Friday, February 18, 2011
Remembering Debbie...
Beautiful blond hair and the bluest of eyes to match... a breath of fresh air that made every young fellow on Arden Street swoon... she walked with a grace that very few others had... she had a beam and a twinkle that was infectious... and to this very day... the mention of the name... Debbie Hughes... brings a smile of sincere childhood appreciation... to this Inwood Guy’s face...
Friday, December 24, 2010
"Our Inwood Christmas"
Hello my friends,
My winter wink and blink can only turn to Christmas in “OUR INWOOD”… there have been those who have said… (err, written)… that “OUR INWOOD” was/is “not really…nor culturally” part of Manhattan!
What!?!... Ahh, HUMBUG!
Humbug… I say… not only is OUR INWOOD part of Manhattan culturally and in every other way you can think of… but, to put it frankly… it is one of the few true residential neighborhoods in Manhattan… it was the destination of the “old landed gentry” of the New York City of the Golden Age… it afforded the rich and powerful a “bucolic and yet urban oasis” for their mansions… and later still… it was the destination of the newlyweds of the post-WWII era… and those people… were… I am very proud to say (for the most part)… our parents…
So, to those who say that “OUR INWOOD” was something closer to Yonkers, or god-forbid Staten Island…?
I say again and again… in this Christmas and Hanukkah season…
Bah HUMBUG!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” that is how the words go when singing one of my favorite Christmas jingles… and it reminds me of how “OUR INWOOD” readied itself for the big day… how the stores would magically change over to the wrappings and trappings of Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving was over… now-a-days we don’t have to worry nor wait for Thanksgiving… since Christmas decorations go up in the stores on July 5th in advance of the big day… but, when we were celebrating “the season” in our day… it truly was as these youthful remembrances would have it… that the decorations appeared in our neighborhood almost as if by magic…
The first sense of “The Season” were the holiday street lights… ahh, my friends… the lights… as they were strung across the wide expanse of W. 181st Street, and Dyckman Street and W. 207th Street… like… well, yes, like… magic… those large wooden poles painted green or red and then on occasion painted both half green and half red… and the strands of lights were white, gold, red and green… some years the local store owner’s association really splurged and the streets were and alternating flood of colors… and always the strands had bells, snowflakes and stars centered on our grand shopping streets… the main avenues of “OLD NEW YORK” had nothing on our uptown shopping districts… oh, all right… all right…. 5th Avenue had all of those beautiful windows… and Macy’s over on 34th and Broadway… at Herald Square… they had window after window… and then there was Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdales, and yes, in Sachs 5th Avenue and so on… and yes, Rockefeller Center had “THE TREE”…
But we also had our store windows… and Lt. Tighe Triangle had “OUR TREE”… and the snow was always falling in my winks, blinks and nods… and I’m walking on Dyckman Street and I’m looking at and in all of the shop windows… and everyone is smiling… and everyone is bustling around… to complete their lists and to get them wrapped and under the tree…
And speaking of trees… there were no artificial trees to be had… no sir… it was real… it was fragrant… it was Balsam, Douglas Fir or Scotch Pine… and it was tall and full… and it was always in the corner of the living room… you remember over near the front window… opposite the steam radiator…
The trees at last look in this wink and blink… were still out on the fire-escapes catching a blanket of white… they would not go up in the corner of many a living room until there were visions of sugar plums dancing in little heads all over “OUR INWOOD”…
Now you all know what I have to do… now, yes you do… you know… that I cannot let Christmas go by without doing it…
I just have to do it… even though it will be a repeat of sorts… I just have to write:
“The snow is falling… in OUR INWOOD”…
The windows of Barone’s Restaurant are steamed from the heat of the kitchen and everyone is enjoying bottomless bowl of pasta… a bottle of red… and Christmas Cheer…
Rite-way Fruit across the street has sold its last dozen oranges… and pineapples… and still as one of two wreaths available…
Regina Bakery is till open and the last of the rye, white and pumpernickels just left the store… the baker is busy redoing everything as there will be the Christmas Morning rush for cheese buns and rolls in the morning…
The snow is falling… and now is getting heavy under foot…
Hans signals for you to come into Schillingmann’s and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with that little cookie… or with an English Muffin with all of its nooks and crannies dripping in butter… the hot chocolate is so good… and so inviting that you don’t want it to end… the “little cookie” is the height of ice cream parlor elegance… but it does and as you wish Mr. & Mrs. Schillingmann, Hans and everyone else sitting a the counter and tables a very Merry Christmas… you’re out the door and onto Dyckman Street once more… and you guessed it…
The snow is falling… harder now…
Weiss’ Toy Store is closed and out of almost everything… the electric trains, the fire engines that will pump real water… the plastic ship models… battleships, aircraft carriers, pt-boats… everything is sold-out…
Mr. DeMiglio’s always a friendly fellow is selling the last of his trees… Danny D. wishes you a very merry and asks if you’re attending mid-night mass at OLQM… the answer is yes… and that you’ll see him there… and the Loews Inwood is showing a holiday film…
Woolworth’s is almost ready to call it a merry holiday… the little trinkets, a set of pot holders for Mom… and that great find of a pipe for Dad… are all sold… the luncheon counter has sold its last ice cream soda… and its last slice of apple pie… and the last balloon with a discount price has been popped…
And outside… The snow is falling… harder… it will be a blizzard…
The Denwin Tavern is packed to the walls… the trees that are being sold along its wall on Post Avenue by Big John and Billy C. are almost gone… Scotch Pine is all that remains… the holiday cheer abounds… Mr. Marino the Shoemaker has repaired his last heel & sole and has given his last shoeshine… he has left his little Christmas Tree in the window lit to wish all of his neighbors a blessed Christmas…
All is quiet… in the snow… on the corners of Post Avenue and Dyckman Street…
The windows of Lewis’ Appliance Store are dark… and Parness Women’s Shoppe is about to close… there is just enough time to pop in and buy Mom a Christmas pin for her coat…
Barracini’s Candy Store is still open and the last boxes of chocolate covered cherries and butter crunch are waiting for you to buy them…
Horn and Hardut is almost ready to call it a night… if you’re fast you can pop-in and pickup some rice pudding and fish cakes and spaghetti… because after all of this whirlwind shopping Mom has not held dinner for you… and of course H&H’s fishcakes and spaghetti are things of legend… and the rice pudding is getting a following too…
And yes, the snow continues to fall… your thoughts turn to sledding tomorrow…
A run across Sherman Avenue towards the Chase Manhattan Bank is now a feat since the snow is ankle deep – so much for the shoeshine… you glance back to see that Barry’s Bar is also ringing in Christmas in fine fashion… the joint is jumping…
You can hear the crashing of bowling pins and the clanking pin-setters coming from the Dyckman Bowling Alley… sounds like all the lanes are full… a few steps further and there it is… the television in the window of Whalen’s Furniture Store is on… Lawrence Welk is playing his dance music… and soon the channel will be showing that Ralph still thinks Norton is crazy… and that Alice is the greatest… in their own adaptation of the “Gift of the Magi”… then the greetings and blessings of Mid-Night Mass from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral will be on the air… after midnight mass… the annual Yule Log will once again blaze away… and it will give the viewer standing in the snow on Dyckman Street some electronic warmth…
The Hi-Ho is selling the last of the boneless chicken and chop suey… the egg rolls and fortune cookies are always a delight… the clock on the corner above Sarafian’s shows that there are but 20 minutes to make it to midnight Mass… at the corner of Vermilyea Avenue you can see that the younger crowd is making a grand time of it in GarryOwens… where the girls are always pretty and will help make Christmas magical…
The snow has now shut Broadway and Dyckman Street down…
You can hear nothing but the crunch of snow beneath your feet… slowly the Broadway Bus the #100 arrives quietly… the snow has softened everything.. the doors open and you hop aboard… just enough time to arrive at Good Shepherd and mid-night Mass… for at the end of Mass they will sing the Star Spangled Banner… and even though you’re from OLQM… the beauty of midnight Mass at GS is simply something to behold… with its never disappointing salute to God & Country…
Hopping off the bus in front of the bank… you see that Fanny Farmer is closed… all of the holiday candies have been sold… a very quick look around the corner shows that Tara Gifts has also finished selling its Irish gifts for the holiday… and the lights just went out in Esposito’s Liquor store…
Once mid-night mass is over…. it’s out into Christmas Morning… and the falling snow… and home to put the presents under the tree… but first, you slip into the Golden Rule Restaurant for another hot chocolate…
The #100 going downtown is no where in sight… and so you hoof it down Broadway… Minogues (later Costello’s)… Dolan’s (later the Hedgehog)… Freehill’s… Patrick’s… Markey’s… and The Park Gate… are all full and the patrons are toasting this Christmas and wishing for a New Year better than the one that is coming to an end…
This was Christmas in “OUR INWOOD” my friends… may all of your Christmases be as wonderful… may you get all the things that you always want and wish for… may you have the true gift of Christmas… and that is… what I wish for each of you… today and always…
Peace…
Inwood Guy
My winter wink and blink can only turn to Christmas in “OUR INWOOD”… there have been those who have said… (err, written)… that “OUR INWOOD” was/is “not really…nor culturally” part of Manhattan!
What!?!... Ahh, HUMBUG!
Humbug… I say… not only is OUR INWOOD part of Manhattan culturally and in every other way you can think of… but, to put it frankly… it is one of the few true residential neighborhoods in Manhattan… it was the destination of the “old landed gentry” of the New York City of the Golden Age… it afforded the rich and powerful a “bucolic and yet urban oasis” for their mansions… and later still… it was the destination of the newlyweds of the post-WWII era… and those people… were… I am very proud to say (for the most part)… our parents…
So, to those who say that “OUR INWOOD” was something closer to Yonkers, or god-forbid Staten Island…?
