All Aboard The Seven Line
BY GLORIA SANDERS T

T he Number 7 line “International Express”

now brings us to 52nd

Street/Roosevelt Avenue, the last stop in Woodside. Predominantly home to Ecuadorians, Colombians and other Hispanics, it is a thriving area with many stores, fast food eateries and little ethnic restaurants playing the latest Latin hits.

Outside the No. 7 line stop stands Vincent Daniels Jr. Square Park, honoring a Woodside resident killed in World War I sacrificing his life for his country. In 1933 the city Board of Aldermen named this site Vincent Daniels Square, “to pay tribute to a son of Queens County who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War.”

At this point, Roosevelt Avenue leads into Queens Boulevard. Queens Boulevard, originally called Hoffman Boulevard, was built in the early 20th century to connect the Queensboro Bridge to central Queens and is the third longest road in Queens, after Northern Boulevard and Liberty Avenue/Farmers Boulevard. The boulevard’s multiple lanes streaming with heavy traffic run through a thriving commercial scene of many venues for shopping, entertainment, dining, medical offices and other establishments.

Heavy pedestrian traffic coupled with high vehicle volume and high speed have made Queens Boulevard one of the most dangerous streets in New York City and earned it nicknames like “The Boulevard of Death” and “The Boulevard of Broken Bones.” From 1993 to the beginning of the millennium, 72 pedestrians were killed trying to cross Queens Boulevard, an average of around 10 people per year. The city government, however, has taken numerous measures to reduce such incidents and in 2004 only one pedestrian was killed while crossing Queen Boulevard

Next week we travel to Sunnyside and explore a new world.