Category Archives: Locales
I moved to Da Bronx in May…
I moved to Da Bronx in May of 1960 to get away from crime. I originally lived in Mount Vernon. I lived on Pelham Parkway North and the Allerton Avenue area. I hung out with friends from school on Cruger, Holland, Wallace, and the Parkside area. There were the projects, apt. buildings, and all the way up to Eastchester Road and Allerton Avenue. My parents didnot worry about me getting hurt or anything happening to me in those days. I remember the Mr. Softee trucks selling ice cream cones for a dime, one candy store that had ice cream pops for a nickel, spalding balls for .19, and also John’s Bargain store on Lydig avenue. We sometimes bought generic spauldings for 7 cents there ! Those were the good old days ! I still live in the area and what changes I have seen over the years and it’s not for the better.
Hello to all the Bronxites….
Hello to all the Bronxites. I grew up in the Bronx from the 60’s to now. My parents had moved from Mount Vernon to Pelham Parkway to get away from crime and a better life. I hung out on Pelham Parkway North, South, Lydig Avenue, and the Allerton Avenue area. There were alot of great times, memories, and sometimes mischief. What changes over the past 40 years as I am still here. Anyone who wants to drop a line please do so.
This is too cool. My boys…
This is too cool. My boys were whining there’s nothing to do outside…so it was time to teach them “bottlecaps” as we called it in NE Philly (circa mid-70s). I couldn’t remember all the rules, called my sister and brother, both not home, and started surfing. What a great site! We played a variation with a deadbox in the center. We only used bottlecaps(soda or beer), as is…no wax or anything to weigh them down. We had other/different rules (like if your cap got run over by a car, you advanced a box – 2 boxes if both tires nailed you.) We used “head for the hills” instead of “out of town”. We used to kick a player’s cap down the street, but I can’t remember why. You could also “cuff” your cap into a box if you were within a certain distance of the box, a foot length, I think. (I know…Baby s@*^!) I wish I could remember them all…we played this game for hours, every day, until mom was yelling at us to come in. If anyone remembers this version, feel free to email me. Thanks for the memories…looking forward to new ones with my kids and bringing the game to Cherry Hill, NJ!
No one here has really described…
No one here has really described the game “statues” and I was wondering if it’s the same game I knew. I grew up in Chicago in the 60’s and the girls in my neighborhood played a game called “statue maker.” I don’t know who taught us it (one of our moms?)or how we learned it, but it was one of our favorites. From what I remember, it went something like this: You needed at least 5 or 6 girls in order to play. One girl played the part of the “statue maker” and the other was the “customer.” The statue maker would spin the other girls around and around by the arm and when she let go, the girl would have to freeze in whatever position she landed in. (We used to have the most hilarity with this … crazy positions that you remain in!) Then the statue maker would walk the customer by each girl, trying to “sell” the merits of each statue. The customer would eventually pick one of the statues by tapping her. This brought her to life and then she would chase the customer around and around. My memory is fuzzy at what happens after this point, but I think the freed statue then becomes the customer and repeats the same. Does this ring a bell with anyone? I’m curious if this is a similar version to what you all played in New York?
When I was between, say,…
When I was between, say, 11 and 15, we used to play a lot of boy/girl games, like Spin the Bottle, but also Seven Minutes in Heaven, RCK, and Trust Me. I came of age in the 70s in Brooklyn and still live in Brooklyn. RCK was played in the dark, usually at home when your parents were out. You would feel around in the dark and touch a person and if he/she didn’t run, you’d kiss them. Seven Minutes in Heaven is exactly how it sounds, provided you were in heaven with the one you wanted to be with. I forget how you hooked up with the person you were to spend seven minutes with. Trust Me was the funniest one, because a guy would place his hand way down on your leg and work his way up and ask you if you trusted him and he proceeded. If you were shy or didn’t know the guy well, you’d stop him at your thigh, if you liked him he would work his way up to your breast and then you would have been officially “felt up.” (I hope I’m not being too graphic. I know this is PG.) In those days guys rarely made a pit stop you know where. Did anyone else play these games or was I just hanging out with the wrong crowd?
Troop 724 Manhattan – Kanes…
Hi my name is albert colon…
Hi my name is albert colon from the brooklyn knights. I am looking to start a brooklyn/staten island league for the year 2002. Anyone interested please contact me at (cell # 917 681-6450) (home # 718 477-1017) E Mail
I grew up in the Inwood…
I grew up in the Inwood section of upper Manhattan. One of the things only girls did with spaldeens was to bounce the ball while chanting certain rhymes, turning one leg over the bouncing ball on certain words. One of the rhymes went something like: Oliver Twist, can’t do this, touch his knee, touch his toe, (something something…) and over we go. You turned over on Twist, this and go. You’d touch your knee and toe where indicated. I can’t remember one of the lines. After you did this, you’d start all over, but this time you’d do everything twice: Oliver Twist Twist, etc. You’d go up until you gave up or got bored. Another bouncing game was A My Name Is Alice. You’d go through the alphabet: A my name is Alice, and my husband’s name is Al, and I come from Alabama, and I sell apples. Does anyone remember these games?
I remember a negative verse…
I remember a negative verse to little play mate. something like “oh little devil, come out and play with me. ——I’ll scratch your eyes out, I’ll— and we’ll be enemies forevermore, 1,2,3,4” How’s that for disturbing. I can’t remember it really, can anyone else? From Brooklyn, NY