Tag: Queens
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Feb 08 2009
In Search of the Nassau Boulevard Toll Booth: Part I
As described in the book The Long Island Motor Parkway, the Motor Parkway was extended three miles in the late 1920s from Rocky Hill Road (Springfield Boulevard) to Nassau Boulevard (later renamed Horace Harding Boulevard). The above image of a rare 1928 Motor Parkway brochure (courtesy of Robert Harrington) promoted the new entrance at Fresh Meadows. Note the illustration of the toll booth crossing the entire road.
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Feb 06 2009
The Opening of the Motor Parkway Bike Path- July 9, 1938
The crushing impact of the Depression, coupled with the ever-expanding free New York State Parkway system, effectively sealed the fate of the Long Island Motor Parkway (LIMP). On June 16, 1937, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. offered the parkway to the public. It officially closed on April 17, 1938 with the right-of-way turned over to Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
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Jan 22 2009
Alley Pond Striders on the Long Island Motor Parkway Greenway
Lynn Henry has submitted information on the Alley Pond Striders. This running and walking club has over 250 members and serves the communities of Eastern Queens and Nassau County.
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Jan 07 2009
A Fresh Meadows View of the Western LIMP Terminus
Over the last five years, I have been documenting the 44-mile right-of way of the Long Island Motor Parkway from Fresh Meadows, Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County. The most elusive area to research has been the most westerly section of the Motor Parkway In Queens. This entrance from Horace Harding Boulevard was opened by the Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc. in 1928.
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Jan 01 2009
The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924
For the second VanderbiltCupRaces.com post of 2009, I have improved the format of my December 31st post and added a rare 1924 aerial view. The post includes amazing images from the Queens Borough President's Collection that shows two Long Island Motor Parkway bridges over Winchester Boulevard in Queens. Yes, in November 1932, there were two bridges at this location and the Motor Parkway looked like a four-lane parkway. Alas, it was just a temporary illusion. Here's the story (click on the…
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Dec 31 2008
The Two Bridges Over Winchester Boulevard in Queens
For the last VanderbiltCupRaces.com post of 2008, I have selected amazing images from the Queens Borough President's Collection that show two Long Island Motor Parkway bridges over Winchester Boulevard in Queens. Yes, in November 1932, there were two bridges at this location and the Motor Parkway looked like a four-lane parkway. Alas, it was just a temporary illusion. Here's the story:
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Dec 26 2008
When Gasoline was 14 Cents a Gallon
Several people have requested an unedited version of the image posted this Wednesday of the corner of the Hillside Avenue and Springfield Boulevard on January 22, 1931.
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Dec 24 2008
The Treasure Hunt Continues
Okay, I admit it- I really enjoy the treasure hunt for new Vanderbilt Cup Race and Long Island Motor Parkway photos and memorabilia. As a result, I currently have a over 25,000 images and 150 collectibles collected over a five year period.
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Dec 17 2008
A Queens Tour of the Long Island Motor Parkway
Many viewers have requested maps of the Long Island Motor Parkway so they can walk this historical road and find remnants of America's first parkway. I have put together routes in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties using a 1940 map which still showed the Long Island Motor Parkway right-of-way. In the first of a three-part series, Click here for a pdf of the Queens LIMP map. Nassau County and Suffolk County maps will follow over the next week.
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Dec 15 2008
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: New Queens LIMP Signage
Along the right-of-way of the Long Island Motor Parkway, there are several historical plaques that commemorate the road. Unfortunately, many of the plagues provide misinformation and often mistakenly call the road the "Vanderbilt Motor Parkway". Wrong!!! For several months, historian Bob Miller has tried to correct and expand the Motor Parkway signs in Queens. Bob is pleased to announce the following news:
