Neighbors in the News: Tonys, Trees, and Tours

For this week’s Sunday Routines, the New York Times traces the weekend rituals of Tony-nominated, Obie-winning set designer Donyale Werle: work, a “nondairyish” smoothie, and lots of stoop sales.

“I look on Craigslist for stoop sales going on in the neighborhood, and then around noon, I jump on my bike, this ancient one-speed. I’ll pick up vintage clothes, or my husband and I collect stuff for the house that we think is art. If I’m doing a show, I’m always searching for things I can use.”

Today, though, she’s made a slight change of plans — Werle’s due at the Tony Awards, where her work on “Peter and the Starcatcher” is up for Best Scenic Design of a Play. (Tune into the broadcast at 8 on CBS.)

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Based talks to Tracy Candido, the brains behind “Pining for You,” a queer community festival set for June 16 at Old Stone House. In Candido’s words, the point is to “explore queer park space, gay utopias, community love, and Dutch culture.”

“The effort is for everyone to come together and have this ceremony where we write vows for each other, their feelings and thoughts about their queer community and what it means to them.”

And the Daily News profiles longtime Park Slope resident Saul Raw, who was just named “Big Apple Greeter of the Year.” 300 volunteers work with the organization to give visitors free neighborhood walking tours — these aren’t the big-red bus-and-a-loudspeaker affairs of midtown — offering views of the city you can’t get from a book (or over a megaphone).

“I want to show you stuff that either is not in the tour books, stuff that you may have not noticed, that you would never notice, or, if you did notice it, you would not understand the significance of it.”