Central Park Is a Lie
"You're standing at the entrance to Central Park. Eight hundred and forty-three acres. Bigger than Vatican City. Almost twice the size of Monaco."
Stories you won't hear anywhere else — told right where they happened.
5 experiences · 47 story stops · GPS audio · Downloadable narration
See New York City ToursChoose from
5 tours
Stories on location
47 stops
Typical length
1h 30m–2h 30m
Best value
$14.99 city pack
Every neighborhood has a story worth hearing.
"You're standing at the entrance to Central Park. Eight hundred and forty-three acres. Bigger than Vatican City. Almost twice the size of Monaco."
Chelsea / Meatpacking
"You're standing on a street where cowboys rode horses through Manhattan for ninety years. Not metaphorical cowboys. Not a theme restaurant."
Midtown
"Midtown Manhattan has a problem. It's full of buildings that are lying to you. That dome you're about to see? Cast iron painted to look like marble."
Brooklyn Bridge
"Welcome to Bad Historian, where everything I tell you is probably true. Eighty percent of it definitely is."
Exploring more than one neighborhood?
The city pack is a one-time purchase with all 5 currently available New York City tours—47 narrated stops you can take on your own schedule.
Purchases are handled by Apple.
Preview the storytelling
Read a few of the places covered across New York City, then hear the complete stories on location in the app.
park
An 843-acre rectangle of nature that took 20 years and 20,000 workers to make look 'natural.' They moved more earth than digging the Panama Canal.
Read the story
landmark
Built during the Great Depression as a flex, this building was so empty for years that New Yorkers called it the 'Empty State Building.' Now it's just empty of affordable rent.
Read the story
landmark
She's been standing there since 1886, but did you know she was almost sent to Egypt? And that her original color was brown, not green? The French really knew how to regift.
Read the story
landmark
Bedford Street.
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landmark
Belvedere Castle looks like a medieval fortress, but it was built in 1869 and has never defended anything except bird watchers.
Read the story
landmark
Bethesda Terrace.
Read the storyPut in your headphones, press play, and start walking. The app does the rest.
No account needed. Start whenever you're ready.
Choose a tour, hit play, and start walking.
Stories play at each stop. Pause, wander, and continue whenever you want.
Plan with confidence
Compare the subject, neighborhood, duration, route, and exact stops on each tour page. Individual tours show their one-time price before you open the app.
No. Start whenever it suits you, pause for food or a detour, and resume later. Check the opening hours of any venue you personally plan to enter.
Download the tour narration on Wi-Fi. Cached audio does not need to stream, though map tiles and other online features may still require a connection.
No. Your purchase covers the Bad Historian audio experience. Transportation, food, and admission to third-party attractions are separate.