Amsterdam, from 135th St. to 134th St.

Hello everyone,
I'm going to start at the South West corner of 135th and Amsterdam. My first recollection of the store on the corner it was a dry cleaner. Maybe Spotless but I'm not sure. After they moved out, Mr. Miller moved his liquor store from 1512 to the corner. Harry Scott and Wes Bradley were two of his clerks. There was also two guys who used to hang around out side of the liquor store. Jimmy Sullivan and the Weasel, who was also known as Patches. When we were too young to buy liquor and wanted some, for the cost of a very cheap pint of wine, either one of them would buy the liquor for you. No doubt, they were two of Miller's best customers.
Next to the liquor store was Coyne's and then O'Rourke's grocery store which I have mentioned before. Also next to them was Jimmy the Barber. That store eventually became a luncheonette.
Next was where the liquor store was. That became Herman's Toy Store. Business waned and he divided the store with the southerly half becoming Bill's Radio shop. Herman, of course we called him Herman the German, had a Renault Dauphine auto. It was the one that had the directional signal between the front and back door. A little arm would pop out depending on which way you wanted to turn.  The name Her Tone also sticks in my head.
Next was the stoop of 1512. 1512 held some great families. Most memorable of them for me was the Bradley's. Jimmy Bradley and I still get together for an occasional cocktail. Jimmy had a brother Jack and sisters Anna, Pat and Joan. Pat and Joan were both nurses. Jack was a great basketball player and later became a NYC school teacher, working down on the lower east side. Anna and Mary Mac from 500 were great friends growing up. I can remember Anna and Mary having conversations in the back yard with Mary out the hall way window in 500 and Anna out of the kitchen window in her apartment. Jimmy became a programmer and is now retired and living in Brick, N.J.
The Duncan's were there on the top floor. I don't remember all of them but I do hear from Bobby, via the blog, and later on I'll  post his recollections of 1512. Bobby had an older brother,Buddy, who I guess you could say was a bit wild. (We were not all angels) One of the rumors I recall hearing was that he was involved in burning down the Claremont Hotel. As you came off the viaduct going south toward Grant's Tomb is was directly in front of it on the hill. Just a rumor now! There was also Flo Duncan and Kathleen and  a younger sister, Bernadette. The Duncan's were related to the Lamarch's who lived up toward 136th. The Duncan's and the Bradley's were very good to a local neighborhood "waif" known as Warren Hoop. His real name was Warren Jordan and he lived in a hotel that was up on 142nd St. and Amsterdam. Although none of us knew it, he suffered from Turret's Syndrome. At least eight or ten times an hour he would holler out "Hoop" usually followed by "Hoop, God dam it." or "Hoop dee doo" His whole body would sort of shudder. Those two families always made sure he was fed and clothed properly. Warren, because of his affliction, could never hold a job and so he just "hung around". He was always ready to run an errand for you and that's all he did.
The Pappageorge Family was there. Two boys, George and I think Tommy. George got big into photography and he was one of my father's best customers for awhile. His mother bought him what ever he wanted.  There was a Guyanese family there, husband and wife, and they were great picture takers, too. The Stack's were there, I remember Mike and Jimmy and I think there was at least one sister. The Blakes were there, the twin girls, Barbra and Joan and brother Bobby and Billy. Also the Pagano's, Madeline and Patricia.  The Harkins were there, Winnie, Jimmy (Joker) Anne and I think an older brother.
Anne worked with me at Xerox for a time and then she became a nurse. Sadly she passed last year. I understand that Jimmy is living in Ireland. Winnie and her husband Hank, were living in Bergenfield but I think I heard that they moved. I can recall a guy who I believe lived in 1512 and the name Citron sticks in my head. He was a devoted Bongo player. When ever you saw him he had his Bongo drum strapped on his back or he was playing it on the stoop.
Moving down the block I have a little void about the next store. I think there was a store right next to the 1512 stoop but I can't remember what was there. The next store I remember was Matson's Butcher Shop. When he wasn't busy you could always see Mr. Matson sitting in the window reading his Journal American. If he knew you he'd wave to you. He always had a cat in the store, Blackie sticks in my mind. He was a big very well fed cat. Mom would send us to the shop and every now and then she's say, " and get twenty cents worth of liver for our cat". I think Blackie got a dollars worth. Could you imagine the Board of Health allowing a cat in a butcher shop, today?
