Madonna’s New York Tour

Although she is likely the most successful musician to have ever emerged from New York City, Madonna Ciccone’s first years in the city were anything but encouraging. She lived on handouts, slept in cheap hotels or squatted in practice spaces, and struggled to gain any traction with her early bands, the Breakfast Club and Emmy and the Emmys. But once she remade herself into a mononymous solo act and began appearing at the city’s hippest dance clubs, doors opened and success came quickly. This walking tour will touch on several stages of her career, but it is primarily focused on these developmental years in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, in which she transformed herself from destitute unknown to the Queen of Pop.

Locations include:

- Several apartments and hotels where Madonna lived during her early years in NYC
- The practice space where she and collaborator Stephen Bray lived and rehearsed in 1980
- Clubs where she got her start as a performer, including Danceteria, CBGB, the Fun House, Chase Park, and the Mudd Club
- Sound Factory, where dancers from the House of Xtravaganza introduced her to voguing and inspired one of her most enduring songs
- Studios where portions of Madonna and Like A Prayer were recorded
- Multiple filming locations from Desperately Seeking Susan
- Sites related to key peers and collaborators, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debi Mazar, John “Jellybean” Benitez, Maripol, Junior Vasquez, and Mark Kamins

Details

- Begins in Midtown and ends in the East Village
- The tour lasts approximately three hours and covers approximately four miles
- Comfortable shoes and bottled water are strongly recommended
- The tour includes one brief subway ride, so make sure to bring a subway card!
- Gratuities are welcome but not mandatory

Rates

$65/person

- two person minimum -
in the event that only one person books a tour, they will be offered the chance to cancel or have a private tour for an additional fee

Offered on Sundays. Private weekday tours and large group rates available by request

Photo by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons