Readers Report
You can take the boy out of Brooklyn, but you can never take the Brooklyn out of the boy. My Brooklyn was New Lots and Shepherd. Stickball, and skullsies, box base ball and kasha knishes. P.S. 202 and throwing stones at goats on Linden Blvd.
Gaston, Oregon is a world away from the Brooklyn of my youth. I miss the smell of fresh bagels and the bells of the ice cream man.
12 July 1998
SBHS '63, BC '67 . . . I thought I'd just do this by stream of consciousness . . . SBHS: Mr. DeLeonardis on the picket line . . . Hurricane Donna the first day of school . . . Nominating Marvin Sachs (fictitious student) for SGO president . . . the tree of knowledge . . . living on the same block (E. 18 St.) as Mr. and Miss Sheepshead (Mike Levinson and Andrea Kantor) . . . Math with Mrs. Gottfried (ugh) and Mr. Venezia (yea) . . . Mr. Newman (physics) proving the phlogiston theory while almost setting his room on fire . . . Rico Petrocelli signs with the Red Sox! . . . trips to Stratford, Conn. . . . great buddies Steve Shapiro, Howie Kirsch, Billy Wagner Cunningham: School was 2nd in USA on Iowa tests . . . 2 with mustard and kraut from "Pop" the Sabrett vendor . . . snowball fights in Kelly Park . . . burger and fries at luncheonette on Coney Is. Ave. and Ave. S . . . Miss Finkelstein (wow!) P.S. 206: Buying baseball cards at Saltzman's candy store (Neck and 22 St.), . . . do you have the "set" yet?? . . . Miss Keyes' perfume . . . the day the music died . . . take cover drills . . . running bases . . . your own man says you're out! . . . Chinese hand ball . . . Sadie and Lou's candy store (19th and Neck) . . . Bobby Kahn, Mike Singer, Mitch Silverman, Bob Kantor . . . The neighborhood: go to the 2nd car and buttonhook . . . I'll hit you with a pass . . . FraMar on 23rd and U . . . my folks' shoestore (Arlene Bootery) on U and 18th . . . Cookieburgers on U, M, and J . . . Three Star (still there!) . . . waiting for a local at the Neck Rd. station while 3 expresses whip past . . . the smell of burning leaves . . . The call of the "I Cash Clothes" man on Sat. mornings . . . Howdy Doody and Rootie Kazootie . . . Hopalong Cassidy and Gabby Hayes (ya darn tootin'!!) . . . Grand Army Plaza library (wow . . . this is big!) . . . Happy Felton's knot hole gang before the Dodger games . . . Charcolette (later Big Daddy's) on C.I.A. and Y . . . the lampposts in the middle of each intersection on Ocean Pkwy . . . the Staten Is. Ferry (no bridge then) . . . Brighton private . . . the Oceana, Avalon, Mermaid, Graham, Ave. U, Kingsway, Mayfair, Sheepshead, Midwood . . . two films and a bunch of cartoons . . . special color coded student passes . . . jelly apples and pez . . . Junior's burgers and a flick at the Brooklyn Paramount, Fox, or Albee . . . shopping at Mays with mom . . . summer trips to the Catskill hotels (Schenk's, Raleigh, Windsor, Nemerson, Flagler, Granit) . . . Weiner's bungalow colony. All in all . . . Those Were the Days My Friend.
13 July 1998
I remember all the good times in Brooklyn. I move out of Brooklyn 32 years ago. Lived there for 19 wonderful years. Brooklyn will always be my home. You had good friends and wonderful times. Bowling at Diplomat Lanes. Boy those were the days stickball, punchball, Jonny on the pony, hit the penny, box ball, roller-skating for hours up and down the street till it felt like the skates were part of your feet. I was back last year and it is still Brooklyn to me. I don't care what anyone says about it—it is still a lot cleaner than many other big cities. I went to P.S. 134 and 192 then Ditmas J.H.S. and finally Erasmus. Anyone ever wants to talk about home let me know.
13 July 1998
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