Senator St / 68 Street

I generally saved Bay Ridge for summer mornings because it's out of the way to get to on the way home from school, and then difficult to get home from, which, believe it or not, requires a lot more walking. However, in the summer, I can drive there, walk around, and get back to my car before Alternate Side Parking begins. I almost let it slide this year because I was determined to make inroads into East New York, Brownsville, and East Flatbush.

One other problem with Bay Ridge comes from the map being deceptively larger than I think it is. Looking at the screenshot, it's hard to believe that this was nearly a three-mile walk.

I parked on 68th Street, just off Sixth Ave, where there red dot at the end of my walk is. The green dot is where I started recording -- I almost forgot to start recording!

I started down Senator Street, which shifts over a bit at Fifth Avenue. Just across Fourth Ave, I came to these steps with three arches. Google Maps tells me its part of Telecommunications High School, which started life as the Bay Ridge High School for Girls, which I vaguely remember. I didn't usually take the subway home (mostly I rode the Third Ave bus), but I'd use the same subway stop when I did. It didn't became Telecommunications until 1985.

I know this triangular plot of land on Third Ave quite well, not only from high school, but from when I was a kid. My doctor's office was a block over. Unlike other triangular plots, two sides of it are Third Avenue (and the third is Senator). There isn't a short street here. The buildings here have Third Ave addresses.

Below Third (by which I mean to the west), the houses start getting bigger again. And there was an alley that I didn't walk the last time I was down here, but I figured, what the hey, as I'd already walked that block of Colonial Road. I walked briskly like I belonged there, emerging on 68th Street.

Once on 68th Street, there were a couple of short blocks to cover: Bay Cliff Terrace and Madeline Court. The latter of the two looked more like a private street, right down to the massive stone walls.

Farther up, and closer to my car, was Vista Place, which went through to 69th Street (Bay Ridge Ave), which I was surprised I hadn't walked yet.

Since my walk at this point wasn't as far as I usually went, and since I still had time before I'd be illegally parked, I continued past my car up to the highway to walk a few extra blocks that I hadn't hit before. On the maps, it's difficult to tell driveways from lanes and streets. There are remnants here that are parallel to Eighth Ave, on the other side of the highway leading to the Verrazano Bridge.

I walked along the highway on Seventh Ave to 71th Street. The map labels a block and a half as Stewart Ave. You can see it as a line of cars on one side, fences on the other, and concrete instead of asphalt. At least it wasn't a dirt road. I noticed that Google Maps gives addresses on this block, but all the buildings are fronted on 71th Street, Ovington, or Seventh Ave. The only doors that I noticed with addresses on them started with 6, not 70.

I didn't walk down the half-block portion because something was going on back there (construction), and it seemed to be more of a private road over here, so I skipped it.

The last picture is a surprising one -- an empty lot -- in Bay Ridge -- overgrown with plant life, but not exactly a community garden.

It's surprising that it hasn't been developed -- or at least cleared for developing -- or turned into a green space.

And that's it for this trip. Come back soon.

All of the above photos and videos, unless otherwise stated, were taken by Christopher J. Burke and are subject to copyright.

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