A. On Tuesday, October 17, some students pointed out that I had not been reviewing walking assignments. My apologies. Our class time goes so quickly (are we having fun yet?) So to review the IMPORTANCE of these walks

1. Included with student lead walks, the assigned walks give us a common set of places experienced in the city. Places that are key locations in the development and functioning of the city (MN, BK waterfront, Queensboro Plaza) Places, I can ask about on a final exam. (You'll have choices from out common experience) Or places, even if they are not crucial, are representative of many such places (trolley, elevated neighborhoods, RR stations.) Or even places that may appeal to your sense of mystery and adventure.

2. The Franklin Shuttle ride was to introduce to you the oldest surviving piece of "subway" which actually was completely refurbished a couple of years ago. Before that it dated to the 1870s and became part of a much more extensive BRT elevated system- most of which has been torn down. This part remains because it enables some time saving transfers rather than the long runs it was once a part of. Much of the route goes through the MIDDLE of a block (rather than a street right-of-way) which is very unusual in NYC. If you can't get to the real thing, you can take a virtual ride on the Franklin S train at http//www.nycsubway.org/bmt/brighton/shuttle.html

3. The schlepps to New Dorp and Bayside were to see "villages" that developed with the RR and more or less stayed that way, staying beyond the reach of the subway. Many other neighborhoods developed like this from 1850-1910. Their shopping streets are still village-like, orthogonal to the RR- and they "begin and end" in about 6 blocks. Nearby housing is as much as 100-120 years old, with infill over the decades and curious old churches and cemeteries are nearby. Also- riding the LIRR or the SI ferry is a new experience for many, and another way to get to know NYC.

B. Someone asked about the dates of the Harlem River Bridges (from AIA Guide first edition- they have since omitted the chart) Here are a few Willis Ave-1901; Third Ave-1898 (you had a walk over this from Mott Haven); Madison Ave 1910; High Bridge (the masonry arched structure built to carry water) 1848; Washington Br (which we will cross on Mn-BX tour) 1888. Several of these are rebuilds of previous iron or wooden structures

C. Student tours Some serious problems may be emerging. I am hearing second-hand and hearsay murmurings about certain partnerships not working, certain groups not organizing. Well I'd rather hear about it sooner than later. If you are having problems with others or need suggestions of what or how to do- GET IN TOUCH with me. The days are already too crowded. I would rather weed out those who cannot do this and assign a term paper than have you seriously embarrass yourself and waste class time. Communication is the key at this moment- with me, with each other, with your leaders. BX-MN groups- you should report any serious problems ASAP or by next Tuesday. (10/18)

D. Now, in honor of the Subway Series, a little NYC baseball geography! If a New York team wins the series, you are responsible for this. (I grew up in Queens before it had a team. In the 1950s there were mass migrations to Queens from the other big boroughs who brought their allegiances and more or less got along. In other places you could get beaten up for being the wrong fan. Ironically, Queens has also been a place where racial and cultural mixing proceeded with less incident. Those of us in Queens had to brag about our RELATIVES who lived "only 3 blocks" (but probably a mile) from a real stadium. I was a Yankee fan because we got TV Channel 11 better than the other baseball channels. I left NYC as a Yankee fan in 1963 and returned as a Met fan in 1978 ...I discovered that I had great view into Shea from my apartment building, "only 3 blocks" away. )

The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers franchise (now the LA Dodgers) began in 1884 (during the trolley boom) and played at several locations in South Brooklyn (the flats north of Red Hook). The Ebbets Field Park (1913) was located near Empire Blvd and Bedford Ave, just below the glacial moraine, a neighborhood ( North Flatbush) that was rapidly changing from white to predominantly black when the Dodgers left in 1957. Ironically, the Dodgers integrated major league baseball with Jackie Robinson (1947) as this process was beginning. The Dodgers were sponsored by Schaefer Beer, one of the big breweries of Bushwick that closed not long after the Dodgers left (Bushwick once had about 70 breweries; now none) Ebbets Field is now a housing project.

The New York Yankees started as the New York Highlanders (1903) and played at various fields in Washington Heights. With their success, Jacob Rupert (the brewer on my tour @ 2nd Ave/91-94 St) built Yankee Stadium (1923) on marginal Harlem River property in the Bronx a few years after the Jerome Ave #4 IRT opened. (Later the D train intersected at this station to serve Yankees and new Bronx Courthouse.) In my day, (the 1950s), the Yankees were sponsored by Ballantine Ale. The Ballantine brewery was in Newark- where the Yankees most important Minor League farm team played. The Ballantine house is next to the Newark Museum, downtown, and has been incorporated into the museum and is truly worth a visit. (The Yankees would never be sponsored by a Brooklyn Brewery! There were no more breweries in Mott Haven!) As the Dodgers were leaving NYC, the neighborhood around Yankee Stadium was changing from white to black and Hispanic. The Yanks were about the last of the baseball teams to integrate.

The New York Giants (1883) began playing at polo grounds in Central Harlem (at the time the end of the city), and moved to a stadium that kept that name in lower Washington Heights, also on a marginal Harlem River location. I don't remember what beer they pushed. The Polo Grounds area became predominantly black around WW2 and the Giants, like the Dodgers, integrated rapdily. The Polo Grounds is now a housing project which boasts an unused subway connection only used for games. In the mid-fifties all the teams found themselves in deteriorating and changing neighborhoods with inadequate auto access and parking. The Yankees had the best access. The Dodgers and Giants sold out in a package deal (1957- Brooklyn will NEVER forget) to bring the Majors to California- part of a real westward tilt in American cultural geography, as California popular lifestyles, based on driving, began to dominate the American psyche.

With Major league expansion the new (and unbelievably inept) Mets franchise came to NY in 1961 and shared Yankee stadium until Robert Moses brought Worlds Fair #2 and new Shea Stadium to Flushing Meadow Park in Queens. The entire area around the park has since become an intricate mixture of nativist and immigrant cultures. But Shea's road access makes it a favorite of suburban Long Islanders who can easily drive and park. Cityfolk get there with the #7 train ("The John Rocker slur train") Ironically, I am doing an all-day walk of 6 neighborhoods on the #7 this Saturday (10/21- with the Museum of the City of NY).

I don't believe many of you have much memory of a Subway Series. And I don't know what bizarre NY behavior this one will inspire. But these were memorable rituals of my youth that affected non-fans as well. So, enjoy, observe, survive the temporary madness. There will be a game next Tuesday. We will also have a class.