White Castle

Does anyone remember White Castle? There were the tiny hamburgers before the Golden Arch. First fast-food hamburger chain ever. White Castle actually started in the 1920's I found out from their website. I remember being able to get 10 burgers for $1.00 or a "sack full." I tried the frozen burgers from the grocery. Just not the same. If you are going to try the frozen ones, best not to put them in the microwave! It says microwaveable - DON'T!

The website has a timeline. Until I read the history, I never realized the patties had five holes. The holes made the burger cook faster - interesting. I only opened the burger to check for the onions, pickle and ketchup. Never noticed those holds. white Castle was opened 24 hours, a true New York restaurant.

From a Press Release: White Castle was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. The company owns and operates 400 units in 11 states and is considered to be the first fast food hamburger restaurant. Its unique steam-grilled hamburger is the featured ingredient in the company's third recipe book, "By the Sackful: Recipes from 85 Years of White Castle Craving," now on sale via www.whitecastle.com or in select bookstores.

Ghost Haunting in Brooklyn

Time for ghostly sightings. I lived in some old brownstone and limestone buildings in Brooklyn. No doubt they were built in the 1800's. When I lived there I thought they were built during the French-Indian War. They were not new and shiny like the new highrisers going up. I especially wanted to live in Manhattan. That's where all the tall buildings were.

My family owned the brownstone in Brooklyn back to when my grandfather was a boy. Since we were not the first to live in the house, I just knew some old people had lived and died there. Just couldn't prove it. The paquet floors creaked, and the cellar (not basement) was dark and damp. The only reason to go down there was to put coal in the furnace during the winter. Sometimes to my miss fortune, my grandfather would throw the chairs down into the cellar from the backyard. There was no grass in the back, just a concert yard. My grandmother put her plants out there during the summer. She and grandpa would sit out there on summer evenings. I hang out on the stoop, a much better place. Anyway, when the weather got too cold to sit out, my grandfather would sometimes toss the folding chairs down the cellar stairs, to keep the snow off them in the winter. I had to go down and put them away 'neatly.'

I hated it down there. It was dark, damp and spooky. When the furnace was turned off the draft blew through, making terrible noises. There was just one naked light that lite nothing. The windows were high up, because the cellar was below the street level. They were useless for adding any day light. I tossed those chairs in the corner 'neatly' and got out of there. It seemed funny to me that I had to go down there to help my father shovel coal into the furnace. I was so happy when we got the oil furnace.

Most of the time I was outside. When in the house there was usually someone home. My grandparents lived on the first floor so they didn't have to climb the steps. The second floor was the parlor floor (living room) and our kitchen. The bedrooms were upstairs.

I didn't know it then but Brooklyn was full of cemeteries. I had to go to a funeral at Evergreens Cemetery once. It was noted that there were a lot of supernatural events and ghosts in Brooklyn due to its "cemeterial environment." There were many cemeteries here and in Queens, many established during the 19th century as the original burial grounds in Manhattan became full and closed to new burials. The kids designated at least six houses on the block as haunted, but mine was not one of them.

The New York City Blackout of 1977 was an electricity blackout that affected New York City from July 13-14, 1977. Of course my sister and I were home alone. My grandparents were visiting my aunt. My father was on his way home from out of town. My mother took a job for the summer, and this day she worked late. She and my father were on their way home when they got caught first in delays on the subway; then in the blackout. My sister and I didn't know that. No cell phones at the that time. It was a job trying to find a working phone in the subway.

My sister and I were OK until it got dark. We were outside and knew nothing until the street lights didn't come on and it was dark. See the street lights were our clock. You had to be in the house when the street lights came on. The house was dark too, since the lamp I turned on couldn't work with no electric.

All the kids beat it home, if there mother's did not already call them in. I tried to get before the last fickler of daylight so I could find the flashlights. I had to turn on the gas stove in my grandparent's kitchen on so I could get some light to find grandpa's flashlight. His was the easiest to find since we used it to find the light in the cellar.

We use to hear the floor creaking and people walking up the stairs all the time. There was usually an adult home. Mother always said we were hearing the people next door, or someone in the house moving around. Tonight, we heard all that and more, and there was no one home but two kids. By this time it was too dark out to go to the neighbors. It was the first time I saw stars in the city. First, we saw someone or something in the upstairs hall. That was bad because that's where we were headed. Then we heard the sound of the couple arguing next door. The problem is that there was a nurse on one side and two guys living on the other side and no one ever heard them argue. Next someone was knocking on the door upstairs. When we got up, there was no one anywhere. The block was empty. So my sister an camped out on the second floor steps until we heard the neighbors coming out on their stoops. That's where my mother found us playing with the flashlight. We had to go to the bathroom soooo bad. When we told her about the 'ghostly sounds, we sat on the stoop until my father arrived and found the rest of the flashlights. We all slept in the parlor that night. My sister and I were never left home alone. There was never any explanation given about what we heard.

