Basic Walking Tours
(These tours cover 2-3 miles in 2-3 hours, sometimes returning to the starting point. Frequent Commentary. Often a rest stop is planned en route. Sometimes a connecting bus is employed.)

Flushing 1: Three Centuries of Change
Departs from NW corner of 39th Ave & Main St (St. George’s church, 1 block north of #7 Main St Subway stop and two blocks north of LIRR Main St Flushing stop.) The walk consists of a loop through Central Flushing recounting the spiritual, botanical, technological and demographic events that shaped its present. It includes historic landmarks and districts, both those that exist and those conjured up especially for this tour. We also focus on the evolving reorientation of the business district and the recent wave of construction of large religious buildings.

Flushing 2: Frontiers of Central Flushing
Departs from NW corner of 39th Ave & Main St (St. George’s church), 1 block north of #7 Main St Subway stop and two blocks north of LIRR Main St Flushing stop. This tour explores the area between the 19th century industrial Flushing River front and the early 20th century railroad suburb that developed around the Murray Hill LIRR Station. In this traverse, a wide range of industrial, commercial and residential zoning possibilities, a variety of 20th century transportation improvements and major demographic changes since World War II continue to produce upheaval, change and difficult planning problems. (A master plan for downtown Flushing was effected several years ago.)

Flushing 3: A Botanical Saunter
This walk evokes the late nineteenth century when Flushing’s streets were lined with large Victorian homes and street tree planting was fostered by the Flushing’s famous nurserymen. In many places, street trees are almost all that is visible from that era! >Begins at Kingsland House (Queens Historical Society) and meanders through Flushing’s finest 19th century residential streets to Kissena Park, site of part of the Parsons Nurseries. Return to Central Flushing (Queens Botanical Garden) via the Kissena Park corridor, now home to leased Korean gardens.

Flushing’s Chinatown
In less than a generation, this immigrant destination and commercial center has come to rival its Manhattan antecedent. Taiwanese rather than Cantonese at its core, Flushing’s Chinatown plays host to a variety of overseas Chinese groups. Rezoning and greater land availability support unusual real estate developments that include office buildings, hotels, residential condos, specialty shops, cultural institutions and malls. Lunch is available in more than 100 Asian restaurants. >Meets at St George’s Church, 39 Ave and Main St (l block north of #7 Main St. station).

Religion on the Land: Issues in Flushing
Flushing , with a history or religious tolerance, has become the site of many new churches due to both immigrant needs and availability of sizable plots of land in once-elite residential areas. We’ll discuss the ecological and economic problems engendered by the new churches as well as the uncertain status of historic religious institutions.
>Meets at St George’s Church, 39 Ave and Main St (l block north of #7 Main St. station).

Long Island City 1: The Queensborough Bridge and Hunters Point Waterfront
Commences at the Roosevelt Island Tramway station (2nd Avenue & 60th St) in Manhattan for a walk across the Queensboro Bridge into Long Island City. The bridge affords an overview of the entire Hunters Point waterfront-- where railroads and industries developed before the Civil War-- as well as a spectacular perspective on the midtown skyline. Once in Queens, it includes Courthouse Square, the PS 1 Art Museum, the Hunters Point (Brownstone) Historic District and the rapidly evolving shoreline. Redevelopment of the waterfront area, known as Queens West, has produced Gantry Park with splendid skyline views. The tour ends at the old Long Island RR depot at the Vernon-Jackson crossroads.

Long Island City 2: Dutch Kills and the Legacy of Industry
Begins at the Vernon-Jackson # 7 stop (where LIC 1 ends) and heads inland for a view of Newtown Creek, the Brooklyn-Queens border waterway that was the focus of intense industrial development in the late 19th century. We follow internal railroad spurs, roads and the canals formed from Dutch Kills to the massive commercial structures of the post World War I era built where freight transportation alternatives were maximized. Former warehouses and factories have been whimsically transformed into offices and outlets. We weave our way through early art deco commercial daylight loft buildings to emerge at Queensboro Plaza, the post World War I commuter nexus of Queens.

