Which way to go?

There’s only one correct answer here, otherwise you’re heading straight-on into traffic. NY drivers have enough problems (each other, potholes, rage, etc.) without malfunctioning traffic signs.

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Convention of traffic barriers

It’s strictly a utilitarian gathering, not a horrendous traffic scene. The barriers are waiting to be dispatched, as needed.

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Happy hump day

In some parts of the country, they call the line of asphalt placed in a road to slow down cars a hump. Today is Wednesday – just make it through this mid-week day. Don’t worry about being fined for honking. No one has received a ticket yet. The hump, though, is real, so you may want to ease up on the accelerator.

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Morning rush @ Grand Army Plaza

Grand Army Plaza, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (of Prospect Park and Central Park fame), is an 11-acre oval at the entrance to Prospect Park. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch, Brooklyn’s own Arc de Triomphe, sits at the top of the plaza. The other stand-out feature of the area is the outrageous traffic and confusing signage. Drivers have been complaining about it as long as cars have been popular, going on 100 years. Pedestrians, similarly challenged, have to deal with ill-timed lights and distracted drivers. When you can’t avoid the area, be alert and don’t assume anyone is following the posted directions.

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A raindrop went in my eye

4th Ave. and 9th Street

Egads! The rain, the humidity … lately it hasn’t been nonstop, but the storms can be as intense as they are annoying.

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Ft. Hamilton subway stop

The Ft. Hamilton stop on the F line is memorable for its ramps (on the Ft. Hamilton side). Outside the station, you won’t encounter any steps, only slopes, some of them quite steep and curvy, and treacherous in winter.

The station is next to the Prospect Expressway. This shot is from the DOT. Like mine, it was taken from the bridge over the roadway (but not through the chainlink fence).

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Big sky Brooklyn

Fourth Avenue has few things to recommend it. The drivers are so crazy you have to cross when the light is green, and still pay full-time attention. The shops are strictly utilitarian: cleaners, auto part vendors, bodegas stuffed with junk food and a few staples. But Fourth Avenue is also where the downhill slope of the neighborhood starts to level out, and the claustrophobia of the tree-lined streets gives way to wide-open space. Planes, one after the other, fly over from the south, and sunsets are visible down by the water. Even when nothing is going on, there are often interesting clouds in the sky.

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Pagoda steeple

I wanted the traffic on the BQE to slow down so I could get a better picture of this church steeple undergoing repairs. An overcaffeinated person with a ball of wire channeled Gaudi, tossed in a hint of Kyoto, and made something nice to look at from the highway.

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It’s the middle of the afternoon

A hazy day along the Gowanus.

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Time for a traffic cam

Ocean Pkwy @ Belt Pkwy

What’s going on, out on the roads tonight? A few cabbies with pick-ups from the airport? Take Ocean Parkway, man! Are you listening?

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