Gates opened on Navy Yard

By Meredith Deliso

Hop on your fixie and explore one of the most exclusive spaces in Brooklyn this month.

On Sept. 26, Urban Oyster leads a bicycle tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a historic naval shipping yard on the East River — an enticing, yet off-limits, paradise for cyclists.

The tour gives you a chance to explore the grounds, get a behind-the-scenes look at the Navy Yard’s transition from a prominent shipbuilding facility to a model of sustainable urban industrial parks, thanks to hosting the nation’s first multi-story green industrial building; solar- and wind-powered street lamps; building-mounted wind turbines; and other green features.

There are also some wonderful views of the waterfront.

The bike tour comes ahead of the Navy Yard’s visitors and community center slated to open next fall. At that point, the Yard won’t be as frustratingly exclusive, so get in while you still can’t.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Bicycle Tour [meet at Sands and Gate streets in Fort Greene, (347) 599-1842], Sept. 26 and Oct. 17 at 1:45 pm. Tickets $24, $20 for members of the Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, advance purchase required, as is a helmet. For info, visit www.urbanoyster.com.