Events, Trips, and Outdoor Activities

There are three types of trips: walking tours and outings, museum walks and talks, and bus trips. All require pre-registration and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Walking tours and Outings

Tours and outings require preregistration. If you would like to participate, contact us, preferably by e-mail, or else call the office (718.951.5647) and leave a message. Be sure to include your telephone number in your e-mail or phone message, as trips may be canceled in case of inclement weather. Acceptance is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please also note deadlines for signing up. We will let you know if you are on a trip and where the meeting point is.

Trips are free, but for sites that charge for admission or docents, fees are shown.

Additional tours are being considered to places ranging from the Harbor Defense Museum to the Chinese Scholars Garden, the Morris Jumal Mansion to the Poe cottage. Look for more information as it becomes available.

WALKING TOUR OF CHINATOWN

Friday, September 13, 10:30 a.m.

Meeting Place: The corner of Canal Street and Mulberry Street

Note: The deadline to sign up is September 4.

Manhattan’s Chinatown is a cultural enclave that offers a rich tapestry of Chinese traditions, cuisine, and daily life. It is filled with scores of authentic Chinese restaurants and colorful store-fronts displaying an array of goods ranging from exotic produce to traditional crafts. We’ll explore the neighborhood and talk about its rich history. Robert Mishaan will lead us on this tour, which will last about two hours and cover about 1.5 miles.

WHALE WATCHING AND DOLPHIN ADVENTURE CRUISE

Wednesday, September 18,  noon (arrive by 11:15 a.m.), $60/$65

Meeting Place: American Princess Cruises, 2498 Emmons Avenue  (at East 25 Street), Brooklyn

Note: The deadline to sign up is September 13.

Spend a beautiful day on the water aboard The American Princess with a chance for awesome sightings of humpback whales and pods of bottlenose dolphins and cownose rays! A naturalist will be on board to identify these amazing creatures.

WALKING TOUR OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE

Wednesday, October 9,  10:30 a.m.

Meeting Place: To be determined

Note: The deadline to sign up is October 1.

The Lower East Side has a rich history, beginning as a neighborhood for immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It became a melting pot of Jewish, Italian, Irish, and Eastern European communities. Known for its tenement buildings and bustling street life, the area was often associated with poverty and overcrowding but also with vibrant cultural and artistic movements. The Lower East Side has undergone significant gentrification, transforming into a trendy area with a mix of Old World charm and modern amenities.

WALKING TOUR OF DITMAS PARK (Part of Brooklyn History Class)

Thursday, October 10, 10:30 a.m.

Meeting Place: To be determined

Note: The deadline to sign up is September 25. The walk is limited to a maximum of 16 people.

Ron Schweiger, Brooklyn borough historian, will lead a walking tour of Ditmas Park. This Landmarked Historic District was developed in 1902. See where the Ebinger family lived, where the pediatrician who took care of the Brooklyn Dodgers children lived; where Tom Hanks filmed Bridges of Spies, where silent screen star Mary Pickford had a house built (though she never lived there), and much more.

TOUR OF THE HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM

Thursday, December 5, 11 a.m.

Meeting Place: 3741 Broadway (between West 155 and 156 streets), New York

Note: The deadline to sign up is November 14.

The Hispanic Society of America operates a free museum and reference library for the study of the arts and cultures of Spain and Portugal and their former colonies in Latin America, the Spanish East Indies, and Portuguese India. We will have a guided tour of its collection, which features many notable works of art, including The Duchess of Alba by Francisco Goya.

Museum Walks and Talks

Join us for these docent-led guided tours, held on Fridays.

NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Friday, September 20, 11:30 a.m., $25
Exhibit: From Paul Revere to Edward Hopper and Lost New York

Meeting Place:170 Central Park West (at West 77 Street), New York 

ASIA SOCIETY

Friday, October 18, 11:15 a.m., $5
Exhibit: Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting

Meeting Place: 725 Park Avenue (between East 70 and 71 streets), New York 

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Friday, October 25, 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., $16
Exhibit: Mexican Prints at the Vanguard

Meeting Place: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue (at East 82 Street), New York 

GRAY ART MUSEUM, NYU

Friday, November 1, 11 and 11:45 a.m. $5
Exhibit: Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant Garde

Meeting Place: 18 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003 (near East 5 Street)

Bus Trips

These all-day outings are a good time. They leave at 9 a.m. and return at about 6 p.m. Transportation, lunch, admissions, and gratuities are included.

A DAY IN HARLEM

Wednesday, September 25, $115

Meeting Place: 2901 Campus Road (at Hillel Place near Nostrand and Flatbush avenues), Brooklyn

Note: The deadline to sign up is August 14.

Spending the day in Harlem will be both exciting and educational! The trip includes a tour of the iconic Apollo Theater, an American cultural treasure, where stars are born and legends have been made since 1934. We will also tour the National Jazz Museum, where jazz is being preserved, promoted, and presented. A soul food lunch will also be included at The United House of Prayer for All People.

HUNTERDON HILLS PLAYHOUSE: SIMPLY THE BEST

Saturday, October 19, $135

Meeting Place: 2901 Campus Road (at Hillel Place near Nostrand and Flatbush avenues), Brooklyn

We will be going to Hunterdon Hills playhouse to see Simply the Best. Karen Durrant will recreate the excitement, look, and performance of the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll, Tina Turner. Karen is considered to be the world’s no. 1 Tina Turner tribute artist.

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