Ah, far too long since I've written anything....
I recently saw a program on tv (I think PA's channel) about all of the old neighborhood games people used to play around the city. They had all of these 50 year old men talking about and playing all the great classics....It made me think back to when I played some of this stuff...games like:
Freeze tag
Wall ball
Wall ball baseball (I think we sort of made this one up)
Chink (playing with a tenny, of course)
Spring
Wireball
Horse (or Pig, if time was limited)
Cheezeball (I think this one was unique to the playground at Terrace St, you would stand at the base of the pyramid slide steps, and shoot a ball into one of those concrete climbing tube things, moving up a step each time you got it in...)
We'd play all the wallball style games on the back wall of the old Polish Falcon, next to the Korean Church on Manor St (between Terrace and Manayunk on Salaignac).
So let's think back to some other childhood memories (and yes, I know I'm young, but things have change ALOT around the 'boro since then, with an excess of year-round sports leagues and afterschool activities, not to mention video games, too).
We have:
Nursery School and Kindergarten at Wissahickon Christian Preschool (Ridge and Manayunk)
Playing in the firehydrant on a hot day (the neighbor who had the key for it SWORE it was legal!)
Playing all of the games above, or simply playing football in the street, using telephone poles as the endzones and throwing the ball over the wire at the end from the top of the hill for field goals
Buying school clothes at the House of Bargains
Movies at the Andorra Theatre
Shopping with Mom on Ridge Avenue (long before it was all nail salons and beeper stores)
Woolworth's in Ivy Ridge AND on Ridge Ave.
Clover in Andorra
Grade school at St Josaphat's (shudder) and the longstanding rivalry towards St John the Baptist
The sprinkler pool thing at Houston Playground (it was so far away!)
Swimming at The Rec (Kendrick) or Venice Island
When Pretzel Park was a big drug hangout
The Main St Stroll on the Friday or Saturday before the bike race
Canal Day
Block parties on every block closed off by the Bike Race (and the 8 AM drunks)
The ungodly long Memorial Day Parade
The ungodly short 4th of July Parade
Marching in East Fall's 4th of July Parade, and the picnic at McMichael's Park afterwards
Scout Troop (still involved!)
Going to Kennedy Kenrick, getting made fun of for being from Roxborough (we made fun of the kids from Bridgeport)
Wissahickon AA baseball at Daisy Field (the 21st Ward kids at school made fun of that too), practicing in Cook-Wissahickon's parking lot
Biddy Basketball for the Braves at the Rec
Being bussed to Cook-Wissahickon and Mifflin for M.G.
Feel free to comment with more...it's a shame things like Canal Day and the Stroll have basically died, it seems like all of the old Main St events are wrapped into the Arts Festival, which is nice and all, but not the same. It doesn't seem like there are even kids outside playing anymore. We used to block of the street playing stuff, and hearing "CAR!" and "GAME ON!" was common around the area.
Strangely enough, I find myself playing things like stickball and wall ball with my friends who've never heard of stuff like this today. I really wish I could be blocked by kids playing Chink on the back wall of the old Falcon.
I've learned a lot since I've turned 21, too...(I'm going list crazy today...)
Main St. is a lot cooler when you're 15 and peoplewatching.
Upper Roxborough trash is the same as Lower Roxborough trash
Stay out of Peck Miller's at all costs!
Murphy's is the bar to frequent (especially for karaoke and quizzo!)
Castle Roxx is the douchiest bar in all of Doucheville
The people at the State Store on Ridge Ave (next to the Post Office) hate their job as much as they hate you
What other great memories and lessons do you have to share about our fine neighborhood, or your own?
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17 comments:
Used to play billiards at the pool hall on Main St. when I was in my high school years. Now its been converted into more overprised housing. People watching is not as fun on Main St without any good stores to draw people in.
yeah, that's true. even when you turn 21 there's really not anywhere you WANT to hang out down there. i'd rather hang out in one of our numerous neighborhood bars (murphys). i do remember the pool hall, though, and when you absolutely could not get a parking spot even as far away as manayunk avenue on a friday night.
