answer: The rent due to England was originally one peppercorn per year, according to a sign.
• In the center of Times Square, face a song and dance man and stand over a grate to hear a weird, resonant, haunting hum. This unidentified sound is actually an installation by an artist. What person is named closest to this grate? (He’s the man responsible for bringing lighted billboards here and illuminating the tops of skyscrapers.) Answer: Douglas Leigh is named on a plaque near the strange sound, opposite a statue of George M. Cohan.
The more time you have, the more you’ll see—but we recommend a minimum of three hours. You can zero in on the parts of Manhattan you most want to see, or make your route contingent on where you’d like to start and end. Typically the hunts stay inside Manhattan, but if you have more time, you can discover some amazing places in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
But wait, there’s more! In addition to location questions such as these, every citywide hunt includes 10 intriguing trivia questions to challenge you while in transit. Here’s where a “lifeline” comes in handy: You can use any means available to solve the questions. Call a friend, stop a stranger, go online, dash into a bookstore, do whatever it takes to answer such questions as: What part of the city do Barbra Streisand, Jackie Robinson, Jimmy Smits, Mary Tyler Moore, Notorious B.I.G., Mel Brooks and Chris Rock have in common?
Versions for Visitors and Savvy New Yorkers
We have two versions of the Conquer New York Hunt: One for out-of-towners, with lots of clear, helpful directions to making navigating fun but not stressful, and a more challenging version for savvy New Yorkers.
Optional Team Photo Challenges
In addition to our usual questions, you can also add our popular Team Photo Challenges. Each team gets a Polaroid or digital camera and a series of challenges to capture your adventures in creative ways—and the photos become great souvenirs that can be shown on a screen at the end of the hunt. During one hunt, the teams were asked to take a team photo in front of a globe, with bonus points going to the team with the largest one. Guess where one team went to bag the largest globe? Click here to find out.
Special Edition: The Starring Manhattan TV & Movie Locations Hunt
This version takes you all over Manhattan—Hollywood’s biggest backlot—to discover places that have served as locations in dozens of movies and TV shows, ranging from the silent era to the latest blockbusters, and of course Seinfeld and Sex and the City. See the full description below.
Special Edition: The Munch Around Manhattan Scavenger Hunt
If you literally want to taste the best of the Big Apple, this hunt will take you to the city’s most unusual and exciting culinary highlights as you search for answers to tricky, humorous questions. Best of all, your team will also be challenged to find and taste delicious treats along the way, in such neighborhoods as Chinatown, Little Italy, the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, Chelsea and some places you’d never expect. Your quest may include pizza, pirogis, cannolis, chocolates, dim sum, gelato, exotic spices, mango chutney, and bialys, bagels and blintzes. Do you have dietary concerns? Don’t worry: The hunt is structured so that you have almost countless choices of things to eat and places to visit. The possibilities are only as limited as your appetite!
Contact us for more information about the citywide hunts and to let us help you find the best elements to suit your group.
Back to the top
Columbia University/Morningside Heights Scavenger Hunt:
Who Is Buried in Grant’s Tomb?
Originally commissioned by the Columbia Business School
You’ll finally discover the answer to that age-old trick question on a hunt that reveals the famous sites and hidden treasures of this unsung neighborhood. Highlights include Columbia University’s bucolic campus with its unusual statues and classic buildings; St. John the Divine, arguably the largest Gothic church in the world; the diner that starred on Seinfeld and inspired a hit song; Grant’s Tomb, with its fascinating tales and artifacts of the Civil War general and president, and the funky contemporary art in its outdoor plaza; Sakura Park, with its Asian influence and unexpected relation to the song “Taps”; an authentic Hungarian pastry shop; the majestic Riverside Church, gift of the Rockefellers; a hidden medieval garden; the site of a Revolutionary War battle; panoramic views of Morningside Park and Riverside Park; the home of the Manhattan Project, birthplace of the atomic age; George Carlin’s childhood home—the hits keep coming in a hunt that has something for everyone. You’ll discover the answers to such questions as...