Long Island City 3: The Long Island Railroad Corridor
Starting at Queensboro Plaza (where LIC 2 ends ), we explore the Jackson Ave/Long Island Railroad right-of-way that has formed the spine of Long Island City, influencing the development of Queens for about 150 years. This area was recently rezoned for intense commercial development. We follow eclectic Jackson Avenue to the Hunters Point #7 station, the route of the original Flushing-LIC railroad where glimpses of the 19th century are still possible. From the elevated #7 subway we view the massive Sunnyside Yards project by crossing over it twice on a ride to Sunnyside. We begin walking again through residential Sunnyside and architecturally-cited Sunnyside Gardens. Crossing the Yards again, we conclude along the Northern Boulevard “Big-Box” retailing corridor, another recent spatial response to the railroad building, affinity development and subsequent zoning that began long ago.

Jamaica: From the Foothills to the Tracks
Central Jamaica occupies a narrow band of well-drained land between the terminal glacial moraine and the main line of the Long Island Rail Road and is the historical funnel for rail and road transportation eastward on Long Island. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Jamaica was the commercial center of Queens. The tour encompasses colonial vestiges still evident in street configurations and cemeteries as well as recent redevelopment including the Farmer’s Market, the Archer Avenue subway and the York College campus. This is a circular tour beginning at King Manor Museum or several other convenient gathering points.

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Covers the historical and ecological setting of Queens’ largest park, and its previous incarnations as a salt hay meadow, a refuse dump, two World’s Fairs and site of the United Nations. Transportation and access issues at the park periphery are also discussed.

Crossing Newtown Creek: Contrasting Industrial Brooklyn & Queens
Meet outside the Greenpoint Ave subway station (G train), meander through Greenpoint and cross the Pulaski bridge connecting Brooklyn to Long Island City. See remnants of the intense and largely unregulated industrial development that thrived along Newtown Creek during the late nineteenth century before Consolidation and infrastructure improvements rendered it obsolete. In Long Island City view the rapidly evolving shoreline. Redevelopment of the waterfront area has produced Gantry Park with splendid skyline views.

Sunnyside to Jackson Heights, Queens Two Walks
These two walks exhibit completely different aspects of 20th century development in Western Queens. The first walk concentrates on inter-war residential and industrial developments with open space. The second walk follows Roosevelt Ave, the #7 elevated train built on its right-of-way, and late twentieth century immigrant commerce. Both walks meet at the SE corner 46 St/Queens Blvd (46 St, #7) and end at 82 St and Roosevelt Ave (#7).

Walk 1: More Space and New Arrangements
During the first third of the 20th century, Western Queens nurtured developments where traditional open space/building area relationships were altered to create new urban architecture. Sunnyside Gardens and the Jackson Heights Historic District anchor the route which also includes Phipps Gardens, Matthews Flats, Met Life apts. and early truck-oriented industrial buildings.

Walk 2: The Immigrant Spine of Queens
Since its inception, Roosevelt Avenue (built as the right-of-way for the #7 between Sunnyside and Flushing) has reorganized the borough. First, it reorganized other transportation and roads in its path and created commercial districts where farms abounded. Later it became a magnet for Irish, Filipino, South Asian, Korean, and Latin American commerce.

Water, Eternity and Time Warps on the Brooklyn-Queens Boundary
Between Glendale (Queens) and Highland Park (Brooklyn), the terminal glacial moraine forms a barrier between the two boroughs. This abrupt rise in the land, the spine of Long Island, was the source for much of Brooklyn's historical water supply as well as the site of NYC's major concentration of cemeteries. We ascend the moraine, cross Jackie Robinson Parkway and follow the boundary between Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn noting abrupt changes in the cityscape. Meets outside the Crescent St Station (J train) and ends at the Myrtle Av (L train)/Wyckoff Av (M train) station with bus and subway connections to other parts of Brooklyn and Queens

Flushing Avenue: Kings to Queens
Flushing Avenue is the lowland horse-and-wagon route connecting the villages of Brooklyn, Newtown and Flushing in colonial times. The walk follows the controversial Brooklyn-Queens boundary from Myrtle Ave/Palmetto St in Ridgewood (L,M) to the historic Onderdonk House on Flushing Ave. After a house visit we continue to the junction with Grand Ave in old Maspeth where there are bus connections to Brooklyn and Queens subway lines, including the Q58 bus which follows the historic route all the way to old Flushing.

