My Brooklyn (257)

Ray

My Bklyn was Prospect Park, Holy Name, Prospect Ave. 1950,1953.

Gangs: Tigers, Raiders, South Brooklyn Ave. Boys. Dances at Prospect Park Friday night, Oceantide at Coney Island, bop cardigans, pistol pockets, zip guns, Sneeky Pete, Bartel/Pritchard Sq., Sanders Theater,the Caton Inn, Lewnies, hanging out on the Parkside. 8th, 9th, Prospect Aves. 17th,18th Sts. Packy Ryan being hit by a car on 17th St. 17th St. becoming play street. Over 200 kids lived on 17th St. between 8th and 9th Aves. at the time. I hung out with such guys as Lefty Muarry, Jackie McCarthy, Johnny P. Watter, Danny McCarthy, Jr. Meahan, Mike Williams, Mike Maier at Hanley's candy store at 17th & 8th Ave. Also at Caton Inn, handball at P.S. 10, baseball and football at the Parade Grounds, i.e. Paragons, Raiders, etc. Tigers fought South Brooklyn, Ave. U, Bath Beach, ending with the shooting of a guy I think was named Fontanna at the swan boats after the Friday night dance in Prospect Park around 1952, causing the police crackdown on gangs. Everyone split up. If the cops caught any group of three to five guys hanging on a corner they would roust them. That was the summer that never was. Then came Korea. We all left, some to war, some to jail, some to marriage and the burbs. But Brooklyn will always be what we are.

26 April 2000

Eileen

My Brooklyn is made up of several sites. I was born in the Swedish Hospital (1943) and spent the first seven years of my life on Prospect Place, across form the Jewish Hospital. I went to P.S. 99 and had to cross Bedford Ave. to get to school! I was baptized and made my first Holy Communion at St. Teresa's church. So many fond memories as a child! My grandmother lived on Rogers Ave. and as we didn't have a car, we walked everywhere, leaving me with vivid impressions of every step I took. Classon and Franklin Avenues, the candy store, small grocery, the bakery! We then moved to Flatbush—East 7th St. and Ave. L. This is where I spent my teenage years. Right next to Ocean Parkway. Here we could go horseback riding or ride our bikes all the way down to Coney Island! If we went down the other way, we could go ice skating at the rink. It only cost 10 cents then (1955) to ride the trolley down Coney Island Ave. I went to St. Brendan's School(3rd-12th) on Ave. O. We moved from there to Rockaway in 1957, thereby introducing me to Flatbush Ave., Marine Parkway and Canarsie. We had some great times in Rockaway! Now I live in upstate New York, but seldom get a chance to visit. Thank you for your site. It brought tears to my eyes. So wish you had some pictures of the Marine P'way bridge. Thanks again!

28 April 2000