Miss Block was my first grade teacher at P.S. 102. She was the same first grade teacher both my sisters Ann and Rose had and believe it or not, my mother had her as well. Miss Block was the epitome
Public Schools in East Harlem
Italian Football Weddings
You’re probably wondering “What the heck is a football wedding?” Well it’s a wedding, but it has nothing to do with football. I will explain later how it got the name “Football Wedding.” I can only remember attending one as
My Sister Rose
This is going to be an homage to my sister Rose. She passed away on Sunday July 8th at the age of 85. Both my sisters are very special to me. Not only were they my sisters, but they were
Fourth of July in East Harlem
Fourth of July in East Harlem was very different from how we celebrate it today. It was a war between the neighborhood groups and who could shoot off the loudest firecrackers and last the longest into the night. Each area
NYC Tenement Air Shafts
One of the reasons I loved growing up in East Harlem during the 50’s was the neighborhood. Family and friends were all so close. Although we grew up on the streets of New York, we lived in a world of
SPECIALTY STORES IN THE 50’S
Went shopping the other day and started to think about the era before supermarkets. Back in the 50’s when I was growing up, there were no supermarkets. We had specialty stores and street vendors; although at the time we didn’t
EAST HARLEM FEASTS
At the end of the week it will be the Feast of St. Anthony, June 13th. When I was growing up in East Harlem there would be Italian Festivals throughout the spring and summer. It was either St. Anthony, Giglio,
Coney Island and Tar Beach
I hope everyone is enjoying my blogs. I look for comments and try to respond ASAP. One of the questions/comments this week was from a woman who asked me if I had relatives living on the Jersey Shore in the
Back to Reality
I told you I’d be writing every week. I will do my best to keep it going. The day after a holiday weekend is like the “back to reality” blahs…, especially after eating and drinking so much. I used to
What to Write
What to Write: I haven’t written a post in a while because to be perfectly honest I don’t know what to write about or what would interest everyone. So with the help of my daughter, I’ve decided to write stories