My Bronx Tale - Episode 2

CURLY HAIR, LOLLIPOPS AND FIRE HYDRANTS

This episode begins with our move from the Quonset huts on Morrison Avenue to the housing projects at 1040 Soundview Avenue, Apartment 4B. Of course, being only three and a half years of age, I remember nothing of our move to the Projects, but I have some memories from that time that are still vivid in my mind.

My earliest specific memory is of me and my brothers playing outside in front of our building.  It is summer and getting close to suppertime.  Mom sticks her head out of the living room window which faces the front of the building and calls for us kids to come up for supper.  I am about six and a half years old.  I am with my brother Bill [he’s about twelve and the oldest of us four].  We take the elevator up.  As we enter the elevator, two older men enter with us.  One of the men asks my brother if I am his sister.  He replies yes.  He tells my brother that I have beautiful curly hair.

I’m not sure why I remember this scene from my life.  Maybe it was one of my first compliments.  I do recall mom fixing my hair in banana curls, but there are many pictures of me with a mop of hair that looks messy.  Mom had straight hair and I’m sure she was as perplexed as I have been with what to do with my hair.  I have had more bad hair days than I care to count!

When I think back on this time of my life, the best memories are of me playing outside with the neighborhood kids in the lollipop, which was  located on the back side of our building. What we called the lollipop, you might know as a cul-de-sac.  It was basically a long street [the stick] ending in a circular dead end [the pop].  Cars didn’t park in the “pop” portion of the lollipop.  It was mainly used for turning around or dropping someone off.  All the neighborhood kids played there.  There was always a stick ball game going on or kids playing jacks or hop scotch. 

It was also a great place to roller skate (the old kind of shoe skates with a key to lock them on your feet) as the surface was very smooth.  I also remember playing a game [if it had a name I do not remember it] where we used bottle caps filled with candle or crayon wax, kind of like marbles but with bottle caps.

On really hot days, the older kids would use a wrench to open the fire hydrant at the end of the lollipop.  Someone would take a can that was open at both ends and put it over the opening of the hydrant creating an arch of water.  They’d spray the water in different directions and all the kids would rush into the street, clothes and all, to play shouting and screaming with excitement.  Pretty soon a fire truck would come and a fireman would close the hydrant.  We all would moan our displeasure at the fireman for taking away our fun.  But with the lollipop flooded, we could still splash and have a good time.  This would happen many times during the summer.  I’m sure the fire department hated it, but we kids loved it!

Let’s take a break from the story and look at some pictures from that time.

The front of our building.  Our apartment is on the 4^th floor.  Looks like Mom had all the windows open as you can see curtains flying!

Ariel view today of the Soundview Projects

The lollipop today.  Notice the fire hydrant. 

I wonder if the kids still open it up on a hot summer day?

1954 – Me and Bill.  I see my mother did my hair up in banana curls!

Christmas 1959.  Notice the upright piano behind me.  It was given to Mom by her friend Cora from the Quonset huts.  Mom played and I tried. 

The piano did not make the trip when we moved the following year. :-(

Christmas 1959, showing the inside of our apartment. 

Dad was not sleeping but probably wished he was. 

Mom trained us kids to freeze when she was taking pictures. 

Dad was not as trainable!! LOL even the cat had his eyes open!

Same Christmas 1959 with Mom and Stinker, our cat. 

We weren’t allowed pets in the apartment, but we had one anyway. 

Mom and I were cat lovers even back then!

Easter 1960 with some of the neighborhood kids. 

Back row: Marjorie, ?, ?, ?, family friend Laura Serrano.

Middle Row: brother Bill, me, family friend Richie Serrano, ?. 

Front Row: Mike, ?, brother Ricky, ?.

I recall my brother Bill having a crush on Marjorie.

Easter 1960—the neighbor boys…hoodlums in the making lol!! 

Brothers Rick and Mike are 4^th and 5^th from left.

I have many other fond memories of growing up in the Projects. I remember:

 ---    our old black telephone with the big dial (Our phone number was TY3-5638 and my friend Laura’s was TI2-2603. Laura was three years older than me but the closest thing I had to a best friend back then. We are friends on Facebook today.);

---    my brother Bill scaring the beejeebees out of me when he put a large fake spider in the bathroom sink;

---    visits to the storage room on the ground floor where people kept their bicycles and baby carriages and other things too large to store in their apartments (It was always a mystery to me as to what people would keep in there.);

---    listening to my brother Bill play his 45 rpm records over and over and over and over again (It’s no wonder I know all the words to many oldies but goodies!);

---    buying penny candy at the corner drugstore;

---    my ghastly visit to the local dentist;

---  picnics at Orchard Beach;

---    Mr. Adler, a resident in the building who taught me to sing in German;

---    going to school and church;

---    and going across the street with my brothers to buy White Castle hamburgers.

Some of these memories you will read about in upcoming episodes of My Bronx Tale.  Don't forget to tune in tomorrow!!

Later!!

~ P