Six Miles Before Breakfast: Featuring Old New Utrecht, Microscopic Dahill and the Bay Ridge Branch

One day last week, I was up early enough that I had time to go for a walk before work when it was still cooler outside, and when there'd be fewer people about. I hadn't planned on the trip being over six miles long, but that's how it turned out.

In the past, I've walked Bay Parkway, 20th Avenue and 18th Avenue all the way to McDonald Ave. The goal this time was to take 19th Avenue to its end, cut through the Shop-Rite parking lot, stroll down McDonald Ave, and pick up 17th Avenue for the walk home.

I had a couple of detours along the way. Plus, I have difficulty reading my phone outside between its dimness and my polarized glasses. I went a little out of my way in trying to find 17th Ave, which doesn't cut all the way through.

Some highlights from the trip, as mentioned in the blog title:

New Utrecht Ave is a street that runs diagonally across the grid from 9th Avenue and 39th Street down to 86th Street between 18th and 19th Avenues. New Utrecht is also the name of one of the original towns in Brooklyn. Old New Utrecht Road runs basically parallel to its namesake but maybe a mile away. It starts at 48th Street and 17th Avenue and runs to 52nd Street just short of 18th Avenue. (It might hit the avenue if it ran another block.)

I knew this existed. Somehow I wound up driving down this street. I was probably fed up with traffic on 17th Avenue and saw the street on the left and took it. Giving the car I must've been driving and who was likely in it with me, this would have been the mid 80s. I hadn't been back there since.

Since I was on my way home and it was getting late, I actually omitted a piece of 17th Avenue that I still have to make up.

Before I got there, however, I came across something that was too small to even call "orphaned", like I did for Ave Y. 

When I went around the railroad crossing to finish the remaining part of 19th Avenue, I discovered a curious site. 

Where 19th Avenue intersects 47th Street, there is a triangular island with an extra road for absolutely no reason. I was shocked when I saw a sign for Dahill Road over this tiny, tiny stretch, which could just as easily been labeled 47th Street as well. For that matter, it could be paved over and removed!

Dahill Road runs parallel to McDonald Ave, but gets broken into sections. It runs from Kings Highway to Ave M, where it's interrupted by Washington Cemetery. Then there's a section from 21st Avenue to Avenue I, which is basically a one and half block stretch. Then it reemerges on 18th Avenue and runs all the way down to Green Wood Cemetery.

I never imagined that in between those last two pieces was about TEN FEET of Dahill Road. My feet were starting to get tired, but I walked down it and laughed.

Other things about the trip: 

A large building complex has gone up on the lot next to the Shop-Rite parking lot. There seems to be a new street on the other side. I imagine its there to assist with parking. It looks like an actual street, and not a private road. It isn't shown on Google Maps yet, and I didn't see a sign. 

I tried to take a picture of the Bay Ridge Branch rail line that runs along the N line, but then veers off through Borough Park and Midwood. Every now and then, people mention this as a possible new subway line to connect Brooklyn and Queens. And the "best" part is that the track is already there. But there's always been one thing that bothered me. I took a picture to be sure.

There is only one track! If they want to use it for a subway line, the city will need to add another track. And they'll likely have to move this one over a little in the process. (I can't see them condemning all the property they would need to widen what's there.)

So the Bay Ridge Branch is not likely to happen any time soon.

My computer is giving me a problem uploading images since yesterday. I'm posting this anyway and will resume the entry when whatever it is clears up.

Okay, problems solved. To continue. Some photos from the morning stroll.

Here was the biggest surprise of the morning. Seeing a Dahill Rd. sign. What you see is the entire length of Dahill Rd. It's even smaller than that orphaned section of Ave Y, and there isn't any reason for there to be a street there.

As mentioned, there's a new street being built behind this building complex. I'm curious if it'll be a private road and or a named street. It runs parallel to 50th street between 19th and 20th Ave.

I had to walk around the supermarket and down McDonald Ave to get to the rest of 19th Avenue, which turns into Parkville Ave.

A surprise was waiting at the end of the road. There was a path from 19th Ave that lead to 49th Street. I walked around and came back up 48th Street.

Another triangle where streets come together. 47th Street meets Parkville Ave meets McDonald Ave.

Here is Old New Utrecht Road where it starts at 17th Ave and 49th Street.

I crossed back and forth over the Bay Ridge Branch a couple of times during the trip. I'm not sure at what point that I realized that this train, which splits off from the N Sea Beach line, is the same rail that runs beyond Brooklyn College. Trains would occasionally go by while I was in class.