About:
Leigh is a licensed New York City tour guide who specializes in Harlem, Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side and Washington Heights. She is passionate about exploring all five NYC boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh holds Masters degrees in both Social Work and Library Service. She is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian. Leigh was inducted into the Special Libraries Association Hall of Fame in 2017. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods in which she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. After residing in the suburbs of NYC for many years, she now loves living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Education:
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA. BA in Political Science
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Masters in Social Work
Columbia University, New York, NY. Masters in Library Service
Special Tours:
Leigh specializes in walking and virtual tours of Harlem, Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights:
*Audubon Bird Mural Project in Hamilton Heights. This exciting and evolving Project is gradually adding paintings of about 300 North American birds to the walls of the neighborhood. The murals range from lovely panels that fill in a former window to spectacular paintings covering the entire side of a building. We also visit John James Audubon’s impressive gravesite in the Trinity Church Cemetery. Also available as a one-hour virtual tour.
*Harlem. We visit iconic locations such as the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Apollo Theater, Harlem Hospital murals, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 125th Street, and the statues of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Mother Clara Hale. We also explore landmarked neighborhoods such as Astor Row, Mount Morris Park, and Strivers Row. As we walk, we enjoy the beautiful architecture and wide boulevards of Harlem. Also available as a one-hour virtual tour.
*Spanish Harlem (AKA East Harlem or El Barrio). The many colorful murals and mosaics of East Harlem tell us so much about the history, culture, and politics of this neighborhood and its residents. Some murals include scenes of the tropical Caribbean islands from which many members of this community emigrated to New York. Other murals are dedicated to accomplished citizens of East Harlem or honor people who are famous world-wide such as Che Guevara and Celia Cruz. Also available as a one-hour virtual tour.
*Morningside Heights. We see Columbia University, Barnard College, Teachers College, Manhattan School of Music, and two theological seminaries. Also, two iconic New York churches: Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Riverside Church. And we walk through both Morningside Park and Sakura Park. Finally, there is the impressive tomb of Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War General and later U.S. President.
*Upper West Side. We explore the vast transformation of 2 parts of the neighborhood: Lincoln Center (former residential neighborhood "San Juan Hill") and Riverside South (former NY Central freight railroad yards). Along the way we stop at two major monuments to the American Civil Rights Movement. And we will see some wonderful parts of vintage New York including a horse trough, a rare Dutch style church, and an 1894 firehouse. We will learn more about two great Upper West Side museums: the American Museum of Natural History and the New-York Historical Society. Also available as a one-hour virtual tour.
*Washington Heights. With Washington Heights finally getting the recognition that it deserves (thanks mainly to its most famous resident Lin-Manuel Miranda), this a perfect time to take a walk “In the Heights.” This neighborhood has so much to offer including: great venues like the Audubon Ballroom and the United Palace Theater; important universities including Columbia and Yeshiva; historic churches and synagogues; great murals; Art Deco architecture; the world's busiest bridge; and a vibrant Latin culture created by the largest Dominican population outside of the Dominican Republic. Also available as a one-hour virtual tour.
Languages:
English
Availability:
Weekdays and weekends
Services Offered:
Tour Guide
Tours Offered:
Harlem
Manhattanville/West Harlem
Upper West Side
Walking Tours
Virtual and Online Tours
African American History
Art & Architectural Tours
Featured Tours by Leigh Hallingby
Audubon Bird Mural Project Tour
We see 30 murals of North American birds in the Hamilton & Washington Heights neighborhoods where John James Audubon lived for the last decade of his life. There is great variety in the size & style of the murals, plus 1 dazzling mosaic. We also visit Audubon's gravesite in Trinity Church Cemetery.
Morningside Heights from End to End
Morningside Heights is so compact (15 blocks South to North) that we can walk from one end to the other in 2 hours. In the process we will see wonderful parks, churches, and academic institutions, plus the lovely pre-WWII apartment buildings. Our last stop will the largest tomb by volume in the U.S.
The Murals and Mosaics of Spanish Harlem
We will see two dozen murals and mosaics in this under-appreciated NYC neighborhood. This "outdoor art gallery" celebrates Spanish Harlem's residents, their culture, and their heroes. Many artworks show the colorful tropical scenery that so many people left behind when they migrated to New York.