Category Archives: Locales
I grew up in Sunset Park,…
I grew up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. I also remember playing “hit the stick”. We also played with the icecream stick, standing on opposite ends of 2 cement squares, and trying to hit the stick with a “spalding” ball. I think the winner would be the first one to score 10 or maybe 20 points.
Don’t forget Frog Legs at…
I grew up on 173 St &…
I grew up on 173 St & St. Nick. in Washington Heights back in the early sixties. Bottle caps with the melted crayons were cool, but for maximum speed and ease of shooting we used to rub the very top of the old glass soda bottles over the sewer covers until they broke off. Of coarse sooner or later someone would hit you hard enough to break it, but those old time bottles were pretty thick! Man this stuff sure brings back the memories!!!
Vanderveer “estates” (really…
When we went to Coney Isalnd…
When we went to Coney Isalnd it was primarily to go to Nathan’s where the preferred menu was fried shrimp in a cup, chow mein on a bun, and, of course—French Fries. Then next door for the banana, pineapple, etc. frozen custard. Finally, we would be dragged by my bingo playing mother to one of the Fascination parlors, where your rolled black rubber balls down the table and tried to get them to fall into holes. The first person in the establishment to get three in a row won. The bells would ring and the game refused to register any more hits, unitl the winner was paid off in coupons redeemable for junk such as those black cat clocks. Then a new game would begin.
I never even tried a Hula…
I never even tried a Hula Hoop until last summer – that’s right – summer 1998. Which of course I couldn’t do – but my kids had gotten a hula hoop as a gift and periodically – I mean each day periodically I would try to do it and finally I was able to do it to some degree. My friend, with a great body, had this idea that she should go to the beach and use a hula hoop and try to sell them as a great exercise method. She never did it, but my stomach muscles did hurt after I finished with my daily attempts. Before my family moved to Manhattan, we lived in an apartment building in Brooklyn, and after we had to come inside my brother would continue to use that pogo stick no matter how much our downstairs neighbors would bang.
I grew up in Sunset Park,…
I did some research on Skelly…
I did some research on Skelly (et al) a couple of years ago. No-one really knows all the answers, as is the case with many street/folk games. Skelly was most likely invented (more correctly *evolved*) along with the invention of crimped bottlecaps in the late 19th century. Other “flicking” (the technical term is “fillip” – look it up 😉 games were rabidly popular at that same time – Crokinole (http://www.frontiernet.net/~crokinol) & Caroms (http://www.carrom.org), specifically. Skelly has many similarities to both, and it’s possible that it may be a hybrid of the two, but played with impromptu equipment. Contrary to some belief, it’s not strictly a NYC game, though it may have migrated to or from there from elsewhere. The oldest Skelly player I heard from was from Rochester, and was a veteran of WWI. I also heard from players from other eastern cities, but none west of Chicago, or south of D.C. Personally, I’m against codification of street/folk games. I think they should be preserved in *all* their variations for posterity to maintain their culture and “color”. A lot of the fun, skill, & challenge of these games is being able to adapt to someone else’s rules, court, allowable equipment, etc. Besides, are you going to be the one to walk into some other kids’ neighborhood and tell them they’re doing it all wrong? 😉 *I’m* not!