The story and photographs of my pilgramage to my "hometown".....Brooklyn, New York....July 2001

Dedicated to my friends on "da Brooklyn Stoop"....of whom I wished each and every one could have been with me.

Douglas MacArthur once said, "I shall return!"

He did....And so did I....To BROOKLYN!

Don't ask me how I got here....it's a long story!   My parents moved me out of Brooklyn to Queens (kicking and screaming) in 1963 when I was 14.  I moved out of New York altogether when I retired.....first moving to California, then to Las Vegas, to Monroe, Michigan, and now here to Titusville, Florida.

But I firmly believe that the old saying fully applies to me...."You can take the boy out of BROOKLYN, but you can't take the BROOKLYN out of the boy!"

I always knew that I'd go back....even if only for a visit.  Whether the time was right for the visit, I don't know....but something in me made me go.

And what I found I documented below.....

Thursday, July 12th 2001 - On the Way To Sal's in The Poconos

Waking at 6am, I’m an hour later than I wanted to get up.  No biggie….It’s 8 hours to Hawley PA and I told Sal I’d be there between 4 and 6pm.

I left at about 7:30am.  No traffic because this isn’t a heavy area for rush hours unless you’re downtown, which we’re not.  I75 twenty miles south to Toledo, and then I80 east.

I80 is a breeze since it’s a toll road.  The truck is in great shape and I’m cruising at 5 over the limit….no problems.

On the road I’m trying to think of the things I forgot to take….everyone always forgets something, and I finally remember that I meant to take my folding mountain bike and didn’t.  Looks like I’ll have to do a lot of walking, and I might not get to take a lot of photos I meant to if I took the bike.

A few hours go by and I enter Pennsylvania from Ohio….and feel the temperature drop about 15 degrees….LOL.  No problem!  The scenery also gets less boring.  More to look at, and prettier.

Off  I80 to I81, north to Scranton and then east on I84 to a Lake Wallenpaupack exit, where I called Paulette to let her know I was “here”.  It was a few minutes before 4pm and it didn’t take her but five minutes to get to our meeting point, and giving her the distinction of being the absolute first person ever from da Stoop I meet face to face!  With her was her very lovely daughter Stephanie.

I followed Paulette the 15 miles up to Sal’s, and found the area charming and remarkable.  Besides the great greetings I received from everyone, it was like the area was greeting me as well!  I had been to the Poconos, but I never saw this corner of the area.

We had a wonderful meeting and “reunion”….I can’t think of a better word, although we had never met face to face before….and dinner was supurb!  Cyn did a wonderful job!

Hanging at Sal’s for the evening, I found the area so wonderful that I almost didn’t want to leave!

After Paulette left, Sal and I stayed up BSing for a while, and then I spent the night in their guest facility in the nicely finished basement.

Friday, July 13th 2001 - Arriving In New York

Waking fairly early, I got my things together for the rest of the trip.  I wanted to get an early start so I could spend most of the day shooting pictures in New York without actually having to be someplace at an appointed time.  Sal and I had coffee together and I left about 6:30am.

The ride through the Poconos was breathtaking that early, and I didn’t hit anything resembling traffic until I approached I80 in New Jersey.  Once I neared Patterson it started getting heavy.  I hit the GWB tollbooth at 9am, crossed the Whitestone Bridge at 9:30, and spent a short time in Queens before I headed off to Brooklyn.

From Flushing I headed down the Van Wyck to JFK and onto the Belt towards Brooklyn.  There was lots of construction on the Van Wyck, but the Belt interchange is just how I remembered it….exit onto Conduit and fight to merge over to the left to jump on the Belt!

Once on the Belt, I could SMELL that I was getting close to home!

The first stop I made in Brooklyn was Canarsie.  I loved the Canarsie Pier and fished there often as a kid.  I got off the Belt onto Rockaway Parkway and made the left towards the pier…..the traffic circle is still there….rounded the circle and that’s when I found the renovated pier.  They did a real nice job with it, too!

As luck would have it, New York’s finest was having a training session there….and I managed to get quite a few fine pictures of them as well as the pier itself!

Back on the Belt, my next stop would be “home”.  Growing up not too far from the Knapp Street exit, I just had to see the old house and neighborhood!

In my neighborhood.....

I loved growing up where I did….I was walking distance from Sheepshead Bay.  I spent countless days playing, fishing, meeting people, and exploring.

While the Bay has changed a bit, I didn’t find too many changes that made it bad.  It’s only a little different, with some newer buildings replacing some older but classic ones.  At least the newer buildings share the atmosphere of what it should be.
 

What has changed the most…..the people!  I used to walk and bike all around the area, greeting and meeting people where ever I went.  Sheepshead Bay was a conglomeration of different nationalities and types of people.  What I found is that the Russian population of Brighton Beach greatly overflows into Sheepshead Bay.  Not that this is so bad, but that’s hardly all you see.

But as I was walking along the Manhattan Beach side of the Bay shooting photos, I hear one voice say, “Hey Buddy….shoot my picture!”  And although I never heard his voice before, it was such a familiar sound.  It was a “Brooklyn Jewish” accent, and it came from a gentleman hanging on the rail with a few poles in the water.  It was the first familiar type voice I had heard since my arrival in Brooklyn!

His name was Sy, and we talked for a while.  He was with a Russian friend, but when I got him off the side alone he told me how much it had all really changed.  We came to the conclusion that it was a big cycle, and now it was their turn.  And while it still depressed me to think about how the neighborhood had changed, I think I did understand it a little better…..for most of my family wasn’t born here either.  Some had Yiddish accents, and some had Italian accents…..but the point remains.

