My Stroll Through Queens

Today, I had to leave my car in the very capable hands of the dealer so they can repair my exhaust system. Instead of taking a train or bus home, I decided to walk. No it wasn't the cheapskate in me that wanted to pocket $2. I simply wanted to take a stroll. Had the temperature been a few degrees colder, I would have never considered it.

I documented the trip below using my camera phone (the B&W pics are courtesy of my old digital camera which I forgot I was carrying with me until the second half of the walk).

Hope you enjoy!


VIDEO INTRO:

The start of the journey over on Steinway Street and 36th Avenue:

There's a bear patrolling the park on Steinway (OH MY!):
OH Krinos... how I do NOT miss you! A few friends and I ran a flea market out of this parking lot on Saturdays when we were in our teens. It stunk to high heaven in the summer because those barrels are filled with olives!:

This is the actual eye-level view from the sidewalk of Home Depot on Northern Blvd:

This diner really looks like a POS site. I wonder whether they really have enough business to stay alive. Maybe being along Northern Blvd helps but I don't want to eat there:

Tower Square Shopping Center @ Woodside Avenue and Northern Blvd. Where one can find many fine shops such as "Deal$ 5 or less", "Malcolm Wireless", and "Silk Floral" and fine dining at establishments such as "Pizza Hut", "Subway", and "Boston Market":

Korean Presbyterian Church on Woodside Ave. Note the dark, ominous clouds approaching. I think I should keep moving:

HA! Doughboy Plaza... maybe I should check it out:

Somber moment in Doughboy Plaza as I find a statue erected in memory of soldiers from Woodside who lost their lives during WWI ("Lest We Forget"):

Woodside branch of the QPL:

Roosevelt Avenue and 55th Street (7 train line overhead):

Calvary Cemetary - Queens Blvd @ 56th Street:

Narrow corridor along the wall of the cemetary (on Queens Blvd):

No major thoroughfare in Queens is complete with out a collection of free periodical stands:

A park I think I went to a looooong time ago. Then again, a lot of parks in Queens (and presumably across the city) all seem to look the same:

Laurel Hill Blvd (south side)/wall along the side of the BQE:

Railing overlooking the BQE @ 65th Place:

Sadly, still no sign of spring in this neck of the woods:

This house seems so out of place. Reminds me of the types of homes I have found in my travels through New England:

Any of you from Maspeth? Any PS229 alums?:

This looks eerily similar to every set of tracks you can find in Woodside
(Note: This was not taken in Woodside):

LIRR tracks - I climbed a ledge by the entrance of an apartment building and could not believe I was able to get these clear shots of the track. Made me wish I had a better camera to work with:

Penn Station-bound train:

Just one block away... the fence was falling over and garbage can be found all over the place. Can we say urban decay, boys and girls?:

No. Your eyes do not deceive you. That is a pigeon coop that I found in my travels inside a man's garage. He was nice enough to let me take a picture so I tried not to be too intrusive. The smell of it took me back to Portugal when I was a kid and I visited my uncle's garage which he converted into an aviary. A pleasant memory, NOT a pleasant smell. lol

Nearing the home stretch:
A few shots overlooking the LIE:

Maybe we should re-introduce some color to these shots:

Still no sign of Spring! grrrrr....

Walk info/stats:
START - 4:30PM
END - 6:20PM
[For the mapped out path, click here.]

Temperature - 43 degrees (no wind chill)

Miles walked - 3.93 miles
Calories burned (I'm serious!) - 588.2 kcal

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Until next time, faithful reader....