The Magic of growing up in Brooklyn NY on 19th Street
So where does one start in sharing of my adventures of which were the most magical years of my life with my Grandmother who had spent most of her precious years living there. Well thats as good a place to start as any.
My Grandmother parents Migrated from Italy and basically lived in Brooklyn, New York. She meet and married Eddie Balestrine, my Grandfather, He owned his first Dry Cleaners back when a Boilers were 250,000, then a few years later another one with two Boilers, they were used to generate steam for the press machines which cleaned and pressed clothes. by the time he retired he owned three Cleaners, He also had a restraunt and Bar in Brooklyn, called Roses, named after his second wife after he divorced my Grandmother, She had two Children with Eddie, my father Frank and his Sister Gloria. My dad joined the Army Air Force, when he was in his early 20's and became a Bombadier and was shot down over germany, and spent several years in a Consentration Camp, he wrote a book about his experiences some years later, which today sits in arlington's Musesum. I have a Copy of it and might even share it with everyone if I can fine the first 8 pages that spme how got misplaced. Well after they went thier own ways, my grandmother married Eddie Shores, who own a Group of Shores Drive in on Long Island, NY and a few years later, she divorced again, and married Joe Prince, who seemed to be her Prince Charming, He and his brother, Were Painters, and had a large group of painting crews, and painted High Rises and Large Apartment Complexes.
It was when she was married to Eddie Shores that I lived with my grandmother, I Started school in Public School PS 90 on 12th St , in the fourth grade. We lived on 19th Street, now She had lived for long time on Stillwell Ave, across from Steeplechase. So you can Imagion where I spent alot of time when I used to come stay with her during the summer, If I wasn't there I was in either RKO's or Lowe's Theaters, where she would drop me off so she could do what she had to, Heck I saw all the greats back the, The Orginal King Kong, Rodan, Ben Hur, Ten Commanments, actually all of Cecil Demill's. Well once I started school there one block over from 19th St, I hung alot in the on 17th St, because most that area,s Public Services were there, Like Churches, Cathlic School, and PS School 177, grades 8 to 12, Library, and what was so neat, is everything that made Coney island so magic was within walking distance for me, and the city bus ran past both ends of my block. There was alot to do even on our block, we played stick ball in the street, or Raise Homeing Pigions on the roof Tops of the Apartments, Hang out at the Pizza Shop where I loved to go get Italian Icey's, or the News Stand where we got our soda's and Candy and some gorcery items, and did I love Saltwater Taffy, from there, they were just around the corner on Mermaid Ave, There were about 144 Families on our block, I was luckier than most thier, My Grandmother owned 2 Lots on the Right hand side coming off Mermaid, Small Apartment sat on an entire lot, with two apartments below her and she lived on the entire top floor, So me and my friends played alot of football and stickball in her empty lot, she didn't seem to mind, except that they had to come in her front gate to get into the empty lot, since there were no gates there. So we'd leave her gate open all the time and Stray Dogs would wonder in. Just to share just how close the beach was from my house we were at the tip of long Island, which is 118 miles long and 15miles wide at the widest part, it was shaped kinda like a long fish, we were close to the mouth. Mermaid Ave, only went to 37th Street, then you headed to Seagate where the real money lived, along the beach fronts.