Corona and East Elmhurst
This eclectic Queens neighborhood has its roots in the 19th century as West Flushing, on the Flushing-to- Brooklyn horse-and-buggy route. Many 19th century dwellings still survive. The Italian community of Corona Heights (still home to the Lemon Ice King of Corona and an “institutional” Little Italy) is gradually being replaced by South Americans while in North Corona, where the Louis Armstrong home still stands, immigrants from the Dominican Republic add to a longstanding black community. A section of East Elmhurst overlooking Flushing Bay, will also be visited. Meet and finish at south side of the 103 St/Corona Plaza #7 station. A connecting bus ride used during the tour will provide free transfer at end.

Where Does Harlem Begin?
In what is a most remarkable transition from wealth to poverty, the grand apartments on the Upper East Side of Manhattan yield to the tenements and projects of East Harlem in just a few city blocks. The slope where this transition occurs actually stretches from the Hudson River to the East River and historically, has always marked a change in land use. The walk begins at 86 St (4,5,6) and ends at 116 St (1,9) illustrating the evolving sense of Harlem and the definition of its edges.

Keeping Off the Streets of Lower Manhattan
Meets at “5 in 1” sculpture (5 giant red discs) in Police Plaza just behind Municipal Building at Centre and Chambers Sts. (M,J,4,5,6) This is a circular ‘adventure’ tour which uses pedestrian plazas, underpasses, skybridges, parks, building lobbies and the subway infrastructure to connect foci of Lower Manhattan. The Civic Center, Wall St, the Brooklyn Bridge, the World Trade Center, Battery Park City, and Tribeca are included. Historical geography and city planning dominate the commentary.

Keeping Off the Streets of Midtown Manhattan
This is a flexible tour in an area well-served by public transportation and can meet anywhere between Third-Eighth Ave and 42-59 Street. Where possible we walk via public atriums, passageways, alleyways, building lobbies and underground walkways that avoid noisy and heavily used sidewalks for a different and more intimate view of midtown. We pass through the Theater District, the Central Business District, Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Station. Historical geography and city planning dominate the commentary.

The Avenues of Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan has the full complement of numbered Avenues (1-12) on the island as well as a few extra parallel thoroughfares with names instead of numbers. Avenues go with the “grain” of this skinny island and many have hosted special modes of transportation. Associated prestige (or infamy), style (or lack of) and the complex history of development, zoning and redevelopment has given each Avenue a “personality” which is discussed in commentary. This tour can begin at either the Hudson or the East River. A more popular abbreviated version focusing on the Central Business District (3-8 Aves.) is also offered.

Conforming to the Grid
Two different walks about the geography of Manhattan’s 1811 grid plan, highlighting how First-Ninth Avenues and First to Fourteenth Streets adjusted to colonial era street patterns and vice-versa. Walk 1: First Avenue to Fifth Avenue explores the East Village, the Bowery, Cooper Square, Astor Place, Stuyvesant Place, Union Square, Broadway and Washington Square. Walk 2: Fifth Avenue to Ninth Avenue explores the Central and West Villages, particularly Washington, Father Demo, Sheridan, Abingdon and Jackson Squares. >Walk 1 meets at Peretz Square (1st St and 1st Ave, use F Train to 2nd Ave, exit at 1st Ave.) > Walk 2 meets at SW corner Fifth Ave and 14th St. (L,N,R,W,4,5,6 to Union Square)

Bridges and Sunsets North/South Williamsburg
Williamsburg was briefly a separate city in the 19th century and its streets fan out to early population centers. Walk through its Artsy/youth, Hispanic, and Chassidic communities where old architecture is renewed, restored, ravished or left to rot. Rest and nosh before crossing the Williamsburg Bridge on the redesigned walkway to Manhattan at sunset. This tour is designed for after-work hours during late spring and summer and can meet at various Manhattan or Brooklyn subway stops.

Bridges and Sunsets Ravenswood/Hunters Pt.
The waterfront of Long Island City, Queens has seen many waves of redevelopment due to its special transportation advantages. We walk in the shadow of midtown where commercial, residential, industrial and creative functions compete for space. Nosh and rest will in the new Gantry Park. Cross the Pulaski Bridge to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and back, at sunset. This tour is designed for after-work hours during late spring and summer and can meet at various Manhattan or Queens subway stops.

Public Housing’s Fertile Crescent
Have attitudes about publicly and philanthropically assisted housing changed? Many huge housing projects were designed to maximize off-street open space that is open to the public. The walk concentrates on the benign allees of vast projects that parallel the East River Bend from the Brooklyn Bridge to 14 St in Manhattan. Commentary centers on the socio-political history and geography nurturing these projects. This tour meets under the arches of the Municipal Building and ends in the East Village.