I say again and again… in this Christmas and Hanukkah season…
Bah HUMBUG!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” that is how the words go when singing one of my favorite Christmas jingles… and it reminds me of how “OUR INWOOD” readied itself for the big day… how the stores would magically change over to the wrappings and trappings of Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving was over… now-a-days we don’t have to worry nor wait for Thanksgiving… since Christmas decorations go up in the stores on July 5th in advance of the big day… but, when we were celebrating “the season” in our day… it truly was as these youthful remembrances would have it… that the decorations appeared in our neighborhood almost as if by magic…
The first sense of “The Season” were the holiday street lights… ahh, my friends… the lights… as they were strung across the wide expanse of W. 181st Street, and Dyckman Street and W. 207th Street… like… well, yes, like… magic… those large wooden poles painted green or red and then on occasion painted both half green and half red… and the strands of lights were white, gold, red and green… some years the local store owner’s association really splurged and the streets were and alternating flood of colors… and always the strands had bells, snowflakes and stars centered on our grand shopping streets… the main avenues of “OLD NEW YORK” had nothing on our uptown shopping districts… oh, all right… all right…. 5th Avenue had all of those beautiful windows… and Macy’s over on 34th and Broadway… at Herald Square… they had window after window… and then there was Lord & Taylor, and Bloomingdales, and yes, in Sachs 5th Avenue and so on… and yes, Rockefeller Center had “THE TREE”…
But we also had our store windows… and Lt. Tighe Triangle had “OUR TREE”… and the snow was always falling in my winks, blinks and nods… and I’m walking on Dyckman Street and I’m looking at and in all of the shop windows… and everyone is smiling… and everyone is bustling around… to complete their lists and to get them wrapped and under the tree…
And speaking of trees… there were no artificial trees to be had… no sir… it was real… it was fragrant… it was Balsam, Douglas Fir or Scotch Pine… and it was tall and full… and it was always in the corner of the living room… you remember over near the front window… opposite the steam radiator…
The trees at last look in this wink and blink… were still out on the fire-escapes catching a blanket of white… they would not go up in the corner of many a living room until there were visions of sugar plums dancing in little heads all over “OUR INWOOD”…
Now you all know what I have to do… now, yes you do… you know… that I cannot let Christmas go by without doing it…
I just have to do it… even though it will be a repeat of sorts… I just have to write:
“The snow is falling… in OUR INWOOD”…
The windows of Barone’s Restaurant are steamed from the heat of the kitchen and everyone is enjoying bottomless bowl of pasta… a bottle of red… and Christmas Cheer…
Rite-way Fruit across the street has sold its last dozen oranges… and pineapples… and still as one of two wreaths available…
Regina Bakery is till open and the last of the rye, white and pumpernickels just left the store… the baker is busy redoing everything as there will be the Christmas Morning rush for cheese buns and rolls in the morning…
The snow is falling… and now is getting heavy under foot…
Hans signals for you to come into Schillingmann’s and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with that little cookie… or with an English Muffin with all of its nooks and crannies dripping in butter… the hot chocolate is so good… and so inviting that you don’t want it to end… the “little cookie” is the height of ice cream parlor elegance… but it does and as you wish Mr. & Mrs. Schillingmann, Hans and everyone else sitting a the counter and tables a very Merry Christmas… you’re out the door and onto Dyckman Street once more… and you guessed it…
The snow is falling… harder now…
Weiss’ Toy Store is closed and out of almost everything… the electric trains, the fire engines that will pump real water… the plastic ship models… battleships, aircraft carriers, pt-boats… everything is sold-out…
Mr. DeMiglio’s always a friendly fellow is selling the last of his trees… Danny D. wishes you a very merry and asks if you’re attending mid-night mass at OLQM… the answer is yes… and that you’ll see him there… and the Loews Inwood is showing a holiday film…
Woolworth’s is almost ready to call it a merry holiday… the little trinkets, a set of pot holders for Mom… and that great find of a pipe for Dad… are all sold… the luncheon counter has sold its last ice cream soda… and its last slice of apple pie… and the last balloon with a discount price has been popped…
And outside… The snow is falling… harder… it will be a blizzard…
The Denwin Tavern is packed to the walls… the trees that are being sold along its wall on Post Avenue by Big John and Billy C. are almost gone… Scotch Pine is all that remains… the holiday cheer abounds… Mr. Marino the Shoemaker has repaired his last heel & sole and has given his last shoeshine… he has left his little Christmas Tree in the window lit to wish all of his neighbors a blessed Christmas…
All is quiet… in the snow… on the corners of Post Avenue and Dyckman Street…
The windows of Lewis’ Appliance Store are dark… and Parness Women’s Shoppe is about to close… there is just enough time to pop in and buy Mom a Christmas pin for her coat…
Barracini’s Candy Store is still open and the last boxes of chocolate covered cherries and butter crunch are waiting for you to buy them…
