On the Road Again with Merle

[paulhilborn]

Nature Boy , glad Merle's on the move Mike and safely in Staten Island

I'm a little late catching up on this thread, but I hope your sister-in-law is doing better. And I hope life gets a little less hectic for you. It is still nice to see Merle’s travels, even if some of the stops are shorter.

Thank you abbydaddy, my sister in laws struggles continue, they moved her to PCU today but prayers are a powerful thing, so we continue to pray

 

[Nature Boy]

Went for a stroll along the FDR Boardwalk along Staten Island’s South Beach. There has been a plan in place since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to eventually replace it with a sea wall/boardwalk that will extend along a good portion of the Atlantic facing side of the Island. Unfortunately, the project has been stalled with the discovery of some radioactive material in one area where it is meant to be built though. Speaking of fill abbydaddy , it seems that some x-ray machines, along with other discarded medical supplies, were used as fill. The site in question is on a piece of federal land, but the responsibility for the cleanup falls to the Army Corp of Engineers (who will be building the wall), the city of New York, and the state of New York - hence the delay, with each trying to pass it to the others…

The dominating view from the boardwalk is the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. It is also the longest suspension bridge in the hemisphere. Sorry San Francisco, but my understanding is that we’ve got you beat by 60 feet. You’ll probably get to see a lot of angles of the bridge, since I cross it twice a day for work.
Anyways, in warmer weather, the boardwalk, and more recently the beaches, see a pretty good crowd. Today, though was fairly chilly and windy.

Two small islands you can see off of Staten Island, Hoffman Island and Swinburne Island (only Hoffman pictured here), also primarily fill, were used as quarantine stations for Ellis Island immigrants who had symptoms of contagious diseases. Today, they are mainly bird sanctuaries, managed by the National Parks Service.

You can also see Coney Island in the background. We’ll visit there at some point, as I work not too far away in Brooklyn.

Merle and I took a little rest after the walk, and contemplated coming back with some fishing gear. We’ll see…


Till tomorrow,
Mike & Merle

 

[Nature Boy]

Mike, I’m glad to see Merle made it safely, and I’m looking forward to his adventures around Staten Island.

I have to say, those first few images had very familiar feel to them…

That’s great, Barrett! I should have based my tour on that opening.

As an archaeologist, I love that you included this characterization.

I suspect that a major future industry will be landfill mining. As we get better at recycling materials, the landfills will be resource rich "ore". And I suspect that future archaeologists will be fighting to preserve the treasure trove of archaeological material housed in the Fresh Kills Mounds.

Thanks for saying that! Staten Island is the butt of many jokes, but has also served many vital functions. I’m hoping to be able to point some of those out. Future archaeologists will certainly have a lot to go through on Staten Island!

 

[untytled]

View attachment 1773777
Went for a stroll along the FDR Boardwalk along Staten Island’s South Beach. There has been a plan in place since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to eventually replace it with a sea wall/boardwalk that will extend along a good portion of the Atlantic facing side of the Island. Unfortunately, the project has been stalled with the discovery of some radioactive material in one area where it is meant to be built though. Speaking of fill abbydaddy , it seems that some x-ray machines, along with other discarded medical supplies, were used as fill. The site in question is on a piece of federal land, but the responsibility for the cleanup falls to the Army Corp of Engineers, the city of New York, and the state of New York - hence the delay, with each trying to pass it to the others…
View attachment 1773778
The dominating view from the boardwalk is the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. It is also the longest suspension bridge in the hemisphere. Sorry San Francisco, but my understanding is that we’ve got you beat by 60 feet. You’ll probably get to see a lot of angles of the bridge, since I cross it twice a day for work.
Anyways, in warmer weather, the boardwalk, and more recently the beaches, see a pretty good crowd. Today, though was fairly chilly and windy.
View attachment 1773779
Two small islands you can see off of Staten Island, Hoffman Island and Swinburne Island (only Hoffman pictured here), also primarily fill, were used as quarantine stations for Ellis Island immigrants who had symptoms of contagious diseases. Today, they are mainly bird sanctuaries, managed by the National Parks Service.

You can also see Coney Island in the background. We’ll visit there at some point, as I work not too far away in Brooklyn.
View attachment 1773780
Merle and I took a little rest after the walk, and contemplated coming back with some fishing gear. We’ll see…
View attachment 1773781View attachment 1773783

Till tomorrow,
Mike & Merle

Nice to see Merle is just over the bridge from us visiting the island! Looking forward to seeing more of Merle's journey throughout there. BTW heard bloodworms are the ticket for those stripers lately

 

[btb01]