Central Queens Ethnic Commerce
A walk along the commercial arteries of the most ethnically diverse area of NYC. The development of commerce along Junction Boulevard, Corona Avenue, Broadway, Roosevelt Avenue, 37 Avenue, and 74 Street is explained as a reaction to changing transportation technology and newcomers to the neighborhoods. Begins at #7 Junction Boulevard station or other convenient transit stops.

Rambles
(Rambles cover 3-4 miles in about 3 hours. They feature community transitions and landscape change. More continuous walking than walking tours with various routing alternatives.)

North Flushing-Whitestone-Malba Ramble
A three mile walk through diverse well-landscaped residential neighborhoods usually best with spring or fall foliage. More walking, less commentary than a typical walking tour. Ramble begins at Queens Historical Society and includes admission to exhibits. This walk also features the intense immigrant “cathedral” building activity by immigrants in North Flushing. Returns to Central Flushing (and points south) by bus.

Sunnyside-Woodside-Jackson Heights Ramble
A three mile walk through diverse residential, industrial and commercial areas in the transportation corridor of old Newtown. Woodside is an eclectic mix of settlement dating as far back as the mid-19th century and laced with transportation corridors. Sunnyside and Jackson Heights are two planned “Garden City” communities of the twentieth century currently coping with change.

The South Bronx
This tour begins most effectively on a #2 or #5 Bronx-bound subway in Manhattan that emerges as an elevated train in the Bronx. This literally provides an overview of the South Bronx later seen by walking at ground level. Demographic transitions, real estate investment and disinvestment, municipal and federal programs are discussed as well such topics as the Cross-Bronx Expressway and the evolving American Dream. See destruction, renovation and new landscapes in an atmosphere of safety. (This tour can be extended to the Arthur Ave Italian-Albanian community.)

Flushing Center to Newtown Center
We begin at Flushing Town Hall (Northern Blvd. and Linden Pl.) and follow a route through downtown Flushing, through the Queens Botanical Garden and across Flushing Meadow Park, where, historically, the town of Newtown began. We meander through the streets of Corona and Elmhurst to Broadway where some of Newtown’s 18th century churches and graveyards still survive. Sites along the way may include the Tiffany studios, Flushing’s Indo-Pak commercial strip, South-American Corona, ghosts of LIRR stations in Corona and Elmhurst.

Ravenswood-Old Astoria Waterfront
Begins on the East River Pier extending from 44 Drive, 3 blocks west of the 21 St exit of the E/F 23 St station. We walk north along Vernon Blvd through Ravenswood, stopping for increasingly oblique views of the Midtown Manhattan skyline from Queens Bridge, Rainey and Socrates Sculpture parks. We view the mansions of ferry-era Astoria and the East River bridges spanning Astoria Park and end in the Greek commercial district under the N/R elevated line on 31 St.

Rail-Assisted Walks
(These tours have the intensity of basic walks but segments are connected by subway, elevated train or commuter rail. Two or three stops are similar to a basic walking tour; six stops comprise a day’s outing.)

1904 Subway Centennial
The first subway in New York City opened in 1904 and went from City Hall to Grand Central then to Times Square and finally under Broadway to W. 145 St. Six walks in neighborhoods along this route will stress early 20th century changes wrought by this new form of transport. Includes early skyscrapers, department stores, theaters, college campuses, transportation junctions and much more.
City Hall-Astor Place-Madison Square-Grand Central-Times Square-Morningside Heights-Hamilton Hts.

The World of the #7 Train
A daylong tour in the transportation corridor between Long Island City and Flushing, learning what the IRT #7 did to and for the communities in its path. We explore six colorful neighborhoods served by the #7 in walks of about 45 minutes each. Station platforms are used for overviews of the surroundings and unlimited use Metrocards pay the fare. Commentary encompasses colonial settlement patterns, demographic history, revolutions in transportation and industry, major public works projects, “Garden City” experiments, contemporary ethnicity and food. This tour is designed as a whole but can be marketed as half tours, before and after a lunch break.
Long Island City-Sunnyside-Flushing (Meets Vernon/Jackson, LIC and ends with lunch in Main St, Flushing vicinity.) Corona-Woodside-Jackson Heights (Meets Main St , Flushing after lunch and ends at 74 St, Jackson Heights.)

