4. Maspeth includes perhaps the most confusing street names of anywhere in New York City

  • 60 Ave 60 St
  • 60 St 60 Dr
  • 60 St 60 Rd

Some New Yorkers have probably been confused by the numerous Broadways throughout the five boroughs; there’s the main Broadway in Manhattan, but there is also one in Brooklyn, two in Queens, and one in Staten Island. But, Maspeth’s street names are way, way more confusing. In Maspeth, there are seven roadways named “60,” including 60th Street, 60th Road, 60th Avenue, 60th Drive, 60th Lane, 60th Place, and 60th Court. There are other instances of this repetition, including 69th Street, 69th Place, and 69th Lane all off Grand Avenue. This makes navigating parts of Maspeth quite difficult, albeit amusing.

Before the consolidation of New York City in 1898, Queens was divided into independent communities with their own numbering systems for street names. Though, in the early 1900s, officials established a grid system that imposed new streets on the already existing grid. Because, for instance, multiple roadways needed to go between 68th Street and 70th Street, variations of “69” were added to create some semblance of order. This also explains why there are seven “60” roadways, especially because the grid is not completely rectangular as it is for much of Manhattan.