I'm so enormously glad I arranged to take the Gilded Age tour led by Kevin Draper. He was a knowledgeable and personable guide (I felt comfortable as soon as I met him), and the tour he'd planned was filled with fascinating stops, insights and anecdotes about this larger-than-life period of American history, when the Astors, Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Company ruled New York. Highly recommended -- for newbies and history buffs alike.