Tags
20th street, 5 and 10, 5th avenue, 7th avenue, 8th street, 9th street, Army-Navy store, Avon, B75, B77, Blimpie, Burger King, Bus Stop, Cadillac, Chinese Restaurant, Daily News, Denis Hamill, Downtown Brooklyn, Felix's Restaurant, Grilled Cheese, ham and eggs, Holy Name, Jerry's Junk-Shop, Jimmy the Cook, Lenny's Pizza, Leopoldi's Hardware Store, McDonald's, Neergards Drugstore, Newsstand, OTB, Pizza, Record shop, Savings bank, St. Francis College, Stavenhagne, Tugboat, YMCA
Do people from the neighborhood still shop down on 5th avenue?
Do you remember how alive it was down there? It was like a different world!
On Saturday’s it was the place to be!
You would either walk down or hop on the B75.
The donut shop on 9th street; I was always good for a dozen! The newsstand on both corners. Forte Bellino always made it a point to stop at the newsstand on the way home from a St. Francis College basketball game. Who remembers the Chinese restaurant across the street from the YMCA? And of course who could forget the ‘Y’.
The small record shop next to the pizza place off of 9th street where I would pop in while waiting for the bus to take me back home. Speaking of waiting for the bus, do you recall the kids who would fish for coins at the subway gratings at the bus stop? These guys would put peanut butter on something and tie a long white string to it and drop it down. We’d be standing there watching these guys fish for what, a nickel, dime, or even a quarter? They’d be there for like 20 minutes trying to pull a coin up!
One Saturday night I was waiting for the 75 which happened to be running behind schedule. With a white box of donuts in my hands I noticed a sweet red Cadillac pull up. I looked a bit closer and the driver turned out to be a familiar face – it was my main man Corrado! He gave me a lift up to the avenue…
If you ventured over to 8th street you usually went to the Army-Navy store or across the street you picked up a Blimpie sandwich. What was the name of the bar where you had to be 75 years or older to enter? I believe it stood between 8th and 9th street. Was it Smith’s?
My cousins, the Leopoldi’s own their hardware store between 7th and 8th streets. Click here for a great story on the family written by Denis Hamill of the Daily News.
The Savings Bank, Burger King, McDonald’s, the Avon movie house, (do you recall the place where they made keys next door?) the huge apartment building on 10th street. The 5 and 10 was on the corner, right where the B77 made it’s first stop before heading downtown Brooklyn. I use to love the Grilled Cheese sandwiches in that joint!
How about Timbo’s, the record shop next door, Sepe’s toy store, Neergards and of course OTB. I’ll never forget making my first wager at the window. I lost $2.
There was an ice cream parlor between 10th and 11th street that made killer shakes!
Lenny’s Pizza on Prospect avenue, 5th avenue Diner with Jimmy the Cook holding it down. I recall sitting at the counter ordering ham and eggs.
The Tugboat, Stavenhagen’s and of course Jerry’s Junk-shop. My mom would score some great bargains.
And if you were down with the 8th grade graduation tradition at Holy Name, you went to Felix’s Italian restaurant on 20th street!
I miss the days of hangin’ on 5th avenue.
