This is the view of Manhattan while traveling on the BQE. If you examine a map of Brooklyn and Queens carefully, you will find that there are not really a great number of highways, particularly in light of the fact that there are nearly 5 million residents between the two boroughs combined. For the highways that do exist, of course, that means TRAFFIC.
I have written before of the fear and anxiety that many have of driving in and around New York City. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway justifies those fears – it is everything you don’t want in a highway. It is not pretty, it has sharp curves, it’s dangerous to drive on, it’s confusing, there are no shoulders or places to stop, and for most of the roadway, the speed limit is 45 mph – if you’re lucky. It divides, connects to, and blends with other highways, bridges, and tunnels. You had better know what you are doing, or you may be going where you don’t want to go and/or miss where you intended to go.
The construction of this highway dates back to 1937 with the Brooklyn-Queens Connecting Roadway. The highway is 11.7 miles long – extending from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn to the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. It was built to accommodate both commercial and non-commercial traffic and was intended not only to relieve congestion on local streets but also to aid industry and business by shortening transportation time between the boroughs.
The project was fully completed in 1964 under the helm of controversial urban planning czar Robert Moses (1888–1981), chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
In the 1980s, the roadway was under construction. For long time residents, the BQE has had a history of agony. But there are pleasures in riding the BQE, such as the vistas of Manhattan, by day or night. The nicest stretch is driving north under the cantilevered section of the expressway, which forms the Brooklyn Heights Promenade above. Here, the views of Manhattan are magnificent, both from the highway and from the esplanade above. Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch of road, but can we call the experience agony and ecstasy?
Photo Note: This image was taken traveling south on the BQE in the central section near the Long Island Expressway. Looking west in the evening light, you can make out the outlines of the Empire State, Chrysler, and Citicorp Buildings.
Interesting post and photo!
I'm a new Brooklyn resident and have had just a few adventures so far on the BQE – definitively not my favorite road…but yes, at night, nothing can beat its views of downtown manhattan. I've driven up and back JUST for the view!
Are you sure?
You should be on the BQE on a day the President is visiting the UN and the East River Drive in Manhattan is closed down periodically!
When we lived in LA people gripped about traffic all the time.
I'd always ask if they'd ever driven in New York City?
The answer was always, "No."
Then I told them how lucky they were, because the worst traffic I'd ever encountered was driving around the beautiful, spectacular wonderland of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
(Sorry Staten Island, never been)
New York is and has been in dire need of some major infrastructure megaprojects. Of course we have big military spending and entertaining wars. Good for us. In the meantime, others are doing their stuff.
Here is just one example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_China
China is investing over $300 billion in high-speed rail through 2020, in a bid to speed ahead of the rest of the world's train systems.
16,000 miles of new track by 2020, requiring 117 million tons of concrete just to construct the buttresses on which the tracks will lie. Top speeds from Beijing to Shanghai will approach 220 miles an hour, halving the current travel time to four hours. This year China Railway Company plans to hire 20,000 young engineers.
The Wuhan to Guangzhou MU Train route will start to operate on the 26th of this month. The train is the fastest in the world. All the construction and preparations for the route's operation are in the final stages.
In a trial operation, the speed of the MU Train reached 394 kilometers per hour, the highest in the world. Though the speed during normal operation may be at 350 kilometers per hour, but this newly built high speed railway may still reduce the travel time of Wuhan to Guangzhou from more than 10 to 3 hours.
The total length of Wuhan-Guangzhou high speed railway is more than 1068 kilometers. The railway connects Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong. The total investment is more than 116 billion yuan.
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/12/11/1461s535039.htm
I just realized that NY City is the only place where I have never driven a car… I am not sure it's a step I want to take.lol It looks worse than Paris.
The picture is awesome!
Sufjan Stevens made an album about the BQE!
http://asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=1070
Yeah and there are hoopers in it!
…Hoopers in the Sujan Stevens BQE movie
This story makes me think of an old advertising slogan here in England: ’why not let the train take the strain’!!
What are those hoola hoops doing in your doorway? Are you a dancer?
I would take a taxi to a train- or busstation if I lived in NY.
Julia – Cool.
biebkriebels – My company manufactures hoops (Troohoops.com)
A taxi and train/bus is literally an whole other story, especially when you have as much as I do for a small business trip. It would be a nightmare to hawl all that stuff around.
Do you drive a manual shifted car? I thought most American cars are equipped with an automatic gearbox.
Thomas – yes I do. A hold over from when I was younger and thought a stick shift was cool and allowed more control. I would not buy a manual again. Even though I am quite used to it, it is a nuisance in city driving.
Is it what we should call "juggling with hoops?"
Thérèse – Not quite. People are hooping similarly to the way they were when Hula Hoops were invented. Some for exercise and others have taken it to new levels as a dance form. You can see videos on my TrooHoops website and elsewhere. Many are performing professionally full time.
I recognize your car! I used to have a 1992 Acura Integra..LOVED that car, had it for 10 years (15 years old). Don’t miss the manual transmission though, rush hour in Toronto is no picnic. I start every morning with your blog, and also the Toronto daily photo (http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/) I like your story-driven blog…always something to learn about the big apple.
Thanks for sharing..a fan for 1 year and counting 🙂
Jason
There should be a name for this run around loading process. Lots of us know it well.
p.s. My college pal used to pick me up in Queens on her way home from Queens. I would help her to unload her purchases from big box stores to her Chinatown apartment. She would slow down just long enough for me to jump out with a bag or two, and circle the block until I was done. There is no standing in Chinatown or you’ll get real hell from the police.
Anonymous – Mine is a 1990. A friend recently suggested I get rid of it. When I spoke to a foreign car service center, I was told that my car was super hot with young people. The owner of the shop went down the list and told me how much each major component was worth – body, engine, etc. I was pleasantly surprised.
Naomi – I would love to coin the term.
RE: Chinatown – it is brutal there. Don’t even try standing in an auto where prohibited.
One has to live in a big city to know these facts. It will make me appreciate my driveway and garage ! I feel harass just reading you ! Where I live, (Quebec) I have to drive an hour to go to a museum (a small one compare to the MET) or a big shopping mall. We have only one small cinema and there’s not much to do on a saturday night. Country have it’s charms, big cities are never boring, each have their deficiencies and I find it difficult to choose between the two. I think I could live in NYC, I really love this city. I visited last june, it was my first in the big Apple and I literally fell in love with it. I can’t wait to go back !
I really like your blog, it’s very interesting and I learn so much about the town each time I read you.