As we approach another year left behind and try to plan for a new one, I find myself looking way back, so far back I almost trip myself.
I think about the streets, the kids, baby carriages, cars, hair styles, music, church, police, freedoms, foods and everything life gave us then.
So let first look at the neighborhood streets, many made of cobblestones, a black topped looking little brick, rounded and smoothed and filled in with more black. Wearing old skates made of metals, a kid could feel their feet make that brr sound, almost like your feet were doing hic cups. Then the lam posts. So tall, fancy designs and odd shaped lighting, but classy. The sidewalks were squares of concrete, nice enough to play box ball. Combined streets and sidewalks kids could play all day and night outside without getting into trouble.
From marbles, hit the stick, stick ball, punch ball, monkey in the middle, running bases, blinds man bluff, cork cork a levio, pitching cards, flipping cards and so many more, we were never bored.
Baby Carriages were almost like making a statement, poor or not. Any new mom seemed to find a new carriage and a fancy blanket comforter style would lay across the bottom, winter or summer. My baby brother Jimmy had the fanciest on the block-until a new baby was born and we were considered poor. I never thought of things that way even when told. I just thought we didn't have a lot of money. That was okay too.
Remember Old Spice, Brute, English Leather, Chantilly, Tabu, and those great hairstyles. Friday night the closest Catholic church held dances and my brothers all went as well as my sister. Me? I ironed shirts, slacks and made sure the hair tonic bottle was ready and with a younger brother shined shoes. Then got my baby brother ready for his crib...think he stayed there until he was about fifteen :)
We had hot summer days with the ice cream truck coming around, you know the kind a uniformed man reached way in with freezer air coming out, reaching for a toasted almond. Yeah, The Good Humor truck ! Night time brought mister Softee, neighbors sitting and drinking ice tea, windows open with blinds raise up to the top. Well that depends what block you lived on. If you were very poor, your blinds were all the way, but somewhat poor, blinds were half way up.
Even on those nights when it was sweltering hot, it was never too hot for pizza from the local pizza place, walking around the corner with a best friend and talking about a latest crush.
What made all of those times work better than other's would be the neighbors, the sounds of accents, laughter, whispers and just spending time on stoops, after all what were we if without a stoop? Those stoops were our hangouts, our homes, almost a safe haven. We knew if we didn't see one another during the day, that sometime later in the afternoon, one of us or a parent would be on the stoop.
That's Brooklyn and the people in it. If you can make it there...you know the rest, now smile that knowing Brooklyn smile.
I think about the streets, the kids, baby carriages, cars, hair styles, music, church, police, freedoms, foods and everything life gave us then.
So let first look at the neighborhood streets, many made of cobblestones, a black topped looking little brick, rounded and smoothed and filled in with more black. Wearing old skates made of metals, a kid could feel their feet make that brr sound, almost like your feet were doing hic cups. Then the lam posts. So tall, fancy designs and odd shaped lighting, but classy. The sidewalks were squares of concrete, nice enough to play box ball. Combined streets and sidewalks kids could play all day and night outside without getting into trouble.
From marbles, hit the stick, stick ball, punch ball, monkey in the middle, running bases, blinds man bluff, cork cork a levio, pitching cards, flipping cards and so many more, we were never bored.
Baby Carriages were almost like making a statement, poor or not. Any new mom seemed to find a new carriage and a fancy blanket comforter style would lay across the bottom, winter or summer. My baby brother Jimmy had the fanciest on the block-until a new baby was born and we were considered poor. I never thought of things that way even when told. I just thought we didn't have a lot of money. That was okay too.
Remember Old Spice, Brute, English Leather, Chantilly, Tabu, and those great hairstyles. Friday night the closest Catholic church held dances and my brothers all went as well as my sister. Me? I ironed shirts, slacks and made sure the hair tonic bottle was ready and with a younger brother shined shoes. Then got my baby brother ready for his crib...think he stayed there until he was about fifteen :)
We had hot summer days with the ice cream truck coming around, you know the kind a uniformed man reached way in with freezer air coming out, reaching for a toasted almond. Yeah, The Good Humor truck ! Night time brought mister Softee, neighbors sitting and drinking ice tea, windows open with blinds raise up to the top. Well that depends what block you lived on. If you were very poor, your blinds were all the way, but somewhat poor, blinds were half way up.
Even on those nights when it was sweltering hot, it was never too hot for pizza from the local pizza place, walking around the corner with a best friend and talking about a latest crush.
What made all of those times work better than other's would be the neighbors, the sounds of accents, laughter, whispers and just spending time on stoops, after all what were we if without a stoop? Those stoops were our hangouts, our homes, almost a safe haven. We knew if we didn't see one another during the day, that sometime later in the afternoon, one of us or a parent would be on the stoop.
That's Brooklyn and the people in it. If you can make it there...you know the rest, now smile that knowing Brooklyn smile.
