Spring had sprung, and while I did need to finally address my tax paperwork and really knock out some writing and photos for PiercingMetal.com, I opted to use the very clear and beautiful day to do a quick wander. Bay Ridge is known for its walkway that brings you right up close to the Narrow’s (and that’s a straight that leads to the Hudson River) but enough about that. While I walked today I happened upon one of the strangest places that I had ever recalled some of my friends “hanging out” back in those days of youth. The place was under the 92nd street pedestrian bridge and referred to as “under the overpass”. To access this you would climb over a small fence and boom, there you were. Under the walkway and about twenty or so feet away from the Belt Parkway. Mind you there was an incline of almost 90 degrees so you always had to be on your best balance, and mindset. I didn’t keep up with this particular crowd all that long and its not for any negative reasons. This was not a bad group of friends, just ones that I didn’t have much in common with on my day to day life so I moved on. Formative band years I guess was my prime reason, started hanging with the other musicians I knew and practicing a lot more.



I was never quite sure why this crowd opted for this particular space because you could easily slide down and hit the concrete divider or worse if you were a few feet to the left or right. Still during my time no one ever seemed to get hurt. I personally did not like standing at an angle. Give me solid ground any day of the week. Stranger still, had we only voted on moving this little circle across the walkway to the other side near the water, it might have been much more preferential. Take a look at the photo below and you can see for yourself. Spacious, clear, flat……much better in my opinion. Oh well it was not my decision on where the group ended up no one asked me and I was not as outspoken back then if you can believe that. Stop laughing. I swear it’s true.



I was near this spot a couple of days after originally taking the photos above and realized that I had not shown you this space from the other perspective by the Shore. This one lets you see just how precarious this actually was in terms of the balance required. Yeesh. Imagine that the best option was to stumble into the big concrete part. Ahhhh youth.



While I don’t really suggest you readers go to visit the exact same space in this first photo, I do think that you would enjoy the small Shore Road Park section that leads to it and the walking bridge that brings you to the shore. Its very picturesque and sometimes even relaxing. Hope you didn’t mind this strange little reflection. When you live and grew up in an area like this one, you often found your own special places whether they were strange or somewhat treacherous when looked back on so many years later. Thinking of this makes me wonder where some of the oddest places you convened with friends in your youth. The comments are open for you to share your own details so have at it.