Inwood’s Hidden Infrastructure: Power & Transit Tour

Tour Highlights:

• Learn about the engineering wonder and environmental disaster of the Sherman Creek Generating Station
• Discover how substations allow us to power our homes and businesses without worrying about voltage
• Visit the site where MTA buses and subway cars are repaired
• Find out why Marble Hill, which is fully separated by water from the rest of Manhattan, isn't considered part of the Bronx
• Stop by pocket parks and the site of a lost baseball field

About this Tour:

At Manhattan's northernmost tip, the vital infrastructure of Inwood keeps the city moving and connected to the rest of the world, often unnoticed. Led by an expert energy professional, this tour will reveal what's behind the scenes of daily life in NYC.

Discover how Inwood helps power NYC when you view equipment at a Con Edison substation and visit the former site of a humongous coal plant considered cutting edge at the time. See how our massive transit networks are kept running smoothly by the 207th St Repair Yard, one of only two places where heavy repairs are made to subway cars, and the Kingsbridge Bus Depot, where a plethora of Bronx and Upper Manhattan buses are stored and fixed up.

Finally, learn about important crossings, from the University Heights (207th St) Bridge which was floated down the river, to the subway-carrying-Broadway Bridge, which brings the 1 train to the Bronx. We will cross the bridge into the Bronx...and then back into Manhattan?...as we unravel the bizarre story of Marble Hill, pass over the Harlem River Ship Canal, and take in gorgeous views of the water from the Marble Hill Metro North stop.

About Your Guide:

Cullen Brown is a licensed New York City guide who translates his passion for energy, engineering, and the environment into tours that bring you face-to-face with the infrastructure that makes our lives in NYC possible. His tours (including Powering NYC: East River Ferry Tour) focus on electricity, water, steam, transit, and the people who built and maintain those very systems, and he is thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with Untapped New York. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Cullen was inspired by the natural and industrial history of Niagara Falls, as well as his historic preservationist parents, to learn and share knowledge about our natural and built environment.