Brownstone Houses

I guess it's fitting at this time of the year (Halloween) to talk about some of the houses in Brooklyn. Growing up I just knew they were old. I felt for sure some were haunted. All houses have history - many have mysteries as well. I may have to put that in another post.

Brownstone owners often find themselves stumped as to the 'what and why' of a house feature. First the yard had no grass, front or back. If there was a tree out front, there may have been a little grass around the tree. Probably not! Growing up, I didn't realize the gate and fence surrounding the front yard was antique iron. The gate was something to swing on.

All the house were connected, so you could walk across the roofs. We never called them row houses. The front steps is a stoop. To enter the house from outside to the second floor required a flight of steps leading up to the front door, known as the stoop. Because this is the predominant architectural style in Brooklyn, there are a lot of stoops. It was the place to hang out, especially during warm weather. We waited for the Good Humor ice cream truck in the evening. Waited for the crew to show up, before heading to the park, playing "stoop ball" or having a game of stickball in the middle of the street. There were not that many cars driving through the block. The stoop also served as one of the bases. Wasn't usual to hear the older people in the hood yelling such expressions as "Fugheddaboudit", "Oy Vey!" and "Schmuck" at the kids who seem to be in their way during these games.

These same old buildings are worth millions today. Many of the people living in the brownstones are there by choice, not born in Brooklyn. Houses are being renovated to be more "green." There even walking tours of neighborhoods.

FREE EVENT- 2008 Street Games

Kids, teens, and parents, take advantage of this chance to learn and play “old school” games like:
Stick Ball

Stoop Ball
Box Ball

Skully
Hopscotch

Jacks
Double-Dutch
Red Light, Green Light

Our Lady of Victory

Our Lady of Victory, [Est. 1868] 583 Throop Avenue at McDonough Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216 was my first elementary school. The property was sold many years ago. You could tell the church was a grand church for another time.

The church, which was designed by Mr. Thomas Houghton, cost $160,000 to complete, and contains many original and beautiful details. The white marble altar, also designed by Houghton, was a gift from the president of the Emigrant Savings Bank, James McMahon; the tabernacle was given by Mrs. Cahill; the marble baptismal font was given by Dr .Sullivan. To ensure that he wouldn’t be outdone, the bank president also donated a solid gold chalice and a white silk cape “embroidered in rich designs.” The Stations of the Cross were made in Munich, and the painting and decorations were done by Baraldi, a famous painter based in Philadelphia. Six years later, in 1901, an elaborate new pulpit (since removed) was ordered from the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of Corona.

I don't know what occupies the building today or if it's still standing. The parish closed but the school was opened for sometime. The school was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

The church's 25-bed men's shelter, ''Our Father's House,'' - operated in a gray, granite former convent adjacent to the church - closed after serving more than 1,400 people since October 1974. 'The House Is Dying'.

2007 Three parishes in Bedford-Stuyvesant---Our Lady of Victory, Holy Rosary and Nativity of Our Blessed Lord/St. Peter Claver---have joined to become St. Martin de Porres parish, honoring the patron saint of interracial justice. The worship sites of this new merged parish remain Our Lady of Victory Church, 583 Throop Ave, Holy Rosary Church, 172 Bainbridge St., and Nativity/St. Peter Claver Church, 29 Claver Pl. The latter itself was formed by the merger of two parishes in 1973.

St. Gregory School the Great

One of the Catholic elementary school I attended was St. Gregory's. It was not far from the Children's Museum. St. Gregory is located on 991 St John's Pl, Brooklyn. A lot of saints in Brooklyn. The school is in Crown Heights, between New York and Brooklyn Avenues. In 1907, the Sisters of Mercy were invited. The first school was opened in two houses at 995 and 997 Saint Johns Place in September 1912. It was staffed by four Sisters of Mercy who came daily from their convent, located at 273 Willoughby Avenue. The present permanent school at 991 St. Johns Place was opened in February 1922. It is a three-storey building consisting of 16 classrooms and an assembly hall.

