HIGHLIGHTS

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Meet Elizabeth Barlow Rogers on a Sunday tour of Central Park.
Founding president of the Central Park Conservancy and Cityscape Institute, Rogers is internationally recognized for her leadership in revitalizing public parks and gardens. Her book 'The Forests and Wetlands of New York City' won the John Burroughs Medal and was a National Book Award nominee. Join the tour and learn more about the major landscape types of Olmsted and Vaux's Greensward plan. (See Sunday Tours)

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Taste the best of Sunset Park.
Sunset Park is one of the most under-recognized, yet glorious parks in the city. Enjoy the sensational views of NYC harbor and lower Manhattan from the park as you feast on the culinary benefits of South Brooklyn's ethnic diversity, from Mexican to Chinese to Scandinavian to Palestinian. We will also visit Owl's Head Park and its cutting-edge skate park in neighboring Bay Ridge, as well as the Narrows Botanical Garden, and Shore Parkway greenway on the waterfront. (See Saturday Tours)

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Get a cloud's-eye view of the Chrysler building during the Great Parks/Great Cities Awards.
We'll be honoring the best of American urban parks, from the green to the groovy, the quintessential to the quirky, at a special reception hosted by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., on the 50th floor of its world headquarters in New York City (in honor of the 150th anniversary of Central Park). Run by Project for Public Spaces and sponsored by Metropolis Magazine, the awards will be presented by The Honorable Gifford Miller, Speaker of the New York City Council. (See Awards)

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Listen to conference keynote speaker, Reverend Calvin 0. Butts, III.
What do parks mean to the soul of a city? Renowned speaker and activist pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, Dr. Butts will get to the heart of the matter. An inspiration to us all, Reverend Butts' leadership has set the standard for church-based community involvement across the U.S. For his work, he has received more than 1,000 honors and commendations. (See Monday Plenaries)

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Join the special reception at Gracie Mansion hosted by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
Given to every mayor of New York since Fiorello LaGuardia (1942), this white-frame colonial house stands in Carl Schurz Park above Hell Gate, a roaring stretch of water where the Harlem and East Rivers meet. Presidents and the literati of the day have been entertained in the mansion notable for its three-sided porch and trellis railings that sweep around the house. You, too, can be part of the mansion's impressive history.

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Canoe down the Bronx River.
Experience the inspiring restoration of the historically-neglected Bronx River. The 29-year effort to restore the river and the parks and communities along its banks has made enormous strides, from habitat restoration to the construction of a park-studded greenway that will eventually stretch the full length of the 23-mile river. Participants will hear from community leaders who have led the efforts to ensure that the river corridor is a resource to the communities through which it flows. (See Saturday Tours)

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Visit the World Trade Center site and get a first-hand account of plans for Lower Manhattan.
The World Trade Center site and surrounding area will be undergoing massive changes in the coming years, much of it centered on parks and memorials. The tour will include a descent into the site itself, as well as an exploration of the larger Lower Manhattan area, including: a proposed site for a new public market, the convergence of Manhattan's oldest and newest parks and proposed sites for future parks and public spaces. (See Wednesday Tours)

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Bicycle and boat along the Hudson River.
A new 4.5 mile waterfront park is quickly taking shape along Manhattan's West Side. The progress in the last year has been breathtaking and the park is already promising to be one of New York's great public spaces. As you bicycle along the new greenway, see how park planners and community groups are dealing with water access, the reuse of old piers and land reclamation. The return trip to midtown via water taxi will provide superb views of the new park and Manhattan skyline. (See Sunday Tours)

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Take a tour of Central Park given by the park's very-own Teen Docents.
The Teen Docent Program trains young people in park history and design, ecology and conservation, public speaking, tour writing, marketing and outreach. Tap into their training on a walking tour around the Pond - the newly restored landscape that greets most of Central Park's 25 million visitors annually - and into the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, the area of the park that has been closed to the public and set aside for wildlife since 1934. (See Monday Workshops)

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Witness the restoration of Prospect Park's Ravine by the Prospect Park Youth Council.
Examples of teens working to create parks that are comfortable places for them and their peers - places where they have a sense of ownership and involvement - are rare. When it happens, though, communities discover that youth involvement can dramatically improve the perception of and activity in a park that is not recreation-oriented. Find out about teen programs and initiatives that work to build park use and community activity, including restoration work and school program partners. (See Tuesday Workshops)

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See 5,000 rose bushes in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
The tour will explore the garden's incredible variety of plant life, from the 300 herb Garden and innovative Fragrance Garden to the exquisite Japanese Garden and world-famous Bonsai Museum. Learn also about the Brooklyn GreenBridge program that works with block associations, community gardens, community centers, and other neighborhood groups in Brooklyn, to promote conservation and community through gardening. (See Sunday Tours)

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Join the boat trip and exclusive viewing of Governor's Island.
A discontinued Coast Guard base, Governor's Island has been unseen by the public for 200 years. At 172 acres, and just a 5 minute ferry ride from Battery Park, the island presents a unique recreation opportunity for New York, on a scale similar to the conversion of San Francisco's Presidio from military to civilian use. See the unspoiled collection of 18th century officers' homes and unparalleled views of Lower Manhattan. Find out how the island and the harbor at large can play a new role in the City's future. (See Saturday Tours)

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Observe the social life of Midtown Manhattan with the inimitable Fred Kent, President of Project for Public Spaces.
Midtown Manhattan has a wealth of public spaces that are managed, maintained and programmed completely privately. See how these spaces - Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, Paley Park and Herald Square among others - are used and designed to attract people and contribute to the life of the city, as well as to the bottom line of the buildings surrounding them. (See Sunday Tours)