May 2011 Tours
Saturday, May 21, 9:00 a.m.-about 1:30 p.m.Wave Hill & Riverdale-on-Hudson – SOLD OUT
We’ll take the Metro-North train to Riverdale, where we’ll first visit the gardens of Wave Hill, and enjoy spectacular views across the Hudson River to the Palisades. We’ll then tour Riverdale-on-Hudson with its grand summer houses and mansions and romantic fantasy architecture, from medieval French chateaux to castles from Spain. The tour will end at the #1 subway.
Tour Leader: Justin Ferate, architectural historian.
Meet at: Provided upon registration.
Cost of Tour: $25, $15 MAS members.
Also on Saturday, May 21, 11:00 a.m.
When Brooklyn Met the Middle East
This is a tour of Brooklyn’s earliest Arab-American neighborhood, a community that was established in the 19th century and grew up around Atlantic Avenue in what are now the landmarked districts of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Learn about the neighborhood’s cuisine, shops and restaurants and how and why this area became a Middle Eastern center. The tour includes information about two architecturally significant churches in the area and visits to longtime Arabic retail establishments.
Tour Leader: Mary Ann Napoli, urban historian.
Meet at: N.W. corner of Remsen and Court streets, on the Remsen St. side of Signature Bank. MAP
Cost of Tour:$15, $10 MAS members. Pay at tour.
Sunday, May 22, 11:00 a.m.
Downtown’s Parks and Plazas
Downtown, noted for its crowded, narrow street pattern, has a surprising number of open spaces, as well as New York City’s oldest parks. From the Battery to City Hall, we will explore open spaces and learn about their role in New York City’s history. Our walk will include Bowling Green, Coenties Slip, Hanover Square, the Elevated Acre and a discussion of plans for the redevelopment of Greenwich South.
Tour Leader: Joe Svehlak, urban historian.
Meet at: The entrance to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in the Peter Minuit Plaza. MAP
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members. Pay at tour.
Saturday, May 28, 11:00 a.m.
Chelsea Gallery Tour
Explore the center of the contemporary New York art scene and visit some interesting gallery shows on this stroll through Chelsea. We will talk about the development of the neighborhood and explore large and small galleries.
Tour Leader: Sylvia Laudien-Meo, art historian.
Meet at: 536 W. 22nd St., in front of the Sonnabend Gallery. MAP
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members. Pay at tour.
Sunday, May 29, 2:00 p.m.
Walt Whitman’s New York
To celebrate the 192nd birthday of New York’s—and America’s—greatest poet, we will explore the part of Manhattan Walt Whitman knew best in his years as a printer, reporter, flaneur, and poet, moving south from Greenwich Village through SoHo, TriBeCa, and the Civic Center. Along the way we will see where he imbibed the culture of the streets, theaters, lecture halls, and minstrel halls, with digressions on phrenology, Mathew Brady, Newspaper Row, Abraham Lincoln and a raft of colorful characters who hung out in the alcove of Pfaff’s rathskeller.
Tour Leader: Francis Morrone, architectural historian.
Meet at: S.W. corner of Broadway and Bleecker St. MAP
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members. Pay at tour.
Saturday, June 4, 1:00 p.m.
Cultural District II: BAM District
In this second tour in our series on cultural districts, we will visit one that was carefully planned—the BAM Cultural District in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. With such mainstays as the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Mark Morris Dance Company, the district is now home to sixty arts organizations and institutions. Against a stellar cultural backdrop, we’ll examine questions of investments, incentives, philanthropy and public policy.
Tour Leader: Laurence Frommer, urban historian.
Meet at: Provided upon registration.
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members. Register now or call 212 935 2075.