Category Archives: Reader Stories
I grew up on 4th Avenue…
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I grew up on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The R Train (4th Avenue Local -The “RR” or Ridge Runner back then) traveled the length of 4th Avenue to 95th Street. Every other block had subway ventilation grates (known as the “subway gratings”) on the sidewalk near the curb. People would drop coins and other “stuff” down there. To get them out, you assembled a “fishing” kit: A 3 ounce lead fishing sinker A ball of string (kite string was good) A jar of Vaseline Take the lead sinker, and scrape and smash the pointed bottom on the sidewalk until it is flattened. Our string used to be wrapped around a small stick. Tie the string on the sinker, and dab Vaseline on the flattened end of it. Walk along the gratings until you see a coin. Lower the sinker, and moving carefully, hover just above the coin. When the sinker steadies, drop it on the coin. (Here you have to be careful… if you miss, the sinker will hit the bottom of the air shaft and the Vaseline gets full of dirt and loses its stickiness). After “catching” the coin, pull it up slowly… if you go too fast, the coin will fall off. Many times you would get a coin all the way to the top, but when maneuvering the sinker and coin through the grating, it would hit the side and the coin would fall off. There always seemed to be lots of coins nearer to Bay Ridge Avenue (69th Street). The local lore had it that people rushing for the train would drop their change.
I live in Long Island but…
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I live in Long Island but grew up in Queens and my wife grew up in Brooklyn. When we are home relaxing and hanging out we sit on the front stoop. Another couple from Howard Beach moved in on the block and then sit on the front stoop too, but all the people who grew up on Long Island sit in the backyard. You don’t get to know your neighbors as easily as you used to.
Behind Wilson High School…
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Behind Wilson High School in WAshington, DC there used to be a huge field where the neighborhood boys would gather for a game of baseball in the Summers. Mom must have asked my two big brothers to keep an eye on their little sister, because I remember them consenting to “let me play..” by backing up the kid who backed up the catcher. If the baseball made it by all of us, it was sure to roll across Nebraska Ave, into the SEWER! The reovery procedure required the use of a belt from one of the guys. It was guided into the sewey cover holes, and the cover was carefully raised. Then it was my turn to “play.” Guess who got to be hung upside down into the hole..to pluck the baseball out of the muck. Uck! I can still remember that odor. At least they made me feel like a hero, and I soon found that picking the butterflys off of my mother’s prize zinnias with another “little sister” was much more to my liking.
We used to hang out on the…
grew up in e.n.y. section…
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grew up in e.n.y. section of brooklyn.our sports equipment was,broom stick,can, spaldeen(correct spelling), stoop,alley way,one look out for the bad neighbor who would take our balls(no pun intended) lived on van siclen and belmont from 1943 to 1963. went to p.s. 158 jhs 149 and jefferson h.s. played punchball against other streets(hendrix st, miller ave,schneck ave,wyona street.) we were all poor but did not know it.every street had one “rich kid” who had parents with a car.now live in south fla.
I grew up in the Bronx….
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I grew up in the Bronx. I remeber that when you heard the “ting-a-ling” from the ice cream truck every kid in the projects would be shouting..” MOM…..BOB!!!!”. All the kids would be running to mom or waiting under the windows for some wraped change in TP. Doesn’t matter what the man who drove the trucks name was…to us kids it was BOB! Wonder if bob is still on time?
Spend the time with your…
I remember those little…
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I remember those little green turtles. We had 2 when I was 5 or 6 and living in Brooklyn. We called them King and Queen (how original). They lived for some short period of time before they died and we buried them in a field that later became Dewey High School. It was a solemn moment for my sister and me. She was only 4 and still remembers it. By the way, I think its now illegal to sell those little turtles. Be on guard for the turtle police!