Walkin' In Brooklyn

I laugh now when I think about it, but my trip down the entire length of Stillwell Ave last June was my first "long" trip. Looking back, it wasn't really that long at all compared to some of my current outings. Even adding in walking down to the surf, and along the boardwalk and part of Ocean Parkway, it wasn't a long route. Stillwell Ave runs a little over two miles from Bay Parkway and Bay Ridge Parkway (75th Street) down to the Coney Island Boardwalk. This was the first time I'd every walked to Coney Island. Before that, I tended to follow bus routes, in case I got tired. That meant taking a longer route, so naturally I convinced myself I was tired by the time a bus came along. Not to mention, prior attempts were usually in the summer in the middle of the day. This one was early June, midmorning, and partially shaded by the elevated train. I actually did think to take some pictures on my phone that day, which wasn't easy because my glasses po...

A few months back, I was assigned to work at a location at the edge of Bath Beach. I took the opportunity to walk some of the "West" streets into Gravesend . Gravesend was one of the original villages that eventually combined to create Brooklyn . If you look at a map (see the Google Maps image), you can see what remains of some of the original streets, set at an angle to the rest of Gravesend, and to Bath Beach and Bensonhurst. Even more interesting is that square that just doesn't quite fit into the rectangular grid. However, I got to that another day. Village Road North runs into Ave U and creates a triangle with Lake Street . I've passed it before but never really looked at it. I know this, because had I looked, I would've learned something. I knew that Gravesend was an old village, but I never thought much about the name. It's located, more or less, near the end of Brooklyn. And I figured it had something to do with cemeteries. (Note...