Energetic, eclectic tours of Brooklyn and beyond, from a veteran guide
Why tour with Norman Oder of NY Like a Native?
 Brooklyn tours with guide Norman Oder
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"The thinking person's tour guide" --TripAdvisor reviewer "Fast walking, fast talking Brooklynite Norman Oder" --Rough Guide to NYC. "Their favorite day of class over the semester" --College professor "...incredibly knowledgeable, dynamic, and engaging." --Trip Advisor reviewer Veteran Brooklyn tour guide Norman Oder aims these private tours--mainly walking and public transit--to be wide-ranging and briskly-paced. (We can go at your slower pace!) Most tours involve 2+ to 4+ miles of walking, but can be adapted, Vehicle tours range farther. What's the most popular tour? Brooklyn 101. Here's a full list of tours, fees, and About Me. Also see Menu at top. These tours, all led and booked by Norman, are geared to energetic, curious people, often who have already seen city highlights. While exploring neighborhoods, we aim to understand the history of what we see, what's changed, and why. I typically bring a binder with relevant images and sometimes photo books. The idea, as one tour guest aptly put it, is to get the gestalt of a neighborhood, recognizing the gains and pains of change. What do I offer?
Below: a general outline of Brooklyn neighborhoods and where I lead walking tours. Another map of neighborhoods where I lead tours (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan) is here. 
Map of Brooklyn neighborhoods, with my annotations, By Peter Fitzgerald, via Wikimedia Commons
Map license here.
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Why visit Brooklyn neighborhoods?Brooklyn, the most populous (2.6M+) of New York City's five boroughs, would be the nation's fourth-largest city if it were independent.
With me, you learn about the ebb and flow of history and neighborhoods, Brooklyn's fascinating and uneven rebirth, and witness its diversity, complexity, charm, and challenges. I aim neither to sugarcoat nor to denigrate. My tours are not purely "academic" or "architectural," but more substantive and wide-ranging than most tours. (We still have fun!) I'm intrigued, enthused, and sometimes confounded by what we see. I can work with you to customize tours. How should you approach Brooklyn?Brooklyn is a borough, containing many neighborhoods, some with more than 100,000 people.
Neighborhoods are the city's building blocks. It's best to combine neighborhoods that are either adjacent or easily accessible by subway. We will gain clues from the landscape and built environment: buildings, parks, businesses, signage, murals. I can introduce you to some of Brooklyn, but you can't see everything in a day! A message to international visitors: you are welcome!  Norman Oder leading a tour of Greenpoint. Photo: Paulina Jędrzejewska
First steps to your tourNearly all my tours are private tours. Most listed tours are conceptualized at at least 2.5 hours, but can be modified.
New to Brooklyn? Start at the waterfront near the Brooklyn Bridge. with Brooklyn 101 (3+ hours), which includes classic neighborhoods and borough highlights. The expanded Brooklyn 202 adds more neighborhoods. For a less-demanding 2-2.5-hour tour, choose a variation of Brooklyn 101. I can also combine neighborhoods for themes; architecture; waterfront views; food options. Others help tell the story of immigration, or recent redevelopment. What should you consult before you book?To save time, please first check tour pages and fees. Also, my list of "top misconceptions" about Brooklyn.
Consider some of my Blog posts, such as:
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