Remember When These Used to Be Here in NYC

[nfd2004]

What I miss most is "the neighborhood". A close knit community made up of several groups with a common thread....this is where we live, shop, go to school and hang out.
I miss the small "mom and pop" shops,the small supermarkets (A & J on Washington and Lincoln and Fisher's on Washington between St. John's & Sterling Place), the butcher shops (good meat and the butchers gave kids a slice of bologna as a treat), Sinclair's and Ebingers bakeries, the Pizza shop on Washington between St John's & Lincoln, the diner on the corner of Sterling & Washington, Greenpoint Savings Bank on Washington Avenue (where you actually did face to face banking and every teller was your "personal banker") and so much more.
You could walk anywhere, at any time, or take the bus or subway if it was a"long trip"
As Paul Simon said "...Preserve your memories..."

So right 1261 Truckie!  I miss my old neighborhood and the people who made it special for me.

It used to be special to walk down your block and see your neighbors sitting out on their stoop or front step on the weekends or after work at night.  Everyone knew everyone on the block.  You knew their kids and jobs and family.  People knew each others names and spoke to each other.  People cared about each other, respected each other.  People helped each other.

Maybe your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins lived down the block.  You ate Sunday dinner together.  The smells of meat and potatoes or pasta cooking as you walked by each home made you hungry, even though we always seemed to be hungry.  We only ate meals together, and did not eat snacks and junk food all day long.  People walked places.  People walked everywhere.  They did not have a lot but seemed to be a lot happier. 

Life was simple and maybe better.  No cell phones, no Facebook, no cable TV, no Twitter, no malls, no video games.  People actually spent time together and went on picnics, played softball, went fishing, played games - together. You did not hear about home break-ins, identity thefts, car jackings.  Families did not have everyone on anxiety and sleeping meds. People left their doors unlocked - all the time.  Even firehouses left their doors open on runs.

We miss the restaurants, bars, schools, parks we had growing up that have been closed or replaced by something newer.  But we also miss the way of life that seemed to be better for people and families.     

Sometimes I tell people 'it's great to be a senior citizen these days". We all have such Good Memories of a simpler life. Little things made us happy. Like Joe says, getting that candy bar from the machine, even if it was a little melted.

Games that us as kids always looked forward to playing. Hide and seek, stick ball in the street, touch football in a vacant lot, hop scotch. We couldn't wait for Saturday or Sunday to come so we could play the entire day outside. Of course we always had church services in the morning to go to first.

In the winter time we would go sleigh riding. The older kids would go ice skating or shovel snow for the neighbors to make some extra candy money.

We would line up in the street at school to - Pledge Allegiance to the Flag. In bad weather we would Pledge Allegiance in each classroom where we had a small American Flag on display. If a police car, ambulance, or fire truck was going by with it's siren, we would always have a moment of silence that everybody will be okay.

I remember riding my bicycle for hours up and down the street. If I saw smoke or heard the fire trucks, I was headed in that direction.

The Memorial Day and Fourth of July Parades were huge. They would go on for hours. My grandmother and grandfather lived right on the parade route. We could watch the parade for an hour, go back and get a few hot dogs or hamburgers, then go back to watch the parade and it was still going on.

I'm glad that I was a part of it. I'm sure most of us would do it all over again if we had the chance. 

 

[68jk09]

And anyone could buy a pack of Lucky Strikes at any gas station or bowling alley.

I remeber the machines that cost 24 cents a pack ......you put a quarter in & the pack came out with a penny change inside the cellophane wrapper placed there by the manufacturer.

 

[scoobyd]

 

[mack]

We used to get packs of cigarettes with our c-ration meals when I entered the military.  Camels.  Lucky Strikes. 

 

[raybrag]

We used to get packs of cigarettes with our c-ration meals when I entered the military. Camels. Lucky Strikes.

With 4 cigarettes in the pack. I even got one with a GREEN Lucky Strike pack one time (in 1965 in Germany). That meant the C-Rats box was at least 20 years old.