Next to Matson's was Henry's candy store. There was Mrs. Henry sitting behind the counter eating her sunflower seeds. There was always a pile of shells in a little box in front of her. I don't think I ever saw that woman eat anything else. Henry's was good for a lot of things. They had Mello Rolls. It was a round cylinder of ice cream that fit into a specially made cone that held the cylinder side ways. They also had Hooten bars. Hootens were not wrapped and were bigger in weight than Hershey bars but they were short and squat. The big thing was that they were only four cents when Hersheys were five so you were able to buy an extra pennies worth of candy. Henry's always had great penny candy and they would wrap it up in a little wax paper cone. The other thing they had was Mission sodas. When we got finished playing over in the playground  we would always head over to Henry's, go all the way to the back of the store and dig into the cooler with the big block of ice for an ice cold Mission soda. Pineapple or Orange were my favorites and Cream was pretty good too!
The 1508 stoop was next to Henry's and you could usually find Tillie guarding the door. Jimmy Cavanugh,who lived up stairs, tells me that her real name was Clara Dara. I like Tillie better. She was a little lady but boy was she tough. Yes. as I said, the Cavanugh's were upstairs, Jimmy, and his two sisters, Betty and a younger sister who I can picture but can't think of her name. The Talty's were on the top floor and Joe was in my class. He had a bunch of brothers and sisters. I got to talk to John Talty at the last reunion and he tells me that they are spread out all over. The Burkes were high up in the building also. Mary was a brilliant girl and she was in my class. Her brother Harry, was also brilliant and he was in Regis and then went into the Seminary and became a priest. He was in a parish for a short while and then started teaching up at Cardinal Hayes. He has been there for many years. It's been about five years now, but I saw him helping to carry the Cardinal Hayes banner in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Another guy that lived in the building was Baby. That is the only name I knew him by for years. I later heard his name was Hiram Rivera.
On the south side of the 1508 stoop was Kaplan's Dairy Store. When the Kaplan's had the store I remember getting little miniature loaves of Bond bread. They were free samples that Bonds would give out. The Kaplans sold the store to the fellow who was their store clerk. George was his first name and his last name was something like Keoun (that's what I recall). George was the nicest guy. We always got our butter and cheese there. They were never packaged ,they were sold "in bulk" The cheese was in big wheels and the butter was cut from what looked like a fifty pound block. I have never been able to find an American cheese as good as what George sold. Around Easter time he always sold duck eggs and my Mother loved them. She'd have a big soft boiled duck egg and load it up with pats of butter as she ate it. Cholesterol a problem? Not for Mom, she lived to be 98. I also remember getting a package of Yankee Doodles on my way back  to school, after lunch break, for five cents. There was four cupcakes in the package and I'd have them finished by the time I got to school.
Next door to George was the Castle Tavern. I don't know too much about the Castle but I remember they were one of the first bars with TV. I can remember trying to peek in the window to see what was on. They were also one of the first to get an air conditioner. It was a big unit that sat right in the middle of the back of the store. The boys that hung out in the Castle were a hostile bunch. Many a night at two or three in the morning there would be a fight at closing time. They were great to watch in the summer time, peering out of the window. There was never any knives or guns, just good fist fights, somebody won and somebody lost.
Next to the Castle was Gus's meat market. Can you imagine two butcher shops in one block? Both of them were very good. If Mom got a bad piece of meat from Matsons the next trip to the butcher would be to Gus's. Both of the shops always had sawdust on the floor. I'm a little fuzzy on what was next to Gus but in that area I recall a Botonical shop that sold all kinds of religeous statues and incense and tropical  related stuff. They catered to the Spanish people in the neighborhood. Also somewhere in that area was the stoop for 1504.
What I think was one of the greatest nicknames in the neighborhood belonged to "Snoggy" McCabe. I have no idea where it came from but I'm sure someone around still knows.I never knew his real first name. Snoggy lived in 1504 and hung out with the Rochford brothers, Tommy and Donny. I think they had a sister, too. The Coogans were in the building also. Eddie was in my class and he had a younger brother and sister. They all resembled Mrs.Coogan very closely. Pete and Abby Henriquez were there. Abby always wore  these big eyeglasses. I think, fashion wise, she was way ahead of her time.
On the corner was Mantell's drug store. I have heard people say that he had a soda fountain but, if he did, it was before my time. I just remember a nice pharmacist working there and not much else. We complain about there being a Walgreen's or a Rite Aid on every corner now. We were ahead of out time. We had a drug store on the corner of 135th and one on the corner of 134th St. There was another one on the corner of 135th and Broadway.
If you wonder what the block looks like now, click on this link: http://www.viewofhouse.com?e=40.818589,-73.952482:299.07 To move up and down the block use the arrows in the upper left corner of the picture. The sign on the scaffolding says that the permit expires Jan. 2010 so I suspect this picture is at least a year old. Check out the grass that is in the playground now.

