NYC Fleet Week, which takes place every Memorial Day Weekend, brings thousands of young men and women serving the nation’s naval crews to our fine city to visit tourist attractions and take part in numerous special events. It has been a tradition since 1935.

This year’s Fleet Week Celebration is highlighted in Brooklyn by the previously reported 2012 Operation Sail Parade (opSail) and U.S. Navy Parade of Ships.

Feel like taking part? An event guide for the coming weekend is here.

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)

The Space Shuttle Enterprise, aboard a NASA 747, appears over the Brooklyn Heights skyline this morning on its way to JFK Aiport, and eventually the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. (Photo: M. Hermann/BHB)

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

Not for nothin’ but Brooklyn Heights has been called many things over the years but Boston Herald travel writer Bob Young may take the (Junior’s Cheese) cake with this passage included in a recent piece on our fair borough:

Boston Herald: The brownstones of the upscale Cobble Hill area offered a stark architectural contrast to DUMBO and got us ready for the even more la de da Brooklyn Heights. Beacon Hill brownstones — and plenty of Beacon Hill’s residents — would feel right at home on the Heights, which sport some of the best shopping and views in all of New York.

The fabled Promenade, a wonderful esplanade on the Heights with spectacular views of the East River, the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and Lower Manhattan, is worth a trip to Brooklyn all by itself. Though it was a heartbreaking reminder to see Lower Manhattan without the Twin Towers, it was equally buoying to the spirit to witness the gleaming new structures under construction rising from their ruins.

Sure it’s no Hidden Brooklyn Heights, but it’s an interesting look at our neighborhood nevertheless.  NBC New York Non-Stop – a channel that we only know about because Joey Reynolds has a show on it now – recently took a stroll through the nabe with AM New York’s Rolando Pujol as part of their Hidden City series.

Check it out after the jump.

Spring has sprung and so has tour season! We’ve “remixed” Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights for 2011. As is our tradition, the first tour of the season offers “donation/pay what your want” pricing. We’ll be hitting the pavement this Sunday (3/27) at 1pm.

Read more and buy tickets here.

Spring is in the air! It’s a great time to reserve your spot on the first Brooklyn Bugle Walking Tour of 2010.

Brooklyn Heights 101, led by Annie Fitzsimmons, is a great primer for new residents, visitors, NYC residents looking for a fun day trip or long timers who would like a refresher course on our historic neighborhood.

Follow this link to save 25% off the Regular Ticket price now!

That’s what an unfortunate first time visitor to the neighborhood might conclude after trying to use this map, posted by the foot of the staircase (so that those consulting it are blocking the path of those entering or leaving the station) at the Cadman Plaza West entrance to the High Street A/C station.

In addition to large areas of the map being obscured by grime (possibly mold–thanks to reader Reggie for suggesting this), the red “you are here” marker shows the location as the other entrance to the station, on the east side of Cadman Plaza Park. so, someone going up the stairs and wanting to go to, say, Henry Street, and seeing the park to their left, might well think they have to cross the park to get there, and head off toward Concord Village.

As we’ve previously noted, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, at Hicks and Orange Streets, was an important part of the “Underground Railroad”. This was the clandestine system established by abolitionists, of which Henry Ward Beecher, minister at Plymouth in the pre-Civil War Years, was an inspirational leader, to help fugitive slaves escape to freedom in Canada.

NY1: Seeking freedom from their chains, many slaves received a secret welcome from the congregation of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights. In the mid 1800s, the basement of the house of worship was just one of many stops on the stretch of the Underground Railroad that ran through Brooklyn.

“Because there were many members involved in working with the underground railroad, really took it unto themselves to disobey what was the federal law by hiding fugitive slaves here and seeing they were moved on up to Canada,” said Plymouth Church History Director Lois Rosebrooks.

Urban Park Rangers are now offering guided tours of Underground Railroad sites in Brooklyn, including Plymouth Church. Read more and see a video here.

Our pals at BricArts Media, producers of Brooklyn Independent Television have selected the segment about our Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour for their year end retrospective.

The Best of BIT: Brooklyn Tours episode will air at 1:00pm and 9:00pm today – Wednesday, December 29th – on BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn’s BCAT TV Network (Time Warner 56, Cablevision 69, RCN 84 and in all five boroughs on Verizon 44).

The Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO Cadman Plaza region is a tourist hot spot, and until now left with little direction. Good news, confused out-of-towners! When arriving in Brooklyn, you will be greeted by signs, pointing you to the Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and other landmarks. This sign is right outside the High Street station, but there are several scattered around the neighborhood.

It’s going to be 57 degrees and sunny for Saturday morning’s Brooklyn Heights 101 Walking Tour. Have friends or family in town? New to the nabe? Join Brooklyn Bugle tour guide Annie Fitzsimmons for a fun and informative outing.

Order tickets now at Eventbrite and save 33% off the regular ticket price.

Tour attendee/BHB reader Carl raves:

Annie Fitzsimmons did a terrific job with the tour on Saturday. She knew an amazing amount of history of
New York and Brooklyn, including the details of the Brooklyn Bridge. She had no notes – it was all from memory -
and she had a bunch of postcards to illustrate many of the sites she brought us to; the St. George Hotel Ballroom,
Grand Lobby and Swimming Pool; the inspiration for the bank building on the corner of Montague & Clinton;
and many others. Everyone on the tour enjoyed it.

Back by popular demand, it’s our Brooklyn Heights 101 Walking Tour.  Led by veteran tour guide Annie Fitzsimmons, the tour is a great primer for new neighbors, visiting friends and relatives, tourists or long time residents who are interested in our landmarked district.

We’re offering a limited number of discounted tickets – get yours now by clicking here.

Annie Fitzsimmons will lead another Brooklyn Heights 101 Walking Tour on October 23 at 11am.  It’s a great introduction to Brooklyn Heights for visitors, new arrivals and long time residents who would like a primer on the history of our neighborhood.

Tickets are available now at Eventbrite.

Oklahoman reporter Mi-Ling Stone Poole visits Brooklyn Heights and tells the folks back home:

NewsOK: Another jewel in Brooklyn is the St. Ann & Holy Trinity Church at Montague and Clinton.

We ventured into this 1847 Gothic Revival structure and were impressed by the beauty and grandeur of the space. We were catapulted back in time when the pipe organ was being played.

Of course, the highlight of my day was taking in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline from the East River promenade. The Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge in the United States, dating to 1893; it connects the Manhattan boroughs to Brooklyn.

We didn’t mention the Brooklyn Bridge misinfo in the OK piece – “eg” points out the bridge opened in 1883.

Just moved to Brooklyn Heights? Lived here for a while but don’t know much about history?  This Saturday at 11am, take our Brooklyn Heights 101 Walking Tour hosted by veteran NYC tour guide Annie Fitzsimmons.   Click here and get 40%  off the regular ticket price .

The Brooklyn Bugle is pleased to announce that we’ve added  a new walking tour to our lineup — Brooklyn Heights 101.   Veteran tour guide Annie Fitzsimmons will lead the maiden voyage of the BH101 on September 18 at 11am.

Reserve your slot on the walk — buy tickets now at Eventbrite.

The weather forecast for Saturday is great so kick off the weekend with Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour!  This edition will feature some bonus stops as well.  So get on your walking shoes and come out.  Tickets available here.  Watch the video after the jump for discount code on ticket price.

From our pals at Gotham SideWalks – join in the fun on Sunday (8/1):

Bike Brooklyn Baseball
100 years of baseball history in 10 miles and 3 hours! Whether you live in Brooklyn or not, most baseball fans know about the great
Brooklyn Dodger teams of the 1950s. You’ve probably heard about Jackie Robinson and the color barrier, the magic of Ebbets Field, or the meteoric rise of Brooklyn’s own Sandy Koufax. This bike tour takes you from the roots of Civil War era “base ball” to the exit of the Dodgers in 1957… all while rolling along one of the finest circuits of urban bike paths in the country. Meet in Brooklyn in front of Ride Brooklyn bike shop, 468 Bergen Street (bike rentals available). Trains: 2/3 to Bergen; 4/5/6/D/N/R/M/LIRR to Atlantic-Pacific

And don’t forget Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour next Saturday!

The Brooklyn Eagle reports on some great walking tours presented by the Municipal Arts Society in the next few weeks.  For more information call (212) 935-2075 or visit the MAS website.   Tickets have already sold out to Francis Morrone’s tour of Carroll Gardens!

