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"The
Can-Do Yard": World War II Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Our
newest tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard has launched, and we hope you
will join us to explore this fascinating history. We already have been honored
to host two World War II veterans on this tour – one who served in the
Merchant Marine, another in the Navy – and they have shared
powerful and moving stories with our visitors. We are pleased to
offer free admission to any World War II veterans, and discounted
tickets to military veterans of all ages.
During
World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard played a pivotal role in the
American war effort – it built or repaired over 5,000
ships, sent troops and supplies to fronts across the globe, and
the tireless efforts of its 70,000 workers earned it the
nickname "The Can Do Yard." This tour will examine the role of
the New York City waterfront in the war effort, explore
connections between the Yard and famous battles of World War II,
and visit
sites of significance that remain from this era, including the
Naval Hospital campus, the Naval Film Exchange, a working dry dock,
and even businesses outside the Yard that switched to wartime
production. By visiting these sites, hearing the stories of workers
and sailors, and examining historical images and documents from the
period, we hope to evoke a sense of what the Yard was like
during the war and illuminate the historical legacies that persist to
this day.
This tour is being offered in partnership with the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92.
Upcoming tour dates:
Sunday,
December 2nd
Saturday,
December 8th
Sunday,
January 6th
Time: 11:00AM-1:00PM
Tickets: $30 per person
Click here for tickets
& information
We also
offer our 2-hour overview tour of the Yard every Saturday and Sunday
at 2:00PM.
Be sure to read our blog, where we'll be sharing
great stories about the Yard's history, and check out wonderful photos taken by our friend David Berkowitz on the Veterans Day
launch of this tour.
Image Source (Above): David Berkowitz
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Tour an
Historic Brooklyn Church and Support Families in Need
In the
Spirit of the Season: A Christmas Tour of the Parish Grounds of Most
Holy Trinity-St Mary
Discover
the beautiful church and parish grounds of Most
Holy Trinity – St. Mary, built in 1885 as “The German
Cathedral” and described in author Betty Smith’s famous novel, A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Led by Father Timothy Dore and Turnstile’s
founder Cindy VandenBosch, this tour will venture up into the bell
tower, down into the crypt, and even take a peek into the
German-themed Rathskeller rectory. Attendees will learn about
the origins of many Christmas traditions, highlighting the parish's
early beginnings in the mid-1800s with stories of the origins of
Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and discussing more recent
immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Poland, who have
brought new traditions to the church, from Noche Buena to the Three
Kings Day Parade.
All proceeds from the tour go to benefit Trinity Human Service Center, a
non-sectarian, non-profit organization that provides food and social
services for needy families in Brooklyn. Cindy has been proud to
offer this tour experience for four years, and it has helped to raise
thousands of dollars for struggling families – we hope you will join
us this season.
Saturday, December
15th, 2:30-4:30PM
Saturday, January
5th, 2:30-4:30PM
Tickets: $20 per person. Space is
limited, so advance ticket purchase is required.
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Explore
Latin American Food and Culture in Williamsburg
Immigrant
Foodways Tour
Our
Immigrant Foodways Tour takes you on a journey through the sights,
sounds, and flavors of the diverse Latin American cultures that come
together in Brooklyn's East Williamsburg neighborhood. Once known for
its pickles and kosher meat, today the neighborhood serves up herbal
teas from Mexico, sounds of salsa, and traditional foods from Latin
American countries. Based on interviews with neighborhood residents,
this tour explores the history of Brooklyn’s “Avenue of Puerto Rico”
– once the heart of a Jewish community – and takes an in-depth look
at the Moore Street Market, built in 1941 to mark the end of the
pushcart era and today a centerpiece of the Spanish-speaking
community. By the end, you’ll be equipped with new knowledge about
Latin American ingredients and a booklet of traditional recipes to
help you recreate the tastes and smells of the market in your own
home.
Sunday,
December 16th, 10:30AM-1:00PM
Tickets: $42 per person. Advance ticket purchase is required.
Click here
for tickets & information
Holiday Events in
Williamsburg
In addition to our Christmas Church tour and Immigrant Foodways tour,
there are many other holiday events going on this time of year in
East Williamsburg. The Graham Avenue Business Improvement District
will be running its Holly Jolly Trolley this year to transport
shoppers around the neighborhood. The trolley will operate on
Saturdays and Sundays throughout the Christmas season from 11AM to
3PM. For more information, visit the Graham Avenue BID's website. The
neighborhood's annual Three Kings Day Parade will take place Sunday,
January 6th, along Graham Avenue, and will feature menagerie of
animals – including a camel! – in its procession (if you want to
learn about the origins of the nativity scene, come on our Christmas Church Tour!).
