In The Papers

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A writer from the Red Hook Star-Revue, a local paper from one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods, recently joined me on one of my Victorian Flatbush walking tours. I was thrilled that even someone who had previously lived in the area we were touring learned several new things about his former neighborhood! It was part of a larger story about the Tour Your Own City project I have helped work on, and how several guides are helping build a safe & sustainable return for NYC’s vital tourism industry over this next year.

The article is not yet online, but here are scans from the November 2020 issue where the article appears.

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[Update: The article is also now online: New York City’s Hidden Gems ]

Victorian Flatbush

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Introducing my 2-hour walking tour of Victorian Flatbush, Brooklyn.

The main feedback I get from this tour is "wow, who knew there was so much history here?". And that's fair... when we think of the history of NYC, we think of downtown Manhattan. But when the Dutch founded New Netherlands ("New Amsterdam" was just what they called the specific settlement in present-day Financial District), many of the earliest settlements were in Brooklyn. Brooklyn was once an independent city divided into 6 separate towns... including Flatbush. And the subsection of this area called Victorian Flatbush is the most gorgeous and history-filled of them all.

In just this neighborhood-- which consists of numerous, small historic districts-- you can see NYC's oldest high school (founded by Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and others... and attended in more modern times by Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, and more), a Dutch church grounds dating back to 1654, historic palace theatres and landmarked buildings, a private tennis club tucked away behind pre-war apartment buildings, and countless Victorian-style homes dating back to the turn of the 20th century. It is a slice of high-end suburbia tucked away in a busy Brooklyn community.

I think of this tour as as a two-in-one: It is both a journey back in time to old Brooklyn, and also a relaxing exploration of some of the most beautiful NYC architecture outside of Manhattan. So what are you waiting for? Contact me to arrange a custom date around your schedule.