Horn and Hardut is almost ready to call it a night… if you’re fast you can pop-in and pickup some rice pudding and fish cakes and spaghetti… because after all of this whirlwind shopping Mom has not held dinner for you… and of course H&H’s fishcakes and spaghetti are things of legend… and the rice pudding is getting a following too…
And yes, the snow continues to fall… your thoughts turn to sledding tomorrow…
A run across Sherman Avenue towards the Chase Manhattan Bank is now a feat since the snow is ankle deep – so much for the shoeshine… you glance back to see that Barry’s Bar is also ringing in Christmas in fine fashion… the joint is jumping…
You can hear the crashing of bowling pins and the clanking pin-setters coming from the Dyckman Bowling Alley… sounds like all the lanes are full… a few steps further and there it is… the television in the window of Whalen’s Furniture Store is on… Lawrence Welk is playing his dance music… and soon the channel will be showing that Ralph still thinks Norton is crazy… and that Alice is the greatest… in their own adaptation of the “Gift of the Magi”… then the greetings and blessings of Mid-Night Mass from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral will be on the air… after midnight mass… the annual Yule Log will once again blaze away… and it will give the viewer standing in the snow on Dyckman Street some electronic warmth…
The Hi-Ho is selling the last of the boneless chicken and chop suey… the egg rolls and fortune cookies are always a delight… the clock on the corner above Sarafian’s shows that there are but 20 minutes to make it to midnight Mass… at the corner of Vermilyea Avenue you can see that the younger crowd is making a grand time of it in GarryOwens… where the girls are always pretty and will help make Christmas magical…
The snow has now shut Broadway and Dyckman Street down…
You can hear nothing but the crunch of snow beneath your feet… slowly the Broadway Bus the #100 arrives quietly… the snow has softened everything.. the doors open and you hop aboard… just enough time to arrive at Good Shepherd and mid-night Mass… for at the end of Mass they will sing the Star Spangled Banner… and even though you’re from OLQM… the beauty of midnight Mass at GS is simply something to behold… with its never disappointing salute to God & Country…
Hopping off the bus in front of the bank… you see that Fanny Farmer is closed… all of the holiday candies have been sold… a very quick look around the corner shows that Tara Gifts has also finished selling its Irish gifts for the holiday… and the lights just went out in Esposito’s Liquor store…
Once mid-night mass is over…. it’s out into Christmas Morning… and the falling snow… and home to put the presents under the tree… but first, you slip into the Golden Rule Restaurant for another hot chocolate…
The #100 going downtown is no where in sight… and so you hoof it down Broadway… Minogues (later Costello’s)… Dolan’s (later the Hedgehog)… Freehill’s… Patrick’s… Markey’s… and The Park Gate… are all full and the patrons are toasting this Christmas and wishing for a New Year better than the one that is coming to an end…
This was Christmas in “OUR INWOOD” my friends… may all of your Christmases be as wonderful… may you get all the things that you always want and wish for… may you have the true gift of Christmas… and that is… what I wish for each of you… today and always…
Peace…
Inwood Guy
Thursday, November 25, 2010
An "OUR INWOOD" Thanksgiving... friends, family... and...
Hello my friends…
Well… I certainly hope that all is well with you, and yours’ and of course you know that I wish only one thing for you all…and that of course comes at the bottom of my little posting… and my wink… blink and nod…
I cannot let the opportunity to go by and not wish for you all a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful Thanksgiving… and to remember the good old days of “OUR INWOOD” and this day that kicked-off the holiday season in the old nabe…
I had the opportunity last week to drive up Dyckman Street and hopefully… but, alas, I was too early for the holiday lights…they were not draped across the street… there were no green and red wooden poles standing like holiday sentries awaiting the hanging of alternating swags of green, red, white and gold lights… swags with centered stars, bells and snowflakes… and not seeing that they were there was a disappointment…
So, when I arrived home… I just started to take one of my winks and blinks back to those wonderful thoroughfares of both Dyckman and W. 207th Streets… of course in this little memory trip there are snowflakes falling… the stores are bustling… everyone is happy… shopping lists in hand we’re off to get the bird… the sweets and veggies… the stuffing… and of course the pies… just a few, a very few signs of Christmas are appearing… we were… I am proud to say traditionalists and Christmas waited until turkey day was over… one thing I always did do was to visit the Tara Gift Shop and get a little gift from Ireland for my grandmother… the first time I did it she exclaimed that she had never gotten a gift on Thanksgiving before… that made it a tradition for me… after all the woman who started a line of 25 grandchildren, 3-times that number in great-grandchildren deserved a little trinket from the land of her birth…
If Pop was up to it… we would make the quick subway ride downtown to “The Parade”… go over to Broadway and stand over a subway grate and be as warm as that bird we would devour later in the evening… the parade was always great… I’m talking about the years when the Philadelphia Mummers were the parade highlight… followed closely by the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile… the balloons were magnificent then and they still are… one thing we did not have “thank God” was NBC broadcasting “… Nothing But Commercial’s… and a network self-promotion!”
