This part of Rosevale really isn't the safest place to ride a bike on. Motorists often speed and cut into the shoulder before making a turn, and sometimes cars are parked in the shoulder so you're forced to pull into traffic to get around them. That's why I opted to ride on the sidewalk. I figure even if it's illegal, the ticket is probably cheaper than an ER copay, or a funeral for that matter. Also a bit less traumatic for everyone involved, but I digress.
Rosevale Ave
Unfortunately, some parts of the sidewalk aren't all that well maintained. In case you were wondering about the stray wires on the ground behind the power pole, yes, they do in fact lead up to the power lines. I have no idea if they're live, I decided it would be best not to try and find out, but it certainly looks like anything but safe.
Rosevale Ave
Here's the sidewalk down one of the side streets. I'm not sure if the sidewalk came before the tree or vice versa, but either way, somebody really didn't think this through. It should've been obvious that that tree was going to get bigger at some point and destroy the sidewalk. Another win for urban planning.
Smithtown Blvd
At the corner of Rosevale and Smithtown Blvd is a 9/11 memorial park. Memorials like this can be found in many of the surrounding towns and represent an event that has been burned into the minds of everyone who lived through it. These memorials not only honor the people we lost on that day, they also help define the historical identity of the area.
Smithtown Blvd
I was glad to see the park and gardens were well maintained. In the background you can see an I-beam from one of the buildings that fell.
Smithtown Blvd
There was however one rather poorly placed tree blocking the view of the memorial. I also wish they had chosen a better location for the memorial itself. A busy intersection is a not a fitting place for grieving and reflection.
Smithtown Blvd
Adjacent to the memorial is a new 7-11 (visible behind the memorial two pictures up), now the third of its kind on the same 1.5 mile stretch of Smithtown Blvd, and on the other side a small strip mall. As strip malls go, this one isn't terrible looking as it has been renovated fairly recently and it even has some plants and outdoor seating out front.
Smithtown Blvd
The trees along the road provide a fragmented nature band-aid to hide the real eyesore across the way. Of course these ones are also poorly placed because now they're growing up into the flippin' power lines.
Hideous
My lens wasn't wide enough to capture everything, but this is the worst of said eyesore. Those busted fences, the sidewalk to pavement to gravel to grass gradient, and that parking lot full of boats, trucks, and construction equipment in back. This could have been a set for Black Hawk Down.
So this is most of what you see along the way between the two beaches. I must admit I neglected to take a picture of a popular pizza parlor along the way. That building is actually pretty nice looking. Anyhoo, in my next post I'll show you around Baymen Park.
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