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Autumn Tours of Northern Manhattan Led by Local Historian

By Carla Zanoni | August 18, 2011 4:45pm | Updated on August 19, 2011 9:47am

UPPER MANHATTAN — Little- and well-known facts about Northern Manhattan will be the subject of several walking tours of the neighborhood as Wahi Tours kicks off its 2011 fall season.

Led by James Renner, a neighborhood historian and author of the book “Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill,” the tours will introduce visitors to new areas of the city as well as educate them about the ever-changing culture and life above 155th Street.

“People from other parts of the city are visiting and moving here because of its affordable housing and beautiful parks,” wrote Renner, who is the appointed historian of Community Board 12.

“These tours will demonstrate to the resident and visitor alike how Upper Manhattan has changed and adapted to suit the needs of its new inhabitants and tourists.”

Scheduled for September and October, the tours span Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill, which is technically part of Manhattan, but sits over the Harlem River in The Bronx.

Renner is sure to explain how Marble Hill was cut off from the island when the city dug a channel to connect the Harlem and Hudson rivers and will speak about the area’s unique 1870s homes in the “Painted Ladies” architectural style.

In Washington Heights, tours include the Jumel Terrace Historic District, where George Washington once lived, and Sherman Creek in Inwood, among other historic areas of interest. The walks start on Sept. 11, 2011 and end on Oct. 16. 

A full schedule of tours is now available. For more information, contact Wahi Tours at 212-795-7830 or JR6751@aol.com.