But, ahh alas…, I digress from my wink, blink and nod…
Thanksgiving Day is not to be forgotten when we remember “OUR INWOOD”… I know that many of us went to our respective houses of worship… and of course to one or two (or maybe three) homes of relatives and friends… the main course at home… desert at another perhaps that of a favorite aunt & uncle or grandparents house (… by house I mean apartment…) and yes, yes, those late night turkey sandwiches in still another…the evening’s feast was indeed incredible…
The preparation for Thanksgiving was just as exciting as the day… the purchase of the vegetables was always a ritual… and always the same… fruit from Rite Way Fruit… the veggies from DeMiglio’s… the breads, both rye and pumpernickel from Regina’s… year’s later we would add an Irish Soda Bread from Johnnies… the ice cream was from… yes… you knew it… Schillingmann’s... and the bird? Ahh… The bird came from the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company’s butcher shop…
Later on in years when we were older and more brazen… Thanksgiving Day saw us crashing the gate at the Hayes vs. Mount St. Michael Game at Baker Field…
Yes my friends, Thanksgiving in “OUR INWOOD” it was simple… it was home… it was love… and it was what I wish for you…
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Well… I certainly hope that all is well with you, and yours’ and of course you know that I wish only one thing for you all…and that of course comes at the bottom of my little posting… and my wink… blink and nod…
I cannot let the opportunity to go by and not wish for you all a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful Thanksgiving… and to remember the good old days of “OUR INWOOD” and this day that kicked-off the holiday season in the old nabe…
I had the opportunity last week to drive up Dyckman Street and hopefully… but, alas, I was too early for the holiday lights…they were not draped across the street… there were no green and red wooden poles standing like holiday sentries awaiting the hanging of alternating swags of green, red, white and gold lights… swags with centered stars, bells and snowflakes… and not seeing that they were there was a disappointment…
So, when I arrived home… I just started to take one of my winks and blinks back to those wonderful thoroughfares of both Dyckman and W. 207th Streets… of course in this little memory trip there are snowflakes falling… the stores are bustling… everyone is happy… shopping lists in hand we’re off to get the bird… the sweets and veggies… the stuffing… and of course the pies… just a few, a very few signs of Christmas are appearing… we were… I am proud to say traditionalists and Christmas waited until turkey day was over… one thing I always did do was to visit the Tara Gift Shop and get a little gift from Ireland for my grandmother… the first time I did it she exclaimed that she had never gotten a gift on Thanksgiving before… that made it a tradition for me… after all the woman who started a line of 25 grandchildren, 3-times that number in great-grandchildren deserved a little trinket from the land of her birth…
If Pop was up to it… we would make the quick subway ride downtown to “The Parade”… go over to Broadway and stand over a subway grate and be as warm as that bird we would devour later in the evening… the parade was always great… I’m talking about the years when the Philadelphia Mummers were the parade highlight… followed closely by the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile… the balloons were magnificent then and they still are… one thing we did not have “thank God” was NBC broadcasting “… Nothing But Commercial’s… and a network self-promotion!”
But, ahh alas…, I digress from my wink, blink and nod…
Thanksgiving Day is not to be forgotten when we remember “OUR INWOOD”… I know that many of us went to our respective houses of worship… and of course to one or two (or maybe three) homes of relatives and friends… the main course at home… desert at another perhaps that of a favorite aunt & uncle or grandparents house (… by house I mean apartment…) and yes, yes, those late night turkey sandwiches in still another…the evening’s feast was indeed incredible…
The preparation for Thanksgiving was just as exciting as the day… the purchase of the vegetables was always a ritual… and always the same… fruit from Rite Way Fruit… the veggies from DeMiglio’s… the breads, both rye and pumpernickel from Regina’s… year’s later we would add an Irish Soda Bread from Johnnies… the ice cream was from… yes… you knew it… Schillingmann’s... and the bird? Ahh… The bird came from the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company’s butcher shop…
Later on in years when we were older and more brazen… Thanksgiving Day saw us crashing the gate at the Hayes vs. Mount St. Michael Game at Baker Field…
Yes my friends, Thanksgiving in “OUR INWOOD” it was simple… it was home… it was love… and it was what I wish for you…
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Piles of red, orange and brown...
Hello my friends,
Well... you'll excuse me I hope for my lengthy absence from the blog... and if my lack of posting offended anyone I apologize... but, work has gotten so busy that I have been distracted from my promise to post regularly...
Now that Mother Nature’s entire color canopy has fallen to the ground and I have been busy raking up those leaves... I could not let this Sunday afternoon in early November go by without a wink, blink and nod... back to the parks of "OUR INWOOD"... for in my mind's eye I can still see the huge piles of red, orange and brown leaves... piled to the sky in the park... I can still hear the crunch of the leaves under my feet as I ran through those mountains of maple and oak...
Ahh, my friends... the smells of Autumn are something to behold... fresh as all outdoors as they say... the paths of Fort Tryon, Payson and Inwood Hill were the most fun in the fall...