Queens Boulevard
This thoroughfare was conceived in the grand tradition of Parisian Boulevards at the dawn of the 20th century. Its purpose was to connect the major center of Jamaica with the new Queensboro Bridge. While the grandeur of the Boulevard is questionable, its impact on the communities in its path is not. We travel along the Boulevard using E,F,R trains. We explore six neighborhoods in walks of about 45 minutes each. Commentary encompasses colonial settlement patterns, demographic history, revolutions in transportation and industry, major public works projects, “Garden City” experiments, contemporary ethnicity and food. This tour is designed as a whole but can be marketed as half tours, before and after a lunch break.
Queens Plaza-Elmhurst-Rego Park (Meets Queens Plaza East, LIC and ends with lunch in Forest Hills); Forest Hills-Kew Gardens-Jamaica (Meets 71 Ave, Forest Hills after lunch and ends at Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica)

A Day on the J
The J train enabled the crowded masses of the Lower East Side to move to Brooklyn and Queens. Elevated from the Williamsburg Bridge crossing until Jamaica, the ride provides diverse views of industrial and bucolic landscapes, mansions and slums. We explore six colorful neighborhoods in walks of about 45 minutes each. Commentary includes commercial change (from breweries to artists), cemeteries and parks, ethnicity (Chassidic Jews, Latinos, Asians) and major public works that include Brooklyn’s Water Supply, Jackie Robinson Parkway and the Long Island Rail Road. This tour is designed as a whole but can be marketed as half tours, before and after a lunch break.
Highland Park-Richmond Hill-Jamaica (Meets Eastern Pkwy/Bway Junction and ends with lunch in Jamaica); Bushwick-Williamsburg-Lower East Side (Meets Jamaica and ends at Delancey St, Manhattan)

6 Walks from the #6 Train
The extension of NYC’s first subway line under Lexington Ave and into the Bronx served the wealthy “Gold Coast” as well as the poor of Yorkville and East Harlem. As an elevated train east of the Bronx River, it propelled the transformation of the rural East Bronx into an urban landscape. We explore a variety of neighborhoods in six walks of about 45 minutes each. Commentary includes physical geography (the Harlem valley and the Harlem and Bronx Rivers), colonial Bronx settlement (Westchester Square) and planning (Hunts Pt, Parkchester.) This tour is designed as a whole but can be marketed as half tours, before and after a lunch break.
96-103 St-South Bronx-Westchester Sq. (Meets Grand Central Station with lunch in Westchester Sq)
Parkchester-Bronx R-Hunts Pt-Harlem R (Meets Westchester Sq and ends at 125 St, Manhattan)

The Brighton Line (Q train)
Originally built as an excursion railroad to Coney Island, the Brighton line quickly became a conduit to early suburbia before being converted to a subway line. We’ll take six walks along the route which is rich in history, ethnic contrasts (black, Jewish, Chinese, South Asian and Russian) as well as leafy garden suburb developments. We’ll also visit the Flatbush town center and the boardwalk in Brighton Beach.
Prospect Park-Church St-Brighton Beach-Avenue U-Avenue J-Avenue H.

La Rive Gauche (Cultural Change on the East River)
A series of walks, bus and subway rides focusing on the changing industrial waterfront from Long Island City (Queens) to Red Hook (Brooklyn). For much of the way transportation is with the B61, one of NYC’s fascinating bus routes. We’ll also enjoy the view from the Smith/9th station, highest point in the subway system. Interpretive walks take place in ‘hot’ neighborhoods: LIC, Greenpoint, N. Williamsburg, S. Williamsburg, DUMBO-Vinegar Hill, Red Hook. Meets at Queensboro Plaza and ends in Red Hook.

Northeast Queens via the Long Island Railroad
The communities of Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck were nurtured by what is now the Port Washington branch of the LIRR. An Old Bayside walk departs from LIRR station to include homes and churches from Bayside’s “Beverly Hills” period- housing the stars of the stage and silent screen as well as the Lawrence family graveyard. We use the LIRR to get to Little Neck and walk back to Douglaston around posh Douglas Manor in time to catch a westbound train.

