Tag: Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving Has Passed, Now It’s Time for Christmas
Thanksgiving is behind us, and now it’s time for the Christmas season! Does anyone else feel like the holidays start way too early? I saw Christmas ornaments and decorations up as early as October, almost skipping over Thanksgiving entirely. What’s up with that? I hope you all enjoyed the stuffing video. I’ve realized I need…
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Vacation 2018
I didn’t want to go another week without writing. We’re in Mexico for our yearly vacation. Lost another dear friend last week. Making as many memories as possible while I’m here on this earth. Life is too short. Family is the most important thing in life. The older I get, the more I try not…
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The Streets of New York
There were no computers, cellphones or video games growing up in the 50’s. Sure we had swings and slides in our public parks and for us in East Harlem it was Jefferson Park, but the real playgrounds were the streets of New York. We would play all sorts of games created by who know’s who. …
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Public Schools in East Harlem
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 of a spinster teacher. I can still see her in my mind’s eye. Short silver…
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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 a kid. It was my Uncle Sal and Aunt Celia’s wedding. This type of wedding…
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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 also mothers to me. They took care of me from the day I came home…
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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 of the neighborhood would have their own domain and this is where they would set…
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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 our own. People on the block knew one another and we felt safe because we…
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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 realize they were “specialty” stores. The street vendors started to fade out in the 50’s. …
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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, or Mt. Carmel which was the biggest of all. During the Giglio Feast there would…