You're almost correct about the Belgian Block. It was pulled from some older
nearby roads, it's in sections here and there. It wasn't all granite,
though. Most was quarried from New Haven.
Did you know that one of the guys from the band KISS lived up on Brookside?
What High School did you go to?


wrote in message
...
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 19:57:11 GMT, "Bob Crantz"
wrote:

The old Cherry Lawn School.

I like the old Parkway architecture. Did Robert Moses do the Merritt?

Do you remember that big farmhouse up by Mather Road?



The big farmhouse - Do you mean the one on the corner of Brookside and
Mather with the white fence around it? I think they used that to shoot
some episodes of the TV show, Dark Shadows, once or twice. They also
used the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion in Norwalk as a set for that show.

What was the answer about the Belgian Block? You've got me curious.
The surface of the Merritt was originally concrete, but I have no
recollection about anything like Belgian Block, except maybe in the
service plazas.

BB



wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 19:19:43 GMT, "Bob Crantz"
wrote:

A park and some left wing nature preserve.


What was there previously?

Goodwives, after the river.

yep

Do you shop at Trader Joe's on Old King's Road?


Nope. I don't live down there any longer. I'm up near Hartford
overlooking a bigger river! I think Trader Joe's is comparatively
recent? I used to shop at Gristedes sometimes. Are they still there?

What parts of the Merritt Parkway have Belgian Block Granite road base
and
from what two quarries were they mined?


I don't know the answers to that one.

The exit ramps used to be very short and tight, because they were
designed when cars went a lot slower. Those have all been upgraded in
recent years. The entrance ramps are now longer, too, so you can get
up to speed before entering the road. They are also "sort of"
restoring the old look of the parkway, with wooden rather than metal
guard rails.

The original signage was all very rustic. The old signs were green,
and wooden with ragged zig-zag (toothed) edges cut out. The white
letters were glued on and had little glass beads set on them to make
them reflective.

They are currently replacing all the modern signage with replicas of
the old signs, but made out of painted metal that is reflectorzed to
meet today's Highway standards. They have even painted a tooth pattern
along the edges to look vaguely like he originals.

The original bridges over the Merritt were interesting because they
were all adorned differently.

BB




wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:33:03 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

I'm familiar with Green's ledge and the channel north of Sheffield
Island. I
learned to sail in Scott Cove, I grew up in Darien.
Have you seen the remnants of the old submarine net that used to
stretch
across the east end of LIS?
Why are you getting tired?


What was on Brookside Road besides houses and farms? What is the
name
of the shopping center by the river?

BB


wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 17:17:39 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

Then you must know Peck's ledge.



Yes, of course I know Peck's Ledge. Since you don't know the area
well, I suggest that you enter Norwalk via Greens Ledge. That's
the
other light house down off the end of Sheffield Island. It's much
less
complicated.

Do you have a point with all of this, Babs? It's getting pretty
tiresome.

BB



wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 16:47:02 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

Where are the Scotch Caps then?

Way down in the Western LIS. Not in Connecticut. I rarely go
down
that
far. I grew up sailing in Norwalk, CT, and I used to visit the
Western
end more often then. I haven't been west of Goodwives River in
a
very
long time. I go there every year because I host a reunion for
my
old
prep school on Pear Tree Point beach. Some years I sail down,
rather
than drive, and borrow a mooring from The Noroton Yacht Club.

BB




wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:55:02 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

Where is the Merrit Parkway then?


Runs from the Greenwich border up to where it becomes the
Wilbur
Cross. All part of rt 15. Then it goes to being rt 5/15
which
is
called the Berlin Turnpike. In the 1950's the Berlin
Turnpike
was
a
mecca for traveling asalesmen. Then it went fallow for a
long
time.
Finally the property became so cheap that lots of
developers
came
in
and tore down most of the sleazy motels to build retail
shopping.
It's
now a major shopping destination.

They recently replaced the metal bridge over the Housatonic
at
exit
55
in Stratford. They also recently renamed West Rock Tunnel,
which
I
think is a mistake.

Another recent change is that when driving along the Wilbur
Cross
and
the Merritt, you often see flocks of wild turkeys.

By the way, you spelled Merritt wrong!

BB


wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:45:35 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

You lie!


If that's true, then I guess I lie in Connecticut as
well!

BB




wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:17:03 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

You are not in Connecticut at all.



Oh, but I am! I live in Connecticut, work in
Connecticut,
and
keep
my
boat in Connecticut. My area code at home and at work
is
860,
although
my boat is kept in area code 203, within about 10
miles
of
the
Thimble
Islands.

BB



wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 02:16:13 GMT, "Bob Crantz"

wrote:

dialup-4.245.230.15.dial1.stamford1.level3.net


You are still way (about 85 or 90 miles) off.
I've
already
said
many
times I'm
in Connecticut, any way. But, thanks for playing!

BB