On to Brighton Beach, I cruised the much familiar streets in search of much familiar sights…..and didn’t see a one!

Even Mrs. Stahl’s looked different…..and SMELLED different!  I was going to stop in for a knish, but it just didn’t feel right.  I can’t explain it more than that.  I remember a taste I knew well growing up….I didn’t want that memory tainted by a product that wasn’t the same anymore.  So I continued along my way.

While the rest of Brighton appeared pretty much the same, I felt all alone there.  Again, very little was different but the people.  But Brooklyn WAS it’s people, and I was greatly saddened by Brighton Beach.
 

Two whole blocks had been closed off in having a “street” sale (Flea Market) the day I was there.  I saw a quaint little statue at one of the booths….and I would have bought it, too….IF the vendor could have told me the price in ENGLISH!

Hoping that Coney Island wasn't totally taken over by unrecognizable forces, I headed in that direction....almost reluctantly.  As I swung down Ocean Parkway and on to Surf Avenue, sights started getting real familiar.

When I was younger and visited Coney Island frequently, the area was already getting a bit run down.  I was preparing myself for the worst after seeing Brighton Beach.  But much to my pleasure, not only had it not gotten worse, but it was pretty much the same!  Some parts I noticed had even gotten better!  The only real disappointment was the subway terminal.  I had remembered an elaborate, wonderful structure....which now looks like total devastation with the renovation the city is doing.  I sincerely hope that the terminal they plan is befitting the stature of the original.

I was now to embark on the most pleasurable task of my trip.......LUNCH at Nathan's!

Very satisfied with the delicacy I remembered well, I started to extensively walk around the area I knew so well.  While most did change somewhat, I found the spirit unchanged.  Most of the people were upbeat and enthusiastic about a rebirth of Coney Island.  I was happy to see shops and concession stands doing business.  I was happy to see people playing games and riding rides.  I was happy to see groups being brought in by busses to enjoy the splendor of Coney Island.  I was happy to see the new Keyspan Park....home of the new Brooklyn Cyclones....the first Brooklyn baseball team since the Dodgers moved!

All in all, while the Coney Island of my youth was not quite the same, the aspect of what is there now and what it looks to become again is promising and enlightening.  Maybe I'm biased, but the spirit that was Brooklyn is still alive and well in Coney Island!
 

Saturday, July 14th 2001 - A Reunion Long Overdue

It had been too many years since I'd seen my daughter Rachel.  Besides being over 2500 miles apart for most of that time, the aspect of "not being ready" existed....on both of our parts.  So after corresponding with each other for quite some time on the internet, we decided that the time was right for a "face to face".

rachel

         
We Decided To Meet At The World's Fair Grounds - If You Focus In REAL
CLOSE, You Can See Her Just To The Left Of The Base!

I wasn't there to help Rachel grow up....but someone must have done a pretty good job.  I am very proud of her!

Sunday, July 15th 2001 - Another "Reunion" Of  Sorts

Since being on "da Brooklyn Stoop", I have made a lot of friends.  If I can't actually BE home, then at least I can hang out with those like me, remembering the same things and sharing the spirit that once was our home.  The Internet has proved to be a wonderful thing.....I feel I've known these wonderful people all my life.

I met Sal and Paulette on the way here in the Pocono's......now it was time to meet the infamous Bill Boggs, "da bride" Janet, and Frayda!  I wish more of my friends could have made it, but at least it gives me (and all of us) future gatherings to look forward to.

We decided to meet at Lundy's, the famous Sheepshead Bay Restaurant.....

While hanging out and having a great time, my cellular phone rang and it was Ros!!  We all talked to her and it was just like her being there with us!  She was there with us in spirit....the BROOKLYN spirit....as were all members of "da Brooklyn Stoop"!

On Request.......

                             
Fuzzy's Old House                                       Al Slavin's House

                  
Fort Hamilton High and The Bay Ridge Area For Kathy C (with her "cuppa")
                  
The Last Shot in This Series Is The ONLY Shot I Took With The Statue Of Liberty In It!

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Traveling about the Borough.....
 

In closing, I would like to express my opinions of my trip.......

I have very mixed emotions about the Brooklyn of today.  It's not what I remember.  The spirit, for the most part, is gone.  Neighborhoods have changed....some for the better, some for the worse.

Whoever said, "You can't go home anymore", was right!

I'm glad I went.  I would and will go again.  If for nothing else, the wonderful memories I have of my childhood.

I plan to take another trip to New York in the spring...another visit, and to catch up on some of the photos I didn't get to take on this trip....more neighborhhoods, landmarks, and surrounding areas.  I will also try to take a subway trip up to "da city" and photo that as well.  I will let everyone know as far in advance as possible for another "reunion".

All of the photos were taken with a Sony Mavica FD-42.  All of the photos were shot in the highest quality setting, which is 1.6  megapixels, or an original size roughly three times the size of the photos you are seeing here.  If the original photo was to be  posted, each one would be over a half a megabyte and a long time loading.  All of the photos were reduced to a resolution of 640x480 for easier viewing and a very short time to load, but without losing any of the quality of the original photo!

All of these photos were taken by me on my NY trip between July 12th and July 15th, 2001.  I hereby donate them to the public domain!  If you want a copy, simply do so and use it in any manner you see fit.  All I ask is that you don't claim you took it!

If there is a particular photo that you want a full size copy of, I shall be glad to e-mail it to you in it's original size!