I used to live in the Linden Housing projects. We used to tie two doorknobs together, and then ring both doorbells. After a bit of tugging, the neighbors would eventually co-ordinate an effort to cut the rope. This would enable them to open their doors, but by that time we would be gone.
Well I would be considered a baby to most of you. I’m 21. I lived at 2055 Cruger Ave, Pelham Parkway/Bronx Park East area, across from PS 105. Went to that school, until 6th grade, JHS 127 in Castle Hill, and Dodge VHS in Fordham. I lived on Cruger untill I was 20 years old and and now I live on 184th st and Park Ave. I remember playing off the stoop, skelly, asses up, brake the chain, steal the bacon, stickball, punchball, jumping rooftops, hiding in Parkchester projects, ect.. Now I travel all over the Bronx to play handball. It’s so great to hear about how the Bronx was back in the days. Please tell all the stories you can. Up until now I felt like I was the only one defending the Bronx. Although my mom and dad grew up on 149th street, I don’t get to hear the real stories about how it was back than.
I grew up in the Fredrick Douglas Housing Projects on 104th St. between Columbus and Manhattan Avenues in NYC back in the late 50’s and through the sixties. I must have been really under privledged back then ’cause I’ve never even heard of a pensie pinky or anything thereabouts. Oh yeah I played StickBall, Stoopball, Punchball, hell, even Whiffleball. We even pitched and hit bottlecaps, but the only ball I ever knew was the “Spaulding” better known as the “Spauldeen” and that’s what we used, except for whiffleball of course. Anyway, there was one thing we did to old, beaten-up, dead, on their last leg spauldeen’s just before sending them to that big spauldeen factory in the sky… Does anybody out there remember “Roofin” a spauldeen!!! Oh yeah! If you had an arm and thought you could throw it up onto one of the taller 21 story project buildings you were not to be messed with!!!
I played box baseball in the Linden Projects (East New York, Brooklyn). We also played boxball. For boxball we used four boxes (2×2) and each player got a box. Then we would tap the ball back and forth between the players until someone couldn’t return the ball into one of the other boxes or couldn’t hit it before it hit the floor twice. There was also another game which used 5 boxes (in a straight row). First you have to make the ball bounce once in the #1 box. Then once in the #1 box and once in the #2 box & so on until you did all 5 boxes.
Orinally from Ridgewood, Himrod Street off of Bushwick Ave. Moved to East New York the Cypress Hills projects when they opened in 58. Lived there till 69 when drafted. Went to St. Fortunata Elem & dropped out of East New York high school. Loved hearing about all the games we used to played punchball, boxes, shelly, kick the can & the like. How about the “parkies” or housing cops giving out 5 dollar fines to your parents because you were on the grass.
I grew up in the housing projects in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. There was an overhang above the front entrance and the mothers used to collect bottle caps for months and during a fine hot day in summer would stand on top of the overhang and yell bottle caps.We would come running and the filled cigar box was emptied in front of the door. The prize caps were White Rock and solid gold or silver. My father made his own lead sinkers for fishing and my caps were filled with the lead. I could blast anyone out of the skelly box. (We called to the center jail). someone used to come from the Bronx to play me – maybe he would visit his grandmother too!)
I grew up in the “projects” on Balcom Ave. When I moved into the projects they were brand spanking new. The things I remember most were my very cool friends having a very cool time. But I guess my fondest memories were of PS72, most foreigners (not of New York) get very confused about the PS. I had my first 2 loves there….my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Carson, and a blond blue eyed girl in my 2nd grade class. As you can see I had a hard time keeping them from finding out about eachother….but I was smooth. This site brings back such great memories. A toast….to “DA BRONX”.
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?
I grew up in Laurelton, Queens-and loved to play Skelly when I lived in the Woodside projects-melting crayons into soda bottle caps was the way to go-my brother always cried when I took the broken crayons to melt into new caps-I remember the scratches I got from the “pleats” on the caps they were the only caps allowed. I recently taught my girl Scout troop of second graders to play-it caught on quickly in the school in Ohio where I live
This is such a coooooool site! I’m not getting any work done! My sister and I used to play skully in the Woodside Housing Projects in Queens in the late 50’s. To this day, the smell of Crayola Crayons brings back floods of memories — both because I used to draw with them, but mostly because of their aroma when melted for my skully shooters! On the radiator — I had forgotten that! Wow…… Jan