Category Archives: Locales

We used to play Off the Wall,…

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We used to play Off the Wall, which we called Flies Up, in East New York, Brooklyn in the ’80s. We also had a very mean version called suicide. In this version, if you touched the ball but didn’t catch it you had to run to the wall and yell “SUICIDE” before someone picked up the ball and threw it at you. If you got hit by the ball before you touched the wall, you had to take your lumps. You had to stand nose to the wall while each player took turns throwing the ball at you. The meaner kids would take a running start and throw the ball as hard as they could either at the small of your back or your butt. Once each player got a chance, play resumed with with you being the new “it” and throwing the ball.

I grew up in East New York,…

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I grew up in East New York, Brooklyn in the ’80s. We had the game spot near the end of our block. The garage, or the factory across the street from it, was the backstop for baseball. Flies up was played on the garage, and in the street was the skelly board. We used to use the plastic caps fro $.25 juices. We’d fill the top with wax from a 7 day candle and coat the bottom with wax to get the glide. I haven’t seen anyone play skelly in age. Kids don’t play outside anymore.

I grew up in Canarsie and…

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I grew up in Canarsie and played this game in the playground for years. My brothers and I would melt the crayons for the caps in my easy bake oven. I was telling my husband about this (only married over a year and an old friend of my brothers) and he had heard the stories from my brothers. We live in Maine and are going to get some chalk and play on our driveway. What a great memory!!!!

this is an all out challenge…

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this is an all out challenge i coach a group of kids in the east harlem projects where i grew up and if any 1 who is reading this reach me at justussports [at] yahoo [dot] com i have pics on my facebook page look up angelo martinez pics also on myspace.com/justussports..it would be cool to hear from any 1 because we r the bestttttt we play with pocker chips the best

I never met steve or any…

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I never met steve or any of his family or friends. I only know what i’ve read here about him. My message is to his children… We are all terribly sorry for the burden 9/11 has placed on your life. Try not to forget, most people in the world are good…the world is good. Anonymous Brooklyn, NY

I was describing the game…

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I was describing the game to my grandson, telling him how I played the game at the Dyckman Projects in Washington Heights in the 50’s, and how my middle finger would be bleeding and raw all the time because of the ragged edge of the soda bottle caps and how we would rub the bottoms on the sidewalk to smooth them out from the bumps of the soda can opener……he was amazed that they didn’t have screw on bottle tops…..he also didn’t know what a radiator was when I told him that that’s how we melted the crayons into the bottle tops and sometimes the wax would overflow down the sides of the radiator and my mother would yell at me.

It was Cornelia Street between…

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It was Cornelia Street between bushwick and Broadway. Stickball was king unless Mrs. Grillo (2nd floor #24 on the block) called the cops at the 81st Precinct. Mostly they just told us to quit. a few mean ones would drop the bats down the manholes. if they did that, we’d just swich to punchball. Do something about that, Mrs Grillo! When it wasn’t stickbasll or punchball it was triangl;e, stoopball, Ace-King-Queen, zig-sag-tag, johnny on the pony or ringelevio. Boxball was also popular and every so often someone would get those wooden paddles with the little ball attached. When the rubber string broke, we’d use the paddles to play a sort of tennis. Lots of fun until the guy who was losing took his paddle and hit the ball as far awy as possible. Oh well, time to play stickball again. Bill Mahan

I grew up in South Philly…

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I grew up in South Philly around 21st and Mifflin, born in 1953. For some crazy reason I could never figure out, we had names for some games others referred to differently. Sometimes I thought it was an East of Broad, West of Broad thing. For example, instead of Chink we called it Dinky. Instead of Hide the Belt we called it Hot Beans. Instead of Jailbreak we called it Releasio. Any input on anyone for this? Also, anyone remember making Bottle Top Shooters?

Its funny how it was then….

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Its funny how it was then. we couldnt wait to grow up and get a car and our own place,and not have all our parents rules and school would be gone. I’ve dreamed of those wonderful days in Queens 1950’s and 1960’s. We tend to remember all good times when thinking of those days. I did some deep thinking about it,and remember alot of boring days too. I think the lack of responsibilities of childhood is the key to it all. I dont think the 1960’s way is gone,the inner city and poor sections still have that look and feel of outdoor streetplay. Im sure someone is still playing ace,king queen or Skullie somewhere. Saloogie!

My hangout was the boysclub…

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My hangout was the boysclub on 10th st.ave a. kind of diagonally across the st. from thompkins square park. early 60s to 70s. me and my friends would meet at the boysclub, and cruise the lowereast side, avanues a.b.c.and d.Sids candy shop sat on the corner of 10th and b. sometimes we would meetup there, and hangout, always something goin on in the hood. A very diverse cultured area. Early in the 60s was ok, but as time went on the area became ridden with junkies and lots of street crime. So we banded together into a group of guys called the 10th st boys. we protected ourselves, and lots of people in the area. there were about 20 of us. all colors, all ethnic backgrounds, we were not street criminal, but we held our own. We played handball in thompkins square pk. And basketball, and went dancing at the electric circus on 8th st. and hangout there also, mod a go go was in, lots of drugs. lots of women. Good and crazy times, the clubbing in the village area, shows at the fillmore east. doors, jimi hendrix, the cheetah clubs, where james brown arethea franklin 4 tops temptations, all the big name of that era played. I had some great times coming from the lower eastside. I wouldnt change a thing, some good some bad, but thats life.