Preview

David Bowie's New York: Rock, Vinyl & Bombolini

New York City
  • The 2016 "Blackstar" album featuring Bowie at 69 years of age.
  • The late David Bowie, out for a stroll in 2013 on the southern side of his block. Photo: The Daily Mail.
  • Fan placed flowers, candles, pictures and letters on the sidewalk outside of Bowie's apartment building after his death. Photo: Bowery Boogie.
  • Chef Iacopo Falai's Bombolini. Photo: Bottega Falai.
  • The entrance to The Bitter End. Photo: Micah Woods.
  • Lady Gaga performing at The Bitter End. Photo: Horhe at Celebzz.
  • A framed poster of Bowie's 1976 interview by Cameron Crowe in Rolling Stone.
  • The vinyl scene at Generation Records.
  • The exterior of Caffe Reggio, with outside seating in warm weather. Photo: Bringing It All Back Home.
  • The Medici bench inside Caffe Reggio.
  • The arch of Washington Square Park.
  • Colin Huggins, the piano player of Washington Square Park, is one of many musicians that regularly perform in the square.
  • Inside the Electric Lady Studios. The original psychedelic murals still cover the walls. Photo: Curtis Wayne Millard, courtesy of Electric Lady Studios.
  • The 1975 "Fame" single featuring Bowie at 28 years of age.
  • Walls and walls of books at The Strand. Photo: Christopher Bonanos.
  • The entrance to The Strand.
1 hour and 30 minutes
1.7 mi
Guided by Alexis
Alexis Johnson

Overview

The late David Bowie loved New York City and lived in the SoHo/Nolita neighborhood for 17 years until his death. A known walking-enthusiast, Bowie loved to explore the neighborhood on foot and had his collection of favorite stops, meaningful locations and guilty pleasures. Join us on a walk of Bowie's New York and music, starting at his front door and heading to his favorite cafe, stores, parks and performance spaces. In the words of Bowie, "for years and years I roamed, I gazed a gazeless stare."

About Your Guide

If you need a trivia-night ringer for pop culture, British rock bands or NHL hockey, I am your girl. Ad agency designer by day, barre instructor by night, urban forager on weekends. New York is my city - I have a good handle on what's worth seeing.

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Guide Points

  1. Bowie's Residence

    David Bowie was born in Brixton, South London, and spent time in Berlin, Lausanne and other cities, but it was New York that had a special …

  2. Bottega Falai

    The Bottega Falai Italian cafe and grocery was started by the former pastry chef at Le Cirque, Iacopo Falai.

  3. The Bitter End

    Despite its 1961 founding, the Bitter End is considered New York's oldest rock club. With a 230-person capacity, the space maintains an in…

  4. Generation Records

    Bowie was a vinyl record enthusiast and loved to drop into record stores in Greenwich Village.

  5. Cafe Reggio

    We find ourselves at a New York institution: Caffe Reggio, established in 1927. It's everything you could want in a classic Greenwich Villa…

  6. Washington Square Park

    Washington Square Park was Bowie's favorite place in the city. Just a short stroll from his home, he came here multiple times per week.

  7. Electric Lady Studio

    In 1967, Jimi Hendrix was recording what would be his third and final album in London. Ever the perfectionist, Hendrix called for retakes,…

  8. The Strand Bookstore

    As New York’s premier independent bookstore, The Strand boasts major literary chops. Within its 18 miles of books, 200 staffers sell 2.5 m…

About Sidewalk

Sidewalk is an app that provides free, guided walk experiences that can be created by anyone with stories to share about places they know and love.

The app navigates people through a neighborhood walk using GPS turn-by-turn directions, rich imagery and storytelling.