Here is Bobby Duncan's memory of 1512:
I'm astonished by so many names from the past. Liz Molnar and I were lindy hop partners at the Annunciation dances. For a girl of Hungarian and Puerto Rican antecedants she sure could dance around the best of them. "Baby" was Hiram Rivera who lived at 1510 or 08. He was buds with Pete Henriquez and Tommy Ruiz ("Mr. Cool"), The Taltys lived in Baby's building along with the Morans. The girl was Daisy but I don't remember her two brothers' names - much older than me. The older brother was an exec at Sinclair Inks. The Cavanaughs also resided I believe on the 2nd floor.            
You really must get into the buildings on Amsterdam Avenue. My cousins were the late Albert and Donald La March. And of course you know Artie and Catherine. 
1512 Amsterdam Avenue was a veritable melting pot. The Stacks were on the first floor. The second floor had the Mendoncas (Portugese Guyana), Mrs. Birnbaum (not sure of her first name); the Pappageorges (Greeks) (2 sons who went to either public school or Greek schools). The Third floor had the Bradleys. Joan was my nurse when I had my appendix out at good old Knickerbocker. I believe Mr. Bradley work for transit. The fourth floor is where the Paganos lived next door to the Harkins. Anne is certainly missed. Oh I forgot the Dukes - George was the son and Tootsie the daughter. At last on the top floor there was us, the Duncans and next door the Blakes - Sonny, Billy, Joan and the late Barbara.
The Rochfords lived at 1504 where Abigail Henriquez and her brother Peter also lived there.
Memory is a tricky thing. So many people have gone like Edgar Rodriguez and Lydia Melandez who lived in the same building next to the Pentecostal storefront church. Luis Fuentes passed away many years ago as a teenager but his family lived on 136th Street.
The Knights were the group that Baby, Pete and Tommy had aligned themselves with. The Rebels were more a 136th gang.
Robert Duncan

Bobby McKenna sent me this picture:

found this in my archive. taken at PS 192? on amst ave
mike pirrone, bob mckenna, charlie villegas, patty coughlin, ed brady, john lopez, bill o'rourke, pete markel (youth board worker), mike healy, anthony ricchio, jim harkin, audrey hills, andy rodriquez, duke frascati, tommy branchini, chips crimmins

Pat McKenna Woods wrote to tell me that the name of the store on the corner of 133rd St. was Heinicks. All the Donaghue girls and their Mom worked there at one time or another. Pat had a Christmas job  there one year and they paid her fifty cents an hour.
That's it for now. I still have a "million names" rattling around in my brain and before all the gray matter rots away I'll try to share some more of it with you.