Brooklyn Eagle: The Municipal Art Society (MAS) will conduct several architectural and historic tours in Brooklyn this month, including one of Gowanus on Saturday, July 10; Brooklyn Bridge Park on Wednesday, July 14; Carroll Gardens on Sunday, July 18; Prospect Park West and Grand Army Plaza on Tuesday, July 27; and a bus tour that stretches from Long Island City to Williamsburg and Red Hook on Saturday, July 31.

Famous Fat Dave's Eating Tour cab spotted on Henry Street.

Dave carts his hungry passengers on tasting tours lasting 2 to 6 hours, with 5 to 20 tastes depending on which package is selected. Feeling famished? Brave the “Fat Elvis Package,” consisting of the maximum 6 hours, 12 spots, and 20 tastes. For more information on packages, rates, and how to find Famous Fat Dave, visit www.famousfatdave.com, or just try to hunt him down in your local neighborhood.

Mr. J. finds some historical scenes to contrast with present-day realities, notes what’s new and what’s about to be, and finishes with a last look (it goes away after today, so brave the heat if you yearn to play) at folks playing the piano at Pier 1.

Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking tour, presented by My Home Brooklyn, hits the street again this Sunday at 1pm.  Buy tickets at Eventbrite now! What’s on the tour? One stop is documented after the jump.

BHB publisher Homer Fink will hit the streets again on June 6 with his Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour presented by MyHomeBrooklyn.

Buy tickets now at Eventbrite.

The weather for Saturday is going to be fantastic making it the perfect opportunity to come along on Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour.  We start at noon and the tour lasts 90 minutes. Tickets must be purchased in advance.  Click here for 33% off the regular ticket price.

Attendees on May 15 will receive a brand spankin’ new Brooklyn Bugle t-shirt featuring logo remix by Purple Rock Scissors.  The tour is presented by MyHomeBrooklyn.

Our pals at Gotham SideWalks will be hitting the pavement again here Sunday morning at 11am with their South Brooklyn Heights: Sailors & Scholars walk. More info at their website.

And speaking of walking tours, the next Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights walking tour is happening on May 15. Tickets on sale now!

While we duke it out over tourist choppers, there is a quieter, greener way to take in some of the sights in Brooklyn Heights. [Shamless Plug Alert] Yes, folks, we’re talking about Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour.  Friends coming to town? Want to show them around in a fun and different way? Come on the tour! Tickets are going fast, but there are some left for the April 24th tour.   Watch the video after the jump and get discount code for 25% off regular ticket price.<embed src=”http://blip.tv/play/hMJRgdGRHgI” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”480″ height=”475″ allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true”></embed>

A bevy of local political figures, including Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Joan Millman, and City Councilmember Steve Levin, along with others from nearby Brooklyn areas and Manhattan, will hold a press conference tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. According to Senator Squadron’s office:

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Daniel Squadron and other elected officials and community leaders from Manhattan and Brooklyn will join tomorrow to urge the City to reexamine regulation and enforcement of tourist helicopter traffic. After the West 30th Street Heliport ended all tourist flights last Thursday, communities in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights experienced a sudden uptick in noise from helicopter traffic at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The elected officials will call on the City to address the safety implications of unregulated tourist helicopter flights and the impact on quality of life in communities that experience take-offs and landings or heavy flyover traffic.

Concerned local residents are encouraged to attend this event and give support to efforts to reduce the noise. The heliport is located on a pier next to South Street northeast of Broad Street, across from the ACLU building and the New York Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Park.

Monica Morales of WPIX Channel 11 News interviewed BHB founder John “Homer Fink” Loscalzo and BHB reader/commenter Drew Burchenal yesterday, and the clip above aired on the 6:30 and 10:00 p.m. news. (Video clip courtesy of Karl Junkersfeld.)

Read more about our proposal, contribute your opinion/plan and sign the petition here.

Publisher’s Note: While we await the “official” video from WPIX, please excuse the enthusiasm of Mr. Junkersfeld’s cat, Polo, who is clearly either our biggest fan or is far more agitated about the choppers than we are. After the jump, the short 6:30pm version of WPIX’s chopper report, sadly sans Mr. Polo Junkersfeld.
 

BHB pal/Gotham SideWalks honcho Rich Garr has two new tours of the nabe one focusing on the writers of the North Heights and the other focusing on “sailors and scholars” of the South Heights.

Also check out Homer Fink’s Hidden Brooklyn Heights Walking Tour