I was born in Flushing. My Dad was a cop in the 109 Pct. But I lived and grew up in Whitestone/Beechhurst early in my life. PS 193 Park, in the 1960’s. I saw Star Wars and the first Star Trek movie at the RKO Keiths…damn shame what they did to it…the Prospect was the ‘other’ large movie theater, saw Jaws, The Sting and many other movies there.
What I remember most about Kissena Park was that it was the favored spot to go sledding in the winter at the base of one of the golfing greens if memory serves me correctlly, 9th hole? The other notorious hill was “Suicide Hill” that was in Robinswood near the Throggs Neck Bridge and Cross Island Parkway. It was called Suicide Hill because if you went too far to the right, too fast, you’d shoot right out onto the CIP.