Seagate and to our street was like the lower jaw of the big fish, and if you walk to the other side of my street, youd be on Neptune Ave, which would be right unders its eye, where you could see Lower New York Bay, if you walked down my street past Mermaid Ave, to the next and Last Ave which was Surface Ave, and if I walk one block to my left which was 16th street and turned right and walk about 1200 Ft I'd be at the Famous Riegelmann Boardwalk and under it was the start of the beach, and if I walked anoth 500 ft I'd be in the Raritan Bay which for all practical purpose is the Alantic Ocean waters. Ok! so you can see thing a bit easier as I do, I'll kind map it out for you, and if I was to turn back around and face the board walk, I could see the Parachute Jump just off to left off, and about 900 Ft to my right just off the Broadwalk is the Famous Wonder Wheel, in Deno's Kiddy Park, which was AstroPark when I lived there at first. Now if I looked about 450 ft to my right, I'd see the Broadwalks side of the Famous Nathan's Food Stand, now this isn't the typical Food stand it all four sides of a city block from Surf Ave, to the mid-way, across the Midway on both sides, then continues on till it comes to the Boardwalk, inclines up to the boardwalk, goes 200 ft across the board walk, back down on the other side of the block,, to the street level, now these were slow declining exit off the boardwalk, so there wasn't any opened Concessions there, but that area was used for storage for allot of thier needed goods to run the business. and again it went back to the Midway, then to Surf Ave, then the front ran 200 Feet from there on Surf Ave to Stillwell Ave. The Midway actually ran all across from 16th Street to 12th Street of the Orginal park.
Now if we walk back up to 16th Street and hit Surf Ave again, We'd see The Famous Steeplechase Park which went to the Midway, Steeplechase also had a Bath, where my grandmother would go and sun bath on Women's Side RoofTops, it was so big, had a pool, Gym, Steam rooms, Workout area, Inside Arcade and Rides, Then the Famous Race Tracks, with the 12 Horses, on tracks racing around the entire Steeplechase Park. , then thier was Walkways all around the park, a great area for Senior Citzens to walk through and sit on benches, under beautiful Structures and Trees, and they could bring thier Grandchildren to walk through the turning barrels and look at them selfs in all the mirrors scattered throughout the park that would destort the bodys reflection, each in a different manor. but sadly Steeplchase closed as did what remainded of Dreamland in 1964.
But at the moment were seeing Coney Island through the Eyes of a young Boy in the later 1950's where everything was at it's Peak with in the two remaining parks during the late 40's to the Mid 1960's, Now if we crossed the street to the next block we be at the Washington Baths, Then came Playland, where I loved to go alot, had all the Arcades and Games one could Imagion, especially the 5 cent mechanical Fortune tellers in a glass case on a framed bottom, where you inserted your nickel and got back the Gypsys thought, and all the love machine, which for a nickle would demonstrate your status on what kind of lover you'd be. or they would measure how strong you were. The one thing I liked was these small toy like cranes , in great detail, that you could operated by turning these fancy knobs, so to drp the buck and try to pick up all the items below, silver dollars, watches, Fancy Lighters, and Bracelets, but for 25 cents it wasn't bad, then I'd run to the skotter Balls, to collect coupons for gifts, then to the Penball machines, and one couldn't forget the small mechnical games with metal figures to hit or kick ball across the table as you challenged your friends Playland also went all the way back to the Midway, towards the beach.
The Midway was very simular to going through a carnavel, with Concession stands, Games and Side shows, where you'd hear some guy bark things like Step Right up and see the big show, we have the bearded lady, and the man that eats glass, ect. The main body of Coney Islands amusement park was between 16th and 10th Street. Back in the earlier 1900's it went to 21st to 5th Street. Thats when all three Parks were at thier peeks. Luna Park, Astra Park and Dreamland, which closed for the most part in 1911. leaving just two Main Parks and New York aquarium, which now stands where Dream Park was.between 10th Street and 8th Street., and where Steeplechase stood is now the home of the brooklyn minor leaque baseball team the Cycones, Then came another dark day for coney's in 1968, the Parchute Jump closed, I only went on it a few times, lines were always to long, and I just didn't seem to get all that excited about riding it back then.