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Special
Holiday Food Cart Tours
Throughout
the holiday season, we will continue to offer our Food Cart Tours on our regular
schedule – Wednesdays in the Financial District, Fridays in Midtown –
but with a special twist. Tours in December will include special
holiday content, including stories about New York City's sidewalk
Christmas tree vendors and roasted chestnut sellers, and holiday
foods and traditions from the home countries of the immigrant vendors
we work with. With Manhattan already abuzz with the holiday spirit,
we hope these tours will offer unique insight into holiday traditions
and foods. If you have family in town or you're just visiting New
York for the holidays, our Food Cart Tours are a great family
experience.
Financial
District, Wednesdays, 12:00PM-2:00PM
Midtown,
Fridays, 2:00PM-4:00PM
Click here for tickets and information
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Help New
York City Recover from Sandy
Many
of our partners, friends, and family were deeply affected by
Hurricane Sandy. In the days and weeks since the storm, our team has
tried to do what we can to help in the relief efforts, but there is
still so much to be done. Many of the street vendors we work with
were affected, as Manhattan's Financial District experienced massive
flooding, forcing many of them out of their regular locations and
causing them to lose customers they had relied on for years to
support their small businesses. But street vendors have stepped up to
the plate in Sandy relief (read about this on our blog),
bringing their mobile kitchens to the hardest-hit areas of the city
to provide hot meals for families in need, free of charge, thanks to
support from crowd-sourcing campaigns and generous donors. The
Brooklyn Navy Yard was also hit hard by Sandy's storm surge, and
roughly 25 of the Yard's 275 businesses suffered losses in inventory
and equipment – some were even taken offline completely, and remain
so to this day. Both IceStone, a manufacturer of
countertops made from recycled glass, and Ted & Honey, the café inside the
Brooklyn Navy Yard Center, have launched campaigns through the
crowdfunding platform Smallknot to help them get back on their feet.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation is working hard to
provide support for the tenants and workers at the Yard, but every
bit helps.
The outpouring of support from individuals and organizations during
this crisis has been incredible, and we have been deeply moved by
people's generosity, selflessness, and hard work. We would like to
extend special acknowledgement to some of the groups that we have
worked with, including Occupy Sandy, COJECO, Team Rubicon, and the New York City Food Truck Association.
Cindy has compiled a list of resources
that you can use to donate money, supplies, or your time to the
people in need. It has been a month since the storm, but there are
still thousands of families without homes and in need of support. As
the weather gets colder and the prospect of spending the holidays
without a home, job, or belongings, that support becomes ever more critical.
Thank you for your help.
How you can
help victims of Sandy.
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Upcoming Tours
Fri, Nov 30
Midtown Food Cart
Tour
Sat, Dec 1
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
Sun, Dec 2
World War II
Brooklyn Navy Yard Tour
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
Wed, Dec 5
Financial Dist
Food Cart Tour
Fri, Dec 7
Midtown Food Cart
Tour
Sat, Dec 8
World War II
Brooklyn Navy Yard Tour
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
Sun, Dec 9
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
Wed, Dec 12
Financial Dist
Food Cart Tour
Fri, Dec 14
Midtown Food Cart
Tour
Sat, Dec 15
Christmas Church
Tour
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
Sun, Dec 16
Immigrant Foodways
Tour
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Overview Tour
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Gift
Certificates Available for the Holidays!
Give the gift of a unique New York
City experience this holiday season. Gift certificates can be
purchased by tour or dollar amount. Give the gift of an historical
tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a strolling lunch of street food, or
a weekend visit to an historic public market!
Purchase Gift Certificates
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Write a
review! Tell your friends!
If you recently joined us for a
tour, we would greatly appreciate it if you wrote a review of your
experience on our TripAdvisor page. Online reviews go a
long way in helping us reach more customers and improve our
experiences. We rely a great deal on word-of-mouth, so please, tell
your friends and family about your tour and help us get the word out
about or small but growing company. And we always welcome your
feedback if you would like to send it to us directly at info@turnstiletours.com.
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Neighborhood
Eats Tour from Urban Oyster
Our friends at Urban Oyster offer a
wonderful food tour of Brooklyn's Smith and Court Streets,
highlighting a vibrant mix of small, locally-owned, artisanal
food shops, both old and new. Stops on the tour include Italian
and Middle Eastern shops that have long been staples of the
neighborhood, as well as the growing scene of cafes and restaurants
specializing in New American cuisine. While you enjoy their
delicacies, you will also learn about the neighborhood's rich history
and get to meet the local business owners.
Tours are offered Saturdays, 1-4PM
Tickets & information
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