Three factors caused a financial drain and extensive diocesan subsidies in Saint Gregory’s School and the other parish schools of St. Matthews, St. Joseph, and St. Teresa. In June 1974 the parishes of Crown Heights working together as a cluster, decided to close the four schools and consolidate their resources to open two schools. Thus, Saint Gregory reopened in September 1974 as Unity Catholic School and St. Teresa, as Holy Spirit School.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

One of my favorite places growing up in Brooklyn was a pioneer in education, the Brooklyn Children's Museum. It was the first museum created expressly for children when it was founded in 1899. This picture is the way I remember the Museum, in a limestone mansion on St. Marks near Kingston Ave, in Crown Heights.

The Brooklyn Children's Museum opened its doors in a Victorian mansion. It was one of the biggest houses I'd seen. Located in the heart of Crown Heights, Brower Park has been an outstanding educational and recreational resource for children for over a century. Brooklyn Children's Museum opened in the William Newton Adams House in 1899. With hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, field trips, workshops, and school visits-all specifically arranged for children-this museum was the first of its kind in the world.

Parcel to the north of the park was acquired in 1923, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum expanded into the L.C. Smith House by the late 1920s.

American doll maker Madame Alexander donates a unique 36-piece set of Coronation Dolls in honor of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The best exhibits were the china doll collection. the other great exhibit were the Lionel trains. There was always a line to get to the controls.

Yankee Stadium

New Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium in the Bronx was opened and closed and opened: Home to the New York Yankees (AL) first opened April 18, 1923, closed September 30, 1973, reopened April 15, 1976. The Yankees use to own the stadium which is now owned by New York City. On February 6, 1921, the Yankees announced the purchase of 10 acres of property in the west Bronx. The land, purchased from the estate of William Waldorf Astor for $675,000. The Astor are an old money family in New York. The Yankees would build the most famous ballpark in history.

On Sunday, September 21, 2008, Yankee Stadium closed its gates for good. Before the game, fans were allowed to walk on the field, and several former Yankees stars attended a formal ceremony. After a rain delay, the Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3. Not the worry, the Yankees will stay in New York. The team began playing at the new Yankee Stadium, built across the street. Original street address was 800 Ruppert Place.

The Yankee Stadium subway stop is located right outside the Stadium at the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue. Several subway lines conveniently reach the Stadium and a trip from midtown Manhattan takes less than 25 minutes. The #4 train, as well as the B (weekday rush hours only) and D trains make stops at 161st Street/Yankee Stadium.

Baseball in New York

Ebbets Field did not start as a housing development. The site had a long baseball history. An important place in Brooklyn. It's hard to find information doing internet search. Ebbets Field was the home to the Brooklyn Dodgers before the flew cross country to California. Ebbets Field was opened in 1913, and demolished in 1960 to make way for housing.

It was named after Dodgers owner Charles Ebbets. Jackie Robinson became the first black man in the 20th century to play in Major League Baseball here on April 15, 1947. The only year in which the Dodgers won the World Series while tennants of Ebbets Field was 1955.

Ebbets Field was built over a garbage dump in an area of Brooklyn called Pigtown for the cost of $750,000. The neighborhood of Flatbush grew up around the ballpark. I was not old enough to go to any games at Ebbets Field.

Today, people in Broolyn only know Ebbets Field as an apartment complex.

Pigtown is gone; Dodgers are gone; and the real Ebbets Field is gone.

Even if the fans had had cars to drive, parking around Ebbets Field was limited to spots found on the street. We don't need cars in New York. People walked from the Brighton Line Prospect Park station to Ebbets Field. They passed the aroma from the Bond Bread bakery on Flatbush Avenue according to Randy Kennedy.

Map of Brooklyn

Brooklyn Hospital

I was born in Brooklyn at Brooklyn Hospital. It's called the The Brooklyn Hospital Center now. It's part of New York-Presbyterian Medical System. The hospital was built in 1845. The history follows that the mayor realized there was a need for a hospital six years before it was built. Mayor Smith convened a public meeting to discuss the establishment of a hospital in Brooklyn. The meeting was held in February, 1845, and in May of that year, Brooklyn City Hospital (later renamed The Brooklyn Hospital) was incorporated by the state legislature.

The Brooklyn City Dispensary admitted its first patient on December 10, 1847. A frame house served as a hospital for the sick and the poor until 1852, when the first building opened. It was hailed immediately as "the last word" in hospital construction. It initially housed 160 patients.

The Brooklyn Hospital took on the role of caring for the sick and wounded soldiers of the Union Army when the Civil War broke out. The hospital care for soldiers during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. In World War I, a floor of the West Pavilion with its 60 beds was set aside for the care of sick and disabled sailors.