The Worlds Famous Nathan's In Coney Islands on StillWell Ave 1963
Now Nathan's is something else, 24 hrs aday 7 days aweek since 1916 they have severed thier famous Hot Dogs,and French Fries, greasy as they may be, taste great.and since the have become so famous, that you can come any day from 10am to 10pm and the Surf Ave Street side is packed from curb to the Front Conters. Now I remember well allot of the foods they served, since I had eaten thier alot of time during the 50's and early 60's, I wouldn't even try to say I could remember them all. But to just give you a slight feeling yiour walking down along side one of its two long sides, you'd usuall start smelling each of the seperate Food Consessin Areas, very simular to like at some of our modern Carinvels, so say we were passing the Fried Knishes. we get hit with the aroma with in a couple of feet before we even got to it, so here we are passing , Steamed Corn on the cob, buttered, then grilled, with all kinds of seasoning even in a cup. then here came Then came all the different fried Dough covered with, cinnamon, Perfection Sugar, syrups, and crushed Candies., Ah were now passing the Shishkebahs, Sauage links and Saurkraut, Oh you might like the next one, Clams breaded and fried and Oysters both fried and on the half shell, on ice. Hey heres Cotton Candy, Candy apples and Big Candy lolly Pops, and I mean big. Oh we can really smell the peanuts, Roasting, then comes the Sliced Watermelon, cantaloupe, Honey Melon, and Pineapples. I loved the sliced Watermellon. Ah Mid way and the Drinks, Remember this is New York in the 50's, they used selterser Water, with Chocolate and a bit of milk to make a fountain drink like today Yahoo, but they called them a Chocolate egg Cream soda, or a strawberry egg Cream, then there were all the Shakes & Malt Drinks, Root Beer Floats and Sundays. then there were the typical Bottle drinks. Oh course they would pop the caps and pure it into a cup for you. Then we were once again continueing our walk past all the concessions Nathan's had, So Here's Fried Fish of all types,Scallops, Oysters again, and right next door was Crabs of all types, boiled , stuffed and Gumbo's and Ive only hit one side, Now there were some of the more popular open both sides, for customer convience. On the back part which was actually on the Broadwalk were the Bars, where usly a single Singer would sit on a stool and sing during weekends and Special Occasions once in a while maybe there would be two singing together.
If Your Ever in the Mind to Go to NYC
Well now that I've made you hunger, or your packing your bags to head to Brooklyn, New York to try a real Nathen's Snack attack and maybe take in some of the other Famus places, which also are easy to get to if you follow just a few simple rules, use the subway, travel only during the day, Use a Cab at night, and map your sites and locations in a note book, before leaving, useing MapQuest. The Subway in and out of Coney Island is the Brighten Beach train or better know by natives as the "D" train, well we be here for hours if I told all thier was to see, and you'd need a month , to take it all in. But the I say if I only had a few days, take in Central Park, where all the Museums are and Times Square, and be sure to travel down 5th Ave, Greenwich Village, and Time Square off 42nd St. Well maybe I do a Hub On a weekend in NYC.
The Wonder Wheel, which still operates today in Astro Park
The WONDER WHEEL stands 150 feet tall in Brooklyn, NY in Coney Islands Astroland.Amusement area, the neatest thing about this ride is it has a bunch of swinging passenger cars and about 10 on the outside, as shown in my picture. Another nice feature is had a great view of a large portion of the astro park area, and the Ocean and beach, Also top portion of the NYC. Over 100 people can ride on the Wonder Wheel at a time, It was said to be the largest in the World, I’m not sure if that’s the case today. My grandfather told me it was built in the 20’s. Today it’s an Official Landmark in NYC. It's owned by Constantinos Dionysios Vourderis .who came to the United States when he was 14, He Joined the Army during World War II, like my dad in 1945. He worked a push cart in Manhattan, and over the next few decades expanded his business
To where he was able to move up to the Restaurant business, till he was operating one on the board walk in the 60’s while he helped managed a kiddies park, until 1983, when he bought it during Coney Islands hard times. Denos Vourderis was offered the opportunity to preserve this legacy by the Owners, the Garms family. Since he had convinced them and many others that he would restore this park, and once again make the Wonder Wheel its main attraction.