The Sunny Side of 135th Street, 511 to 535

When the "City Father's" laid out the block pattern of the Manhattan Island 135th Street landed up being a double wide street. 125th and 145th Streets were also double wides. They were very commercial areas whereas 135th Street was basically residential. Being that we were on a hill the north side of streets always had abundant sunshine and the south side was always in the shadows. 511 to 535 were on that sunny side of the street.
I'll start off with Jimmy Boylen's recollections of 513:
I would like to share the following memories regarding 513 W. 135st., the building I was literally born in on a cold Jan. night in 1940. Some of the wonderful families who resided there include the Cunningham's, Mr. &Mrs then their was Mary, Eleanor, Noreen and Robert. The Ferick's, Mr. &Mrs. and the three sisters, Margaret, Eileen and Kay. The Norton Family including Mary, Billy and Eddie. You had big John Sullivan and his mother & father. Then there was the Gills, and the two boys Francis and Peter.. Some other families would include the Pomero's, the Browser's and of course our memorable superintendent Bailey and his brother-in-law John and his two sons Moose & Goose. I remember well the fathers on a summer evening sitting on the front stoop smoking their pipes or cigarettes and talking about politics or the "old country."
To that I'll share an anecdote about John Sullivan. A couple of years ago my wife and I were at a fund raiser held at Monmouth Racetrack. I noticed this one tall fellow ambling across the room and I said to myself, I've only seen one person walk like that and it was Mrs. Sullivan from 135th Street. I went over to talk to the fellow and sure enough it was big John Sullivan. He walked just like his mother.  John reminded me that he went to All Hallows after Annunciation on a basketball scholarship and then to Tulane.
I believe that Jimmy Boylan's dad worked at the Manhattan Savings Bank on 47th and Madison. That bank used to install an ice skating rink in the window of the bank every Christmas and at lunch time would put on a show. I recall seeing Mr. Boylan there. No, he wasn't one of the skaters!
Jimmy didn't mention them but he had a brother, Hugh, and two sisters, Margaret and Eileen. He also didn't mention that the Boylen's had frequent visitors from Ireland. One of them, Alice Sherry, a cousin,  is one of my wife's closest girlfriends. What a small world!
Moving down the block I remember the Alfafaras. This is a copy of one of Odette Alfafara's letters:
We lived at 517 on 135th Street. My sister, Carmen, always lived there until she moved to Washington, D.C., for a short while, then married Bob Leach (from Kentucky) who has since passed away. They lived in the Bronx, then Medford, Long Island. Growing up, Carmen dated Tommy Rehill who had a brother, Vinny. Carmen now lives in Cape Carteret, North Carolina.
My oldest brother, Jerry, also lives in Buena Park, CA. He was friends with Sonny Grasso. Always have enjoyed the "French Connection" and "The Seven-Up" knowing Sonny Grasso was a part of all this.
Regarding, my sister, Angie, and Bill Devlin - sadly, Bill passed away April 2006. His younger brother, Jimmy, passed away approximately two years later. Bill's oldest brother Buddy passed away many years ago. The youngest,his sister, Mary, also lives in California. Angie still lives in Buena Park, California, which has been her home with Bill since 1963. She is familiar with more people from the neighborhood than I am. She is not on the computer. I have printed some of your blogs and have sent them to her.


