Rockaway has a lot of choices. Whether it’s pizza, nail salons, sushi, bagels, gas stations, or even newspapers, you’re most likely not stuck with just one option on the peninsula.
And whenever there are choices, there are opinions.
I don’t know about you guys, but my family always had “our spots.” Thankfully, we were almost always in agreement about these sorts of decisions. Could you imagine being in the family where one child likes one sushi place and the other prefers the competition? That sounds like some twisted hell that only Lucifer could think up.
Some debates are settled almost immediately. Others rage on forever.
I feel like I’ve been writing a lot lately about driving home from Long Island. I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I don’t enjoy driving to Long Island. Truthfully, I don’t enjoy leaving the peninsula. But occasionally duty calls, and my hand is forced.
These drives often bring to mind perhaps the greatest debate among people who live in Rockaway: 17S or 11S? When driving west on the Belt Parkway, is it faster to get off at 17S and take Cross Bay Boulevard, or should you continue to 11S and take Flatbush Avenue?
I am pretty firmly in one camp — we’ll get to that in a minute. To begin, let’s look at each route on its own merits, attempting to hold back all personal feelings.
If we were making a pros and cons list, the number one advantage of 17S is that you simply get there sooner. Take out all the other variables, take out the actual time it takes to get home, and it’s simply a fact that you leave the Belt Parkway earlier than if you stay on until 11S.
Howard Beach may not be home, but it feels close enough — it is familiar. And once you get to Broad Channel, you are still not home, but in spirit you are.
Speaking of Broad Channel, this brings a new factor into the mix: speed cameras. Broad Channel’s new speed limit of what feels like 5 mph is certainly going to impact this decision.
Exit 11S can be a big risk. You never quite know what lies ahead of you on the Belt. But once you reach the exit, you are essentially home. There’s no Cross Bay Boulevard. No Broad Channel. You get off the Belt, and the bridge is already in sight.
If you are driving during off hours (off hours for the Belt? I don’t know … maybe 3 a.m.), I think it is unquestionable that 11S is the faster route. That is 11S’s biggest advantage: under optimal conditions, it is simply the faster route.
Did I just spoil the big reveal? That’s right, I’m an 11S man myself. Though I suppose I’m only an agnostic in the Church of 11S.
The Belt Parkway is clearly the biggest factor in this whole mess. As you all know, you’re probably already sitting in traffic by the time you reach 17S. If it looks like traffic is going to stay backed up through Erskine, it’s probably time to get off and deal with the lights and speed cameras.
Things get tricky in that weird middle ground — that stop-and-go-and-go-and-then-stop kind of traffic. What do you do? Personally, I’m taking 11S about seven times out of ten. I’m not really a zealot. There are definitely times when 17S is the right move.
My real problems are with those who have been completely radicalized. I’ve been in the passenger seat, flying down the Belt with absolutely no traffic in sight, and watched someone get off at 17S. They didn’t even stop at New Park! That person made their decision before they left the house in the morning. That is madness in my book.
My wife is no extremist, but she definitely prefers 17S. After a long drive on the Belt Parkway, that can be all the kindling you need for a friendly marital disagreement.
I’m convinced that one day I’ll bring her over to my side. Until then, we’ll agree to disagree … most of the time.
Some debates simply aren’t meant to be settled.
