Jack Eichenbaum is leading tours all over Queens in the next few weeks. If you've never been on his walking tours, I think you'll enjoy exploring the many neighborhoods of Queens under the wing of an urban geographer (what a wonderful job title). The tours are great for history buffs, folks looking to more to a new neighborhood, and the nosey.

Pick of the litter has to be the cruise -- not swim-- up Newtown Creek, part of our border with Brooklyn, on July 15. Pray for a strong breeze that day, but whatever you do, don't miss the opportunity to see a forgotten but historic corner of NYC. Other tours are foot powered and include downtown Jamaica, Flushing's Korea Town, Sunnyside/Woodside/Jackson Heights, Queensboro Bridge and LIC, and Ward's Island.

• Jamaica - From the Foothills to the Tracks
• May 12, 2007 - 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Discover how Jamaica Center has evolved from a colonial town into a dynamic, commercial destination.
• Meets inside the "Food Fest" Market, 159-19 Jamaica Ave, E, J train (Jamaica Center)
• Free - Reservations suggested - 718-526-2422 - Sponsored by Jamaica BID

• Changing Ethnicity - Forest Hills to Corona
• May 16, 2007, 6:15-8:15 p.m. - $12
• Bukharan Jews succeed Russian Jews in Rego Park! South Americans surround the venerable Little Italy in Corona Heights! Dominicans, Ecuadorians and Mexicans compete for commercial space in Corona!
• Meet at Ridgewood Savings Bank, 108th St and N side Queens Blvd. Ends with dinner suggestions. Sponsored by Jack Eichenbaum - 718-961-8406

• Changing Ethnicity - Korean Flushing
• May 23, 2007, 6:15-8:15 p.m. - $12
• The center of Korean life has migrated away from Central Flushing, sprawling east along Northern Blvd to a "Korean Village" in Murray Hill. See surprising shops and dozens of churches and restaurants.
• Meet at St George's Church (NW corner 39th Ave/Main St), Sponsored by Jack Eichenbaum - 718-961-8406

• Cruise Up Newtown Creek
• July 15, 2007, 9:30 a.m. - noon
• Newtown Creek is a tidal arm of the East River that forms the Brooklyn and Queens boundary. Once one of the busiest waterways in the world, Newtown Creek developed from marshland to a flourishing industrial center and then declined into urban brownfields. Cruise and discuss the bridges, neighborhoods and industry from Greenpoint to Maspeth.
• Meet at Fulton Ferry Landing, foot of Old Fulton Street, opposite the River Café (exit west end A,C, High St)
• Sponsored by the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, 718-788-8500
• Fees $50/40. Pre-payment required. Book early!

• Triboro Bridge Walk II: Bucolic Ward's Island
• July 28, 2007, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - $20/$15
• Explore Ward's Island, visit the landscaped area connecting Ward's and Randall's Islands and travel under the Triborough and Hell Gate Bridge viaducts .
• Reservations and advance payment required by sponsor, the New York Transit Museum 718-694-1867

• For updates, custom tours, and more info, contact Jack Eichenbaum - jaconet@aol.com - 718-961-8406.
• His website catalogs all his tours.

Photo Credit: © Jack Eichenbaum