 I don't remember anyone from 519 and perhaps, gladly so. The building burned down and has since been rebuilt. Interested in moving back to the old neighbor hood? Take a look at this: (I clipped it out of a New York Times real estate column a few  years ago. Unforutatlely, I can't get it to enlarge by clicking on it)


.

ll 
521 was loaded with kids. The Magners were there, Mr.Matt and Mrs. Anne. There were four boys, Paddy, Gerry, Jimmy and Tommy. Sadly, Paddy and Gerry have passed. I still get together with Jimmy and I'm in trouble. I didn't take Jimmy's picture and the reunion. He wasn't the only one I missed and he is not the only one who reminded me of not gettting their picture. Paddy's widow, Kaye,  has since remarried to another Vinegar Hiller, Benny Beackom. She loves to tell the story of being somewhere and someone overheard her say that she was married to someone from Vinegar Hill. She told them she was married to two of them. Interestingly, Benny never knew Paddy. Oh yeah, I didn't get Kaye's picture either.
The Mitchels were there. I still remember Billy walking his dog. Come to think of it, I remember a lot of people  walking their dogs. Don't know why that has stuck in my memory.
I believe the Vicentes were on the second floor. Philip was in my crowd and he had a younger brother, Julian. He also had two older sisters and I believe they both went to St. Vincent's nursing school. If I remember correctly, Mr. Vicente was a waiter in one of those high class downtown restaurants. I think he was from Spain and Mrs. Vicente was from Scotland. Yes, we were a multi-national lot. Weren't we?
The Callahans were also there, Joe and his sister Peggy.  Joe was a very dapper dresser and he and his best friend, Cookie Bowe (from 134th St.) were probably the best dressed guys in the neighborhood.
I have no recollection of anyone from 523 down to 535 where the "Bard of Vinegar Hill', John Murry lived. I don't remember John but I do remember the Whites. George White worked for Annunciation and he had a son who could have been his clone. The son was a true chip off the old block. I have another remembrance of 535. The building had a nice stoop and across the top of the wall of the stoop was a row of small spikes. No doubt they were there to stop people from sitting on the stoop. One day, when I was five or six, I  was down that way with Brendan Dunican and I decided to climb up on the back side of the stoop. As I reached over the top of the stoop I planted my arm firmly on one of those spikes and from there I was on my way to Knickerboker for some stitches.
I didn't mention 511 and I am not positive but I think that is where the Considines lived. I remember their dad, Tom and there was Jimmy and his younger sister Margie. I mentioned Jimmy when I covered 509. He lives up in Westchester now. Awhile ago, at one of  the reunions, he told us that in addition to his duties at IBM, he is also the organist for his parish. He taught himself to play. We always said he's brilliant.
I don't remember what building they lived in but Dennis Flaherty and his sister lived on the sunny side. Dennis' dad was a terrific handball player. Dennis was too. Last I heard Dennis was living in Ohio. A number of guys would love to hear from him. The Halpin brothers were on the sunny side too. There was Jimmy and Harry. I recall that Jimmy was very active with the boy scouts.
I also recall a lady who lived on that side, her  name was Betty and she was handicapped from a stroke. She had a dog, Teddy, and her boyfriend was Tex. He always wore jeans and cowboy boots.
That's it for my memory of the sunny side of 135th Street.
I've got some additions to some of my previous posts. I think he lived in 504. His name was Ruben Gomez (Ruby). He was a very small fellow and I recall hearing that at one time he was the "War Lord" for a gang know as the Maharaja's. They from around 104th Street.
Another guy I overlooked was Tommy Burke and his brothers. They lived in 499 and Tommy was on the NYPD. Tommy has always been a faithful attendee to most of the reunion Masses.
Next up I plan to cover Amsterdam Ave. from 135th to 134th Street.
As always, comments, criticisms and suggestions are always welcome. Send them to tomyread@aol.com
If you know someone who wants to get on my mailing list just send me their email address.

.

The October 2nd "Reunion".

We had great fall weather and a nice turnout. The Annunciation Pastor Fr. Jose Clavero celebrated the Mass assisted by Father Gerry Gallagher (class of 1943) and Deacon John Kelleher (class of 1950).

