Category Archives: Street Lifestyle

I overheard a conversation…

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I overheard a conversation between my son and his friends about their Pokemon cards. My son had just got a very valuable card “Charizard,” a holigraphic card. His older friends (9 year olds) were shocked. “You got Charizard? How much did you have to pay for it?” At first he said “I don’t know,” then he said “oh yeah 10 bucks,” which is actually not so far off for the pack of ten. They as surprised at how cheap it was as we were realizing how expensive this could be. All the boys then proceeded to beg him to trade. He didn’t at first, but finally the temptation overwhelmed him and he relented to a deal. The other boy quickly called “No tradebacks.” As the details of the transaction spread around the block, the children concluded that the older boy had taken advantage of my son and the pressure began. “You should give him back the card,” they sai “I called no tradebacks.” “We’re not going to play with you anymore. We won’t even talk to you.” Evil potions were concocted made of soap, grass and leaves. The pressure was on. At first JJ claimed he had lost the card, but finally relented and the cards were re-exchanged. Everthing was back to how it had been and order was restored in the universe for the young children on the block.

I grew up playing touch…

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I grew up playing touch football with the boys in the street and still have a pretty good pass (when it’s on, of course). When I was about 7 months pregnant with my last child, I taught my then 5-year old son and his friends how to play the game (just so they wouldn’t kill themselves playing tackle!). Now as an adult, I’m generally the token women at the paddleball courts (4 active courts going!). So, in answer to the question, yes, and I still am!

I don’t recall the “I buy…

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I don’t recall the “I buy Old Clothes Guy” except perhaps in my study of Charles Dickens …I DO recall those guys who walked all over the beach selling, “ICECREAM, GET YOUR COLD ICECREAM HEAH!” They carried huge square freezers strapped around their shoulders in 90 degree weather. I have no idea how they did that!

Punchball, running bases,…

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Punchball, running bases, kickball, and stickball were the popular games in our parkinglot behind our apartment building. The playing field was an asphalt driveway that was actually wide enough to place bases around the “field”. The driveway was on an incline and homebase was at the bottom of the driveway, so you were always kicking or punching the ball up the hill. The Spaldeen ball was the classic ball for punchball. I would always renew my supply at the candystore, but I would only use my one and only ball until it was forever lost (in the sewer, a car ran over it). My kids are 10 and 12 years old now. At that age I was playing in the street all the time, nothing was organized, no carpools… the housephone rang and someone told you to come outside in the back..We played for hours, going from one game to another, until Rudy, the super, would come chasing after us yelling in his thick German accent, scaring the crap out of us, and breaking up the games.. only for the moment. And then there was Building Tag, where the doorman was base The stories are endless, but I really want to find out where I could buy a Spaldeen ball? Laurie, orginally from Riverdale, the Bronx, now in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Chinese Handball. …

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Chinese Handball. We played against the wall of Pete`s Candy Store in Rosedale, Queens. During the late 50`s through the 1960`s Pete`s Candy Store was our handball court of choice. Of course we played Aces,or “A-s“ up … 🙂 … and we usually used a (spelled as it is pronounced) Spaldeene. The spaldeen really did hurt, sometimes leaving a welt. Yeah, some of the guys really threw hard, but fortunately their was only one loser in a group of up to 12 or more of us. Unfortunately, all the guys got to throw at the losers butt. 😉 If you were one of the, probably over 30 to forty players their at the time, I would sure like to see you here. My nick name at the time was, Rosie, Bloom, or worse. ;-a

The PS/JHS 79 schoolyard…

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The PS/JHS 79 schoolyard in Da Bronx was the best place in the world when I was growing up. We had THREE fields in which to play stickball – one for fungo/running bases, two for pitching in. The fungo field became the football field in the fall and winter. We had two punchball areas, a full-court basketball area, a place to place off the point and 3 Steps to Germany… Two great candy stores, a great grocery store, two delis, a pizza place and the BEST luncheonette (the Village Green) all within a couple of blocks of the yard. What more could a kid want or need??