Going up Devil's Hill to the Sun house in Fort Tryon... walking with whomever the "girl of the month was" it was a great time... stealing a kiss and holding hands... and promising a love forever... the same for a Sunday walk into Payson Park... up from the Park House... over and down into Inwood Hill... it was a climb and quite a hike... but, the paths and turns... staircases and tunnels gave locations for wonderful places and moments of teenage bliss... that still last in a wink, blink and nod...
Enjoy your time this fall my friends... think back to an afternoon when you hugged, and pecked, and kissed that special someone... and relish the comfort that those memories bring back...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Well... you'll excuse me I hope for my lengthy absence from the blog... and if my lack of posting offended anyone I apologize... but, work has gotten so busy that I have been distracted from my promise to post regularly...
Now that Mother Nature’s entire color canopy has fallen to the ground and I have been busy raking up those leaves... I could not let this Sunday afternoon in early November go by without a wink, blink and nod... back to the parks of "OUR INWOOD"... for in my mind's eye I can still see the huge piles of red, orange and brown leaves... piled to the sky in the park... I can still hear the crunch of the leaves under my feet as I ran through those mountains of maple and oak...
Ahh, my friends... the smells of Autumn are something to behold... fresh as all outdoors as they say... the paths of Fort Tryon, Payson and Inwood Hill were the most fun in the fall...
Going up Devil's Hill to the Sun house in Fort Tryon... walking with whomever the "girl of the month was" it was a great time... stealing a kiss and holding hands... and promising a love forever... the same for a Sunday walk into Payson Park... up from the Park House... over and down into Inwood Hill... it was a climb and quite a hike... but, the paths and turns... staircases and tunnels gave locations for wonderful places and moments of teenage bliss... that still last in a wink, blink and nod...
Enjoy your time this fall my friends... think back to an afternoon when you hugged, and pecked, and kissed that special someone... and relish the comfort that those memories bring back...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Remembering heroes....
At this moment 9 years later... all this "Inwood Guy" can write... is that today those we lost at the WTC, the Pentagon, and at Shanksville... all touch the face of God... and someday... if our faith is true... we will also touch God's face with them as well...
May they... and all of the heroes who have answered the call to fight terrorism... Rest in...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
May they... and all of the heroes who have answered the call to fight terrorism... Rest in...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Lariats... tee-shirts... ferris wheels... and...
Hello my friends...
Greetings from Cape Cod... these dog days of summer bring about some very long and welcomed wink, blinks and nods... and as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean and sets over Cape Cod Bay... I am finally finding sometime to relax, smoke my cigars, read my newspapers and enjoy the memories of "OUR INWOOD" and our long hot summers of yesterday...
Rockaway and Long Beach are distant memories... as now I trade a NYC Subway or Long Island Rail Road ride... for a 5 hour car trip to just outside of Provincetown, MA... for 3 weeks of total communing with Mother Nature on what I believe to be the last best beaches on this great earth... Head of the Meadow on the Atlantic and Corn Hill on Cape Cod Bay...
Every morning I would jump out of bed and put on my Red St. Judes Day Camp tee-shirt... shorts or long jeans were the alternate pants of choice... the Kelly Green swim shorts were now fading to a bright yellow from all of the chlorine in the various swimming pools that we've visited throughout the summer...
The pools at Miramar (so close to the camp... yet, a world-a-way at the same time), Rye Beach, Bear Mountain State Park, Mad-Anthony Wayne, the Old Mill... ah, my friends those were the days... the silver buses would be lined up on the street outside the gates of St. Jude's School yard... the lunch of raw veggies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Kool-aid would be loaded into the cargo hold... and off we went for a day of fun in the sun... the bus trip would be passed by the weaving of beautiful foot long lariats... box weave, diamond and barrel weaves were things of beauty... as the travel time idled by and yes the time on rainy days were passed by making 1 and 2 foot long chains of colorful beauty... black and white, yellow and red, blue and silver the color combinations were really endless...
In mid-August the yard would begin its magical transformation to prepare for the St. Judes Bazaar and that meant 9 nights of Ford Falcons being raffled off... and of outstanding fun... the Ferris Wheel... the coin pitch... the gambling hall... the pop-corn and cotton candy... the booths with spinning wheels clacking away... the guys and girls from all over the neighborhood would convene every night for fun and flirting... these late summer romances would very often provide great dating into the fall and perhaps if were lucky into the winter too...
Ahh, my friends... just close your eyes and think back to those wonderful summers in "OUR INWOOD"... those two months that seemed like it took a year to pass... those summers that were full of fun... full of laughs... full of young love and of course, full of...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Greetings from Cape Cod... these dog days of summer bring about some very long and welcomed wink, blinks and nods... and as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean and sets over Cape Cod Bay... I am finally finding sometime to relax, smoke my cigars, read my newspapers and enjoy the memories of "OUR INWOOD" and our long hot summers of yesterday...