As usual, after Mass we went down to the Lower Church for some good camaraderie. I tried to get every one's picture but, unfortunately I missed a number of regular attendees. I'm sorry! The kid from Read's Camera store botched the job again. My eighth grade class had a basketball team and one time we were playing up at St. Elizabeths and I was going to take the pictures. Not one picture  came out. I'm getting a little better. Now I hope I get the names spelled correctly and on the right picture. Here goes...........

Tony Ramirez

.  

George Ramirez

John O'Rourke

Dennis Murray

Tony Alva

Tommy Magner

Hugh Boylen

Margie Scott

John Scott

Ann Beackom

Jack Murphy



John Cassidy



John Lopez

John Croke

Bob McKenna

Martie Chambers

Ben Beackom

Mike McCaffery



Bob Conndly (Class of 1938)



John Keegan

Danny Sullivan

Eileen Ferrick

Jenny Clancy

Buddy Clancy

Jimmy Cavanaugh

Fr. Gerry Gallagher  (Class of 1943)

Jimmy Corcoran

John Talty

Andy Rodriquez

Billy Maher

Tom Sakel

Maureen Read and Mary McNicholas

Simone Purcell, Buddy Clancy, Pat Purcell

John Clancy, Maureen Clancy, Maureen Read

John Scott and Pat Dowd



Mr. and Mrs. John O'Rourke and Margie Wheatley (Maher)

 
After the reception was over I toured the neighborhood and took a few pictures of some of the old landmarks.

In John Scott's book there is a robbery at the Interboro Fur Storage building on 126th and Amsterdam. That building is now an apartment house and the awnings say it is The Mink Building.

Across the street from the Mink Building it is still there. It's that smelly old rotten live chicken market. The outside looks very neat but we all know what lingers inside.

This is the northwest corner of 133rd St. In "our" day I believe it was called the Alba Dept. Store. This is the store we altar boys went to for our collars. Mrs. Donohue and, at one time or another, all her daughters worked there. The Kneafsey's lived up stairs in the building.

Going north from the corner of 133rd St. one of these two stores was Robert's Deli. It was Betty and Robert, a great German couple and they made the best roast beef  that I ever had.

You can't see them, but behind these bushes lies the "Eagle Rocks" .Just to the left is where the "oval" used to be. On the right is the Music and Art H. S. building.

That's my wife Maureen sitting at the bar of the Dinosaur Bar B Q.  The address is 800 West 125th Street. It is in an area that is now known as Viaduct Valley or ViVa. We just called the area under the viaduct and when we were kids it was all meat packing plants. Now it is becoming a very upscale restaurant area. Maureen and I had dinner here and had a forty five minute wait for a table at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The food was great but nothing will replace Sherman's Bar B Q up on 152nd and Amsterdam at 4 o'clock in the morning.

 That's it for now. As I said in my last post, next up will be the north side of 135th from 511 to 535.

I found some more photos............and a couple more emails

I was rummaging through some of my "stuff " and I came across these pictures from Annunciation. The first one is one that I left out when I copied Molly's album.
The top picture is Molly Torres, Mary Purcell and Margie Moore. The middle picture is Molly and on the back she says the picture was taken by Mary O'Reilly in front of Mary's building which was 501W134 St.
The bottom picture is of Louie Caraisco. Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

The program for the graduating Class of 1953.

You got this photo in two parts in my last post. I shrunk it down and made it fit into one picture.

This is the class of 1952 taken in their 7th Grade. The picture says 7B 1951.

