Category Archives: Reader Stories
i used to go out every morning…
intersted if anyone remembers…
I grew up in the Bed-Stuy…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
I grew up in the Bed-Stuy section of BROOKLYN and when we stoped playing streetgames we went on the roofs to fly pigeons! Tiplets, Bald heads, Tumblers and Homers were some of the birds that kept my head in the clouds when the streets started to get roughf. Did your coop ever get tapped off? Also known as having your pigeons kidnapped.
Paul V., I’m glad your kids…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
Paul V., I’m glad your kids see that quality in the Mets and Yankees. I see it, too. As a native New Yorker, of course I’m proud of the Yankees, but I’ve always been a big Mets fan because they have so much heart. This year they were true champions. They didn’t win, but they demonstrated for sure that it’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. They came out from way behind, never gave up and were just amazing. For me, that’s the definition of a hero.
I had my first little green…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
I had my first little green turtle for a long time – a year or two. He rode with me on the #7 train and was my little companion. I gave him milk baths, and my friends and I used to let him out of his aqua-condo (the little tub with the plastic island and palm tree I kept him in) to crawl around the house, with careful supervision of course not to let him stray underneath the heating baseboard. One day, alas, a schoolmate came up to the house to see my new bike and accidently knocked the tub over with the turtle in it. I was so sad. He was a goner. Broke my heart to say good bye. Two weeks later I had another couple of little green turtles, Heckle and Jeckle, but I really loved my other little guy the best.
That’s the beauty of punchball…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
That’s the beauty of punchball and slapball. They were always impromptu and unstructured, in large contrast to today’s organized sports. That’s what made it fun. We did it on the spur of the moment, when the mood struck us, and often made up rules as we went along. (Yeah, sure, there were “official” rules, but they were always very bendable depending on the situation.) I have no doubt that kids will love this stuff once they’re introduced to it. What’s not to love? In fact, several of my friends’ kids have already tried skully and punchball and are hooked.
I went to my daughter’s…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
I went to my daughter’s 3rd grade class last week to demonstrate the games. The kids really loved playing skully, catch and an impromptu version of punchball/slapball. I think many of these games could have great appeal to kids again. Hopefully we will get a chance to bring it into classrooms in the coming year.
They might be a little young…
There are at least THREE…
[e-mail]";
}
?>
There are at least THREE vivid pieces of nostalgia in my memories of Bensonhurst in the 50’s. One was Ernie the Good Humor Man. He spent winters in Florida, but appeared in our neighborhood each spring in starched-white uniform, pushing a small Good Humor cart …no truck for Ernie. He actually knew all of our names and our parents’ names, never kept a book, but if you were short on change …no problem, Ernie actuall let you have a popsicle ON CREDIT!!! We also had a neat ol’ Italian guy who came around (can you dig it?) on a horse-drawn cart to sell fresh produce/vegetables. As unbelievable as it sounds HIS NAME WAS ACTUALLY “MR. BROCCOLI”!!! I’m sure the last item wasn’t isolated to Bensonhurst; we also had a guy who regularly came around with a pushcart selling junk toys. The stuff was pure crap, but we loved it. Remember buying “tatoo” transfers?