New York City Indians

[kb2vxa]

"For some reason known only to Staten Islanders, the VZ's toll booths work in the opposite direction of every Hudson crossing in the rest of the city and state."

Those familiar with NYC area club bands know the Beagles, nearly unknown outside Brooklyn. Their signature tune could be confused with an advertizing slogan for the Roach Motel unless you read between the lines and understand the Brooklyn mentality and it's not the Staten Islanders.

Welcome to Brooklyn New Yawk
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room here in downtown Brooklyn
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here...

Last thing I remember, I was
Driving for the BQ Distressway
I had to find the passage back
To the Island South Shore
"Relax," said the toll man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

The bridge has been called New York's most dangerous bridge because 170,000 people cross it per day into Brooklyn, can't get home and are eaten by zombies.

[n2ize]

"For some reason known only to Staten Islanders, the VZ's toll booths work in the opposite direction of every Hudson crossing in the rest of the city and state."


Those familiar with NYC area club bands know the Beagles, nearly unknown outside Brooklyn. Their signature tune could be confused with an advertizing slogan for the Roach Motel unless you read between the lines and understand the Brooklyn mentality and it's not the Staten Islanders.

Welcome to Brooklyn New Yawk
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room here in downtown Brooklyn
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here...

Last thing I remember, I was
Driving for the BQ Distressway
I had to find the passage back
To the Island South Shore
"Relax," said the toll man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

The bridge has been called New York's most dangerous bridge because 170,000 people cross it per day into Brooklyn, can't get home and are eaten by zombies.

WOR Am radio's pioneer traffic copter reporter Fred Feldman used to call the Long Island expressway (abbrev, L.I.E) as "The big LIE". Fred pioneered aerial traffic reporting.

[N2NH]

"Mad Max territory"? Apart from the occasional death-with crotch rocketeers and drivers, I haven't seen much different over the last couple of decades. But then, I don't access the GWB from the Deegan, alway pass it. And traffic "seems" a "little better", or at least not as bad as it was. What have you observed?

I can't remember passing the Fordham Rd exit without there being a bad accident. Not in 30 years. Used to drive it once a week and, dasvidaniya, it happened the last time too. There was the 40-something who was driving at 15 MPH in the right lane that nearly got rear ended by the Greyhound who then nearly go rear ended by the cement truck. There was the teenager who was speeding up then slowing down to 35 MPH and cutting people off. There was the GWB interchange which means that most drivers have no idea what to do when they get to it - there was also a three car accident on that ramp. Last there was the pickup driver who hadn't tied down his load. He got off before I could tell him, but it was a pretty exciting stretch of road to drive.

[N2NH]

"For some reason known only to Staten Islanders, the VZ's toll booths work in the opposite direction of every Hudson crossing in the rest of the city and state."

Those familiar with NYC area club bands know the Beagles, nearly unknown outside Brooklyn. Their signature tune could be confused with an advertizing slogan for the Roach Motel unless you read between the lines and understand the Brooklyn mentality and it's not the Staten Islanders.

Welcome to Brooklyn New Yawk
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room here in downtown Brooklyn
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here...

Last thing I remember, I was
Driving for the BQ Distressway
I had to find the passage back
To the Island South Shore
"Relax," said the toll man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

The bridge has been called New York's most dangerous bridge because 170,000 people cross it per day into Brooklyn, can't get home and are eaten by zombies.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is on the atlantic flyway. There are times when I've taken the bus across and seen Canadian Geese flying outside the window as they migrated south. Sometimes if you're in a high area of Staten Island, you'll see them circling in the night looking for a place to land and rest. They'll circle as little as 8 feet off the ground. In the spring, the VZ can be hard to drive. It is right on the ocean and the fog can reduce visibility to mere feet.

There was a legal case in NYC back in the 70s. A judge sentenced a man to drive the LIE from end to end roundtrip every day for a year. It was overturned as cruel and inhuman the next week. Says a lot about that highway. It's been described as the world's largest parking lot.

