The Tour Where It Happened

As a New York City walking tour guide, I regularly lead visitors through the city’s most storied neighborhoods, from Greenwich Village to the Financial District. I am passionate about the work — curating tours that bring the city’s layered past to life, especially stories from the Revolutionary War and early American history.

One day, I received an email inquiry about a group tour. The person wanted to know if I offered a tour specifically on Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. I explained that while I cover both figures in different contexts across my existing tours, I didn’t currently offer a dedicated Burr-Hamilton experience. One of the challenges, I told them, is that the major historical sites connected to these men are scattered throughout the city and even beyond — Hamilton’s grave is at Trinity Church in the Financial District, Burr’s carriage house is in Greenwich Village, and the famous dueling grounds in Weehawken, New Jersey.

They responded by saying they were interviewing different tour companies for a documentary project and wanted to schedule a phone interview with me. I agreed, assuming they were gathering research and visuals for filming. During our call, I told them I’d be happy to curate a custom Hamilton and Burr tour — even if it required multiple locations — and they seemed amenable. I made clear that such a tour did not exist in my current portfolio, though, and thus it would take me considerable time to source the photos and develop the storyline. Prior tours took about three months to conduct the research, fact check, shape the narrative, map the path, source the photos from the Library of Congress and New York Public Library, and memorize the route and content. They said they would be in touch.

A few weeks later, I got a call: I’d been selected. They were coming to New York the next day — a Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m., with a six-person crew. I had less than 24 hours to create a fully curated, historically accurate two-hour tour on two of the most complex figures in American history.

I dove into what would become an all-nighter. I’d already written about Hamilton and Burr and had a strong foundation, but certainly not hours worth of information. I put in about 15 straight hours of work, curating a route, organizing visuals, and preparing stories. My expectation was simple: I’d show the film crew around, they would take notes or capture some footage, and maybe I could use the experience to build a new offering on my website. I had no idea what was really about to unfold.

It was a labor of love—not something I would have done for any topic. During the pandemic, I subscribed to Disney so I could watch Hamilton. I did not realize at the time that I would watch it over and over and over again. It is hard to overstate the impact the play had on me. I found its creativity incredibly inspiring and frequently imagined the impact it had on people. I watched it with subtitles several times to fully comprehend the story. I watched it for its music, the interactions between characters, and for its enduring life lessons. It left an indelible mark on me and I have frequently referred to it as the best production I’ve ever seen. 

The Surprise of a Lifetime

The contact offered to pay me when the crew arrived. Since the tour required so much work, I asked for payment in advance of the tour. Late that Saturday night, I received a payment confirmation. The sender was Leslie Odom Jr. — the Tony Award-winning actor who originated the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I was never good at calculus but even I could do this math. I quickly realized he must be involved in this documentary. I still assumed I’d be touring with a crew filming for him — but the pressure mounted. I worked through the night, harkening back to my college days when I would cram all evening for a final exam.

The next morning, I showed up at our meeting point — the site where Alexander Hamilton died, in the West Village. The crew began arriving in SUVs with full production gear. One of them asked, “Can we mic you up?” I said, “Oh — I didn’t realize I was going to be in the documentary.” The producer responded, “Yes, you’re giving the tour on camera for the documentary. They didn’t tell you?”

Definitely not.

A moment later, another car pulled up — and out stepped Leslie Odom Jr., along with his wife and two children.

The producer turned to me and said, “You’ll be giving Leslie the tour on camera for his documentary on Aaron Burr. Is that all right?”

Do I want to be in a documentary on Aaron Burr with Leslie Odom, Jr.?

Although I was hardly prepared, I was grateful for the opportunity.

Leslie approached me warmly. I told him it was an honor to meet him. He smiled and said, “The honor is mine.” We began at the site of Hamilton’s death, where I explained that the location marker may not be entirely accurate — the house may have actually been one street north on Horatio Street. I didn’t even realize we had started filming. The director assured me that the unscripted moments were often the best. 

So, I switched into tour mode and tried to forget that I was taking Leslie Odom Jr. on an Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton tour—something I had not imagined when I was completely absorbed in the Broadway production years earlier.

A Tour for the History Books

As we walked through the city, I showed Leslie archival images from the Library of Congress, New York Historical, and New York Public Library. He asked if I could send him copies — a small but meaningful sign of his genuine interest in the material.

Over the course of the day, what was supposed to be a two-hour tour became a five-hour exploration. We visited major historical sites — from the Trinity Church graveyard, where Hamilton is buried, to Aaron Burr’s former home, and ended with a crossing of the Hudson River to Weehawken, retracing Hamilton and Burr’s steps where the infamous duel took place.

Along the way, we had deeply personal conversations — about fatherhood, loss, creative ambition, inspiration, and mentorship. At one point, we stopped for snacks for his children, and I took the opportunity to tell Leslie how much his performance in Hamilton had meant to me — and to so many people. I told him it gave many people hope and lifted spirits during the pandemic when people were searching for connection.

His eyes were closed as he listened, nodding. I got the sense that he is a deep and reflective person. In all of our conversations, he was extremely present. As one can imagine, a tour guide would ideally prefer more time to prepare to give Aaron Burr a history lesson on Aaron Burr, but Leslie made me feel comfortable.

Even as fans approached him throughout the day — shouting “I love you!” or asking for photos — he never broke focus. He listened carefully, asked thoughtful questions, and was fully engaged with the history of Burr and Hamilton.

At the dueling grounds in Weehawken, I invited him to take a few minutes to reflect. He opened up about a situation with his father and the lessons he learned from Burr. It was surreal to stand at the Dueling Grounds and Alexander Hamilton’s grave with Leslie Odom, Jr.—a moment I imagined then will long be frozen in time for me.

Few people have ever played a historical figure more powerfully than Leslie Odom Jr. played Aaron Burr.

Curtain Call

At the end of the tour, Leslie thanked me and offered me tickets to see him perform as Burr again — he was returning to the Broadway production of Hamilton for a special 12-week engagement. We exchanged contact info and made plans to stay in touch. The producers told me the documentary would likely air in early 2026.

As for the tour, I made it into an official tour on my website and have since fully developed it. I figured people would be interested not only to retrace Hamilton and Burr’s footsteps, but also to take the tour I provided Leslie Odom, Jr.

What started as a standard email request turned into a meaningful experience. I had the opportunity to tell one of America’s most indelible stories — to the person who brought it to life for millions. And, of course, I went to see Leslie perform in Hamilton and spent time with him after the show.

In the process, I got to remember why I started creating tours in the first place: to connect people to history, to each other, and to the stories that still shape us today.

Want to take the Hamilton & Burr tour? Visit Epic Walking Tours to sign up.