My Brooklyn (345)

Anon.

I lived on Baltic Street, the second house next to the schoolyard of P.S. 29. I had some good friends on the block. There were Ray and Odilo Fuentes, Joe Pisano, Johnnie Zito, Russ Cataldo, Sal Leone, George Haggar, Nunzi, Sam and his cousin Bill and a few more. We also hung around with some of the local girls. There was Mary, Nancy, Olga, Rosie and Palma. I'm sure there was a few more, but I can't bring it to mind at this time. Ray, Joe, Johnnie and I were close friends. We hung around together almost everyday. Ray and I enjoyed the same sports, music and hobbies and became very good friends because of that. We would, at times, ride the subway trains for hours, all over the four boroughs. We would always ride the first car of the subway train and hang out by the window alongside of the train conductor's booth. It was almost like riding the roller coaster at Coney Island and all it cost was a nickel for as long as you stayed within the subway system. One summer we started a baseball team and we racked our brains for a team name. We were walking along Fulton Street one day and we all saw the name on a billboard at the same time. This Hugh billboard on top of a building was advertising Imperial Whiskey and that's how we became the Imperials. We named ourselves after a bottle of booze.

Let me paint a picture of the guys we knew and socialized with. There was Slugger, Blackie, Pepsi, DiMag, Jew boy, Sassa, Peppy, Sunshine and many more than I can remember. No one knew what politically correct meant, for that terminology wasn't invented yet. No one cared because no one was hurt or hurting anyone. We wore those names like a badge. We were white, black, brown and tan. We also were Italian, Irish, Spanish, Puerto Rican, Syrian, German and at least four different religions. It never occurred to us to think about our differences, I didn't think it mattered to us because we always accepted each other. We were in our early teens in the early 1940's. This was my BROOKLYN!! Love to hear from friends.

[Please send your name and e-mail address and I'll be glad to add them to your contribution. DNM]

9 April 2001

Nicole Marshall

My Brooklyn was Bed-Stuy, do or die. P.S. 3, 50 Jefferson Ave.,1986. Mrs. Alexander's 2nd grade class to 1990. Ms. Turner's 6th grade (I love that woman!). It being able to finesse a soda, a bag of chips, and some candy out of a dollar. It was going home right after school so I could watch Video Music Box on channel 31. And Thundercats on 5 (before it was the 4th network). My Brooklyn was Satellite East J.H.S. for the Gifted & Talented, 50 Jefferson Ave. from 1990-1992. Those damned gold and blue uniforms that made us sitting targets! Mr. Levine's homeroom, 7-320, no one liked me there. Mr. Chang's home room, 8-319. Walking up to Nostrand Ave. to catch the A train with Camara, Veronica, and even Queneesha Smith (ewww!). Us girls wearing our jeans under our uniform skirts. Remember the no big earring rule? Thanks a lot Mrs. Corbett! Now my Brooklyn is E.N.Y., where we do, and don't talk!

12 April 2001