About

My name is Keith Taillon and I am a New York City historian, author, and tour guide. Born in Plattsburgh, New York, I lived in Manhattan from 2010 until 2025 when I moved to the lower Hudson Valley town of Peekskill. Much of my spare time is consumed with researching Manhattan’s history, walking the city’s streets, studying its architecture, its structural configuration, and its deeply layered history. My greatest joy is helping others to see New York in a new way, learning to look up, look around, and appreciate this truly special place anew.

In April 2025, I published my first book, Walking New York, through Quadrille, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK. The book is the outpouring of my knowledge, more than a decade of accumulated toil and love for this city. It features twelve chapters, each a history of a particular neighborhood or era in Manhattan’s history, with suggested walking routes to guide you whether you’re visiting New York or have lived here all your life. My book happily ended the year on several best-seller lists, including those of Strand and McNally-Jackson.

Additionally, my writing or my tours have been featured in outlets as varied as The New Yorker, The Times of London, Australia Magazine, The Daily Beasy, Conde Nast Traveller, Elle Decor, and Atlas Obscura. I’ve given lectures at the Metropolitan Club, the Harvard Club, RAMSA Architects, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Tiffany & Co, Cartier, the New York Public Library, and others. I have been a licensed New York City tour guide since 2021.

Educational History:
BA History, 2009: ACU, Abilene TX
Master of Urban Planning, 2019: Hunter College, NYC