One of the great things about living in New York City is the constant juxtaposition of old and new, trendy and timeless, now and forever. The borough of Queens is seldom explored by newcomers to the city-most likely because the majority of the borough is not easily accessible by public transportation. I am a third-generation Queensenite, and I know my borough like the back of my hand.
I married into the district of Bayside - a waterfront area in northeastern Queens. I am happy to say that I enjoy living there immensely, and find that I am never lonely with an in-law around every corner. One of my favorite parts of Bayside is Little Bay Park and Joe Michael's Mile. It is an uninterrupted three-mile stretch of parks down under the Throgs Neck Bridge that borders Little Neck Bay on one side, and the Cross Island Parkway on the other. In the spring, summer, and fall I am one of the many people who run, walk, skate and bike (and sometimes fish) the Greenway. The far end is a wildlife preserve where I frequently see new mother ducks walking their ducklings. There is a marina mid-way down, where you can board your boat, launch your jet-ski, crab fish, or have some fries in the snack bar. But just in case you forgot you were in still in urban Queens, turn around and find a busy highway whizzing by at 60MPH.
The Greenway is also the home to what I think is one of the most curious places in all of Queens: Fort Totten.
A giant stone gate with wrought iron fences gives way to an intimidating security booth, complete with intimidating vehicles passing though - NYPD cruisers, FDNY Scuba Unit vans, and Hum Vs. Passage into the fort is typically not for the light of heart. Most people don't know that the security is for vehicular traffic only; pedestrians and cyclist may enter without interrogation.
What lies beyond the security gate is an unexpected journey through time. Designed by General Robert E Lee, Fort Totten was built as a civil war fort used to protect Manhattan from battleships coming off the Long Island Sound. There is a lot of interesting history inside the fort - ruins of the battery, monuments, landmarked buildings - it is almost like stepping into Bayside's own little version of Williamsburg...or Gettysbury.
The fort is still home to US Army Reserve, but has been home to a rotating list of civic organizations. Currently you will find the US Coast Guard, NYPD, and FDNY among its residents. Recently several acres have been gifted to the NYC Parks Department, who operate the Bayside Historic Society, ball fields, parade grounds, and even a public pool.
Like most places of historic importance, Fort Totten has a very unique vibe. A presence. I have heard rumored Bayside ghost stories from time to time, from friends, from neighbors, and sometimes from bloggers. All reports lead to the Little Neck Bay. Taking a closer look at the history of Fort Totten, physically and historically, Fort Totten was best known for "casualty support and hospital care (1864-1965)" [1]. In the dead center of its land sits the largest architectural structure - an ominous three-story brick monster sprinkled with tiny windows. Almost entirely covered in ivy, one immediately wonders if there are any doors, as the perimeter has been protected by a chain-link fence that appears as old as the 6-foot weeds it encases. There is hardly any doubt that this sanitarium holds memories of the horrors of historic war and mid 19th-century medical trials. The bricks seem to scream it. The ivy appears to choke it. What has become of the interior hallways and patient wards? Do they warrant an unattained minimum condition of preservation and respect for the heroes who once inhabited their walls? I can't help but wonder when the last time a living person walked its corridors. Does it have a keeper? Do our civil servants living in Fort Totten roam the hallways at night for fun? Do the rumored ghosts who allegedly frequent the Bay all live inside and roam my Greenway by night?
...but now I head home on my getaway bike.
1 http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttotten
Additional Information on the history of Fort Totten:
http://www.preserve2.org/qpl/s96pt1.htm#historical
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttotten/dailyplant/20601
I married into the district of Bayside - a waterfront area in northeastern Queens. I am happy to say that I enjoy living there immensely, and find that I am never lonely with an in-law around every corner. One of my favorite parts of Bayside is Little Bay Park and Joe Michael's Mile. It is an uninterrupted three-mile stretch of parks down under the Throgs Neck Bridge that borders Little Neck Bay on one side, and the Cross Island Parkway on the other. In the spring, summer, and fall I am one of the many people who run, walk, skate and bike (and sometimes fish) the Greenway. The far end is a wildlife preserve where I frequently see new mother ducks walking their ducklings. There is a marina mid-way down, where you can board your boat, launch your jet-ski, crab fish, or have some fries in the snack bar. But just in case you forgot you were in still in urban Queens, turn around and find a busy highway whizzing by at 60MPH.
The Greenway is also the home to what I think is one of the most curious places in all of Queens: Fort Totten.
A giant stone gate with wrought iron fences gives way to an intimidating security booth, complete with intimidating vehicles passing though - NYPD cruisers, FDNY Scuba Unit vans, and Hum Vs. Passage into the fort is typically not for the light of heart. Most people don't know that the security is for vehicular traffic only; pedestrians and cyclist may enter without interrogation.
What lies beyond the security gate is an unexpected journey through time. Designed by General Robert E Lee, Fort Totten was built as a civil war fort used to protect Manhattan from battleships coming off the Long Island Sound. There is a lot of interesting history inside the fort - ruins of the battery, monuments, landmarked buildings - it is almost like stepping into Bayside's own little version of Williamsburg...or Gettysbury.
The fort is still home to US Army Reserve, but has been home to a rotating list of civic organizations. Currently you will find the US Coast Guard, NYPD, and FDNY among its residents. Recently several acres have been gifted to the NYC Parks Department, who operate the Bayside Historic Society, ball fields, parade grounds, and even a public pool.
Like most places of historic importance, Fort Totten has a very unique vibe. A presence. I have heard rumored Bayside ghost stories from time to time, from friends, from neighbors, and sometimes from bloggers. All reports lead to the Little Neck Bay. Taking a closer look at the history of Fort Totten, physically and historically, Fort Totten was best known for "casualty support and hospital care (1864-1965)" [1]. In the dead center of its land sits the largest architectural structure - an ominous three-story brick monster sprinkled with tiny windows. Almost entirely covered in ivy, one immediately wonders if there are any doors, as the perimeter has been protected by a chain-link fence that appears as old as the 6-foot weeds it encases. There is hardly any doubt that this sanitarium holds memories of the horrors of historic war and mid 19th-century medical trials. The bricks seem to scream it. The ivy appears to choke it. What has become of the interior hallways and patient wards? Do they warrant an unattained minimum condition of preservation and respect for the heroes who once inhabited their walls? I can't help but wonder when the last time a living person walked its corridors. Does it have a keeper? Do our civil servants living in Fort Totten roam the hallways at night for fun? Do the rumored ghosts who allegedly frequent the Bay all live inside and roam my Greenway by night?
...but now I head home on my getaway bike.
1 http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttotten
Additional Information on the history of Fort Totten:
http://www.preserve2.org/qpl/s96pt1.htm#historical
http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forttotten/dailyplant/20601