Jamaica Avenue: Kings to Queens
Jamaica Avenue has been a strategic foothill highway connecting Brooklyn and Queens since Colonial times. It skirts the park and cemetery belt, becoming a commercial artery that supports the J elevated train. There are three parts to this walk, connected by two rides on the J train. We’ll explore the street geography of the terminal glacial moraine where Jamaica Avenue begins, stroll past Highland Park mansions, then observe changes at the B-Q boundary with a look at old Woodhaven. We continue to downtown Jamaica for a walk leading to King Manor Museum where a reception and museum visit extend the tour. Meets at Eastern Parkway-Broadway Junction (A,C,J,L) Ends at King Manor Museum, Jamaica Ave (E,J, LIRR at Sutphin).

The Nineteenth Century Long Island Commuter
Before the bridges and tunnels of the early twentieth century transformed the journey to work to Manhattan, commuters from most of Long Island used the LIRR Newtown Creek route, transferring to a ferry in Long Island City. This non-electrified LIRR line is now obsolete for most commuters but maintains a minimal weekday schedule and offers unique views of industrial Newtown Creek, Maspeth, Glendale, Forest Park and Richmond Hill before arriving in Jamaica. (E,J,F) Meet at Wall St Pier NY Waterway ferry shuttle for ferry ride and tour of Long Island City before boarding train. (Ferry and train fares not included)

Long Island City 4: LIC in Process
The #7 train snakes its way through Long Island City history. Diversions from the train at Vernon-Jackson, Courthouse Square and Queensboro Plaza illustrate the transformation of a crude industrial satellite to an integrated industrial colossus to a post-industrial center where art, commerce and housing compete for space. Includes views of the Sunnyside from above. >Meets at SW corner Fifth Avenue & 42 St (NYPL, #7 Fifth Ave) Unlimited Metrocard Pass recommended.

Uptown: The #4 train in the Bronx
The #4 train (Jerome Avenue line) navigates a valley between the ridge of the Grand Concourse on the east and the bluffs over the Harlem River to the west. In its early days, more than a century ago, this part of the Bronx was the Northside of NYC, way “uptown”. The hilltops are the site of beautiful College campuses, parks, reservoirs and remnants of housing for the wealthy, much relating to the nineteenth century. Near the subway stops, there is new commerce relating to new ethnicities. Dominating structures like Yankee Stadium and the Cross Bronx Expressway continue to impact the area. We’ll explore these features from the train and on foot. (Note: some walks involve considerable uphill portions.) >Meets in Grand Central Station.

Ferry-Assisted Walks
(This group of walks stresses maritime history in New York City or subsequent waterfront development One leg of the journey is typically by ferry and/or ferries may make a convenient segue to the experience.)

Staten Island Ferry to St George
We tour NY harbor the easy way - from the railing of the Staten Island ferry. (New Jersey developments, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on the way out and Brooklyn and Governor’s Island developments on the way back.) On Staten Island there’s a walking tour of St. George as a transportation center that developed rather late in its history in spite of difficult topography. >Meets at the benches in front of 17 State St. opposite Battery Park (4,5 Bowling Green, W,R Whitehall, 1,9 South Ferry)

NY Water Taxi and the Brooklyn Bridge
The Water Taxi provides a wonderful perspective on NYC (suddenly it seems so spacious!) $20 gets you the swift boat ride to Brooklyn, a Saturday walking tour from Fulton Ferry to DUMBO, the East River Promenade, Brooklyn Heights and over the Brooklyn Bridge. Then you have unlimited use of the weekend water taxi to all ports.! (see www.nywatertaxi.com) >Meets at the Water Taxi Kiosk on Pier 17 (South Street Seaport)

NY Water Taxi and the rise of Commercial Manhattan
The Water Taxi provides a wonderful perspective on NYC (suddenly it seems so spacious!) $20 gets you the waterborne perspective from the South Street Seaport to Battery Park and a Saturday walking tour from the Battery to Fulton St. stressing landfill, maritime history, commercial development and technological change, Wall St, historical preservation and redevelopment. Then you have unlimited use of the weekend water taxi to all ports.! (see www.nywatertaxi.com) >Meets at the Water Taxi Kiosk on Pier 17 (South Street Seaport)

Up Newtown Creek
This tidal arm of the East River, forms the boundary between Brooklyn and Queens. At peak industrial build-up, the busiest waterway in the world, it carried more traffic than the Mississippi. This area developed from marshland to a flourishing industrial center and then declined into urban brownfields. We’ll discuss the bridges, neighborhoods and industry at its edges from Greenpoint to Maspeth. .>Meets at any ferry slip convenient to public transit. Requires a chartered boat such as NY Water Taxi

Moderate Hikes
(These outings cover 5-8 miles in 3-5 hours on mostly level pavement or trail. They generally finish far from the start though return transit is available. They include rest stops but feature more vigorous walking, especially through parklands or along waterfront and bridges. Lunch breaks can be planned. Commentary given at less frequent intervals.)