• The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world—and it isn’t even finished. The interior is large enough to hold several jumbo jets. Outside, find the skyline in what seems like a scene out of a disaster movie (or an eerie foreshadowing). What looms over the city? Answer: A tidal wave, carved into a column.
• Visit the Low Memorial Library on the Columbia University campus. The front steps have starred in such movies such as Ghostbusters and Spider-Man 2. The Pulitzer Prizes are handed out in the rotunda each year. Outside, you might think that “Mom” has been snacking—after all, you can glimpse a snack food symbol beneath her. Who or what is this “wise guy”? Answer: In front of the library, the folds of the dress on the statue of Alma Mater conceal an owl, symbol of wisdom and Wise potato chips.
The hunt can accommodate groups large and small—for example, we originally staged this hunt for 200 members of the Columbia Business School. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
East Village: The Secrets of the East Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
Explore Manhattan’s most eccentric neighborhood and visit the homes and haunts of its famous residents, from peg-leg Dutchman Peter Stuyvesant to punk rock’s Ramones. Highlights include...
• The wild, eclectic stores and historic houses on St. Mark’s Place
• St. Mark’s Church, one of the oldest churches in Manhattan, final resting place of the 19th century rich and famous and a setting for the TV series Sex and the City
• The tenement that posed for the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti
• Indian Restaurant Row, the city’s highest concentration of such restaurants—though they’re actually mostly owned by people from Bangladesh
• The places where Butch Cassady, Lenny Bruce, Charlie Parker, Washington Irving, Iggy Pop, W.H. Auden, William Burroughs, Leon Trotsky, Madonna, Nirvana and other artists lived—or lived it up
• The Merchant’s House Museum, frozen in the late 1890s and, according to legend, haunted
• A mini Ukrainian community
• The remains of the late, great Fillmore East, where Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Allman Brothers Band and other acts gave legendary performances
• A church and a monument associated with the General Slocum disaster
• The hall where Abraham Lincoln gave the speech that launched him toward the White House
• Assorted movie and TV locations, such as the precinct house used for NYPD Blue and Kojak
Few Manhattan neighborhoods have as much variety—but you have to know where to look. We’ll show you, as you search for the answer to such questions as...
• Enter a triangle to visit Tom Thumb’s inventor. What did his wife add to his dessert? Answer: In front of Cooper Union a small triangular park features a statue of Peter Cooper, where you can learn that he invented Jell-O—but it was his wife’s idea to add fruit.
• Visit a pub that boasts, “We were here before you were born.” What stirred the sawdust in 1970? Answer: High heels, according to a headline in the window of McSorley’s, one of the city’s oldest bars—which didn’t admit women until 1970.
• Find a guy whose tombstone could be called “macaroni.” What year did he become a U.S. vice president? Answer: 1817, indicated on the tomb of Daniel Tompkins, which has a feather carved on it, in the graveyard of St. Mark’s Church
The hunt is available in two-hour and 90-minute editions. To spur additional creativity, you can opt to include our Team Photo Challenges. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Gourmet on the Go Hunts
You can literally taste victory on these hunts, which combine a Watson Adventures whirlwind tour of a neighborhood with stops for tastings led by City Food Tours at gourmet food shops and restaurants.
The Meatpacking District
In addition to answering our usual array of tricky questions, you’ll also make stops in a variety of gourmet food stores and restaurants and hear brief talks from gourmet guides while treating your taste buds to delicious samples.
Watson Adventures has teamed up with the experts at City Food Tours to create an adventure that is both informative and tasty. At Chelsea Market you’ll learn about and taste a variety of fresh foods and wines. From sampling crunchy, hand-shaped loaves of bread to sipping exotic wines from around the globe, you’ll discover the wide array of handmade treats this food mecca has to offer. Other possible tasting stops include decadent chocolate brownies, creamy ice cream and gelato, fine tea, savory seafood gumbo and other sweet treats.
Outside the market, you’ll discover more wonderful foods in the neighborhood. From Balducci’s showplace on Eighth Avenue to the neighborhood bakeries, you’ll nibble cookies, cheese and other exotic bites.
