Riverfront scenery, greenery and beautiful murals make Harlem River Park a wonderful place to walk, bike and play, and a crucial link in the greenway on Manhattan’s East Side. Take in the park’s innovative, environmentally-friendly edge, the decorative pavings that line the esplanade and the pedestrian crossing improvements that make safe access to the riverfront possible, and hear about how the community-based vision for this unique park became a reality.

Every day, all over the city, Transportation Alternatives is working to revitalize New York City’s neighborhoods and restore a vibrant culture of street life. This walk features one of the many communities where T.A. advocacy brings safe and healthy streets for all.

Time: 2:30pm-4:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start: M1 bus stop at NE corner of East 135th Street and 5th Avenue

Event End: East 142nd Street and 5th Avenue

Hosts: Transportation Alternatives, Friends of Harlem River Walk and Greenway, Harlem River Park Task Force

Registration: RSVP at http://transalt.org/events/calendar/5850

Accessibility:  Not Accessible – stairs, obstacles, uneven terrain, steep paths.

Preview the Demise of Yorkville and East Harlem

The city is proposing to build an industrial garbage facility at 91st and York (Asphalt Green) which will run 24 hours a day, 6 days a week and have the capacity to receive garbage from 500 trucks a day. The access to the facility will be on the driveway that bisects the playing field at Asphalt Green from the Swim and Athletic Center. Get a tour of the proposed truck routes and learn the facts about why the city decided to locate a garbage facility right next to an athletic facility that serves 50,000 children a year. Also try to understand why this facility is the only one of its type being built in a residential neighborhood – because we can’t.

Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start: Le Pan Quotidien at 88th and Lexington

Event End: Vinegar Factory at 91st and York

Host: SaneTrash.org

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: Partially Accessible – curbs, uneven terrain, busy sidewalks

East Harlem: Gentrification and the Historic New Harlem

East Harlem is a very old neighborhood. Its tenements, public housing, and the current boom in condos now creates a new mix of people. In the past Harlem was home to Chinese, Italian, African American, Sephardic Jew, Spanish, Carribean, Mexican and Latin American residents. Now there is a smattering of persons from Mali, Burkina Faso, Egypt, India, Russia, Senegal, Gambia and Ethiopia. The area is undergoing gentrification so now East Harlem sees and hear a population that formerly lived south of East 96th St., the unofficial dividing line between the inner city residents and the upper middle class. Explore this change with Dr. Sandra Hernandez, East Harlem expert native.

Time: 11:00am-1:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start: Corner of 103rd St. and Lexington Ave.

Event End: 116th St. and Lexington Ave.

Host: Dr. Sandra Hernandez, of the Architect Designer Planners for Social Responsibility

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: Not Accessible – stairs, obstacles, uneven terrain, steep paths