Belt Parkway

When traveling on this Parkway (regardless of direction) give yourself enough travel time because there’s ALWAYS traffic! Either from the JFK airport area, Verrazano bridge area, where the Conduit merges or just from all the construction– there’s always some delay somewhere.
The actual Belt Parkway runs along the southern part of both Brooklyn & Queens — connecting Nassau county (on the east end) to Staten Island (via Verrazano Narrows bridge on the west end).
There has been construction on this parkway for as long as I can remember. Seems like there is always something being repaired yet nothing has improved.
I’m not going to take totally bad about this parkway because it also brings me back to a time in my childhood where I was either going to some relatives house or going on some road trip which was always a great time. But, now that I’m traveling this parkway everyday to work– it’s torture. Hahaha.
Be careful driving. Buckle Up & don’t text and drive!

West of the the coney island ave exit its not bad BUT when heading east, once you get to the CIA Exit ughhhh be prepared to sit in traffic because of the never ending construction around the Flatbush ave Exit and dumb drivers that dont know how to drive but think they’re Tony Stewart who keep getting in to accidents.
Lets hope the new bridge they’re building right passed the Flatbush ave exit on the E/​B side is going to help keep traffic moving smoothly.

I have a love/​hate relationship with the BELT!
But mostly with Love.
But hate the traffic… ugh!!!
On one hand,
DA BELT, it is an unchanged relic from my childhood, teen, years, and early adulthood. On the other hand, it was always plagued by gradually escalating traffic eon after eon. It was the main practical way to get anywhere from my Brooklyn Marine Park/​Flatbush home/​apartment until I finally moved to Manhattan in my twenties, where I was blessed with a rent controlled one bedroom apartment, owned by our Slovak Lutheran Church, on the fringe of Gramercy Park on 20^th & 1^st. Ave., for less than $ 400 a month! I was obviously blessed by God in the beginning, but since I have changed over to Zen Buddhism, I think whomever is up there may be pissed at me.
No matter…
It was hard to get to the CITY (Manhattan), Queen’s, or really anywhere out of Brooklyn, except for Ocean Parkway, unless you used the BELT.
Via the BELT,
My dear departed poor Mom used to drag us like beloved little kittens all the way to Jone’s Beach (for the pool or jumping into waves), Hempstead State Park (for BBQ’s), or to visit her best friend OH, who had kids our age to play. What was funny, was that my Mom used to curse like a drunken KKK racist sailor way before «road rage» was even coined. She used extended colorful curses in long rants that insulted every race or religion of man you could imagine. When I was just 5 years old, I asked my Mom that if all drivers are Morons, then how about us… she replied that only Czechoslovaks were smart at all things. Just guess what we were? :)
Via the BELT,
Mom also used this to take us to all points out of NYC… like summers on the Farm in PA (to spend it with my country cousins, stay 2 months at a run down trailer in the woods, with a babbling brook behind it, & eat lots of Kelbasa & Perogies, along with fresh farm food). Mom wanted to keep us away from the concrete jungle of NYC, drugs, crime, back-​stabbing friends, & get fresh air & serenity, well away from Belt Parkway’s fumes.
Via the BELT,
You did not even have to go far in our old Corvair to get to Plumb Beach, which is a near forgot beach just of the BELT as you get off Nostrand Ave/​Knapp St. & head toward JFK. Plumb Beach is part of a coast wildlife park (with biking) that has a great beach for young kids… especially decades ago. It is just a trace on Goggle Maps, and so easy to miss, except for a roadside short path. See my review.
Just look at Plumb Island… & you can get an idea. There is no way to access it
from the Westbound lanes & it is so easy to miss even when you see the parking lot. Just slow down after you get on it at Knapp & you
One of the early photos of me, that Mom kept in her wallet, was off my fishing with a fake kids pole at the age of 5 at Plumb Beach. My brother & I loved to romp the sand dunes, play with the Horseshoe Crabs, and catch creatures using a bed sheet as a net. We would then watch them in our bucket…& then release them for the next catch of the day, or when it was time for them & us to go home. I think I go my first really bad sunburn there.
Later the BELT,
helped me escape the confines of Bkyn to go to Vermont to Ski, go on dates to anywhere within a days drive, especially to Manhattan/​Queens, or out of state, for romantic interludes.
Finally I used the BELT,
to go to JFK to go on trips everywhere in the world,
or to go back to visit Mom, many eons later…
And finally to lay her to rest,
after her epic struggle to raise us,
deal with my Schizophrenic dad,
deal with failing health /​Dementia & Delirium in her early eighties,
and finally go to her as she slowly lost the struggle & needed her doctor son to ease her
yearlong transition to heaven.
She was my Angel & I was hers…
the BELT served both of us well
as we both progressed thru both
the good & the bad in life… and death.
With sweet memories of my
Beloved Mom in my mind,
The BELT will alway be in my heart,
as a part of my life in NYC,

It’s confusing — half of the roads are super smooth and the other half is as bumpy as your rocky road ice cream (even bumpier than that)! Use our tax money for good use and fix those dang potholes! There’s always traffic here during rush hour, in the morning and afternoon.

The Belt has its moments. It looks like traffic in California if you’ve ever been there. It’s a nice route to Queens and Long Island but it’s a longer route to head to Manhattan. Depending on the time you are on here you will rip your own hair out and pluck your eyes out, be sure to pull over first before you do it. The improvements on the highway are noticeable on the Manhattan bound side. The road is also smooth no crazy potholes and craters.

Filled with pot holes and traffic delays as it is one of the main method of conveyance entering/​exiting Brooklyn to Queens. On a clear day passengers can attain a scenic view of Verrazano-​Narrows Bridge. It takes you to John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport.
The Shore Parkway, Southern Parkway, Laurelton Parkway, and Cross Island Parkway are collectively known as the «Belt System». The four components of the Belt System are designated as: New York State Route 907C (NY 907C), NY 907D, NY 907B, and NY 907A, respectively. The Belt System is a series of connected limited-​access highways that form a belt-​like circle around the New York City. (Source: Wikipedia)