Union Square & Gramercy Park
If you like to munch on the run, this is the hunt for you. Watson Adventures has teamed up with the experts at City Food Tours to create an adventure that combines the colorful sights and sounds of the Union Square area with hands-on experiences with the savory tastes, scents and textures of its gourmet delights. In addition to our usual tricky hunt questions, you’ll also make special stops where guides tell you about gourmet delights and then treat you to tasty samples. Of course one highlight is the Greenmarket, with fresh produce from farms filling the plaza—but you must schedule the hunt on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday before 6 p.m. You’ll also explore the rich history of legendary restaurants and bars, plus discover trendy newcomers. And if you have a taste for chocolate, you’ll be in heaven: You’ll sample everything from rich hot chocolate to fresh, creamy gelato to fine French bonbons. You might even taste a chocolate empanada or some other exotic treat that this neighborhood has to offer. You’ll also learn how chocolate is made and how to tell the difference between brands.
Also available: The Munch Around Greenwich Village Hunt, in which hunters are challenged to purchase their favorite gourmet treats during a food-focused quest. Learn more.
The Gourmet on the Go Hunts hunts require two hours to allow time for the tastings and short talks. You can opt to include our Team Photo Challenges. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Gramercy Park, Union Square and Madison Square Park
A surprising number of presidents—and would-be presidents—have lived, worked, connived, cavorted and paraded in this neighborhood. In fact, many of New York’s most powerful, famous, talented and influential people considered this area the center of the world after the Civil War.
You’ll discover places associated with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Grover Cleveland, two men who lost the presidency (Horace “Go west, young man” Greeley and Samuel Tilden, who won the popular vote but lost the election), plus a host of other politicos.
You’ll visit James Cagney’s home, Andy Warhol’s Factory, Humphrey Bogart’s wedding place, movie locations used by Martin Scorcese and Woody Allen, and a bar where O. Henry wrote. Plus you’ll see where the Sex and the City girls sipped cocktails, Shaft took on a murder case, Spider-Man reported to work, Godzilla rampaged and meteorites announced Armageddon.
You’ll tackle such questions as...
• The namesake for Irving Place and the nearby high school supposedly lived in a house at Irving and 17th Street —but there’s no actual proof of that. Who’s always chased by Jack? Answer: A plaque honoring Washington Irving includes Ichabod Crane, chased by the Headless Horseman, who brandishes a jack-o’-lantern.
• The National Arts Club occupies the former mansion of Samuel J. Tilden, who in 1876 became the first presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the election—in his case, to Rutherford B. Hayes. In more recent years, the house appears in the movies Age of Innocence and Manhattan Murder Mystery. The man who founded the Players Club next door, actor Edwin Booth (that’s him as Hamlet in the middle of Gramercy Park), was the brother of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. But what writer gets top billing outside the National Arts Club? Answer: Shakespeare appears at the top left of a relief with the heads of famous writers on the facade of the club.
This hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour editions. For additional fun, you can add Team Photo Challenges, in which we lend each team a digital camera.
Also available in the Union Square area: The Gourmet on the Go Hunt, featuring stops at gourmet shops and restaurants for food tastings. Learn more.
Contact us for more information about Union Square area hunts.
Back to the top
Greenwich Village: Secrets, Ghosts, Movies, Munching, Murder and More
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York and New York Magazine
New York’s original bohemian enclave is also steeped in history. Discover the city’s oldest houses on twisty streets, the majestic mansions and churches of Fifth Avenue, the funky clubs and cappuccino joints around New York University, and the eclectic stores and odd pockets of the West Village. You’ll investigate...
• A treasure trove of antique toys and presidential documents
• The scene of the legendary Triangle Factory Fire
• A former poet laureate’s house that blew up when it harbored a terrorist bomb factory
• The homes and haunts of Mark Twain, Thomas Paine, e.e. cummings, Edna St. Vincent Millay, O. Henry, Washington Irving, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Wright, Willa Cather, Saul Bellow, Caleb Caar, Henry James, Louisa May Alcott and many other writers and artists.
• A former courthouse where Harry Thaw was tried for the murder of Stanford White, a sordid tale that became the basis for Ragtime
• Locations used in Sex and the City, When Harry Met Sally..., Spider-Man 2, Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy and Little Nicky, Serpico, Barefoot in the Park, The Hours, The Brothers McMullen and many more
• The narrowest house in Village (if not the city), next to the oldest house
• Two secret cemeteries
• Bob Dylan’s onetime home
• A former speakeasy with a secret entrance
We’ll give you plenty of directions, clues and hints to guide you through the Village to uncover the answers to such questions as...
• The exterior of an apartment building in the West Village posed as the home of TV’s Friends gang. Monica could work at two places here. Judging by its name, in which one would you be more likely to find a hair in your food? Answer: Moustache, which is actually an excellent place for Middle Eastern food.
• From the Ghosts of Greenwich Village edition: At a place for resurrection, it’s said that a mural by artist John LaFarge fell off the wall the moment he died—and that he went on to haunt his house down the street. And a president whose Virginia home was (and still is) haunted by the Gray Lady did something here (but not with an intern). He was 54, and the first president to do this. What did he do here? John Tyler got married at the Church of the Ascension, according to a sign outside. He was the first president to marry while in office.
• Edgar Allen Poe got treated for a cold at a building that has two sides on one street and two streets on one side. What is its name? The triangular Northern Dispensary, whose northwestern side faces a fork in Christopher and Grove Streets, and whose other two sides face Waverly Place and a short spur of Waverly. (Don’t worry, it would be clear when you were standing in the right location—which is true of all of our questions.)
There are five different Greenwich Village hunts to choose from:
The Secrets of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt: Our classic, original and most popular hunt. You’ll sample the whole smorgasbord—historic places, famous people, movie locations, nooks and crannies, and more.
The “Starring Greenwich Village” TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt: This takes you to numerous places, both famous and obscure, that have taken a star turn on-screen.
The Ghosts of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt: You’ll explore places in the Village that are said to be haunted or are associated with such dastardly deeds that you’ll think they must be haunted. You’ll learn the spooky tales of early 19th-century buildings, secret cemeteries, Mark Twain, Patrolman Schwartz, Aaron Burr, the Hangman’s Elm and a haunted speakeasy, to name a few. Of course, we recommend doing this hunt at night, when your team will set forth armed only with a flashlight....
The Munch Around the Village Scavenger Hunt: We send you on a culinary quest to discover the best restaurants, cafes, bars, food stores and more, answering questions and collecting tasty treats along the way. Starring cannolis, paratha, pizza, exotic cheeses, chocolate, croissants, gelato, kebab and more.
The Lincoln Conspiracy Scavenger Hunt: It’s a game with a story line—you’ll use historic photos of Greenwich Village and the East Village to find where the photographers stood, see how the city has changed, and gather clues to track down time-traveling John Wilkes Booth. Can you stop him before he gets to candidate Abe Lincoln, who is in New York to deliver the speech that will win him the Republican nomination?
Any of these hunts can be done in two hours or 90 minutes, although for the Munch Hunt we recommend two and a half hours. For extra fun, you can add Team Photo Challenges, in which we provide each team with digital camera and give you the task of taking creative team pictures in unusual locations. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Lower East Side: The Pastrami & Wry Hunt
You’ll discover trendy new cafes, bars and stores that are side-by-side with traditional eateries associated with the neighborhood’s Jewish heyday, such as Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, Yonah Schimmel’s Knishery and Guss’ Pickles, with cameos by Moby, Talking Heads and the Beastie Boys. You better catch this neighborhood while you can—before your eyes, you’ll see history vanishing as the neighborhood is gentrified. Right now is an amazing time to catch the transition. You’ll see old synagogues that have become artists’ studios and art galleries, a sleek new luxury hotel across the street from the legendary Economy Candy store, old tenements with splashy new murals by rising artists, and a spinoff of a trendy bakery that has taken over the former home of Schapiro’s Kosher Wines.
• At Katz’s Deli, Johnny Depp met his FBI contact in Donnie Brasco, and Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal had an ecstatic meal in When Harry Met Sally…. If you sat where Meg sat, what does the restaurant hope? Answer: “Hope you had what she had” says a sign over the table.
