North 7th Street, west from Union Avenue, during construction of the BMT Canarsie line, October 20, 1920. Construction derricks are visible in the distance, as excavation for the Canarsie line moves through Williamsburg. North 7th Street bisected the ninety-degree angle formed by Metropolitan (left, our of frame) and Union (right) Avenues, prior to the construction of the Brooklyn—Queens Expressway. The buildings in the foreground have been razed; today, the site is Macri Triangle Park.

Now lined with trendy restaurants, fun bars, and interesting stores, its easy to imagine that Metropolitan Avenue is part of a new New York, but its history stretches back much further. Metropolitan Avenue was laid in 1813 following an American Indian Trail. It runs nearly eight miles between Brooklyn and Queens, connecting the East River with Jamaica Avenue.