Putting the Horse Before the Car

Transportation has proven a surprisingly fertile topic for discussion and debate here in New York. Is the MTA thinking of raising fares again?!?! With miles of bike lanes being added annually and cars being booted from Times Square, and soon, from the northern end of Union Square as well, the Bloomberg administration seems to be working on a responsible and sustainable future for our transportation system. But, it can be just as fun and interesting to remember the way we used to do things. To this effect, the gallery and reading room Proteus Gowanus (543 Union St.) will be hosting a talk and PowerPoint presentation by PhD candidate Darryl Heller (Univ. of Chicago), who will discuss the horsecar railway, ubiquitous in Brooklyn between 1853 and 1898, and its place in the history of Brooklyn transportation. The talk will be on Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. $5. E-mail reservations at info@proteusgowanus.com.