View attachment 1773777
Went for a stroll along the FDR Boardwalk along Staten Island’s South Beach. There has been a plan in place since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to eventually replace it with a sea wall/boardwalk that will extend along a good portion of the Atlantic facing side of the Island. Unfortunately, the project has been stalled with the discovery of some radioactive material in one area where it is meant to be built though. Speaking of fill abbydaddy , it seems that some x-ray machines, along with other discarded medical supplies, were used as fill. The site in question is on a piece of federal land, but the responsibility for the cleanup falls to the Army Corp of Engineers, the city of New York, and the state of New York - hence the delay, with each trying to pass it to the others…
View attachment 1773778
The dominating view from the boardwalk is the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. It is also the longest suspension bridge in the hemisphere. Sorry San Francisco, but my understanding is that we’ve got you beat by 60 feet. You’ll probably get to see a lot of angles of the bridge, since I cross it twice a day for work.
Anyways, in warmer weather, the boardwalk, and more recently the beaches, see a pretty good crowd. Today, though was fairly chilly and windy.
View attachment 1773779
Two small islands you can see off of Staten Island, Hoffman Island and Swinburne Island (only Hoffman pictured here), also primarily fill, were used as quarantine stations for Ellis Island immigrants who had symptoms of contagious diseases. Today, they are mainly bird sanctuaries, managed by the National Parks Service.

You can also see Coney Island in the background. We’ll visit there at some point, as I work not too far away in Brooklyn.
View attachment 1773780
Merle and I took a little rest after the walk, and contemplated coming back with some fishing gear. We’ll see…
View attachment 1773781View attachment 1773783

Till tomorrow,
Mike & Merle

Nice post, Mike! I’ve always had an affinity for boardwalks, beaches, etc. in the off-season. There’s something very peaceful about it.

 

[Nature Boy]

Nice to see Merle is just over the bridge from us visiting the island! Looking forward to seeing more of Merle's journey throughout there. BTW heard bloodworms are the ticket for those stripers lately

Thanks for the tip! Today’s post will bring us over the bridge.

Nice post, Mike! I’ve always had an affinity for boardwalks, beaches, etc. in the off-season. There’s something very peaceful about it.

Totally agree! Beaches in the heat are overrated.

 

[Nature Boy]

New York City has some pretty fantastic pizza, Staten Island included! But I had to take Merle to get my favorite slice, from L & B Spumoni Gardens in the Bensonhurst/Gravesend area of Brooklyn.


I am fortunate to work just a short walk away, and a chilly, overcast day seemed like a good opportunity to avoid a crowd.


While most New York pizza is thin, L&B makes a thicker, Sicilian pie. It is also made in the “upside down” or “grandma” style with the sauce on top of the cheese.


The sauce is sweet and tangy. The crust crispy, yet doughy. Really unique, and perfectly done. Merle thought it reminded him of a zeppole - but pizza.

While it’s off the beaten tourist path in south Brooklyn, if you ever want to compare the best pizzas in the city, you’ll have to make the trip! It has been imitated, but not duplicated.

The place is also popular for its Italian ices and spumoni. And the outside windows are generally pretty busy during the lunch times I’m able to visit.

Mike & Merle

 

[Nature Boy]

The isle of Manhattan is just not a part of my daily life. Outside of a handful of medical appointments, I really haven’t been to “the city” in the last few years. So I feel bad that Merle isn’t getting that whole tourist experience. With work, and 5 youngsters, he’s pretty much only getting to see the beaten path.

Today, however, work brought me to the Big Apple, and Merle decided to tag along.

We hitched a ride on the D train from Brooklyn, and headed over the Manhattan Bridge.

(This N train totally screwed up the pic I was planning to take of the Neighboring Brooklyn Bridge…)

We didn’t get too many good pictures, as we were rushing from place to place, but we got to walk through some bits of Little Italy and Chinatown, and some other sections of the Lower East Side.

(Empire State Building in the background)

The Firehouse, Engine 31

Courthouses

Again, nothing too touristy, and to further limit the pictures, Merle was really camera shy - muttering about not wanting to look like a tourist…

I was able to sneak (a blurry) one while having a cup of coffee, though.


We also rushed by some type of filming.

Keep an eye out for Merle on the big, or small, screen!

Sorry, again, for the rushed pics…

Thanks for tuning in,
Mike & Merle

 

[paulhilborn]

Awesome pictures Mike and Merle, fantastic to see for a small town boy

 

[Jack Black]

Great pics Mike

 

[redsparrow]

Thanks Mike for including us in your daily life, it's what a EDC is best at and interesting to see NY from a native's perspective,

 

[Nature Boy]

Merle, my daughter, and I put together this play set.

Merle was thinking his job would be over after opening the box, but it turns out that some of the holes in the tubes weren’t all drilled cleanly enough for the spring connectors to fit through, so a little whittling was needed…

 

[btb01]

New York City has some pretty fantastic pizza, Staten Island included! But I had to take Merle to get my favorite slice, from L & B Spumoni Gardens in the Bensonhurst/Gravesend area of Brooklyn.
View attachment 1774819
View attachment 1774807
I am fortunate to work just a short walk away, and a chilly, overcast day seemed like a good opportunity to avoid a crowd.
View attachment 1774815
View attachment 1774823
While most New York pizza is thin, L&B makes a thicker, Sicilian pie. It is also made in the “upside down” or “grandma” style with the sauce on top of the cheese.
View attachment 1774824
View attachment 1774818
The sauce is sweet and tangy. The crust crispy, yet doughy. Really unique, and perfectly done. Merle thought it reminded him of a zeppole - but pizza.
View attachment 1774835
While it’s off the beaten tourist path in south Brooklyn, if you ever want to compare the best pizzas in the city, you’ll have to make the trip! It has been imitated, but not duplicated.

