Jane’s Block: The “Sidewalk Ballet” along Astoria’s Steinway Street

Join us on this self-guided, virtual tour along one of Steinway Street’s most diverse blocks as we explore the sights and sounds that make a neighborhood street a vibrant fixture of urban life. Named after the eponymous piano manufacturer that made Astoria a company town in the late nineteenth century, Steinway Street retains its original connection to industry along its 2.4 miles between Steinway & Sons’ factory and Kaufman Astoria Studios. At the same time, the blocks between are quintessentially New York—warehouses give way to brick rowhouses interspersed with an incredible array of storefronts and people. In the spirit of Jane Jacobs’ contemplation of urban streets, this multimedia tour is an immersive experience of Steinway Street’s Middle Eastern and North African enclaves, where Egyptian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish and other communities meet.