I just got this email from Jimmy Boylen

I would like to share the following memories regarding 513 W. 135st., the building I was literally born in on a cold Jan. night in 1940. Some of the wonderful families who resided there include the Cunningham's, Mr. & Mrs then their was Mary, Eleanor, Noreen and Robert. The Ferick's, Mr. & Mrs. and the three sisters, Margaret, Eileen and Kay. The Norton Family including Mary, Billy and Eddie. You had big John Sullivan and his mother & father. Them their was the Gills, and the two boys Francis and Peter.. Some other families would include the Pomero's, the Browser's and of course our memorable superintendent Bailey and his brother-in-law John and his two sons Moose & Goose. I remember well the fathers on a summer evening sitting on the front stoop smoking their pipes or cigarettes and talking about politics or the "old country."
I had to laugh at Bobbie MacKenna's recollection of some of the old swimming holes. I do remember Cascades Pool and especially the sign at one end that stated " All the Water that's Fit to Drink."
One other spot we use to go swimming at besides the docks was a day at Palisades Park. We would go down to the ferry and go across to NJ for a dime, climb up the steep water drain pipe and sneak into the park and the pool and spend the entire day. When I got home Mom would ask where I had been and the pat answer was " Oh just around." Needless to say we had been out of state for the entire time.
Some other recollections was the old US Navy Medical ship that use to be dry-docked at about 139th-140th Streets. We used to go on-board and play basketball on a court that had more dead floor boards, you would try to dribble the ball but many times it simply did not bounce up. Another great gym was PS43. many good games on that court as well as the Oval & the 135th St. Park.
Summertime as the song says " and the living was easy" was no truer than living in or around Vinegar Hill.
The old girl friends, boy friends, the sports, the church, the playgrounds or just hanging out, as Johnnie Scott says in his book 'The Boys From Vinegar Hill" I would be glad to do it all over again.
Thanks Tom for the opportunity to remember and share our memories together.
Jim Boylan

Ed.'s note, I beleive the name of the ship was the Prairie State. I just googled Navy Ship Prairie State and got the whole history of the original ship. One of the last pictures was of the ship as we remembered it. She was scrapped in 1956.

This the letter I wanted to put in the last post from Molly Torres. I mistakenly posted one of her previous letters.
I'm Molly Torres Kafes now living in Citrus County(town of Hernando, Florida) for 4 years as of Sept. 1 of this year. I lived in New Jersey since I remarried in 1976, lived in a condo in Cliffside Park (home of Palisades Amusement,  Tappan, NY (Rockland County). We lived in our home almost 26 yrs since 1979 and boy do I miss my New Jersey.
After Annuciation under Sacred Heart nuns(Mother Burns, principal & I remember Mother Mc Carthy who was a great geography teacher we then had the pleasure of the Dominican nuns the last 2 yrs(7th & 8th grade), Sister Peter Claver & Sister Mary Veritas. How I survived was a miracle. I mostly hung around 134th st withMary Purcell, Margie Moore, Theresa Quealy &; a few other girls'. All the fellows that I remember were Tomy Read, Billy Hackett, Louis Caraisco, Donald McIver(?)and many others. I then went to St. Alphonsus H.S. on Varick St. way downtown in what is now I believe SOHO. I went to high school with Mary O'Rielly from 134th st & Maureen Hurley from 135th or 136th street. I also stayed around my block on 131st street between Amsterdam Ave & Old Broadway. My best friends on that block were, Barbara Gallagher, Patricia Murphy, Caroline Aiello (actor Danny Aiellos's sister), Palma Mongello & her sisters, Patricia Galleghue, Billy Galleghue,Florence Le Blanc and many others. It was a great block & we had lots of fun, making our scooters, cooking(potatoes) in the dirty lots & renting bycycles for 25 cents for 30 minustes or 50 cents for an hour, until my mother got tired of me asking for money & she bought me a monarch bike.
Durng high school I hung around Lasalle Street & Broadway (122nd ST) near the original Julliard School of Music. I was going steady with Tommy Sullivan of Lasalle St. & knew some of the girls' in that area. After high school I went to work for NY Telephone(Ma Bell) at 108th st & Manhattan Ave. I was there almost 6 years & went to work for American Express in the old Wanamaker building on east 8th st. I remember that Macsorleys bar was nearby & only men could go in there.
Well I could go on, but I won't get anything done here in the house. So until next time the saga will continue.
Molly