My Roots

Hey there: you might be wondering "Why is he blogging about Brooklyn?" Well...I was born here, I traveled the world (sort of), but these days I still live and work here. I'm also old enough to remember the Brooklyn of more than 50 years ago, and I've seen it change. For example...

I'm old enough to remember when there were still trolleys running on Bath Ave. They used to alternate with the Bath Ave. buses (and the fare was only 15 cents!). 

There were still occasional trolleys running on 86th Street; and the West End Express (now the D Train) ran on the elevated - without air conditioning - but with overhead fans, and rattan-like straw seats into which you nestled for the long trip to the Downtown Brooklyn area (what is now known as the Fulton Mall), and to department stores such as Abraham and Strauss or Macy's. If we couldn't find what we were looking for there, then it was back on the train, and onward to 34th Street in Manhattan!

My photo of the Verrazano Bridge from the Bay

I can also clearly remember going down to the bay at Bay Parkway and Shore Parkway before the Verrazano Bridge was built.

Yes it's a beautiful bridge, no question! However, to me, it looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (a city I have lived in for one summer), yet without its grandeur. Sorry.

When I became older, I ran frequently and biked down at the bay. It's a wonderful place to get fresh air, escape from stress, and gather your thoughts.

The Verrazano spans a highly trafficked waterway. If you go down to the bay, you can see beautiful cruise ships the size of small cities sailing underneath it; other times cargo ships and oil tankers - often flanked by tugboats - make their way to Manhattan and other destinations.

My photo of Kohl's and BABIES R US
at Caesar's Bay

But I can remember another time - before the bridge was built. In the 50's - if you went down to  to what is now called Caesar's Bay - where Kohl's and Best Buys is now - you would see a far different sight. Back then, in that parking lot, were two attractions: a popular Go-Kart track, and of course, the Amusement Park known as Nellie Bly. I was too young to go on the Go-Karts, but I went to Nellie Bly many times as a child. Eventually, Nellie Bly had to leave because the area made way for a department store called Korvette's. Believe it or not this store said they had "The world's largest record department," and since I was an employed teenager, I bought many records (of the '60's) at that store. I still have quite a few of them.

Meanwhile, Nellie Bly had to find a new home, so they moved down Shore Road to a spot between Bay Parkway and 26th Ave. They changed their name and are now known as Adventurers. I drove down there and took the photo below.

My photo of the new incarnation of the Nellie Bly Amusement Park

Then I decided to check out good old Coney Island and Brighton Beach where I spent many a summer's day with my parents when I was young. Join me by clicking on the tab marked "Coney Island" for a glimpse into the past and present.