Bumped into an old friend tonight (On Facebook, not on ninth avenue)
We reminisced about the days of growing up in the neighborhood.
A couple of hours later I came across this piece from the New York Daily News on a writer who left New York City.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/christopher-ketcham-new-york-city-article-1.1963991
Here’s the author of the story with an interesting comment; he has since moved to a small town in Colorado.
I was born and raised in middle-class Brooklyn, and imagined one day raising my children in the neighborhood I grew up in — one I will never be able to afford as the row houses and apartments intended to house ordinary New Yorkers have become multi-million-dollar luxury housing, out of reach for those without Wall St. jobs or family money.
So I left, and am happier for it.
At times I have thought of writing a piece on why I left the city. And some day, I may get around to it.
One reason I left was due to the high cost of living. I was paying close to two thousand dollars a month for an apartment down on eleventh avenue. One bedroom apartment.
This was back in 1996. Seems such a long time ago.
There’s no telling what the landlord charges 18 years later.
I am not bitter nor am I jealous that I no longer can afford to live in the neighborhood where I grew up. Time heals all wounds.
I’m sure others were in the same boat. I know people from the neighborhood who have moved to Staten Island, New Jersey and Upstate New York. Pretty close to the city. It’a different though if you have moved across the country or down South.
I like where I am, I really do. It’s not crowded. There’s zero traffic. I can drive everywhere. I can walk and bike too.
No more crowded trains where someone next to you might get upset because they’re having a bad day.
It takes me just a few minutes to get to work.
Our schools are wonderful and most important, I have met some good people.
Tonight my friend on Facebook mentioned to me that she was jealous of where I lived. I’m sure she would like it out here.
Respectfully,
Red
Hoops135@hotmail.com
CONTAINER DIARIES 
Mudge said:
YOU HAVE HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD. BESIDES THE THE BROOKLYN YOU KNEW, IT IS NOT THERE ANYMORE. I KNOW THE ONE I KNEW IS GONE. LAST NIGHT I WAS WATCHING PERSON OF INTEREST, AND IN THE BACK GROUND OF ONE OF THE SCENES WAS THE SMITH AND NINTH ST. TRAIN STATION. I REMEMBER AS A KID – 9 – 10 YRS – WE USED TO GO DOWN AND PLAY RING-A-LERIO THERE. THEY HAD, I BELIEVE, 4 ESCALATORS (2 UP 2 DOWN) WITH IN BETWEEN A SHINY STAINLESS PLATFORM INSERT THAT WAS AT LEAST 30 FT LONG AND WE USED TO USE IT AS A SLIDE. IT HAD TO BE THE BEST IN BROOKLYN. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU SLID DOWN THIS PLATFORM, IF YOU DIDN’T SLOW YOURSELF DOWN, YOU WOULD FLY OFF THE END. I DID IT ONLY 2 OR 3 TIMES FULL OUT. DAMN NEAR KILLED MYSELF. THEN THEY INSTALLED LITTLE KNOBS (TRIANGLE SHAPED BARRIER TYPE) THAT STOPPED YOU FROM SLIDING DOWN IT ANYMORE. I DON’T THINK YOU WERE ABLE TO USE THIS “SLIDE” BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN I AM. FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT OUR BKLYN IS GONE.
hoopscoach said:
Billy,
I loved that slide…
We went there often.
Eddie Matula said:
Hey Uncle Billy—–Good to see you in July. Hope all is good with you guys. My best to Rose 🙂
Joe Hajjar said:
While the whole country was seeing real estate inflation it seemed like New York was not seeing much of it , or at least not much compared. I had moved to Austin to finish college and stayed as I had opportunity here that was not available in New York. I would call my Brooklyn friends all the time and tell them to try to buy some real estate up there as I was seeing it happen here and it had already happened in California . Real estate inflation was moving west to east and had not gotten there yet. If you paid attention you benefited. I bought my boyhood home on Howard Place to keep myself connected to the neighborhood. If I had not , I would be priced out of the picture because today’s cost is prohibitive to all but very high wage earners. I still have some of my boyhood friends in the neighborhood but most have moved to the outskirts or gotten married to women from other parts and moved there. The neighborhood is still a great place, just much different than what we had. It sometime seems faceless and then someone knows my name, says hello, and it feels like home again.When I need a familiar face,I look for Houley in Farrell’s
Eddie Matula said:
Got married in 1994, briefly left 1618 10th Avenue where I had lived since 1971 and went to Howard Beach where my wife was from. Came back to the neighborhood for a few months but jumped over to Staten in 1995 purely for affordability. At that time, I was the 4th generation of my family who had been raised/born in Park Slope/Windsor Terrace.I miss the neighborhood terribly but balance that with the fact that I can park in front of my house or my driveway and not have to drive around for 1+ hours for a spot. Mostly I miss all the great people and families from the neighborhood.
hoopscoach said:
Eddie,
You are correct about parking.
George Farrell said:
Another tale from the wayback machine regarding parking and automobiles on Windsor between 10th and 11th. Back in the day around 1950 there was one car parked on the entire street and that was a brand new Pontiac Chieftain owned by Connie from Connie’s Corner Saloon. All the moms would sweep the stoops and sidewalk every day into the gutter and then collect the dirt, dust, leaves, etc into a dustpan. Once a week the Sanitation sprinkler truck would drive slowly up Windsor hosing down both sides of the street and stop in front of Connie’s car and shut off the sprinkler until Connie moved his gleaming Chieftain with whitewalls and skirts. The car was a beauty! After the move, the guys would resume sprinkling and Connie would move his car back. The Sanitation guys would then jump into Connies for a quick bat and a ball and then off they would go. The local urchins (Bunky and Jimmy Flynn, Charles Hamilton, yours truly and a few other guys) would have our numbered Popsicle sticks ready and the boat races would begin. You could sail your Popsicle stick boat all the way downhill from 10th to 11th without hitting any obstacles. No cars, no dirt…a straight shot all the way. Hard to believe but this is gospel.
hoopscoach said:
George great story…memory!
jimmyvac said:
I have lived in Staten Island for 33 years and I like it but I go back to the neighborhood every chance I get. It is still great but so many people have left so it is different. I understand why people leave NY.. it id loud , crowded and expensive. I will always keep something in NY when I retire but I can see moving to the Carolinas or Florida…
Mudge said:
HAY EDDIE HOPE EVERY THING IS FINE WITH YOU AND YOURS. MY SISTER KEEPS TRYING TO HOOK UP WITH YOUR MOM AND DAD BUT ONE THING OR ANOTHER KEEPS GETTING IN THE WAY WILL KEEP TRYING.MAYBE WE WILL SEE YOU SOON HAPPY HOLLOWEEN MUDGE