The place is also popular for its Italian ices and spumoni. And the outside windows are generally pretty busy during the lunch times I’m able to visit.

Mike & Merle

I’ve never been to New York, but I recognize L&B Spumoni Gardens, and the pizza looks good! I’ve never understood the point of arguing over whose style of pizza is better, New York, Chicago, Detroit, etc. They’re all pretty good to me!

The isle of Manhattan is just not a part of my daily life. Outside of a handful of medical appointments, I really haven’t been to “the city” in the last few years. So I feel bad that Merle isn’t getting that whole tourist experience. With work, and 5 youngsters, he’s pretty much only getting to see the beaten path.

Today, however, work brought me to the Big Apple, and Merle decided to tag along.

We hitched a ride on the D train from Brooklyn, and headed over the Manhattan Bridge.
View attachment 1775732
(This N train totally screwed up the pic I was planning to take of the Neighboring Brooklyn Bridge…)

We didn’t get too many good pictures, as we were rushing from place to place, but we got to walk through some bits of Little Italy and Chinatown, and some other sections of the Lower East Side.
View attachment 1775734View attachment 1775735View attachment 1775736
(Empire State Building in the background)
View attachment 1775746
The Firehouse, Engine 31
View attachment 1775747
Courthouses

Again, nothing too touristy, and to further limit the pictures, Merle was really camera shy - muttering about not wanting to look like a tourist…

I was able to sneak (a blurry) one while having a cup of coffee, though.
View attachment 1775740

We also rushed by some type of filming.
View attachment 1775742
Keep an eye out for Merle on the big, or small, screen!
View attachment 1775745
Sorry, again, for the rushed pics…

Thanks for tuning in,
Mike & Merle

Great pics of the big city!

Merle, my daughter, and I put together this play set.
View attachment 1777119
Merle was thinking his job would be over after opening the box, but it turns out that some of the holes in the tubes weren’t all drilled cleanly enough for the spring connectors to fit through, so a little whittling was needed…
View attachment 1777128

Love that first pic with her saw!

 

[bigfish64]

I’ve never understood the point of arguing over whose style of pizza is better, New York, Chicago, Detroit, etc. They’re all pretty good to me!

I agree Barrett, but you left out St. Louis style.

 

[Nature Boy]

Totally agree on the pizza, btb01
People seem to have a need to argue about everything, though, I suppose.

I dragged Merle to the kids’ sports again today.

It gives me another chance to show off part of the Fresh Kills Landfill, here looming over the soccer complex:

Don’t worry, there’s a freeway in between the mound and the fields…

Mike & Merle

 

[btb01]

I agree Barrett, but you left out St. Louis style.

No, I draw the line at pizza cut into little squares.



Just kidding, St. Louis style is good, too! Hey, does anyone in STL make a toasted ravioli pizza?

Totally agree on the pizza, btb01
People seem to have a need to argue about everything, though, I suppose.

I dragged Merle to the kids’ sports again today.
View attachment 1777297View attachment 1777299
It gives me another chance to show off part of the Fresh Kills Landfill, here looming over the soccer complex:
View attachment 1777309View attachment 1777311
Don’t worry, there’s a freeway in between the mound and the fields…

Mike & Merle

Good thing Merle had that sweater to keep him warm at the ice rink!

 

[bigfish64]

No, I draw the line at pizza cut into little squares.

Just kidding, St. Louis style is good, too! Hey, does anyone in STL make a toasted ravioli pizza?

Not that I’m aware of but that’s a great idea. Don’t worry Barrett if the idea takes off I’ll make sure you get the credit.

 

[Nature Boy]

There is a fort at the base of the Verrazano-
Narrows Bridge on both sides of the Narrows - Fort Hamilton on the Brooklyn shore, and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.

Merle and I stopped by Fort Wadsworth on the way home from work today.

Fort Wadsworth was one of the longest continuously garrisoned military installations in the U.S. - since the Dutch built a couple blockhouses in the mid 1600s, until it’s closing in 1994.

It is a natural point of defense for New York’s Upper Bay and Manhattan.


The British took control of, and expanded, the fort in 1776, and held it until the end of the American Revolutionary War.

Though it was well equipped with modern weapons, there was no need to fire in anger during the War of 1812, or the American Civil War. This is probably a good thing, because it seems that whenever construction was completed, or an update was completed, it was already obsolete.



The National Parks Service took control of the fort in 1994, when it closed, as park of Gateway National Recreation Area.

The parking lots and open area also make up the staging grounds for the start of the New York City Marathon, with the starting line being on the Verrazano Bridge. I was kind of hoping Merle would be around in November just to show you the incredible amount of porta-potties amassed here for the 50,000+ runners.

 

[Nature Boy]

There are several small forts that make up Fort Wadsworth.

 

[Nature Boy]

Just a few more pics from our walk around the fort…