Rockaway and Long Beach are distant memories... as now I trade a NYC Subway or Long Island Rail Road ride... for a 5 hour car trip to just outside of Provincetown, MA... for 3 weeks of total communing with Mother Nature on what I believe to be the last best beaches on this great earth... Head of the Meadow on the Atlantic and Corn Hill on Cape Cod Bay...
Every morning I would jump out of bed and put on my Red St. Judes Day Camp tee-shirt... shorts or long jeans were the alternate pants of choice... the Kelly Green swim shorts were now fading to a bright yellow from all of the chlorine in the various swimming pools that we've visited throughout the summer...
The pools at Miramar (so close to the camp... yet, a world-a-way at the same time), Rye Beach, Bear Mountain State Park, Mad-Anthony Wayne, the Old Mill... ah, my friends those were the days... the silver buses would be lined up on the street outside the gates of St. Jude's School yard... the lunch of raw veggies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Kool-aid would be loaded into the cargo hold... and off we went for a day of fun in the sun... the bus trip would be passed by the weaving of beautiful foot long lariats... box weave, diamond and barrel weaves were things of beauty... as the travel time idled by and yes the time on rainy days were passed by making 1 and 2 foot long chains of colorful beauty... black and white, yellow and red, blue and silver the color combinations were really endless...
In mid-August the yard would begin its magical transformation to prepare for the St. Judes Bazaar and that meant 9 nights of Ford Falcons being raffled off... and of outstanding fun... the Ferris Wheel... the coin pitch... the gambling hall... the pop-corn and cotton candy... the booths with spinning wheels clacking away... the guys and girls from all over the neighborhood would convene every night for fun and flirting... these late summer romances would very often provide great dating into the fall and perhaps if were lucky into the winter too...
Ahh, my friends... just close your eyes and think back to those wonderful summers in "OUR INWOOD"... those two months that seemed like it took a year to pass... those summers that were full of fun... full of laughs... full of young love and of course, full of...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
For Tonypepperoni...
Tony...
I am sorry... but, I am not "John"... and I think I know the John to whom you refer... he gets a big kick out of the assumption by some that he is "Inwood Guy"... but, like I have always said... it does not matter who I am...
What does matter... is that we keep "OUR INWOOD - memories" alive!
Thanks, Tony for your interest!
Peace,
Inwood Guy
I am sorry... but, I am not "John"... and I think I know the John to whom you refer... he gets a big kick out of the assumption by some that he is "Inwood Guy"... but, like I have always said... it does not matter who I am...
What does matter... is that we keep "OUR INWOOD - memories" alive!
Thanks, Tony for your interest!
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A wrench... a hydrant pump... and someone watching "Chickie"...
Hello my friends...
Well, well, well... that's what I was hoping would not go dry in this beautiful July weather of 104 degrees in our beautiful upstate county... so far so good... had to top off the pool due to evaporation... you know... we never had to worry about pools when we were in "OUR INWOOD"...
After breaking an incredible sweat doing these tasks today... I settled back into the air-conditioned haven of my family room (err, that's something else we didn't have in our day... no family room, nor air conditioner)... but, my wink, blink and nod today... took me... and will hopefully take you back to sneakers melting on blacktop... someone finally having had enough... getting their father's wrench and opening up the fire hydrant!
Ahh, yes... roaring torrents of ice cold water... girls in summer man tailored blouses running for dear life... as the payment for getting too close was getting dragged under... ahh, there really was something to say about a beautiful white blouse becoming skin tight... oh, well, I certainly digress...
On almost every block there was the spot where we would congregate to get wet! we would take turns looking out for "Chickie" --- "The Cops"...
For some reason the policeman always... and I mean always... moved very slowly as he pulled up in the squad car... got out and shut it down...
There were summers when we got really bold... like the time we took Mr. Esposito's wine barrel and placed it over a fully opened hydrant... the water shot straight-up two to three stories... that is until it exploded!
These are the dog days of summer my friends... but, they are also opportunities to remember ice cold fountains of water... walks in the park... trips up to Miramar Pool... the subway out to Rockaway...
These are the memories of our lives... this is the one thing that a great wink, blink and nod brings on a scorching summer afternoon...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Well, well, well... that's what I was hoping would not go dry in this beautiful July weather of 104 degrees in our beautiful upstate county... so far so good... had to top off the pool due to evaporation... you know... we never had to worry about pools when we were in "OUR INWOOD"...
After breaking an incredible sweat doing these tasks today... I settled back into the air-conditioned haven of my family room (err, that's something else we didn't have in our day... no family room, nor air conditioner)... but, my wink, blink and nod today... took me... and will hopefully take you back to sneakers melting on blacktop... someone finally having had enough... getting their father's wrench and opening up the fire hydrant!
Ahh, yes... roaring torrents of ice cold water... girls in summer man tailored blouses running for dear life... as the payment for getting too close was getting dragged under... ahh, there really was something to say about a beautiful white blouse becoming skin tight... oh, well, I certainly digress...
On almost every block there was the spot where we would congregate to get wet! we would take turns looking out for "Chickie" --- "The Cops"...
