Local Hangouts in Italian Harlem

Growing up in East Harlem there were always hangouts where young people would congregate.  Not only were there candy stores, luncheonettes like Mangini’s, The Sugar Bowl and Char-ko-lette , the local neighborhood Jefferson Park, but we also had the Harlem House.

The Harlem House was located on 116th Street, between First and Second Avenues.  It was funded by either the City or State of New York, don’t know which, and an entire building was devoted to getting some of the kids off the streets.  They had basketball courts, ping pong tables, after school programs and free camp in the summertime.  My bestie Lorraine Buxton and I went to summer camp two years in a row for two weeks each time and it was free. One year our friend Catherine Perrone joined us.  They are some of the best memories I have growing up as a kid.  My girlfriends Marie Garduillo and MaryJane Abbamonte lived in a brownstone just a few doors down from the Harlem House.  Marie had lived up the block from me on 113th Street before we moved.  We started kindergarten together at P.S. 102.  The Harlem House is where we met some of the other locals in the neighborhood.

You could sign up for outings with the Harlem House. Most of the time it was free, but sometimes you had to pay just a few dollars.  The counselors took us to see a Broadway Show…my first…the original cast of West Side Story with Carol Lawrence as Maria.  She was no more Puerto Rican than Natalie Wood was in the movie version, but it was amazing anyway! Another first for me was a field trip to see my very first opera…Madam Butterfly; in fact these were firsts for most of the kids in the neighborhood. There were a bunch of us that would go on these outings.  I met a lot of our forever friends at the Harlem House. It was great.

I remember Arlene Motta, Marion Capazolli, AnnMarie Salerno and Joan Marconi…and Pat Piccolo.  Joan and Pat unfortunately died too young in their forties. Marion married one of the local guys Pete Tambakis and in fact they live just a few blocks away from me in New Rochelle. Many of the guys and gals we hung out with and “went together” during those days wound up getting married. Quite a few as a matter of fact.  They started going together when they were 13 or 14 and stayed together.

We also went to the local movie theater, The Cosmo.  It was 25 cents to get in and on Tuesdays they gave away dishes.  If you went every Tuesday you could collect an entire dinnerware set.  There were matrons in those days who would walk down the aisles with flashlights to make sure everyone was behaving.  If you made noise or there was trouble, Mary the matron would have you thrown out of the theater.  I still remember what Mary looked like and she was truly a “matron.”  She had her hair parted down the middle with a bun in the back and black rimmed glasses.  She knew all the local kids and she would wave that flashlight back and forth in the aisles. She knew who were the troublemakers and never failed to point them out.  I also remember there was a store a few doors down where we could get great hot dogs and knishes.  I would get a knish sliced down the middle with mustard.

Some of the neighborhood kids still keep in touch til this day.  Life was much simpler in the 1950’s and 60’s.  I don’t know where the time has flown to, but at least I have these great memories.