Livonia Ave / Winthrop St.

I started bright and early that Friday morning by taking the 3 train to the end of the line: New Lots Ave. I got a few looks like, "is this guy lost?"

Immediately, I turned west, with the rising sun behind me, and started off down Livonia Ave, but first, I got a picture of the plaque immortalizing the area of New Lots and East New York. Technically, the "New Lots" are a separate neighborhood enclosed within East New York, and if you check a map, you'll see the streets run a little differently.

Livonia Ave has its share of green spaces, gardens and playgrounds, more than you might think. It also has its share of construction, both current and recently finished. But I'll get to that.

Halfway down Livonia, I came to the L train, which is the literal dividing line between East New York and Brownsville, and the bridge over the tracks is a choke point that I would visit again in the future.

The bridge also crosses freight tracks that are supposed to be included in the IBX light rail system, should that ever be built. It's supposed to be moving forward but whether or not I see it in my lifetime remains to be seen.

Once across it, I spied more green spaces, gardens and playground. And buildings. The time to have bought cheap Brownsville properties has past, but if you hurry, you might still get a deal on something that's within a block of Livonia and close to the 3 train, which brings you into Manhattan quickly enough (especially if you switch to the 4 or 5).

I have no idea what that building with the round windows is at Betsy Head Park. Google Maps just lists it as 81 Livonia Ave.

Special shout-out: The Jerk Spot called. They're all out of you!

The Cab Signs wall art looked cool so I took a picture. And soon I'd reached the end of Livonia, but I wasn't done just yet! Rather than get on the train at Saratoga Ave, I crossed into East Flatbush and walked down Winthrop Street to catch a 2 train instead!

But first, I had to get a shot of the street sign of E98 Street and Union Street. Brooklyn is a big place and it's comprised of so many neighborhoods that were put together back in the 19th century. So there's a Union Street out here in Brownsville that is in no way connected to the one in Park Slope. It doesn't even point in the same direction. It's just one of those Brooklyn oddities.

Those final two pictures are along the long stretch behind Kings County Hospital. I took a picture of that giant smokestack because it looked odd to me. Why does the hospital have a smokestack like that? Is it a relic of an older time? I don't know. Something to look into.

And that's it for this trip. Come back soon. I'm almost up to AUGUST! I hope to get there before November!

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