The Deno’s worked hard to turn their KiddiePark into one of the ConeyIslands top attraction, and in doing so brought about the Wonder Wheel becoming a NYC Landmark in 1989, in New York City and the rest of the World. Each year allot of new attractions are being added, like the New Baseball stadium, Arcades, Concessions and Rides, and because of the Vourderis family and many others, Coney Island is slowly returning to the magic wonderland that started in 1897 with Sea Lion Park, which a few years later became Luna Park. Here's an excellant picture of the Wonder Wheel, http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/mapsdocs/images/con-wonderwheel.jpg
The World Famous Wonder Wheel, which still operates today in Deno's Kiddy Park, orginally known as Astro Deno's Park
The WONDER WHEEL stands 150 feet tall in Brooklyn, NY in Coney Islands Astroland.Amusement area, the neatest thing about this ride is it has a bunch of swinging passenger cars and about 10 on the outside, as shown in my picture. Another nice feature is had a great view of a large portion of the astro park area, and the Ocean and beach, Also top portion of the NYC. Over 100 people can ride on the Wonder Wheel at a time, It was said to be the largest in the World, I’m not sure if that’s the case today. My grandfather told me it was built in the 20’s. Today it’s an Official Landmark in NYC.
And is owned by Constantinos Dionysios Vourderis .who came to the United States when he was 14, He Joined the Army during World War II, like my dad in 1945. He worked a push cart in Manhattan, and over the next few decades expanded his business
To where he was able to move up to the Restaurant business, till he was operating one on the board walk in the 60’s while he helped managed a kiddies park, until 1983, when he bought it during Coney Islands hard times. Denos Vourderis was offered the opportunity to preserve this legacy by the Owners, the Garms family. Since he had convinced them and many others that he would restore this park, and once again make the Wonder Wheel its main attraction.
The Deno’s worked hard to turn their KiddiePark into one of the ConeyIslands top attraction, and in doing so brought about the Wonder Wheel becoming a NYC Landmark in 1989, in New York City and the rest of the World. Each year allot of new attractions are being added, like the New Baseball stadium, Arcades, Concessions and Rides, and because of the Vourderis family and many others, Coney Island is slowly returning to the magic wonderland that started in 1897 with Sea Lion Park, which a few years later became Luna Park. Here's an excellant picture of the Wonder Wheel, http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/mapsdocs/images/con-wonderwheel.jpg
Steeplechase Park, was also opened up, by George Tilyou in 1897, by a man who had lived in Coney Island all his life, It was Magnificent Park with a 12 minute Horse race around the entire Steeplechase Park, On eight Beautifully Hand Carved Horse’s which came from Germany and with their life size design drew both the young and old to ride them. What made it even more popular; who ever won the race would get to ride again. I can’t even count how many times I rode on those Horses, Sometimes me and my friends would ride them for hours, on weekdays when the PS school were out in Brooklyn, as well as run around the park along all the path ways passing all the hand carved Displays and Characters and going Through all the varying length turning Barrel and stopping to look at our funny body shapes when we came to the special mirrors that would distort your appearance. I actually had it made with getting in exhibits or parks, or even rides for that matter, because my Grandmother was well known in Coney Island, because during the War she sang Opera on the Radio, and had Two Tea Rooms with Fortune Tellers in Coney. They would read tea your fortune and serve you all these special teas with Social Tea cookies or biscuits, which were popular back in the 50’, 60 and early 70’ When I first went to Steeplechase with my Grandmother, she would drop me off in this area for kids only, where they had some really strange rides, like the Whirl, it was built like an subrearo, where they lower a small bridge so you could walk on to the center part, which was made of this wooden top that was sand smooth and then varnished, after all those of us that were going to attempt to stay on the top of this ride as it spun around real fast so that we'd get pulled off by the shere centrifical force or push by someone, and to make it even harder they had us take off our shoes so we couldn't use or rubber soles on our shoes. When we all got on the attendant would have us all sit with our backs to each other, so we'd end up pushing our back against each other so to push one another them off, so that possible one of us would be the king of the whirl when you got pushed off you slide down its posished wood sides and hit a padded wall, and be pend there till the ride stopped, and we knew for sure after riding it the orst time, never, never eat or drink within 20 mintues of getting on this ride.
