Such a great story, Jill - I hope you're not having nightmares about that box of raw meat... 🫣
I've really enjoyed reading this postcard from Coney Island - it's not a shiny, brightly-coloured one, but one with faded ink, turned over at the corners, creased crookedly down the middle and found under an abandoned bench in the park. One whose reverse side is jam-packed with reports of lives, memories, those feelings you ONLY get when you know you're home. The best kind. Perfect. ♥️
That postcard is such a lovely image, Rebecca. There are just so many memories floating around out there, we'll never collect em all. Trying is a worthy endeavour though. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 💖
We visited Coney Island in December 2001 on the way home from a format stay at URI. We took the subway, I remember crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a bright Winters Day, and we walked the boardwalk and went to the aquarium. It was the first time that we felt New York (she had been going through tough time) had finally welcomed us! Nice photo – it's great to think that we share a little connection – what a small world it is! We will only watched the first episode of Mr robot, because it featured Coney Island, but never watched any more. We'll have to try again!
Hey, Richard. I say this in fun — not to be an a-hole: Your train crossed the Manhattan Bridge, not the Brooklyn Bridge. They run parallel and seemingly within 100 yards of each other. But only the Manhattan Bridge has train tracks.
Either way, I appreciate your fond memory of my hometown.
It features much more than the first episode - I'd say give it another go. Joel is a massive fan (obviously!) and I can appreciate it, even without any understanding of the nerdier software in-references.....
I loved this nostalgic tour of my old stomping grounds, Jill. I'm from Brooklyn and have many memories of Coney Island, and spent summers hanging out in Brighton (I don't suppose Brighton Beach Baths means anything to you? It was really a step into another universe). This was before Brighton was known as Little Odessa. I even had to change trains (from the F to the B) at Stillwell Avenue to get to high school. My school was close enough to Coney Island we could see the Cyclone from typing class. :)
Forgive me though: I didn't get very far with Mr. Robot. Somewhere in the 2nd season, I realized I was hate-watching it and gave up.
Speaking of chaos, I'm going to click the "Also share on Notes" box (below this Comment) with hopes it will help increase visibility of this post and your wonderful Life Litter Substack. But it means that if you Reply, a lot of people who read it won't know what the hell's going on. :)
Bob, thank you so much for this generous comment and for the restack! The Baths definitely predated me but I've heard my Aunt Betty (left-most in the pic) talk a lot about how wild it was back in her day.... I am now wondering if you went to the same high school as them all (John Dewey...?)
Haha. Yes! I did go to Dewey. But I don't remember anyone called Aunt Betty. 😂
Seriously... If that photo is truly from the 50s, your Aunt is quite a bit older than me. I wasn't born in the 50s. Dewey opened in 1969. The photo looks really old, but is it possible that the 50s is not quite the right decade?
(This may be a first... I feel like we're doing some genealogy-type stuff — or, at least, historical research — in realtime on Substack).
Wow. Your mom must've been in one of Dewey's first classes. I wonder if she crossed paths with Spike Lee.
I entered Dewey around 75, so I wouldn't have run into her. My sister was a couple of years ahead of me, so she may have.
I can't help but wonder if your mom was a bit of a hippie. When I try to describe Dewey to people, all I can say is "It was an alternative, hippie school" to try to get the picture across. (I might add that we had no real grades, no teams, no prom, and 5 "Cycles" instead of 2 semesters. And that I took marine biology and — instead of regular history — "American Dream.")
Yes, I think Spike Lee was in the grade below her. And yes, she was a hippie 😂 what was your sister's name? I'll ask if she knew her. This is fun! Such a small world.
Such a great story, Jill - I hope you're not having nightmares about that box of raw meat... 🫣
I've really enjoyed reading this postcard from Coney Island - it's not a shiny, brightly-coloured one, but one with faded ink, turned over at the corners, creased crookedly down the middle and found under an abandoned bench in the park. One whose reverse side is jam-packed with reports of lives, memories, those feelings you ONLY get when you know you're home. The best kind. Perfect. ♥️
That postcard is such a lovely image, Rebecca. There are just so many memories floating around out there, we'll never collect em all. Trying is a worthy endeavour though. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 💖
😘
Headbanger???
Never once heard anyone in our family say that???
Mom and grandma, definitely. 💯 I'd stake my life on it.
Methinks grandma’s story is the stuff of novels! Just waiting to be written.....
This is such a wonderful, evocative post. And the photo is glorious!
Thank you so much Keris! What a lovely comment, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
We visited Coney Island in December 2001 on the way home from a format stay at URI. We took the subway, I remember crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a bright Winters Day, and we walked the boardwalk and went to the aquarium. It was the first time that we felt New York (she had been going through tough time) had finally welcomed us! Nice photo – it's great to think that we share a little connection – what a small world it is! We will only watched the first episode of Mr robot, because it featured Coney Island, but never watched any more. We'll have to try again!
Hey, Richard. I say this in fun — not to be an a-hole: Your train crossed the Manhattan Bridge, not the Brooklyn Bridge. They run parallel and seemingly within 100 yards of each other. But only the Manhattan Bridge has train tracks.
Either way, I appreciate your fond memory of my hometown.
Thanks for clarifying Bob. You're right. How could I have seen the Brooklyn bridge if I was crossing it?
It features much more than the first episode - I'd say give it another go. Joel is a massive fan (obviously!) and I can appreciate it, even without any understanding of the nerdier software in-references.....
I loved this nostalgic tour of my old stomping grounds, Jill. I'm from Brooklyn and have many memories of Coney Island, and spent summers hanging out in Brighton (I don't suppose Brighton Beach Baths means anything to you? It was really a step into another universe). This was before Brighton was known as Little Odessa. I even had to change trains (from the F to the B) at Stillwell Avenue to get to high school. My school was close enough to Coney Island we could see the Cyclone from typing class. :)
Forgive me though: I didn't get very far with Mr. Robot. Somewhere in the 2nd season, I realized I was hate-watching it and gave up.
Speaking of chaos, I'm going to click the "Also share on Notes" box (below this Comment) with hopes it will help increase visibility of this post and your wonderful Life Litter Substack. But it means that if you Reply, a lot of people who read it won't know what the hell's going on. :)
Bob, thank you so much for this generous comment and for the restack! The Baths definitely predated me but I've heard my Aunt Betty (left-most in the pic) talk a lot about how wild it was back in her day.... I am now wondering if you went to the same high school as them all (John Dewey...?)
Haha. Yes! I did go to Dewey. But I don't remember anyone called Aunt Betty. 😂
Seriously... If that photo is truly from the 50s, your Aunt is quite a bit older than me. I wasn't born in the 50s. Dewey opened in 1969. The photo looks really old, but is it possible that the 50s is not quite the right decade?
(This may be a first... I feel like we're doing some genealogy-type stuff — or, at least, historical research — in realtime on Substack).
The other sisters went to Abraham Lincoln classes of ‘60 and ‘67
Wow. Your mom must've been in one of Dewey's first classes. I wonder if she crossed paths with Spike Lee.
I entered Dewey around 75, so I wouldn't have run into her. My sister was a couple of years ahead of me, so she may have.
I can't help but wonder if your mom was a bit of a hippie. When I try to describe Dewey to people, all I can say is "It was an alternative, hippie school" to try to get the picture across. (I might add that we had no real grades, no teams, no prom, and 5 "Cycles" instead of 2 semesters. And that I took marine biology and — instead of regular history — "American Dream.")
Yes, I think Spike Lee was in the grade below her. And yes, she was a hippie 😂 what was your sister's name? I'll ask if she knew her. This is fun! Such a small world.