Ever hear about NYC urban activist Jane Jacobs?

Jacobs, a long-time Village resident, was responsible for the preservation of our beautiful Washington Square Park, after the developer Robert Moses submitted a plan to extend Fifth Avenue right smack through the space in the 1950s. Jane and other dissenters rose up and were able to put the kibosh on that ill-conceived idea.

Jane's Walk NYC celebrates Jane's belief that the the power of individuals can influence their city. There are hundreds of similar walks in other metropolises, but the events here remain the largest. The tours are led by native New Yorkers from May 2 to May 4 and aim to celebrate urban life and culture in all parts of the city.

And they are free! But don't forget to register, as the groups fill up fast.

Some highlights:

• A Harlem River Bridge Walk

• Photo Walking Tour: Portrait of a Changing Jewish Neighborhood on the Lower East Side

• The New York Pigeon: Love Them or Love Them

• East-Central Harlem: 12 Blocks. 32 NYC Landmarks

• The Bronx Walk of Fame, a 23-block stretch of the Grand Concourse celebrating some of the borough's greats, like Colin Powell, Chazz Palminteria and Rita Moreno.

• I.M. Pei's Crown Heights Utopia

• Sunset Walk around Brighton Beach

• Art Hopping through the Upper West Side

• Forgotten History of Chinese in New York

• A Man, A Plan, A Canal, & the Weird Building by Whole Foods

As you can see, the walks run the gamut from historical to architectural to art-centric, to downright quirky...kind of like us!

Check them out!

Image via RyanJLane/iStock