About Me
My name is John Semlak. I am a 44-year-old tour guide living in the Big Apple now for 5 years. I’ve lived in 4 countries in my life, including 15 years in Moscow Russia and have traveled 4 continents and 40+ countries so far. I speak Russian and conduct tours in English and Russian.
My interests include of course New York City history, travel, table-top gaming, and Russian culture.

Explore new york’s 400 YEARS of History
Before the subway, before the Empire State Building, before Yankee Stadium, before there was an old New York. There was a burgeoning port city that attracted people from all over the world. People such as Secretary Alexander Hamilton, the pianomaker George Steinway, the poet Edgar Allen Poe, others. The city produced it’s own personalities such as the Presidents Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, baseball pioneer Alexander Cartwright, and suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It’s a city that saw the beginnings of modern journalism, baseball, and the stock-market. It’s a city that played pivotal roles in different ways in the American Revolution and the Civil War. Though it’s no longer the political capital, it grew to come American’s greatest city and the financial and cultural capitol of the nation.
The old New York can still be seen, though it’s easy to miss. Explore New York with a trained historian and you’ll discover its history through the cracks. You’ll see it in old buildings, often side-by-side with modern structures (or underneath them in forgotten cellars). You’ll see it in old photographs and lithographs. You’ll see it in plaques and monuments. You see it in dusty historic maps. And you’ll see it in the city’s churches and graveyards. On my tours you’ll experience the city’s fascinating history, its colorful stories, and its steamy intrigue.
Join me on one of several custom-designed tours: My Lincoln in New York tour, my Hamilton off-Broadway Tour, my Green-Wood Cemetery Sports History Tour, my Brooklyn Abolitionists, Athletes, and Authors Tour, and others. Want something else? Contact me and I’ll customize a tour just for you. My tours can’t be downloaded off the internet; there’s no app for them. You have to join me and walk the city’s history for yourself.

On this day, Henry Chadwick, a ‘father of baseball’, was born in Exeter England.
Henry Chadwick English journalist and sports-writer Henry Chadwick was born on October 5th, 1824 in Exeter England. He emigrated to the US at the age of 12 with his family and settled in Brooklyn. He found work as a journalist covering sports and was especially...
World Series players buried in New York City
Graves of stars of the fall classic buried in New York City or nearby, from Babe Ruth to Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson's grave at Cypress Hills Cemetery. Fans often leave baseball bats and balls. Grave of Babe Ruth at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla NY The...
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

One this day in New York City: April 30th, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated president of the United States
On April 30th, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated president of the United States on the balcony of the Federal Hall Building on Wall Street, New York City. At that time, New York was the capital of the United States (until 1791). The building, which served as...

Where to celebrate Presidents’ Day in and around NYC
Until the election of the 45th President, New York City didn't immediately conjure up presidential imagery. The most popular attractions--the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty or Central Park aren't closely connected to the presidency. But New York has deep...
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.