 

[manhattan]

How about riding in the first or last car of a subway train so you could look out the window and see where the train was going (or had just been, if you were in the last car).  And does anyone remember when the conductors would stand on the very small footholds between cars to open and close the car doors?  I always thought they were a very close second in "cool" to firemen riding on the back step of an engine or the side of a tiller apparatus.  There were also Levy's Jewish Rye print ads (among many others) on the station walls, heavy wooden turnstile arms which turned in a horizontal arc, wooden exit gates and porcelen signs throughout the system.

Does anyone (maybe long retired, especially from the Sixth or Seventh Battalion) remember the helicopter landing pad on top of the Port Authority Inland Terminal at Ninth Avenue and 16th Street in Manhattan?  The PA had yellow helicopters with pontoons which would land there many times during any given day.

And the Liberty Street Ferry as well as the elevated West Side Highway's suicide curves at 22nd Street, long before the days of the Hurst tool.

Thinking of the mentions of A&P, Bohack and other supermarkets, the Bag Boys would pack the customers' groceries in  paper bags and the bags would later be used as bookcovers for school textbooks. 

 

[guitarman314]

  I remember the helicopter pad on the Pan Am Bldg. until the accident where the the chopper tipped over and its propeller came down onto the street.

 

[manhattan]

I think that was in the spring or summer of 1977 and there were fatalities on the ground a couple of blocks from the building.  My mother and I came out of the subway at Grand Central a few minutes after the incident and there was absolute pandemonium on 42nd Street and also on Madison Avenue.  There was a restaurant/lounge on the top of the Pan Am building for First Class passengers waiting to get on the helicopter to their PAA flights at JFK.

Good call on that, Gman!

 

[68jk09]

^^^ The Helo crash on the roof of the Pan Am Bldg was the end of the Helo Pad up there.

 

[mack]

Remember when only toll collectors used to collect coins in NYC and Port Authority bridges and tunnels.  Used to be 35 cents or 50 cents - now you can pay $12 or more and wait in line to pay.  Then they installed coin machines that people learned how to cheat with slugs and Canadian coins.

   


And the cops who had to patrol the tunnels - used to be by walking and sitting in booths.  Also with catwalk cars.  Duty was monotonous and unhealthy.

   

   

 

[mack]

NYC subway used to have well-known BMT, IRT and IND divisions and stations:

    https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/caption.pl?/img/maps/system_1964map.jpg


People today may not know that BMT, IRT and IND stand for something and have independent histories.

    https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Dual_Contracts

    https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Independent_Subway



   

 

[mack]

Gone - religious schools in NYC taught by nuns:









    (bad memories for Willy D)

Gone - many religious churches, synagogues, temples, schools and buildings.  Many burned:















Many just closed:

Churches in Staten Island:
Old Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne (Staten Island, New York), Hylan Boulevard, between Sharrott and Richmond Aves
St. Benedicta, West Brighton - Established 1922, merged with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 1957.
St. Mary of the Assumption, Port Richmond - Established in 1877, merged with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel August 2015.[1] Our Lady of the Assumption deconsecrated November 2017.

