Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn - End to End

I've been itching (and talking about) doing this one again for a while, as it provides a great taste of multicultural-multiethnic Brooklyn.. We will be meeting in Greenpoint, in front of the McDonald's outside of the G Train Greenpoint Avenue station, on the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue (exit at the front of the train), and starting to walk at 10 am sharp. 1 Bedford Avenue starts a few blocks away at the corner of Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint and ends at the 4700 block at Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Bedford Avenue is Brooklyn's longest street and is about 10 miles and 132 blocks long. Although there are a number of bodegas and restaurants along the route, I recommend you bring food and water with you. I've built in extra time to allow for small detours along the way.

The route: We start our Bedford Avenue stroll by walking through uebercool and ueberexpensive North Williamsburg. After passing under the Williamsburg Bridge, we will tenter another world- he Chassidic (primarily Satmar) stronghold of South Williamsburg. We will then work our way to Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood with beautiful brownstone buildings, and continue past Lefferts Gardens, another area with beautiful houses, taking us to Crown Heights (we'll take a short rest break here. This stretch of Bedford Avenue is the home of Medgar Evans College, arriving at the Ebbetts Field apartments, located on the site of former home of 'Dem Bums," the Brooklyn Dodgers. Plan on following me into the high-rise complex at the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers ("Dem Bums") to see the location of the old home plate. We'll be near Erasmus Hall High School, where many famous celebrities went to school, pass by the iconic Sears building, and pass by the beautiful campus of Brooklyn College (we will have our lunch break near the college). We'll then pass another (non-Chassidic) Jewish Orthodox neighborhood, followed by Chinese and Russian neighborhoods, eventually coming to the end of Bedford Avenue, where it meets the canal at Emmons Avenue. We will then walk along the canal, past Lundy's, and take the pedestrian bridge over to Manhattan Beach (lots of mansions, some frankly kitschy, here) and make a small detour to visit the very moving Holocaust Memorial at the top of the canal. From there, we will end the official part of our walk at the Q train station in Brighton Beach.

BONUS: As always, I am offering a bonus walk of approximately 5 more miles, give or take, for those who want more. After making a short stop at a major Russian supermarket under the El (it's well worth the visit!), we'll head to Riegelmann Boardwalk, and take it to the end, past Coney Island (there are a couple of drop out points to the subway along the way). From there, it's a short stroll to the dunes at little known Coney Island Creek Park - a personal favorite spot of mine - affording beautiful views of the Verrazano Bridge, and if we're lucky, a view of the (in)famous sunken yellow submarine. It's then over to Neptune Avenue and a short walk to the Stillwell subway station, where we'll call it a day. (For those who wish, we can grab a quick bite and a drink near the subway station before boarding the train.)

Bad weather cancels, but light intermittent drizzle doesn't. The weather forecast for Sunday is good, so the walk should be on, but I'll let you all know Saturday evening if that changes.

Out of fairness to others who might wish to join this walk, sign up only if you are serious about coming.

Leader: Alex G, 929-919-6022.

Take the Great Saunter Fall Challenge. Register here to walk 32 miles in 16 days starting October 4. Registration is only $10, and Shorewalkers will donate all fees to the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, the dedicated caretakers of the park’s beautiful gardens and lawns. This walk will count for 10 miles of your total (and an additional 5 miles or so, if you do the bonus). You do not have to participate in the Fall Challenge to join the walk—all members are welcome.