The Belt Parkway, when originally planned by Robert Moses in the 1930s, was originally going to be called "The Circumferential Parkway" (true)- just imagine that mouthful in your AM or PM traffic report or when giving or getting directions...
I played as a kid in Shore Road park alongside the Belt. Used to walk/bike ride from 69th street pier to Bay Pkwy. Rode the Brooklyn ferries to St. George for 5 cents and fished along the seawall for Fluke, Flounder, Porgies and anything else including "catching" Coney Island White fish (used condoms). As tweens we watched the building of the Verrazzano bridge and death of the ferries. My happy years were the 1970's living in Bay Ridge. Had a studio apartment on 3rd Ave. where my rent was $90/month with gas/electric included. The Narrows ship collision in 1973 and Op-Sail in 1976 stand out in my memory.
Same memories, and we used to count how many Coney Island Whitefish we saw on the ferry ride from 69th St. pier to Staten Island, pre-Verrezzano Bridge.
@@paulmila5210 yeah, the ferries from 69th street. Nobody ever called it Bay Ridge Avenue. Same with 75th street aka Bay Ridge Pkwy. Ferries carried cars and (for people) cost a nickel for a ride and you didn't have to get off. We'd ride back and forth almost all day on a Saturday or during summer vacation. I recall the Gotham, Narrows and St George. Forget the others.
@@edited7382- prior to completion of the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge, ferries ran from the 69th Street (aka Bay Ridge Avenue) pier across to St. George in Staten Island. Manhattan ferries ran from South Ferry (lower Manhattan) to St. George. When I was a kid in the 1950's ferries also ran from a pier on 39th Street in Brooklyn's Bush Terminal section. But that Puerto Rican neighborhood was too dangerous for me. I was young, not stupid. I think there are "commuter" ferries now from 53rd Street pier in Brooklyn that go to Manhattan. The Narrows is a channel that separates Brooklyn from Staten Island. It also separates Upper and Lower New York Bay. Wanna hear about the "Tin Can Grounds"???
@@martyjewell5683 Of course I do! Thanks for all your info!! So there were no other ferry terminals in Staten Island other than the one in St George? I always assumed they landed more down Bay street towards the bridge.
Been searching for years to watch a U Tube video showing the vintage lamp posts. Civil engineers now a days don't understand how they gave highways individuality