The Worlds Famous Steeplechase Park
The actual Steeplechase tracks that encompassed the entire Steeplechase Park, was also opened up, by George Tilyou in 1897, by a man who had lived in Coney Island all his life, It was Magnificent Park with a 12 minute Horse race around the entire Steeplechase Park, On eight Beautifully Hand Carved Horse’s which came from Germany and with their life size design drew both the young and old to ride them. What made it even more popular; who ever won the race would get to ride again. I can’t even count how many times I rode on those Horses, Sometimes me and my friends would ride them for hours, on weekdays when the PS school were out in Brooklyn, as well as run around the park along all the path ways passing all the hand carved Displays and Characters and going Through all the varying length turning Barrel and stopping to look at our funny body shapes when we came to the special mirrors that would distort your appearance. I actually had it made with getting in exhibits or parks, or even rides for that matter, because my Grandmother was well known in Coney Island, because during the War she sang Opera on the Radio, and had Two Tea Rooms with Fortune Tellers in Coney. They would read tea your fortune and serve you all these special teas with Social Tea cookies or biscuits, which were popular back in the 50’, 60 and early 70’ When I first went to Steeplechase with my Grandmother, she would drop me off in this area for kids only, where they had some really strange rides, like the Whirl, it was built like an subrearo, where they lower a small bridge so you could walk on to the center part, which was made of this wooden top that was sand smooth and then varnished, after all those of us that were going to attempt to stay on the top of this ride as it spun around real fast so that we'd get pulled off by the shere centrifical force or push by someone, and to make it even harder they had us take off our shoes so we couldn't use or rubber soles on our shoes. When we all got on the attendant would have us all sit with our backs to each other, so we'd end up pushing our back against each other so to push one another them off, so that possible one of us would be the king of the whirl when you got pushed off you slide down its posished wood sides and hit a padded wall, and be pend there till the ride stopped, and we knew for sure after riding it the orst time, never, never eat or drink within 20 mintues of getting on this ride.
Now My grandmother gave the attendant instructions to keep an eye on me, and off she'd go to the Pool and Baths area so she could swim a bit then head for the Sun Deck, and soon as she was out of site I headed to the real rides as soon as the attendant got busy, So I head to the next one in in the area for Children over 5ft, was a tree like tower, that you had to walk up this spiral stair case, and then as you came to the line at the top, they would be passing back some 50lb empty potato sack, which we would sit on as we went down this wide wooden slide, which was a good ways down, and you were flying more than sliding as you got to the ground level, where, you flew out on to a large wooden platform, that was percisionly sanded so that there was no place to get hurt, and there were all these disk spinning within the platform, in all different directions, so to throw us in any which direct, till we eventually got floung into a padded wall that suurounded the platform, even though it seemed as it was over in a flash the whole ride was aout 4 minutes, well if the lines were longer getting to the top , it could last 20 to 25 mins. except weekends, just add another hour on that. then there was this weird Carousel, where it went up to threw two other floors, so it was a Triple Decker Carousel which kept changing speeds on each floor, and like in some sequence, It was really a beautiful Carousel and had fine Carved Horse and things to sit on even these royal type benches. But I never really stayed on that very long, because my target was the electronic penny pitch, where when your penny landed on a buzzer you got a ticket, like in the scooter ball, but this tickets would win you some really well made Copper Horses, that you could keep trading up to get bigger ones, until you got to the really fancy ones with clocks built in them. Then if the lines were'nt to long, I'd be waiting to ride the Steeplchase Horse race next, which once I got on, I'd be on them for a while, because I knew which ones had the best bearing on them and I had alot of the workers who knew me from coming there so much over the years that they taught me how to ride so to get te maxium my speed on the Horses, especially on the turns. So I was usually there a while, till my grandmother had me get off, sense it was really noise in this part of Steeplechase park.