• Go to the corner of Rivington and Norfolk. Down the block you can see the logo of Streit’s Matzoh, on the building that was formerly its factory. That’s old school; at this intersection stands the ultimate in new school, Schiller’s Liquor Bar, the hottest bar in the neighborhood. (Vying for the honor, nearby on Norfolk, is a club called The Back Room, owned by actor Tim Robbins. Its alleyway entrance recalls the era of speakeasies, back when gangster Meyer Lansky laid low there.) Scan the skyline for a man who seems to be hailing a taxi. If it’s 3:06 for him, what time is it for you? Answer: 10:06; on a building with statue of Soviet leader Lenin standing (inexplicably) on the roof, there’s a large clock with jumbled numbers—a 3 is where the 10 should be.
We have 90-minute and two-hour versions of this hunt, and there’s also a special edition for teens. Another special edition stresses Jewish history. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
The Meatpacking District: The Wild West Manhattan Scavenger Hunt
Discover this exciting, trendy “new” neighborhood on a hunt that reveals the best of its chic sights, buzzing sounds, rough-and-tumble textures, savory tastes and enticing aromas. The full hunt features not just the transforming-before-your-eyes Meatpacking District but also a bit of Chelsea and some of the West Village. Highlights include...
• Chelsea Market, a former Nabisco factory and birthplace of the Oreo, now a trendy gourmet mecca where you won’t be able to resist picking up a quick treat
•Numerous glitzy new restaurants, bistros, hotels and designer stores
• A hotel that took in many of the survivors from the Titanic after they first set foot back on land at a nearby pier
• A former stable built by the Astors for their racehorses, now home to posh restaurants such as Pastis
• Florent, a diner that once catered to the workers in the Meatpacking District and now a hip place featured in movies and a favorite of the likes of Scarlett Johansson
• Gansevoort Street, where author Herman Melville once worked and a setting for the Scorcese movie Bringing Out the Dead
• Lotus, home of a giant Buddha and favorite party place of Beyoncé and Jay-Z
• The local headquarters of Major League Baseball, the Food Network and NY1
• The Little Flatiron Building, featured in Serpico, Fatal Attraction and The Hours
• Various locations featured on Sex and the City, ranging from the exclusive Soho House to Aidan’s furniture store
• The site where Alexander Hamilton died after being shot in a dual by Vice President Aaron Burr
• John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s home before they moved to the Dakota
• Glimpses of the High Line, an abandoned elevated railway that is being transformed into a new park, one of Manhattan’s most remarkable urban oases
• A variety of other sites associated with Vin Diesel, Diane Arbus, Rod Steiger, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon, Faye Dunaway, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, Al Pacino, Christopher Reeve, Bette Midler, Eva Marie Saint, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Vonnegut, Walker Evans, ‘Shaft,’ John Cheever, Todd Rundgren, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kate Bosworth, the Olsen twins, Nicole Kidman, Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Bill Murray, Annie Leibovitz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Clapton and the 19th-century Hudson Dusters gang.
• Find Soho House, a private club for such members as Nicole Kidman and Adam Sandler. Sex in the City’s Carrie and friends relaxed beside the rooftop pool. Within your view outside, what’s one thing they probably weren’t talking about? (It’s also the name of a John Cusack movie.) Answer: High fidelity, mentioned in an old ad painted on a nearby wall.
• Back in 1910 the Hotel Riverview was the American Seamen’s Friend Society Institute, where some survivors of the Titanic disaster were taken after the rescue ship Carpathia docked nearby. If you were treading water here, what might scare you away from the life preservers? Answer: Sea monsters, on the facade facing the Hudson.
• Visit Chelsea Market. From 1898 to 1958 this building was the home of Nabisco. The Oreo cookie was born here. Pass the home of the Food Network. Pass a waterfall and and baseball bats that mark offices of Major League Baseball. Find a bank that deposits people. What does it mean when you get the green here? Answer: The unusual decorations around a bank of elevators includes an actual traffic light; when an elevator arrives, it turns green.
This hunt is available in two-hour and 90-minute editions. For inspiring additional creativity, you can also add Team Photo Challenges, in which each team gets a digital camera and a series of unusual photo ops they must capture, with everyone on the team in each picture. (You keep all the photos as a record of your adventure.) Also available: The Gourmet on the Go Hunt, featuring stops for food tastings in gourmet shops and restaurants.
