Dozen Brooklyn Neighborhood Walks Planned May 5 and 6

April 23, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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Walks Commemorate Legacy of Urbanist Jane Jacobs

BROOKLYN — More than a dozen Brooklyn walks are planned on Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6, as part of “Jane’s Walks in New York City,” a series of free neighborhood walks commemorating the legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs.

The walks, taking place in all five boroughs and in other U.S. cities, are being coordinated by the Municipal Art Society (MAS) and guided by local residents and urban enthusiasts.

Following is a sampling of Brooklyn walks planned for Saturday, May 5:

Brooklyn Bridge, 9 to 11 a.m. with Gary Zarr, an MAS board member. Starting from the Manhattan side of the cultural icon and crossing the river to Brooklyn, this walk will be a fun, memorable and wonderful way to celebrate the Brooklyn Bridge.

Meet outside the 4/5 Brooklyn Bridge subway station on Centre Street next to City Hall Park.

Brownstone Brooklyn, 9:30 to 11 a.m. with Charlie Niessner, a “seasoned Big Apple greeter.” Starting at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Niessner will lead walkers through Brooklyn Heights, which became the first NYC historic district in 1965, predating the Greenwich Village Historic District.

Red Hook, 10 a.m. to 12:30p.m. with Deborah Gardner of the Roosevelt House at Hunter College. Once part of South Brooklyn, Red Hook now combines elements of its long industrial and maritime history with more recent trends in neighborhood change, including institutions like Fairway and the big box IKEA. plus waterside parks and the famous Red Hook food vendors. Meet at the southwest corner of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, on the Atlantic Ave. side of Trader Joe’s.

Grand Army Plaza, 10 to 11:30 a.m. with Rob Witherwax of the Grand Army Plaza Coalition and members of Transportation Alternatives. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as the gateway to Prospect Park, and home to civic institutions, monuments and grand residences, Grand Army Plaza is also the nexus of six major roadways. Meet at the Soldiers and Sailors Arch at Grand Army Plaza.

Following is a sampling of Jane’s Walks planned for May 6:

Downtown Brooklyn’s New Livability, 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with Joe Svehlak, a licensed NYC tour guide. This is a walk through the newly designed people-friendly streets and plazas in this rapidly changing neighborhood, where new residential towers and hotels in and around Brooklyn’s historic civic center and Fulton Mall are changing the Brooklyn skyline. Surprises will include historic religious edifices, storefront art installations and landmarked former telephone company headquarters. Meet at the Brooklyn Borough Hall steps, near Court and  Remsen streets.

Williamsburg Rise, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with Sheila Sumayang, who describes herself as “a food explorer and lover of concrete jungles.” This walk will be a dialogue centering on the current and future socioeconomic changes converging on the neighborhood, particularly in the area of multi-unit housing with a huge influx of new residents. Meet at the Wythe Hotel, northwest corner of Wythe Avenue and North 11 Street.

For more information about Jane’s Walks in Brooklyn, please visit www.mas.org or call the MAS at (212) 935-3960.

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