For some reason the policeman always... and I mean always... moved very slowly as he pulled up in the squad car... got out and shut it down...
There were summers when we got really bold... like the time we took Mr. Esposito's wine barrel and placed it over a fully opened hydrant... the water shot straight-up two to three stories... that is until it exploded!
These are the dog days of summer my friends... but, they are also opportunities to remember ice cold fountains of water... walks in the park... trips up to Miramar Pool... the subway out to Rockaway...
These are the memories of our lives... this is the one thing that a great wink, blink and nod brings on a scorching summer afternoon...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Monday, July 5, 2010
Hello Friends...
Altough I cannot prevent anyone from doing a cut & paste of a post onto the Manhattan Board... I ask you not to do so... what I would appreciate is your letting everyone know about this blog... THANKS!
Peace,
IG
Peace,
IG
Friday, July 2, 2010
The Glorious 4th!
Hello my dear friends,
Do you remember the “Glorious 4th”?... in "OUR INWOOD"?
I always remember from Sister George’s history and civics classes that John Adams called it “… the Glorious 4th!”
Ahh, my dear friends… it is the 4th of July… and the memories come flooding back as this wink, blink and nod… takes me back to going “…down the river…” to the Henry Hudson Ball fields… a paper bag full of fireworks… purchased on Mulberry Street… right on the Little Italy/Chinatown border…
About 10 packs of crackers… 6 bottle rockets… and as many roman candles too… will get us through the evening… perhaps if Joey A. is down there I will be able to buy a couple of Cherry Bombs… we’ll see…
The fields are full… families having fun… Mr. Casey gives me a tip that a good 6 to 8 inch piece of clothesline well-lit with a cigarette lighter will burn all night… and is the best firecracker fuse lighter around… he was right…
The show is about to begin as the sun has gone down beyond the Palisades… Roman Candles are lighting up the sky with green red and blue bursts of fire… the bottle rockets whistle high into the air and explode… the packs of crackers go off in rapid succession…
You can see the older guys who are wearing their heavy boots stepping on the duds… couldn’t do that with a sneaker…
The local police squad-car cruises through and as soon as they see that half the fathers are cops… they will not be seen again… for the rest of the evening…
The day of course began with the traditional marathon stickball game… a real 12 inning affair… with so many 2 sewer homeruns you lost count… only to be ended by a 3 sewer blast that lost the ball… the late afternoon and early evening saw one of the bar league games being played… GarryOwens beat Sam’s 3-2…
Now-a-days, the 4th is celebrated with a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of Town Hall… and then a stop at the Pork Store for Brats… and then back home to the pool… its different… that’s for sure… as we’ve moved out to the burbs…
But, the memories are still vivid of a neighborhood coming together to celebrate the birth of our nation… of fathers who were just 10 years home from a world war that defeated the enemies of our wonderful democracy… and saved the world for us… and of course they were the men who brought back one very important thing… to "OUR INWOOD"!... they brought back...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
Do you remember the “Glorious 4th”?... in "OUR INWOOD"?
I always remember from Sister George’s history and civics classes that John Adams called it “… the Glorious 4th!”
Ahh, my dear friends… it is the 4th of July… and the memories come flooding back as this wink, blink and nod… takes me back to going “…down the river…” to the Henry Hudson Ball fields… a paper bag full of fireworks… purchased on Mulberry Street… right on the Little Italy/Chinatown border…
About 10 packs of crackers… 6 bottle rockets… and as many roman candles too… will get us through the evening… perhaps if Joey A. is down there I will be able to buy a couple of Cherry Bombs… we’ll see…
The fields are full… families having fun… Mr. Casey gives me a tip that a good 6 to 8 inch piece of clothesline well-lit with a cigarette lighter will burn all night… and is the best firecracker fuse lighter around… he was right…
The show is about to begin as the sun has gone down beyond the Palisades… Roman Candles are lighting up the sky with green red and blue bursts of fire… the bottle rockets whistle high into the air and explode… the packs of crackers go off in rapid succession…
You can see the older guys who are wearing their heavy boots stepping on the duds… couldn’t do that with a sneaker…
The local police squad-car cruises through and as soon as they see that half the fathers are cops… they will not be seen again… for the rest of the evening…
The day of course began with the traditional marathon stickball game… a real 12 inning affair… with so many 2 sewer homeruns you lost count… only to be ended by a 3 sewer blast that lost the ball… the late afternoon and early evening saw one of the bar league games being played… GarryOwens beat Sam’s 3-2…
Now-a-days, the 4th is celebrated with a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of Town Hall… and then a stop at the Pork Store for Brats… and then back home to the pool… its different… that’s for sure… as we’ve moved out to the burbs…
But, the memories are still vivid of a neighborhood coming together to celebrate the birth of our nation… of fathers who were just 10 years home from a world war that defeated the enemies of our wonderful democracy… and saved the world for us… and of course they were the men who brought back one very important thing… to "OUR INWOOD"!... they brought back...
Peace,
Inwood Guy
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