Contact us for more information about hunts in the Meatpacking District.
Back to the top
Midtown Manhattan Scavenger Hunts:
The Grand Central Scramble, the 42nd Street Shuffle and the Midtown Madness Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
You will be amazed at the variety of cool, fascinating places and sights we’ll take you to in Midtown. Did you know that there’s a section of the Berlin Wall in Midtown? Free exhibits of ancient Greek and Austrian art? An unmarked sound sculpture in the middle of Times Square? A Whispering Gallery in Grand Central? You may have worked in Midtown for years and have easily missed the treasures we’ll show you. We have several versions you can choose from:
The Grand Central Scramble Scavenger Hunt: If you’re worried about bad weather, this is a safer choice. The hunt offers our most in-depth exploration of Grand Central Terminal, including the Whispering Gallery, the Transit Gallery, the Oyster Bar, the constellation ceiling, a private apartment that became a bar, and other secret spots and sights. Plus, thanks to a variety of indoor halls and lobbies, we’ll take you on an excursion that includes the Waldorf-Astoria, the landmark Vuillard Houses, a hotel associated with The French Connection, the only remaining sign of the once-famous Biltmore Hotel and more.
• Sample Question: In Grand Central, follow a ramp down to the doors of a place where mollusks get drunk. In front of the doors is the Whispering Gallery: If you talk facing any corner, someone at the opposite corner can hear you. But if you try this, people will think you’re nuts. What kind of nuts, judging from the kind closest to you? (They’re a symbol of the Vanderbilts, who owned the railroad when the terminal was built.) Answer: Acorns, in a decoration outside the Oyster Bar.
The 42nd Street Shuffle Scavenger Hunt: Perhaps no street in the city has as colorful and fascinating a history as 42nd Street. Our classic Midtown hunt centers on this thoroughfare, taking hunters from the landmark Daily News building (seen as the headquarters of The Daily Planet in the Superman movies) to exuberant Times Square. Hunters will discover the secrets of Grand Central, visit the scene of the famous Algonquin Round Table, hunt for clues in the eye-popping 42nd Street Library, find a dinosaur and a time capsule in Times Square, and more.
• Sample Question: Near the Belasco Theater on 44th Street, two signs in ironic juxtaposition bear bad news for your wallet. What six initials describe those two signs? Answer: IRS and NDC—an entrance to the IRS is next to the National Debt Clock.
The Midtown Madness Scavenger Hunt: Featuring the core sites in the core of Midtown, from 42nd Street to 53rd, centering on Fifth Avenue. Sure, you’ll get a taste of the famous locations—Times Square, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral—but you’ll also discover TV & movie locations, hidden historic spots, tastes of foreign lands and much more.
• Sample Question: In Rockefeller Center, go beneath a bearded naked man holding a compass. You’ll come face-to-face with a mural that replaced one by Diego Rivera, whose work included an image of Russian Communist leader Lenin. The Rockefellers objected and had the mural destroyed. (The incident is dramatized in the movie Cradle Will Rock and mentioned in Frida.) In the mural you can see, what bearded guy makes a nonsensical cameo? Answer: Lincoln, who appears at the Rockefeller Center construction site. The bearded man with the compass is above the entrance to the GE Building.
The Starring Midtown TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunts: This hunt comes in two versions, focusing on Midtown east and west, and taking you to places used for scenes in such shows as Sex and the City, The Late Show With David Letterman, Seinfeld, The Today Show, Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live, and such movies as Spider-Man, Vanilla Sky, Private Parts, Arthur, Sweet Smell of Success, Scent of a Woman, Ghostbusters, numerous Woody Allen movies and more. Available in East Side and West Side editions.
