TOURS: Saturday, June 21
12:00 – 4:00pm
Tour groups will gather in the hotel lobby 30 minutes prior to the listed departure times.
New York's Original Urban Park: Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery Sunset Park Food Tour SOLD OUT! A River On the Rise: Canoe the Bronx River SOLD OUT! Harlem's Historic Parks SOLD OUT! Governor's Island SOLD OUT! The Brooklyn Waterfront Lower East Side Community Gardens
Before Central Park was even a glimmer in Andrew Jackson Downing's eye, many New Yorkers - desperate to escape the rapidly expanding metropolis - began to visit the next best thing to parks: cemeteries. Soon after its opening in 1838, Green-Wood Cemetery's vast, scenic landscape became one of the most popular weekend destinations in the city, despite the graves. The popularity of Green-Wood and other cemeteries during this time thus played an important role in the development of Central Park and urban parks throughout the country. Noting the growing need for open space, Jackson commented in 1849, "Does not this general interest, manifested in these cemeteries, prove that public gardens, established in a liberal and suitable manner near our large cities, would be equally successful?" Visit Green-Wood's picturesque glacial ponds, the highest point in Brooklyn, spectacular monuments and even the final resting places of some famous New Yorkers, from Horace Greeley to Leonard Bernstein.
Enjoy sensational views of the New York City Harbor and Lower Manhattan as you feast on the culinary delights of South Brooklyn's ethnic diversity. Led by NoshWalks' Myra Alperson, this ethnic eating-and-parks tour will first visit the neighborhood of Sunset Park, which includes distinctive Chinese, Turkish, and Latin American communities, the centerpiece being one of New York City's most interesting, but least-known, parks – Sunset Park itself – with its panoramic view of the New York City Harbor (Sunset Park sits on the second highest elevation in NYC). From there, we'll head next door to Bay Ridge, where we'll sample some of the neighborhood's Middle Eastern and Scandinavian treats. Participants will also visit Bay Ridge's beautiful waterfront, including the Narrows Botanical Gardens and Owl's Head Park, with its cutting-edge skate park – all connected by the Shore Parkway Greenway. Each neighborhood visit will include visits to local food markets and an overview of the local communities.
Canoe through the heart of the Bronx and experience the inspiring restoration of the historically-neglected Bronx River. The 29-year effort to restore the river and the parks and communities along its banks has made enormous strides, from habitat restoration to the construction of a park-studded greenway that will eventually stretch the full length of the 23-mile river. The alliance of over 60 nonprofits, businesses, city, state and federal agencies that have worked to reclaim the river and restore open space makes for a superb case study. Participants will hear from community leaders who have lead the efforts to ensure that the river corridor is a resource to the communities through which it flows.
This tour of Harlem's historic parks will focus on the unique renaissance its public art and historic structures are undergoing. Stops include Central Park's Harlem Meer and the neighboring Harlem Gateway Corridor on 110th St., with a discussion of the Duke Ellington monument and proposed monuments to Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X at the intersecting boulevards that bear their names. Participants will also visit Mount Morris (Marcus Garvey) Park and its historic 1856 cast-iron fire watchtower; the 30-acre, Olmsted-designed Morningside Park; Grant's Tomb and the 1973 mosaic art intervention by Pedro Silva & Cityarts Workshop; and Elizabeth Catlett's recently unveiled sculpture commemorating Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man in Riverside Park. Ellison was a long time resident of this northern end of Riverside Drive, which borders the regal Audubon Terrace—home of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, where Ellison was a member—and Trinity Cemetery, designed by Vaux & Co. where he is buried.
Governors Island in New York Harbor, a now-discontinued Coast Guard base unseen by the public for 200 years, is open for a special viewing for the first 50 conference registrants who sign up! Don't miss this privilege to see an unspoiled collection of 18th century officers' homes and unparalleled views of Lower Manhattan. Meet with the National Parks Service regional leadership to discuss how the island and the harbor at large can play a new role in the City’s future. At 172 acres, and just 5 minutes ferry ride from Battery Park, the island presents a unique development and recreation opportunity for New York, on a scale similar to the conversion of San Francisco's Presidio from military to civilian use. Several proposals for its use are being considered, including the provision of new public park space. Castle Williams and Fort Jay represent two of the finest examples of defensive architecture in America and played important roles in the War of 1812, the American Civil War, and World Wars I and II. Winds are often strong and we strongly advise participants to bring a jacket.
A tour of Brooklyn's neighborhood waterfront parks, from an informally established park in Williamsburg, with performance art, dog walkers and everybody in between, to the emerging Brooklyn Bridge Park, to the redeveloping Red Hook waterfront.
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Walk the streets of the Lower East Side and see how this historic, densely-packed community has created green sanctuaries for gardening, playing, making art, socializing, and relaxing. As community gardens flourish and communities becomes more desirable, the pressures from the city and developers become ever greater. See how the Lower East Side has faced these pressures, who they've partnered with, and how parks in the neighborhood have handled everything from singing birds to running dogs.
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