Bob Dylan Walking Tour: Follow a music icon through Greenwich Village
See where Bob Dylan lived, performed and hung out in New York
In January of 1961, Bob Dylan arrived in Greenwich Village with one goal in mind, to become a successful folk singer. And within one year, he was well on the way to achieving that goal. The people and culture of the Village in the early ‘60s had a profound and lasting impact on Dylan, and through him, on the entire world.
On this tour, we will visit the venues and clubs where Dylan played and launched his career. We will talk about the people who befriended him, gave him a couch to sleep on, and supported him in his early shows.
So come along with us as we walk the legendary streets of New York City’s Greenwich Village, the streets that called to a young man from Hibbing, Minnesota.
Tour highlights will include:
- The former home of Gerde’s Folk City, where Bob played his first gig advertised in The Village Voice, the bible of New York City music. This is the place where Robert Shelton of The New York Times wrote the glowing review that launched Dylan’s career.
- The Bitter End, as we walk Bleecker and MacDougal Streets
- The Village Gate, where it is said he wrote “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” on the typewriter of the man who would become the master of ceremonies for the Woodstock festival.
- The Fat Black Pussycat Café, where he allegedly wrote “Blowing in the Wind” in 20 minutes on a yellow legal pad
- Cafe Wha? where Bob played harmonica for a dollar a day
- The Gaslight Café, with its cozy atmosphere, where the famous bootleg of Dylan’s early work was recorded
- The Hotel Earle (now the Washington Square Hotel), the “crummy hotel on Washington Square”, where Bob and Joan Biaz were known to have stayed in room 305.
- No story about Bob is complete without a visit to the former home of Terri Thal and Dave Van Ronk, where he slept on their couch. Across the street from them lived Robert Shelton the New York Times reporter who helped launch Bob’s career.
- Nearby is The White Horse Tavern, where Bob spent many a night with the Clancy Brothers learning a bit about the rich heritage of sea shanties and other music of the Irish.
- We’ll end up at the former home of Bob and his first girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, where on a cold February day the photographers from Columbia records suggested they go outside and take the famous photo of the “Freewheelin” album cover.
Jones Street (location of the album cover)
A review on Google for Ann:
“Ann is a wonderful guide!”
The Tour
This tour walks around Greenwich Village. It will meet at West 4th Street & Mercer (in front of Hebrew Union College)
Duration
2 hours and 2 miles
Rates
$40
Please contact us to set up a private tour!
Ages
This tour is best suited for ages 12+
Guides
Ann McDermott has spent a good portion of her life working in and around Lower Manhattan. She is a native of Brooklyn with a keen interest in New York and its history. She knows these streets very, very well!
Prep for the tour by listening to Bowery Boys episodes on “Bob Dylan’s Greenwich Village.”