• Sample Question: On 52nd between Fifth and Sixth, a 1991 building honoring big figures associated with TV and radio stands beside an 1872 building honoring small figures associated with movies—including All About Eve, Wall Street, Metropolitan and Manhattan Murder Mystery. At this former speakeasy, Burt Lancaster enjoyed the Sweet Smell of Success, Sex and the City’s Mr. Big told Carrie he was going to have heart surgery, and George Clooney interrupted Michelle Pfeiffer’s business lunch in One Fine Day. A rhyme star out front might soon have one very bad day, especially if these men are tending all the king’s horses. Which James wears the seemingly jinxed shirt? Answer: James Stone, the name on the base of the lawn jockey whose shirt features an image of Humpty Dumpty, outside the 21 Club, next door to the Museum of Television and Radio.
The Midtown Holiday Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt: This special edition of the Movie Locations Hunt, offered in December, includes many of the best, most beloved holiday spots in Midtown and the movies that have featured them, including the Rockefeller Center tree, the window displays of Saks and other stores, and the train show and laser lights in Grand Central.
Contact us for more information about the Midtown hunts.
Back to the top
The Sex and the City Scavenger Hunts
• Midtown edition: Follow in the Manolo-clad footsteps of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda as you visit hot spots that have been featured in the HBO series while answering Sex and the City trivia. Highlights include stores (Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Bergdorf Goodman, Hermes), restaurants (Tao, Remi, Brasserie 8 1/2), bars (the Monkey Bar, the late, great Oak Room) and more.
• Greenwich Village edition: Follow the Sex and the City gals as you visit stores, restaurants, and other places that served as locations on the show. Less glitzy than the Midtown hunt, this edition takes you to a surprising number of more informal and funky places. Highlights include Magnolia Bakery, the restaurant where Samantha threw a drink in Richard’s face, the garden where Miranda got married, the pet shop where Charlotte discovered that Elizabeth Taylor was pregnant, the park bench where Steve revealed he’d soon have one instead of two, the West Village nook that doubled as Paris in the finale, and the brownstone that posed as Carrie’s Upper East Side home.
Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
Starring Manhattan: The TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunts
Lights! Cameras! Action! This hunt, originally created for the New York Production Alliance, takes hunters to many familiar—and many surprising—locations around the city where TV and movie scenes have been shot. You’ll see the buildings that served as Seinfeld’s diner and the Friends apartment building, the Lincoln Center fountain where The Producers danced and the firehouse that served as the Ghostbusters headquarters. You’ll stand where Woody and Diane looked at the 59th Street Bridge in Manhattan. You’ll even discover an alley with walls painted to become a turn-of-the-century stage set. And if you choose the Team Photo Edition, each team will get a Polaroid camera to take team pictures, some of which should re-create famous movie scenes.
You can choose from several editions:
• Starring Manhattan, with locations scattered around the island, as the hunters travel by subway and bus or by limousine
• Starring Central Park
• Starring Midtown, with versions featuring either the east or west side, between 42nd and 59th streets
• Starring Greenwich Village
• Starring Wall Street
See testimonials from hunters. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
The Secrets of Wall Street Scavenger Hunt:
From Canyons of Steel to Harbor Views, Spanning Nearly 400 Years
This is one of our staff’s favorite hunts, because there is so much variety and so many surprises. One minute you’ll be navigating winding, narrow streets that were laid out in Dutch times; the next you’ll burst into the open spaces of Battery Park and behold the sweeping views of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty; a short while later you’ll be exploring the National Museum of the American Indian, set oddly enough in a soaring, spectacular Beaux Arts building featured in numerous movies; and not long after that, you’ll be eyeing scorch marks on tombstones in a cemetery caught in the devastating fires during the British occupation in 1776. Other highlights include...
• The War of 1812–era battery that gave Battery Park its name
• Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington bid his troops farewell
• The Stock Exchange
• The Custom House, a stunning landmark seen in numerous movies (such as Ghostbusters 2) and TV shows (it posed as the museum where Ross once worked on Friends), which is now home to the National Museum of the American Indian
• Federal Hall, an 1835 Greek temple to commerce, fitted with bank vaults and built on the site where Washington became president—and Whoopie Goldberg talked with nuns in Ghost
• Trinity Church and its age-old cemetery, including the grave of Alexander Hamilton
• Scars gouged in marble by a 1920 anarchist bombing of J.P. Morgan’s offices and Federal Hall
• A giant bull—you might have to pose for a team photo with it
...and many places you’ve never heard of but won’t forget.
