Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC NOW, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, April 30th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: Governor Hochul and legislative leaders plan to finalize the $254 billion state budget this week or next, but they're already gearing up to come back to Albany later in the year to make changes to it. State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

Andrea Stewart-Cousins: We're preparing for the possibility that we may need to return to Albany to address any fallout from these federal decisions.

Michael Hill: The budget relies on more than $90 billion in federal spending. The governor's office says the Trump administration already has cut more than $1 billion in state programs. The Met Gala is this Monday. Not invited? WNYC's Hannah Frishberg reports on three alternatives where New Yorkers can feel fabulous without breaking the bank.

Hannah Frishberg: Like me, your Met Gala invite may have gotten lost in the mail. Not to worry. New York City has glamorous and affordable alternatives to mark the first week in May. This Sunday, the Brooklyn Public Library is once again hosting the People's Ball, where all are invited to walk a catwalk in the central branch's main lobby. Also happening Sunday is the Debt Gala, where guests are encouraged to walk the red carpet in the name of eliminating medical debt. Later this month is the Metro Gala. Hosts will roll out the carpet in Union Square before taking the party into the subway. Tickets to the Debt Gala start at $35. The Metro Gala and the People's Ball are both free.

Michael Hill: The air quality is moderate today due to some particle pollution. Ozone levels, however, are good today. 70 and sunny right now with an elevated risk for fire spread because it's so dry with low humidity, and it's windy. Mostly sunny and 73. Wind gusts up to 14 miles an hour today, and then mostly sunny tomorrow in upper 60s.

Janae Pierre: Stay close. There's more after the break.

Michael Hill: If you're looking for a reason to get outside this weekend, the 2025 Jane's Walk NYC Festival kicks off this Friday. That's the annual weekend-long celebration of New York City history. Named after the famed urban activist Jane Jacobs, the festival features hundreds of volunteer-led walks all across the city that celebrate the neighborhoods, the culture, and the history of New York. Keri Butler is the interim President of the Municipal Art Society of New York. Daniel Pecoraro is a historian and a tour guide, and is leading one of the Jane's Walk strolls. They both join us now. Keri, let's start with you. Remind us about Jane's Walk. What is it, and how did this start?

Keri Butler: Sure. Jane's Walk is an international festival, and so walks will be happening all over the world this weekend. NAS has been leading Jane's Walk in New York City since 2011. As you said, there are walks all over the city led by volunteer New Yorkers. Some of them, like Daniel, are seasoned tour guides, and some of them are everyday New Yorkers who just have a passion for sharing something that they love.

Michael Hill: Keri, tell us about some of the walks on offer this year.

Keri Butler: A few walks that we have going on. There's one about the Art Deco architecture in Sunnyside, Queens. We have a sound walk through Williamsburg which highlights the DIY music, culture, and history of the area. There's a tour of nighttime in the Port Authority area.

Michael Hill: At nighttime, you said?

Keri Butler: Yes.

Michael Hill: Wow.

Keri Butler: If you're interested in rats and pigeons, we have a walk on that. Some people love them, and we have to learn to live with them.

Michael Hill: Wow. How long does a typical walk last?

Keri Butler: About an hour and a half.

Michael Hill: Wow. Daniel, I understand you are leading one of the walks this weekend. Tell us about the one you're doing.

Daniel Pecoraro: The walk that I'm leading is called Quenching Brooklyn's Thirst, and it's actually a sequel to Jane's Walk that I've done in the past on the history of the New York water supply. This one is focusing specifically on Brooklyn when it was its own city. Unlike New York City pre-consolidation, which got its water from the Croton system and then the Catskill and Delaware systems that we use today, Brooklyn had to go east out on Long Island into Queens, into what is now Nassau County, all the way out to Massapequa. It's taking a look at that hidden history that we really don't talk about.

Michael Hill: Now, Dan, you're not walking all the way to Massapequa, are you?

Daniel Pecoraro: No, we're not walking all the way to Massapequa. It's Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, and then heading into Prospect Heights a bit.

Michael Hill: Daniel, do you have people coming up when you're giving a tour, and people just-- Strangers, everyday New Yorkers walking up and asking, "What's going on here?"

Daniel Pecoraro: Oh, plenty. That's the case with the tours that I lead outside of Jane's Walk. I think especially during Jane's Walk weekend, because it's so community-focused, those are the times where it gets to be like, "If you have time, come along. Follow along and join in."

Michael Hill: Daniel, I understand, on one walk you led last year, a surprise special guest joined you.

Daniel Pecoraro: This was from my Harlem walk, which was called Ray Carney's Harlem. It was built upon the two mystery novels that Colson Whitehead wrote the last couple of years, Harlem Shuffle and Crooked Manifesto, and taking a look at sites that were referenced in the two books. One thing led to another, and it got in the hands of Colson Whitehead's publicist, and he wanted to surprise the group at the end. We had about maybe 15 people who were there. There was a couple of people who were wondering, "Is Colson Whitehead going to show up at the end?" I was like, "I can't say." In the end, it was great. He was signing books, and it was just an absolute amazing way to end a really fun walk.

Michael Hill: Keri, how can people attend? How do they get involved?

Keri Butler: They can go to mas.org and sign up for a tour. We do have a lot of open tours available. As I said, there are 200 and they do fill up quickly, but there are plenty still open.

Michael Hill: What do you hear? The people who are in the tour, what do you hear them say at the end, typically?

Keri Butler: Oh, people just love to meet strangers who share the same interests. We have a lot of folks who were surprised by stories they learned from their own neighborhoods, including myself. You might live in a neighborhood your whole life and still not know some of your fellow community members. People have said they were on the walk, and someone came out of their house and invited them inside, "Check out my brownstone," or "Come into this church and see inside." I think that those experiences are really special and people love it.

Michael Hill: Once again, all of the walks are free, and as you heard there, they are quite educational too, but space is limited, so RSVPs are recommended and welcomed. Sign-up for Walks is at mas.org. Keri Butler is the interim president of the Municipal Art Society of New York. Daniel Pecoraro is a historian and a tour guide, and is leading one of the Jane's Walk strolls this weekend. Thank you so much for this.

Keri Butler: Thank you.

Daniel Pecoraro: Thank you.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC NOW from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. More soon.

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