Getting to the Point at the Iron Triangle!

Roar! The other day I decided to head out to Willets Point, Queens to explore an unusual neighborhood known locally as the Iron Triangle! Willets Point earn the nickname of Iron Triangle due to the abnormally high concentration of automotive repair shops in the area. In fact, with only one actual resident, auto repair shops are almost all that's in the Iron Triangle! With looming development plans I decided I needed to go see this unique neighborhood while it is still there!

Here I am in front of Willets Point Boulevard where it intersects with Roosevelt Ave. Wow, this place sure has been hit hard with all the recent snow! It turns out (like a few other neighborhoods in the city) the Iron Triangle isn't on the sewer line so every time it rains, or in this case, when snow melts, the whole neighborhood starts to flood! Also there aren't any sidewalks and the roads also haven't been paved in forever so right now everything is a slushy, muddy mess! Yuck!

Willets Point gets its real name from Willets Point Boulevard which takes its name from the real life Willets Point over in the northeastern part of Queens. I wonder how many auto repair shops are at that Willets Point? Roar!

 

Here is the ACDC Scrap Metal shop. It turns out every time they return used auto parts to people, they give them back... in black! Talk about weird! I guess these guys don't have a fear of the dark! Roar!

 

Here I am at some of the great shops in the Iron Triangle! First I went over to look at some sweet low profile tires! Then I went over to see about some great car doors! And lastly I decided to stop off at the rim shop and check out some spinners! Woah! These rims are awesome! Look at them spin, I know we're a long way from Coney Island but I didn't realize Willets Point had so many ferrous wheels! Roar!

I really like the look of Roberto's auto shop here! Maybe it's the color? I also really like his sweet muffler windchime! I wonder what that baby sounds like when the wind is blowing full force! Turns out Roberto's does transmissions, engines, water-pumps, front-ends, radiators, tires, batteries, electrical parts, and mufflers! He sure does have a lot of irons in the fire! Roar!

It's nice to see that the Iron Triangle has some actual iron works in it. This is where the neighborhood originally got its nickname from before all the auto shops moved in.

Woah! Check out all the damage that's been done to these cars! Nice driving, Feinstein!

I think those cars might need the Royal Touch! Roar!

Despite all the auto shops in the area they aren't the only businesses in the Iron Triangle. There are a few construction yards in the neighborhood. Most of which are filled with iron pipes! I bet if there was a hospital around here it would even have to have an iron lung! Roar!

People around here are very patriotic about their work! I bet they're glad to be living in Queens, USA, instead of behind the Iron Curtain! Roar!

There is also a large school bus depot in the area! I can't think of a better place to store large metal buses!

Everybody who works in the area needs someplace to eat! Here is the House of Spices which stores and sells Indian food products. Then there is the Stadium Deli! They apparently have great "home made Italian and Chinese food." I wonder if the iron chefs ever stop here! Roar!

Of course the Stadium Deli takes its name from what borders on the northwest side of the Iron Triangle. Next to where Shea Stadium used to stand is now the new Citi Field, built over an old portion of the Iron Triangle!

The Iron Triangle is home to a vast amount of natural wildlife! During my short visit I saw dogs, cats, and chickens! Not to mention the large numbers of seagulls and pigeons that flock to the area! Roar!

City Field in the distance is one of many developments that have encroached on the Iron Triangle over the years. To the south of the Iron Triangle is Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which replaced what F. Scott Fitzgerald referred to as "the valley of ashes" in the Great Gatsby. Now the Iron Triangle is all that's left to remind us of what this area used to be like a hundred years ago! The city has had many other planned developments for the area which all include shopping plazas and parking lots. If the developers ever manage to iron out wrinkles in their plans I don't think Willets point will have the iron will to survive! They'll probably need nerves of steel or something. Regardless, sooner or later the Iron Triangle will be replaced with shiny new retail outlets. So for the meantime we just need to enjoy it while it lasts! Roar!