The East Falls picnic was far better at Penn Charter than it ever was at McMichael's.
And almost every place on Main St. had valet parking. hahaha. Parking is still a hassle all over on weekends in the neighborhood, especially on Manayunk Ave.
I agree about the few desirable places on Main St. to go hang out. Thankfully, I spent my early drinking times in State College. Main St. becomes passé after you work both ends of it. Now, it gets full of meathead college students and some pretty unsanitary females as well.
The only place I really enjoy on Main St. is the Flat Rock Saloon (except in winter when it gets filled with said students).
If I want to be left alone I go to Henry James Saloon or Old Eagle Tavern.
flat rock and old eagle are both nice. i prefer murphy's for casual hanging out. flat rock has an absolutely amazing beer selection. there aren't any parties at drexel i care to go to (again, the meatheads), so i find my own entertainment and fun on the weekends.
Okay...so I may be alot older than you guys. But, I remember playing Spring on Manayunk Ave...between Ridge and Salignac (sp?-you think I could spell it, i lived there for 17 years) with the Big Red Brick wall near the "garages" for BASE. Oh and "pretzel pete". Anyways, I am trying to organize a Reunion for St John's ('87) so if you know anyone that may be interested, let me know. Coleen
Hey,
I grew up on Roxborough Ave just below Manayunk, within the dreaded loop of the bike race. Here's a memory for you. Our family literally could not drive off our block if we did not leave at 4am the morning before the police barriers were up. Anyone who lives there knows what I mean. My dad had to drive me to Rox Mem Hospital in the middle of the race and the cops nearly arrested him for breaking through a police barrier while I was bleeding all over his truck.
But now I live in Delaware and every time I go back to Roxborough/Manayunk I see things that surprise me, sometimes not for the best. Like for instance the gigantic beast of a cream colored cement composite building at the corner of Ridge and Lyceum. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE? But then other places like D'Antonio's and Jo's Craft Shoppe and Murphy's and Pop-Pop's never change, they and hopefully never will.
Some of the best memories I have of the neighborhood are: sledding on Boone Street after the various ice storms in the early 90's, decorating my bike to march in the 4th of July parade, summer reading program at the library, buying a million goldfish at Woolworth's (to my mother's frustration), buying penny candy at Joe's Craft Shoppe (the back door), waiting in line at the "Rec" to swim at 3:00, and then spending the whole time steering clear of the pedophile weirdos that stuck around the pool, taking the long walk to Acme to go grocery shopping with my mom, watching the school bus driver try to navigate the tight corners, cussing up a storm while on the way to our Christian school, avoiding the drug dealers at Pretzel Park and in the parking lot just down from the Rec. Always fun.
Have to post now due to battery being low, thanks for the opportunity to lose myself in the memories a little bit.
Later
Oh my GOD realcitygirl -
I have not thought about Pretzel Pete in years. You know if you talked to him he was a pretty nice guy.
Do you remember the French Puker? He wore a beret and a striped shirt and got drunk and puked in front of people.
LOL - The more I think about it, the more weird I think that neighborhood was, but if you grew up there, it was like you never thought about it.
Later - again.
man, i forgot how bad pretzel park really used to be, how we were told to avoid it on the way home from st. josaphats (also gone). anyone remember jim's waterice (at least i think it was jim's)? he had his own truck and rang one of those old handbells to get all the kids out...
and while manayunk on the weekends is still a bitch, i dont think it's quite at the level where it used to be, even though salaignac is probably as bad as ever with the parties...
Flat rock? Don't you mean, Third Base? Gimme a heartburn with kraut and a Schmidts. All for less than $5 and that was in the early 80's.
havn't had a poison pete pretzel in years Chuga-chuga!
Mahroney *sp? was the water ice guy with the bell. It was the best. You would hear the bell. yell Maaaaahhrrrooney and run to get money. Or wait patiently on the corner of Gerhard and Mitchell and just wait for him to leave the Rec and come to our corner. I miss that.. what a great memory
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