Churches in Manhattan:
Chapel of SS. Faith, Hope & Charity (Park Ave. at 58th St.) - Established in 1958 and closed in 1986; formerly located at Park Ave. at 59th St. (1958?1978).
Chapel of St. Teresa of Jesus (187th St. at Broadway) - Established in 1932 and closed in 1935; formerly a mission of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (14th Street and Seventh Avenue)- Established in 1913 as the first parish to serve the Spanish-Speaking; formerly staffed by the Augustinians of the Assumption.
Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (114th St. at Seventh Ave.) - Established in 1927 to serve the Spanish-speaking; formerly staffed by the Vincentian Fathers of Spain.
Church of Our Lady of the Scapular (28th St. at First Ave.) - Established in 1889; previously staffed by the Carmelite Friars. Merged with St. Stephen the Martyr parish.
Church of Our Lady Queen of Angels (113th St.) - Established in 1886 and closed in 2007; formerly staffed by the Capuchin Friars.
Church of Our Lady of Vilnius (Broome St.) - Founded in 1917 as a Lithuanian National Parish; closed in 2007. Records housed at St. Anthony Shrine Church.
Mary Help of Christians, East 12th St
Church of St. Albert (429-433 W. 47th St.) - Belgian National Parish[3]
Church of St. Alphonsus Ligouri (308 W. Broadway) - Established in 1866; mission of Most Holy Redeemer (1847?1866). Formerly staffed by the Redemptorist Fathers. Closed in 1980.
Church of St. Ambrose (539 W. 54th St.) - Established in 1897; closed in 1938.
Church of St. Ann (110 E. 12th St.) - Established in 1852 and closed in 2003; served as the Cathedral for Armenian-Rite Catholics from the 1980s.
Church of St. Bernard (328 W. 14th St.) - Established in 1868; merged in 2003 with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish under which title it now serves as the parish church.
Church of St. Boniface (47th St. at Second Ave.) - Established in 1868 and closed in 1950. Records are now housed at the Church of the Holy Family.
Church of St. Clare (W. 36th St.) - Established in 1903, formerly staffed by the Franciscan Friars.
Church of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (W. 44th St. and 10th Avenue) - Established in 1909 as a Polish National Parish; closed in the 1960s.
Church of St. Gabriel (310 W. 37th St.) - Established in 1859 and closed in 1939.
Church of St. Joachim (26 Roosevelt St.) - Established 1888; parish merged with St. Joseph Church, Chinatown (Manhattan) in 1967 due to city urban renewal project, building demolished.
Manhattan State Hospital Chapel of St. Joseph (Manhattan State Hospital Chapel/Ward's Island) - Established in 1872
Church of St. Leo (E. 28th St., between Fifth & Madison Aves.) - Established in 1880 and suppressed in 1908; became a mission of St. Stephen Church. Eventually given to the Sisters
Church of St. Mark (Stuyvesant Ave. at Second Ave.)
Church of St. Mary Magdalen (Avenue D, between 12th & 13th St.) - Previously located at 529 E. 17th St. (??-1945)
Church of St. Mary, 69th Street (202 E. 69th St.) - Established 1895 and closed in 1999.
Church of St. Matthew (215 W. 67th St.) - Established in 1902 and closed in 1959.
Church of St. Nicholas (125 E. 2nd St.) - Established in 1833 and closed in 1960.
Church of St. Raphael (552 W. 50th St.)- Transferred from the Italian Friars Minor to the Croatian Custody of the same Order and was renamed Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
(The Old) Church of St. Rose of Lima (Cannon St., between Broome & Delaney St.) - Established in 1868 and closed in the 1960s.
Church of St. Sebastian (312 E. 24th St.) - Staffed by the Franciscan Friars; opened in 1921 and closed in 1971.
Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary (307 E. 33rd St.) - Established in 1915 as an Italian National parish. Closed 2008 and merged with Our Lady of the Scapular-St. Stephen. Demolished
Church of St. Teresa of Avila (184th St. at Broadway) - Established in 1933; staffed by the Vincentian Fathers.
Church of St. Thomas the Apostle (262 W. 118th St.) - Established in 1889; staffed by the Salesians of Don Bosco from 1979 to 2003; closed in 2003.
Church of St. Vincent de Paul (123 W. 23rd St.) - Established in 1841 and closed in 2013.
Church of the Assumption (427 W. 49th St.)
Church of the Most Holy Crucifix (378 Broome St.) - Established in 1925 and closed in 2005.
Church of the Holy Agony (New York City) - Established 1930, merged with St. Cecilia's 2015; Holy Agony deconsecrated 2017.
Holy Rosary Church (Manhattan) - Established 1884, merged with St. Paul Church (New York City) 2015; Holy Rosary deconsecrated 2017.
Church of Our Lady of Peace - Merged with St. John the Evangelist Church (Manhattan) 2015; OLP building sold to the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian community 2017.