Little Neck Bay Estuary and Alley Pond Park
This walk traverses the entire Little Neck Bay drainage area, from the bay to the glacial moraine. We begin at the Little Neck LIRR station, view the Udall’s Cove Wildlife refuge and walk around Douglas Manor. After a break at the Alley Pond Environmental Center, we continue up “The Alley”, skirting the wetlands and ascend into the Alley Pond Park woodlands south of the Long Island Expressway. We walk through the park to the viewpoint provided by the glacial moraine, retreating via the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway bikeway. Bus connections to railheads from Union Turnpike and Springfield Blvd.

The Right-of-Way of the Flushing Central Rail Road
Did you know that a railroad once ran from Flushing to Hempstead? It functioned for only a few years in the 1870's but its right-of-way lives on in parks and streets that don’t conform to the Queens grid! We walk the phantom rails from Central Flushing to Creedmoor (Queens Village) in two leisurely segments of about three miles each through parkland and pleasant residential neighborhoods that mask historical anomalies! Can be marketed in segments.
Flushing to Fresh Meadows: Begins at Queens Botanical Garden entrance on Main St, Flushing. Ends in Fresh Meadows Shopping Center. Fresh Meadows-Hollis Hills-Queens Village: Begins at Fresh Meadows Shopping Center and ends near Hillside Ave and Springfield Blvd.

Three Boroughs, Three Bridges
This hike begins at Ratner’s and ends at Bloomingdale’s via a route than spans the Queensboro, Pulaski and Williamsburg bridges. Long Island City (Queens) and Greenpoint and Williamsburg (Brooklyn) are featured, particularly in their role as waterfront industrial neighborhoods. Spectacular vistas of Manhattan abound as we parallel the Manhattan scene from the Lower East Side to Midtown on the opposite shore.

College Point-Fort Totten
We begin at Main St/Northern Blvd, Flushing to board bus to the Poppen Husen Institute in College Point. The walk encompasses the history and changing roles of the old waterfront communities of College Point, Malba, Whitestone and Beechhurst and passes under the Whitestone and Throggs Neck Bridges. Return by bus from Fort Totten.

Bus Tours

(Chartered buses enable far-flung points of interests to be easily connected. Commentary is given en route and also during short walks that may be arranged at specific points. These excursions are particularly recommended for older participants.)

Long Island City
The tour covers many of the highlights of Long Island City walking tours 1-3 above. It also features short walks at the Pulaski Bridge, Gantry Park, Courthouse Square and Socrates Sculpture Park.

North Queens: Historic Response to Varied Landscapes
A century ago, North Queens (the towns of Flushing and Newtown and the City of Long Island City) was a sparsely settled area of discrete settlements largely shaped by a natural landscape featuring bays and inlets, wetlands, highlands and the glacial moraine. Historically, towns, farms and industry were sensitive to the lay of the land. The bus tour includes College Point, Whitestone, Flushing, Bayside, Hollis, Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Glendale, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Long, Island City, Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. Ideally, this is a full day tour with a picnic lunch (e.g. Forest Park) and several additional stops to visit historic buildings and/or featured natural landscapes.

South Queens: Historic Response to Varied Landscapes
A century ago, South Queens (Jamaica town and the Rockaway Peninsula) was sparsely populated. Discrete settlements were shaped by a landscape featuring bays and inlets, wetlands, the glacial outwash plain and Atlantic Ocean beaches. Historically, towns, farms and industry were sensitive to the lay of the land. The tour includes Jamaica, St Albans, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, Far Rockaway, Bayswater, Rockaway Beach, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Ozone Park, and Woodhaven. . Ideally, this is a full day tour with a picnic lunch (Rockaway Beach) and with several additional stops to visit historic buildings and/or featured natural landscapes.