Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2008

BY JILL D’AMICO

Richard (Rick) Kadlub had the idea of running a tour through his hometown of Brooklyn for a while before he got the chance to put it into action.

His chance came last summer, when Mr. Kadlub was laid off from his job on Wall Street. Automation was sweeping through the stock exchange floor, and after dodging the bullet for months, he found himself out of work.  But instead of taking it easy for a while, he jumped into action.

“The next day I was on the phone putting this together,” said Mr. Kadlub. “I knew the formula, I just had to make it happen.”

Today, he has a thriving tour business that takes people from across the country – and the Atlantic – on a walking trip though one of Brooklyn’s most historic and picturesque neighborhoods.

Incidentally, it was his former job that first put the idea for a tour business in Mr. Kadlub’s head.

“I saw tourists all day over the Stock Exchange,” he said, “everywhere, up and down the street.” All those tourists got him thinking he could offer them something new – something over the river.

“I grew up in Brooklyn, and I know so much about it,” he said. “So I mapped out a route and researched the history, walked around, looked up architects and put together a great tour.”

Local Appeal
The appeal of A Tour Grows in Brooklyn is simple, according to Mr. Kadlub.

“A walking tour is more hands-on,” he explains. “You are walking among the points of interest. You get a more intimate and up-close feeling of the history ... you’re not just zipping by on a bus.”

The tour currently winds through Park Slope and Prospect Park. He started in an area he knew well that held a lot of historical context. The route includes a walk along trendy Fifth Avenue, a visit to the Old Stone House, passes the childhood home of Al Capone, and numerous well-researched architectural highlights, such as the famed Grand Army Plaza arch. The tour also stops in Prospect Park, where guests can see what shapes up to be the longest meadow of any park in America. A slice at an authentic Brooklyn pizzeria is also included.

Mr. Kadlub is proud of the research he has done to make his tour so rewarding.

“I’m into history, but there were many things that I didn’t know. Even if I don’t make a penny off this business, all the things I’ve learned – I’m rich just with that.”

“Tomorrow I’m pointing out three or four new things I learned,” he adds. “I’m constantly studying.”

His clients agree, judging from the positive feedback he receives.

“Big Rick offers the best walking tour in New York, and I've been on many,” said one satisfied customer. “He knows much of the real and anecdotal history first hand. What he hasn't lived, he has researched. It is like a stroll through time and the neighborhood with an old friend.”

Showing off Brooklyn
Mr. Kadlub said his favorite part of the tour is just sharing what he knows with the variety of people he is able to meet every day. His Web site and word of mouth are helping to grow his business.

“I’ve had people from London, Australia, San Francisco, and various states,” he said. “They find me with research on the Internet.”

He joined the Chamber for the networking opportunities and to meet other Brooklynites. He is encouraged by the borough’s renaissance and wants to help see it become “as booming as it ever was.”

When not giving tours, Mr. Kadlub attends the Chamber’s Small Business Seminars, Business After Hours events, and is looking to get involved in Chamber committees and activities.

He wants to continue expanding A Tour Grows in Brooklyn. He is currently researching a route through historic Green-Wood Cemetery, which he has been given the OK to bring tours through, and is thinking about adding a Brooklyn Heights excursion.

To do that, he will need to find another tour guide so he can continue growing his business.

Mr. Kadlub said often, he will run into people he knows while giving a tour.

“I’ll run into people I haven’t seen in 20 or 30 years – it’s great to see people from the neighborhood,” he said. Not too long ago, he even ran into his old boss from Wall Street.

For more information, contact Mr. Kadlub at 718-331-1151 or go to http://www.brooklynwalkingtour.com/.