In 1880 the first school of nursing in Brooklyn and the second in the New York state was opened.

Today, the Hospital Center is a 653–bed teaching institution that is a major healthcare resource. The Hospital Center is the Brooklyn academic and clinical affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Current news: 2008

Brooklyn Hospital's Doctors Want To Cut Ties With Parent Company

Brooklyn Hospital Doctors Seek Independence

Brooklyn Hospital Incinerator

Q.E. 2 Makes Final Visit to New York

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/nyregion/17ship.html?bl&ex=1224302400&en=2dc94ea08df22d41&ei=5087%0A

The Queen Elizabeth 2 was gone in the twilight, steaming out of New York Harbor on its 806th — and last — trans-Atlantic crossing after nearly 40 years as the fastest passenger ocean liner in service. There are a lot of last events going on in New York. This is the first of many.

Eating in the Subway

Grand Central is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, on 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
Grand Central can be accessed by all forms of public transportation including:
Train - MTA Metro-North Railroad

Subway - 4, 5, 6, 7, and S lines

Bus - M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M42, M98, M101, M102, M104, Q32

Shipping magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt acquired the Hudson River Railroad in 1864. Soon after, Vanderbilt added the New York Central Railroad to his holdings and consolidated his position by creating a rail-link between Spuyten Duyvil and Mott Haven, allowing Hudson River trains to arrive at a common East Side terminal. In 1869, Vanderbilt purchased property between 42nd and 48th Streets, Lexington and Madison Avenue for construction of a new train depot and rail yard. On this site would rise the first Grand Central.

FINE RESTAURANTS
& COCKTAIL LOUNGES

The Campbell Apartment BL
Charlie Palmer’s Métrazur BL

Cipriani Dolci BL
Michael Jordan’s
The Steak House N.Y.C. BL
Oyster Bar & Restaurant LL

CASUAL DINING
(Lower Level Dining Concourse)
Brother Jimmy’s BBQ LL
Café Spice LL
Caffé Pepe Rosso LL
Central Market Grill LL
Chirping Chicken LL
Ciao Bella Gelateria LL
Dishes LL
Eata Pita LL
Feng Shui LL
Golden Krust Patties LL
Hale and Hearty Soups LL
Junior’s LL
Little Pie Company LL
Manhattan Chili Co. LL
Masa Sushi LL
Mendy’s Kosher
Delicatessen/Dairy LL
New York Pretzel LL
Paninoteca Italiana LL
Two Boots Pizza LL
Zaro’s Bread Basket LL
Zócalo LL

The Subway

I am a die hard New Yorker, even though I live in a different part of the U.S. Where you ask? That's any other blog. This blog is about New York open 24/7. Where you don't need a car. You can ride the trains 24/7, and never come above ground. There are places to eat, yes eat. Remember the Steinfeld TV show episode, when he times the door closing. It was on in the 90s for a long time. It's Seinfeld - from the comedian and star of the show, Jerry Seinfeld. It was on every Thursday. He rans off the train to get someting to eat. Got back on before the doors closed. There's shopping, and you can sleep on the train. On a good day, you may be serenaded while you wait for your train. Some of the best musicians play the subway-students of Julliard, Lincoln Center, Preforming Art, etc.

The history of the subway system started with private companies, originally managing rapid transit routes and surface lines. Abraham Brower established New York City's first public transportation route in 1827, a 12-seat stagecoach called "Accommodation" that ran along Broadway from the Battery to Bleecker Street. By 1831, Brower had added the "Sociable" and "Omnibus." This according to MTA NYC Transit history.

The next year, John Mason organized the New York and Harlem Railroad, a street railway that used horse-drawn cars with metal wheels and ran on metal track. By 1855, 593 omnibuses traveled on 27 Manhattan routes and horse-drawn cars ran on street railways on Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Avenues.

The city's first regular elevated railway service began on February 14, 1870. The El ran along Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. Elevated train service expanded and dominated rapid transit for the next few decades.

Alfred E. Beach created a 312-foot tunnel under lower Broadway and ran a subway car from 1870-1873. The train was operated by "pneumatic pressure" - blown by a giant fan. On September 24, 1883, a Brooklyn Bridge cable-powered railway opened between Park Row, New York City, and Sands Street in the city of Brooklyn. New York City's first official subway system opened in Manhattan on October 27, 1904.

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) operated the 9.1-mile long subway line that consisted of 28 stations from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway. IRT service expanded to the Bronx in 1905, to Brooklyn in 1908, and to Queens in 1915. The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) began subway service between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1915. The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) took over the BRT a few years later.