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Great Walks 2008
Under the M train walk
Start: Myrtle Ave J/M/Z station
End: Myrtle-Wyckoff L/M station
Time: 1.5 hours
Distance: 1.27 miles1 Start your journey at the Myrtle Avenue station on the J/M/Z line. On your way downstairs, don’t miss artist Verna Hart’s 1999 stained-glass installation, Jammin’ Under the EL. The vibrant windows, depicting jazz musicians, fill the platform with a multicolored glow.
2 Once downstairs, you’ll be standing at the border of Bushwick and Bed-Stuy. Follow the el tracks east along Myrtle for a couple of blocks to J&T Auto Sales and Financing (1168 Myrtle Ave at Ditmars St, 718-455-2474), which is like a classic-car show hiding in the shadows. True, some of these babies need a new fender or a paint job, but according to a shy mechanic we spoke to, a beautiful pale-green 1951 Chevy “definitely still runs” and would set you back only $8,500.
3 Stroll farther and you’ll stumble upon the former home of the notorious Dr. Frederick A. Cook (670–675 Bushwick Ave at Willoughby Ave). Today, the controversial doctor and explorer’s Romanesque Revival house is in a state of disrepair. (Cook claimed to have been the first to reach the North Pole in 1908, but didn’t have documentation to prove it.) Despite the overgrown lawn and graffiti-tagged walls, this is still one impressive pile, with pillars out front and austere arched windows.
4 March to the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Cedar Street, where you’ll find a block-long plywood fruit stand selling mangos, papayas, pineapples, coconuts and plenty of other exotic fruit. You probably won’t want to dig in without rinsing them (the el tracks mean everything around here is a little dirty), but stock up for later.
5 Feeling hungry for something right now? There’s no shortage of Mexican joints. Belly up to the counter at Taqueria el Paisa (298 Irving Ave at Myrtle Ave, 718-456-2095) for a cheap, stacked taco and cerveza.
6 If that beer hastened nature’s call, cross the street to On the Run (1525 Myrtle Ave between Irving Ave and Linden St, ontherun.com). This gleaming gas station has spotless restrooms and—just like the convenience stores of your youth—self-serve frozen Cokes.
7 Salsa-music fans can swing into Alondra Records (298 Irving Ave at Myrtle Ave, 718-417-7973), a ramshackle shop with hundreds of CDs and DVDs (the latter for rent only) lining the walls. There’s no discernible order and the staff didn’t speak English when we visited, but if you love to browse (or if you speak Spanish), you may find treasures in the chaos here.
8 Up the hill from Alondra, you can challenge your omnivorism (or feel righteous about your vegan lifestyle) by visiting a pair of bustling, side-by-side bird slaughterhouses: Pio Pio Live Poultry (332 Linden St at Myrtle Ave, 718-336-5171) and Kikitiki Live Poultry (334 Linden St at Myrtle Ave, 718-386-5373). At both, each customer picks their own chicken, turkey or duck from depressingly packed cages. Then the staff will end the bird’s mortal existence (in a back room—not in front of you), and bring it back for you to cook for dinner. And no, you can’t buy one and set it free—these birds only get to leave without their heads.
9 Clear the carnage from your mind by following the blaring hip-hop and salsa emanating from the corner of Palmetto Street and Myrtle. Here you’ll find a small outdoor market and a tent where DJ Chino (646-671-3094; daily 10am–5pm) sets up camp. You can book the superfriendly spinner for a party, or pick up one of his many mix-CDs.
10 Next you’ll see the Myrtle-Wyckoff L/M station, and the end of our walk. Here the el tracks turn off of the bustle of Myrtle onto the relative quiet of Palmetto Street. Welcome to Queens!
DID YOU KNOW?
Peter Stuyvesant named this gritty, fast-food-clogged area “Boswijck,” or “little town in the woods,” when he chartered it in 1661.
Saturday
Wanna try this walk?
Meet Ethan by the token booth of the Myrtle Ave J station (no M or Z on weekends), Sat 3 at noon.** If you join us for a walk, TONY is not responsible for your safety or your expenses. But if you have fun, we will take full credit for that.
Time Out New York / Issue 657 : Apr 30–May 6, 2008No comments yet
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