1. Getting there I intentionally left Connecticut just after the morning rush hour on a Wednesday, assuming that this timing would afford me a leisurely trip to Brooklyn to complete the second leg of the first island, finishing off Coney Island. Most of the trip was smooth sailing. Then came the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (AKA the BQE). My GPS suggested a shorter route that would save me a whopping 7 minutes. However, that involved heading in the direction of the George Washington Bridge (AKA the GWB). I’ve learned to steer clear of the GWB . . . ever. It is a trap. It’s never shorter when the GWB is involved. And that route would put me in Manhattan, only to have to cross the East River (via yet another bridge) into Brooklyn. No thank you. So from the Bronx, I took the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which I believe is mostly known as the Whitestone Bridge or maybe just the Whitestone because everyone knows it’s a bridge. Then came the BQE. To say it was crowded doesn’t really convey wh