START: Hunts Point Avenue station (6 line, fully accessible)
FINISH: East 180 Street station (2 and 5 lines, fully accessible)
DISTANCE: 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers)
This was my first longish walk post-stroke, in August 2019. I give as deep a bow as I can manage to the Bronx River Alliance for cleaning up the Bronx River, opening it to fish, birds, and kayakers. And the Bronx River Greenway, still a work in progress, is a great thing.
Start at the Hunts Point Avenue subway station. Once outside, turn left on Bruckner Boulevard, then walk over the Amtrak line and past a truck lot, then enter the Greenway on the left; see first photo.
On this first leg of the Greenway you’ll walk through Concrete Plant Park, a very nice place whose focal point is, you guessed it, an old concrete plant. Then walk up the ramp to Westchester Avenue. On the left are the ruins of the old Westchester Avenue station of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Passenger trains stopped serving this station on the last day of 1937. Beneath the decay you can still see beauty.
If at this point you’re feeling tired, you can get the Bx4 bus on Westchester Avenue (direction East 149 Street) to the Simpson Street subway station (2 and 5 lines, fully accessible).
Turn left on and then cross Westchester Avenue, then turn right onto Edgewater Road. Walk past some car lots and light industry to the park entrance that is to the right of a car turnaround. On the left you’ll see the brand-new bike path on what was the Sheridan Expressway, being converted to a local boulevard. Walk past Starlight Park on the left, then underneath East 174 Street and across a footbridge. At the end of the bridge, turn right and follow the path. On the left, in a stand of trees, is a remnant of the old New York, Westchester and Boston Railway: Catenary Bridge No. 1. The NYW&B was built to high standards and opened in 1912 but never made any money, closing at the end of 1937. The no. 5 subway line from East 180 Street to Dyre Avenue is on the old NYW&B right-of-way and the old station houses are still in use.
If at this point you’re feeling tired, you can get the Bx21 bus on East Tremont Avenue (direction Westchester Square) to the East 180 Street subway station (2 and 5 lines, fully accessible).
Continue on the path to the end; the entrance to a bus depot is on the right. Be careful crossing busy East 177 Street, then continue on Devoe Avenue past East Tremont Avenue (McDonalds on the corner) and the high elevated subway structure to East 180 Street; cross and turn right, walking on the park side. On the left you’ll see the entrance to the next section of the Greenway, if you’re feeling adventuresome. But we continued to Morris Park Avenue and turned left. Walk a short distance, then on the left is the station house for the East 180 Street subway station. This grand structure housed the offices of the NYW&B and this station was a transfer between the NYW&B and the subway. On this occasion we crossed the street for the Bx21 bus to an excellent Italian restaurant, Patricia’s of Morris Park.
This walk is good for seeing interesting places and for exercise. It is good physical and mental therapy. And the whole route is accessible.
Photographs in this post by Michael Cairl and Keith Williams except where noted.
Entrance to Bronx River Greenway at Bruckner Boulevard. Screenshot from Google Maps.
The pedestrian and bike path in Concrete Plant Park. An old concrete plant was repurposed as the focal point of this very well-done park.
In Concrete Plant Park.
Wayfinding on the Greenway: simple and effective. I’m pointing at East 180 Street.
How the lower Bronx River is kept clean and fit for fish and birds: capture all the crap in the river behind a barrier. How those basketballs got there is anyone’s guess. We did see a cormorant, several ducks, and probably a turtle. The river has come a long way, thanks to that great organization, the Bronx River Alliance.
The old Westchester Avenue station. I wish some angels could be found to fund the restoration of this sadly neglected gem.
Terra cotta detail on the facade of the old Westchester Avenue station. This humble commuter station hasn’t seen a paying passenger since 1937. By sheer luck it hangs on, albeit in an ivy-covered and much decayed state.
Another look at the Westchester Avenue station, from a walk I did in the area in January 2012. Note the still-beautiful tile work and decorative terra cotta. Passengers entering the station must have felt they were someplace important.
Footbridge being built over the Bronx River to connect to a new path on the east bank of the river, north of Westchester Avenue.
NYW&B Catenary Bridge No. 1. This is just north of the former West Farms Junction of the NYW&B and the New Haven.
Route map, courtesy Google Maps.
East 180 Street station. Photo credit: TheBronxNYC at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26003567