Latest Articles - Turnstile Tours

“Mind the Light, Kate”: New York’s Most Famous Lighthouse Keeper with the Noble Maritime Collection | Episode 70

“Mind the Light, Kate.” From 1890 to 1919, Kate Walker honored this request from her dying husband as he was taken from their home, the lighthouse on Robbins Reef just …

Virtual Programs
Waterfront

Chaos and Control: On Painting and Toys with Paul Campbell | Episode 67

Brooklyn Navy Yard-based artist Paul Campbell started to experiment with painting with his children’s toys in 1998 and has since explored the tension and balance between chaos and control. His …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Prospect Park
Virtual Programs

“Manhattan Beach”: The Brooklyn Navy Yard of World War II with Jennifer Egan | Episode 66

Take a virtual tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in World War II with Jennifer Egan, author of the award-winning novel Manhattan Beach, and our own resident historian, Andrew Gustafson. …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Virtual Programs

Brooklyn Army Terminal: Unexpected Stories from the Archives | Episode 65

The Brooklyn Army Terminal has served many functions over the years, including as a liquor storehouse in the 1920’s, a coffee roastery in the 1930’s postal sorting center in the …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Virtual Programs

From Orchard to Essex: Street Peddlers and Market Vendors with the Tenement Museum

When Essex Street Market opened in 1940, it was heralded as a new era for commerce, as the city promised to clear the streets of pushcart peddlers and provide a …

Public Markets
Street Vending
Virtual Programs

Feeding NYC: The History of the Supermarket | Episode 64

During the pandemic, supermarkets are the few public places that people still frequent, so this is a perfect time to look back at the history of grocery stores in America …

Virtual Programs

A Year in Review at Essex Market | Episode 63

On May 13, 2019, Essex Market moved from its 1940 building to a new home at Essex Crossing, opening a new chapter in the market’s history by adding 13 new …

Public Markets
Virtual Programs

The first and second floors of the Essex Market with a historic neon sign from the Orchard Essex Meat Market

Wall Street’s Finest Falafel: A Conversation with Adel El Nagar | Episode 60

For nearly 20 years, Adel El Nagar has been serving food of his native Egypt on the streets of New York. Known for his made-to-order falafel, his cart Adel’s #1 …

Street Vending
Virtual Programs

Before Rosie: Women at the Brooklyn Navy Yard pre-World War II | Episode 59

Before the celebrated images of “Rosie the Riveter” and “Winnie the Welder,” women served in a variety of roles at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in uniform and as civilian workers. …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Virtual Programs
Waterfront
World War I

Immigrant Food for an Immigrant Nation with Nuchas Chief Empanada Officer | Episode 58

Ariel Barbouth was born and raised in Argentina and came to New York City with his wife Leni in 2009 with a dream: to bring traditional Argentine empanadas and make …

Street Vending
Virtual Programs

Hospital Ships and Shipwright Tools: Exploring Collections of the South Street Seaport Museum | Episode 56

Dive into the collections of South Street Seaport Museum with Director of Collections Martina Caruso, who will share some of the highlights among the museum’s 28,000+ artifacts and 55,000+ archival materials that …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Virtual Programs
Waterfront
World War I
World War II

Street Organizing: A Conversation with Sean Basinski | Episode 55

We are thrilled to sit down with Sean Basinski, the founder and former director of the Street Vendor Project. Sean will walk us through his journey from law student to …

Street Vending
Virtual Programs

ARA General Belgrano: A Lost Ship, A Stolen Photograph

At 3:57 p.m. on May 2, 1982, the British submarine HMS Conqueror fired a spread of three torpedoes at the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano, located approximately 230 nautical miles …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Photography
Shipspotting
World War II

Color photo of a cruiser sinking with ocean in foreground and orange lifeboats on the water.

Places New Yorkers Love: In Conversation with Author and Artist John Tebeau | Episode 48

Join our conversation with artist and author John Tebeau, who’s book “Bars, Taverns, and Dives New Yorkers Love” features beautiful portraits and loving tributes to some of the best gathering places in neighborhoods …

Virtual Programs

How It’s Made: Scott Jordan Furniture | Episode 46

Go inside industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with Scott Jordan Furniture, a manufacturer of beautiful solid-wood furniture that has been in business for more than 35 years. Founder Scott Jordan …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Inside Industry
Virtual Programs

Scott Jordan standing in front of a CNC router with wooden parts

Crain’s: Mom-and-pop shops faced red tape—or silence—from PPP lenders

For small-business owner Cindy VandenBosch, who runs Turnstile Tours from her office in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the lack of communication from JPMorgan Chase on the status of her Paycheck Protection Program loan prompted her to take desperate measures. When she couldn’t get a single Chase representative on the phone for days, VandenBosch said she rented a Citi bike, donned a mask and gloves, and rode to a branch in Sunset Park for answers.

Press

A Church Grows in Brooklyn: Historic Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary’s | Episode 43

Explore one of the most beautiful and historic churches in Brooklyn, Williamsburg’s Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary. Established in 1843 as the first German Catholic parish on Long Island, the stunning …

Virtual Programs

Earth Day: Ecology of Prospect Park | Episode 38

Celebrate Earth Day by virtually exploring Brooklyn’s largest forest with us and Prospect Park Alliance forest ecologist Howard Goldstein. We will learn about some of the park’s 30,000 trees, ongoing forest maintenance …

Prospect Park
Virtual Programs

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Workers walk alongside a large stone dry dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard with two white tugboats below and a red and white crane on the right.