Ditmars Boulevard
| Length |
4.0 mi (6.4 km) Split into two parts: a 2.3 miles (3.7 km) western half and a 1.7 miles (2.7 km) eastern half. |
|---|---|
| West end |
Shore Boulevard (western half) 23rd Avenue (eastern half) |
| Major junctions | Steinway Street (western half) |
| East end |
82nd Street & Grand Central Parkway (western half) Astoria Boulevard & 111 Street (eastern half) |
Ditmars Boulevard (originally Ditmars Avenue) is a street located in the northwest corner of Queens, New York.
It runs from its intersection with the East River in Astoria (the corner of Shore Boulevard), just to the north of Astoria Park. The road continues to the east until it reaches the western edge of LaGuardia Airport, ending at the intersection of 81st and 82nd Street north of Bowery Bay Boulevard. Then the road starts again at 23rd Avenue and 86th Street and runs along the southern edge of LaGuardia Airport until reaching Astoria Boulevard and 111th Street in East Elmhurst.
The earliest Ditmars ancestor was Jan Jansen Ditmarsen (John the Son of John from Ditmars) who immigrated to America from Holstein in Germany. The first Ditmars settled in Dutch Kills about 1647. Ditmars Boulevard and the East River was the site of Dr. Dow Ditmars' home. The doctor, who died in 1860 at 90, was held in high esteem by the community. A son, Abram Ditmars, later became the first Mayor of Long Island City in 1870.[1] Later, Steinway and Sons, the piano manufacturer, had a final assembly factory on Ditmars Boulevard until the 1960s.[2]
Astoria – Ditmars Boulevard station is the last stop on the New York City Subway's BMT Astoria Line (N W trains). The approach to the Hell Gate Bridge is on a masonry viaduct over that station.[3] In addition, the MTA Bus-operated Q69 bus runs along 21st Street and the western half of Ditmars Boulevard, while the New York City Bus-operated Q48 bus operates from LaGuardia Airport and runs along the eastern half of Ditmars Boulevard from 102nd Street to Astoria Boulevard before going down 108th Street toward its eastern terminus at Flushing – Main Street.
The boulevard is the location of Brett Weir's apartment in Jerky Boys: The Movie, as a symbol for moving up in the city.
References
- ↑ "History Topics". Greater Astoria Historical Society. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ↑ Gest, Emily (1997-07-20). "Then & Now; Steinway & Sons Factory". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ↑ "BMT Astoria Line: Ditmars Boulevard". nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
External links
- Where the Piano Meets the Bouzouki – The New York Times February 18, 1996
- Life on Ditmars and Part 2 – Forgotten NY
- A Walk Down Ditmars Boulevard – Bridge and Tunnel Club