[kb2vxa]

That must have been a long time ago, now those infernal walking, eating, shitting machines refuse to leave! They've turned lake shores around here into sliding ponds, I can't imagine what the kids have to put up with on the athletic fields in front of the local primary school.

Freddie Feldman may have been noted for his reference to the LIE but he didn't coin the phrase. For as long as I can remember many have referred to it and some in song as the big lie and/or the Long Island Distressway. It must have been the inspiration for ACDC's Highway To Hell. Not too bad when you get farther east but in Queens it's not worth your life driving on a roller coaster door to door with the traffic next to you.
"It's been described as the world's largest parking lot."
Not so, its 71 miles can't compare with the Garden State Parkingway's 172 that affords paid parking from the New York Thruway to Cape May.

Then there's the BQE that has its moments, that should come as no surprise. I witnessed one a few years ago and it was the timing that surprised me but then I remembered the phrase they only come out at night. Coming home late from the GF's in Queens the roads were deserted, on the elevated westbound side I was the only car on the road but not for long. I noticed headlights coming up fast behind on the inside lane, a low flying jet? Just as we reached the only exit on the left side that soon terminates in a T with a concrete support on the far side it happened, down he went at full speed... WHAM! --- Darwin Award.

Then there's a certain toll road in Westchester where they've yet to learn EZ Pass does NOT indicate a passing zone.

[W3WN]

< snip >
In the old days (back in the 1940's and 50's) my Dad used to keep pigeons on the roof of his building in the Bronx. Lots of guys had pigeon coops in the Bronx. In those days going up on the roof was no problem.
< snip >

Your dad knew Franz Liebkind?

[W3WN]

Bridge towers are vertical real estate. You'd be surprised how many antennas and equipment rooms there are on the gee dub including a long story about what happened to a long neglected 2M repeater run amok that took years to find. Oh and please don't call it the GWB... most of us would like to forget... Mister Stupid.

Now that sounds like an intriguing story. Certainly better than the "pink" repeater in Butler PA.

Is it written up anywhere? If not, don't suppose you'd like to regale us with it, one day?

[W3WN]

WOR Am radio's pioneer traffic copter reporter Fred Feldman used to call the Long Island expressway (abbrev, L.I.E) as "The big LIE". Fred pioneered aerial traffic reporting.

I remember Fred Feldman & Helicopter Seven-Ten. Isn't he credited with coining the term "rubbernecking delays"?

Do you by chance remember the day that the relief pilot was filling in for him & crashed?

[n2ize]

I can't remember passing the Fordham Rd exit without there being a bad accident. Not in 30 years. Used to drive it once a week and, dasvidaniya, it happened the last time too. There was the 40-something who was driving at 15 MPH in the right lane that nearly got rear ended by the Greyhound who then nearly go rear ended by the cement truck. There was the teenager who was speeding up then slowing down to 35 MPH and cutting people off. There was the GWB interchange which means that most drivers have no idea what to do when they get to it - there was also a three car accident on that ramp. Last there was the pickup driver who hadn't tied down his load. He got off before I could tell him, but it was a pretty exciting stretch of road to drive.

I was nearly killed on the Deegan a dozen times by people who didn't know how to drive. I stopped using the Deegan, I would be dead had I continued using it. I used to monitor the scanner and 95% of the calls were for an accident on the Deegan. many of them fatal.

The Fordham Road exit was the worst. There was never a moment when there wasn't a serious accident there. I remember a woman leaving school to head home. I warned her to avoid the Deegan and to avoid the Fordham road area of the Deegan. Rather than heed my advice she went with the Deegan and ended up in the hospital. Luckinly she survived and recovered. The Deegan is a death trap.

[n2ize]

Your dad knew Franz Liebkind?

Not sure. But in those days a lot of people kept pigeon coops on Bronx roofs. It was a way of life back then. many of the guys who kept pigeons on roofs back then were gangsters from the 20's and 30's.. Many of them were once in jail so they used to stay on the roofs so as not to be seen on the streets. They used pigeons to pass messages. Others kept pigeons for sport or just for fun. There was a lot of competition among pigeon keepers in those days. My Dad lived through that era and he could explain it far better than I can.