Jackson Heights Life

Hey, Tarbender, I remember all those places even though I'm a girl (no Andersons). I used to read the comic books in Maxies and get a vanilla soda.

I'm still in JH and half a century later, I STILL resent them building on the lots!

My folks had victory gardens behind Saint Mark's Church.

i'm an interloper --only been here for 17 years -- but i LOVE hearing stories right from the source.

not long after i moved into my very first place alone -- in 1981, at east 6th and ave D in manhattan-- the doorbell rang, and an elderly gentleman was on the stoop. he told me he'd lived there as a child in the early '20s and asked if he could come in. i brought him in, and he had an hour's worth of lovely tales of the folks who'd lived there then. it was an irreplaceable moment.

Cubs at St. Mark's were a real eye opener to me as a tenderfoot when on Saturdays there were paper drives, scrap metal collections, tires, that we would collect in our wagons and bring back to the parish house where fathers would sort and load them onto trucks to deliver to scrap dealers and raise funds for aiding "DP's" (displaced persons) and other deserving charities. Cleaned up the neighborhood to my eye and got a lot of junk out of basements, cellars, and garages. The same with clothing drives, bake sales, going to Veterans Hospitals and pushing wheel chair bound folk to their activities. All wonderful events and great experiences for young kids to participate. North pointing principles were the goal of Pack 201. Fine leadership by Fr. Schofield and Cub master Fuller. My hero at the time was an older boy Bobby Case who lived in my apt. building and he was probably (15-16) an Explorer Scout and introduced me (9) to his St. Mark's friends. Listening to their camping and Jamboree activities started my interest in real scouting later on. Amazing to still be able to remember the names and some faces of kids have not seen or heard from in 40 years. Johnny Williams, Jimmy Laffin, Kevin Gordon, Ted Schroetter, Dicky Ryan, Morgan Healy, Ed Mazilauskas, Charlie Ramos La Salle, Jimmy Buckland........what a bunch of feather-merchants!  You are right about the memories. Nice and mellow.

Ok, moving to 90th to 89th street & 37th avenue. Between 90th & 89th street-on north side of 37th avenue  was Dave's, a grocery store and Tony tors a jewelry store. On south side a bar, a vetenarian, Bookshop Ida Dormitzer, a supermarket...
anyone remember the rest of the stores?

Wow this posting shows how different our territories were. I was on 34th & 83rd so we tended to shop on 37th or Northern between 77-78 up to 86th. I hardly ever went up/down to Roosevelt with the exception of Keffas the florist located on 82nd south of Roosevelt & of course the Jackson Theater.

On 74 street I remember miles shoe store national shoe store jay de bakery lama tons ferns cut and curl

Tarbender- what years are you referencing?  I vividly remember the Army Navy Store  and Lido. The bakery on Roosevelt between 82nd and 83rd I remember as Shelly's?  Is the ice cream parlor you are trying to remember- Meyers? It was an old place with a long counter and booths.   

Time was around 1945-55, when my dad used to take me shopping at Sears Roebuck. Actually, my first two wheel bike was bought there it was a J.C. Higgins and had tail lights when you stepped on the brakes. Big fat wheels so rough on hills. There was a great hill for sleigh riding on the "golf course" which was on 78th Street (I believe) between 34th and 35th. In 1947 or 8 there was a big time snowstorm so we were sledding for days. Do you remember the Hobby Hub on 82nd past Roosevelt almost to Elmhurst? Had model planes and cars that the owner helped us build and if you could afford it, engines for them. The owner was a nice guy who was a former Marine and helped us get started building them.