With our directions and maps, the task of navigating has just the right level of challenge. The questions don’t require any knowledge of the area, but you’ll be surprised what you learn along the way. You’ll search for answers to such questions as...
• At the start of Broadway, visit Bowling Green, the oldest park in the city. The fence is the oldest official landmark—and you can literally touch history when you feel the ragged tops of the fence posts, where crowns were hacked off during a riot in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was first read in the city. What once made the Green something to sneeze at? Answer: The rent due to England was originally one peppercorn per year, according to a sign.
• Head to the Custom House, where shippers paid import taxes. Hollywood loves to cast this building as a museum, as seen in Ghostbusters 2 (where the villain works), The Royal Tenenbaums (where Margot and Richie hide out as kids), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Friends (where Ross once worked). The four massive sculptures in front represent continents. Ironically for this building today, which figure is literally left behind? Answer: The Native American, behind America’s left shoulder in front of the entrance to the National Museum of the American Indian.
We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of the hunt, and if you work in the area, we can launch the hunt from your office, as we have done for financial and law firms in the neighborhood since 1999. Our Wall Street hunts are so well respected that the nonprofit organization Wall Street Rising has hosted our hunts on several occasions. We can also help you set up a post-hunt gathering in one of the restaurants and bars we have worked with in the area.
You can add Team Photo Challenges to any hunt for more fun, bonding, and souvenirs you can take back to the office or project on a screen at a post-hunt party. If you’re concerned about the weather, you can opt for our indoor-oriented downtown hunt, the Museums of Lower Manhattan. Contact us for more information.
Back to the top
LIMOUSINE SCAVENGER HUNTS
You and your friends or colleagues can hunt around Manhattan in any weather in one of our New York by Limo hunts! It’s a great way to kick off a party: Each team gets a car with a driver, a set of clues and questions, a Polaroid or digital camera...and you’re off. The hunts have all of the humor and depth of New York knowledge that make our hunts stand out above all others. We offer:
• The classic Conquer New York Hunt, featuring the city’s most famous places
• The Starring Manhattan! TV & Movie Locations Hunt, featuring places that have starred in TV shows and movies
• The Munch Around Manhattan Hunt, a tour of the city’s culinary delights, with tasty treats along the way
For details, see the Citywide Conquer New York Hunts above. And we can help you create a party for the big finish at the end of the hunt. Contact us to learn how we can tailor a limousine hunt for your extraordinary adventure.
Back to the top
MORE NEW YORK CITY AREA HUNT OPTIONS
See our New York Museum Scavenger Hunts.
See our Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey hunts.
Possible hunt locations are as limitless as the New York’s variety. You can suggest a new location for a classic Watson Adventures hunt or you can try our popular Anywhere Hunt and classic Grab ’n’ Go Hunt, which we’ve staged for companies at parks, resorts, neighborhoods, Disneyland, even in apartment buildings and homes. Contact us to find out what we can create for you!
PRINT OUT OUR TRI-STATE AREA BROCHURE
If you’d like a compact summary of our hunts to bring to a meeting, to show friends, or to help get future hunters excited, click the link below to call up our brochure as a PDF file. You may need Acrobat Reader to access it (click here to get it for free). Or you can contact us to mail or fax you a copy.
See the Tri-State Area brochure.
Back to the top
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET...
If you’re ready to book a hunt, or would like more information, use our handy e-mail Contact Form. Or call us at 877-9-GO HUNT, extension 11 (877-946-4868). The hunt’s afoot!
Back to the top
TRY A PUBLIC HUNT, SEE OUR NEW YORK NEWSLETTER
Watson Adventures regularly offers hunts that are open to the public for low promotional prices. To see the latest schedule, check out the New York edition of The Culture Vulture. It also includes amazing trivia, jokes from famous comedians and links to cool and offbeat Web sites. If you’d like to receive this free monthly newsletter in your own e-mail box, click the link below—and on the next page you’ll see, be sure to check off “New York Area.”
(We do NOT share your address with purveyors of spam.)
Back to the top
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Watson Adventures LLC
|
|