There were Four Famous Roller Coasters in Coney Island
The Tornado Roller Coaster Built in 1926
The Bob Sled Roller Coaster
The Famous Hurrican Roller Coaster
The Famous Cyclone Ride Roller Coaster in Astroland Park was one the more popular Coney Island Roller Coasters during the 50 and 60's was the Cyclone, which lucky for me was right across the street from one of my Grandmothers Tea Rooms, I took everyone I ever friend I ever made while living in coney on that ride, to show off and to see if they'd be afraid. I still here the clicking of the gears against the lifting chains as you was lifted to the first and hightest drop. I loved the front car and sticking my hand high in the sky as we dropped, on that first slope, and there were a few good twisting turn and one excellant whip of a turn that made all the girls scream, but boy they would hold your had with a vise grip lock as it went click, clack, click, clack all the way up that first incline, then cover your ears, they sure could scream all the way down. Right next door was the Famus Wax museum which had all these wax displays of reanactments of famus murders and tortures which were either committed or practiced around the world, they looked so life like as a young boy. I don't know how many times I revisted that exhabit. http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/mapsdocs/images/con-cyclone.jpg
The Hurricane was another famous Roller Coaster.
Working
The Tornado Roller Coaster Built in 1926
The Tornado Roller Coaster still in Coney Island, but is shut down and Ivory is growing up its tracks, its ashame that these rides are refurbinish, but when thier gone allot of fond memories will always be alive.
The Famous Parachute Jump
The Parachute Jump was bought to Coney Island around 1940, from the New York Worlds Fair by Edward Tilyou. The ride was but in the Lifesavers exhibit about a year later. It was two hundred and sixty two feet tall and there were twelve chutes, which allowed two to ride together, and if there was ever a ride to get your girl to sit close this was it I still remember my first date with Maria a pretty Italian girl, who was just struggling with her English, so we were getting off to a slow start the only time I even got to hold her hand was at the school when the class all danced to some dances are teacher insisted on for a school Play. Well I somehow she talked me into taking her on the ride, I have to admit she was kind of a Tom Boy, and was good at basket ball, Well I had already rode it a few times before and really wasn’t that thrilled about it, give me the Cyclone any day for a thrill ride, well we climbed the detached Steps and slide into the swing like seat which actual just had a Square tube frame which was built into the Seat and made a large square around its passengers with cables attached to each corner and the back of the Seat which had a harness that rapped around to the front, Now that we were ready the attendant to launch our lift, So as we started on our slow climb of 250 ft she grabbed my hand and gave me the sweetest smile as if saying without words, don’t let nothing happen to me my gallant Hero, hey that’s what I wanted to believe she was thinking. Well as we approached the top which triggers our descendant, I could tell by the grip she had on my hand, this was her first time, and the first of many we shared together over the next few years. Once you get past the first sudden snap with the chute opening, within seconds of it being triggered for release, then it was a smooth floats down, with the sea gulls singing and an occasional notice of the flapping of the parachutes canvas as if in harmony with the magical sounds of the Amusement Parks theme music playing in the back ground, but like all magic it soon lands you back on earth to reality and then we off running as always run to the Thunderbolt or some other wild and dangerous ride near by. She really didn’t like Steeplechase Horse Ride, like I did, she liked the scary ones. She was another scream queen! I kind a wish they would leave us up their a few minutes before they drop us. It was nice to look over the entire park and be sitting among the clouds, with the Ocean Scent lingering in the air. One Ride in the Steeplechase she did like as well as I besides the Steeplchase Horses, was the Bumber Cars, which was right in next to the Parachute Jump http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/mapsdocs/images/con-boardwalkhigh.jpg
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