Churches in The Bronx
Church of St. Adelbert (Polish) - Located at 150th St. & Robbins Ave. (1897?1899); East 156 St. near Elton Ave. (1899-?)
Church of St. Eugene (Ogden Ave. at 163rd St.)
Church of St. Mary (White Plains Ave. at 215th St.) - Established in 1866; closed in 2007.
Church of St. Jerome (Alexander Ave. at 137th St.)
Church of St. Simon Stock - St. Joseph (Bronx, New York) - St. Joseph's Church (Bronx, New York) - Established 1873, merged with Church of St. Simon Stock (Bronx, New York) 2015
Our Lady of Pity - Established 1908, closed 2007, demolished.
St. Pius V Church (Bronx, New York) (420 E. 145th St.) ? Established in 1906, merged with St. Rita of Cascia 2015, St. Pius church building deconsecrated 2017.
Church of St. Roch - Personal (National) parish established 1899, merged with St. Anselm's 2015, building relegated to "profane but not sordid use" November 2017.
Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Bronx) (Bronx, New York) (160 Van Cortlandt Park South) ? Established in 1928; merged with St. John's Church (Bronx) 2015.
Shrine Church of St. Ann (Bronx) - Established 1927, merged with St. Brendan's Church (Bronx, New York) 2015; St. Ann's deconsecrated 2017.

Synagogues: http://www.cjvoices.org/article/lost-synagogues-of-new-york/

Closed NYC churches:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Closed_churches_in_New_York_City

Closed Catholic schools:  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/09/education/catholic-church-closing-22-schools-in-brooklyn-and-queens.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=DF26A5911FBAF16F21242E926A307924&gwt=pay


Many, many more churches, temples, convents, rectories, schools, chapels in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan and SI.  And many difficult multiple alarm fires.

 

[mack]

Remember the things that were free that we now pay for?

    - water - no one paid for water anywhere
    - TV - no cable, no pay-for-view, no satellite
    - air for tires
    - luggage, meals on planes
    - telephone call operator assistance
    - banking services
    - food deliveries

Remember when there was not a tip jar and expected tip when you bought donuts, coffee and fast food?

Remember when there were banks with people - no ATMs?

Remember when people spoke to you and even knew your name when you went to your neighborhood market, store or restaurant?

 

[manhattan]

Wow, mack - that list of churches required some investment of time doing research.  Great work.

You list St. Vincent de Paul on 23rd Street in Manhattan.  Just as an aside, the Archdiocese said they got $50million for the property which extends through the block to 24th Street where the rectory is located. The developer has said that he'll put up a hotel/residential with commercial space on the site and, considering what co-op and condo prices have been in the neighborhood, he'll probably make back that $50million investment with the sale of no more than five or six apartments.  The Archdiocese seems to have a habit of selling off properties at bargain rates.

 

[memory master]

Speaking of cable tv, when it was first being introduced they heralded that it would be entirely commercial free. Now it seems it's all commercials and 20 minutes of show. And they have the gall to charge astronomical prices to boot.

 

[guitarman314]

  What about just plain "NON-DIGITAL" broadcast TV? ???

 

[mack]

Gone - transistor radios of the 1960s - you could listen to your music and your ball games:

   

    You listened to AM radio stations


Gone - boom boxes of the 1980s:

   

   

 

[mack]

Gone - CB radios 1970s - every trucker had one - many people bought them for their homes, cars or trucks - used them to communicate on trips, warn about police speed traps, get directions

Engine 166 on SI used to have one at housewatch desk - they picked up many verbal alarms for responses on SI Expressway and other highways and bridges - always beat other companies in











https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_band_radio

 

[mack]

^^^ The Helo crash on the roof of the Pan Am Bldg was the end of the Helo Pad up there.

There Used to Be a Helipad on the MetLife (Pan Am) Building in NYC - Untapped New York

Did you know that the Pan Am Building once had a helicopter pad on its roof? In 1965, trial runs began using a Chinook helicopter operated by New York Airways

untappedcities.com

 

[mack]

Gone - Studio 54 and NYC discotheques - 1970s and 1980s