Instawalk: Brooklyn Navy Yard

i found out about this place via the NY Times “The Scoop” iphone app (the two people at the front desk were ecstatic to hear they made a Times app, since the entire experience has only been open for about half a year, but in my experience, the app is pretty good about telling you what’s new and great in NYC). the main museum in building 92, though small, is a) free, and b) informative and fun (what more can you ask for?).

i didn’t think i was going at the right time for a tour (despite it saying so on the website, duh), but lo and behold, there was a sign outside proclaiming a tour of the navy yard at 2:30, and i got there at 1:30. what timing! (the museum takes a little over an hour, i’d say.) it’s admittedly a bit spendy at $30 for two hours, but the way i see it, on a day pushing the high 90s, if not 100 degrees, the air-conditioned bus was a godsend, the museum itself is free so you’re getting a deal there, and the kicker for me, i overheard the tour guide say “abandoned hospital”. magic words for someone who likes abandoned and run-down things/urban exploration (in all honesty, i was sold from the get-go; i clearly love industrial/post-industrial sites!). if you’re ever in brooklyn, this tour is worth the two hours and chunk of change.