9/17/2007

Found in Queens

I took another trip out to Queens where I spent the day attempting to clear out my Grandmother's apartment with my folks. I just want to say, everything that Queens Crap says about Flushing is absolutely true. I believe it all started 20 odd years ago when U-HAUL put their giant sign in front of the old clock tower building, obscuring the clock. You see it right before you go into the tunnel to Main Street and I curse it every single time. It's criminal. It's like Flushing's bad feng-shui beacon of doom.

Anyway, as I mentioned before about the situation at my Grandmother's apartment, the woman was a total pack rat. I spent about five hours in one corner of her bedroom. it looked a little different when I left, but not much! I didn't find an unused Merv Griffin ticket like last time but interestingly enough I found a postcard of my local beer supplier Thrifty Beverage Center in Cobble Hill. It's still there on Court Street & Kane. It looks like it's from the early 1960's. I am beyond asking why she had this or anything else in her apartment. I'm imagining she probrably was in Brooklyn for jury duty and took a stroll down Court Street. She saw the Thrifty Beverage Center and just had to go in and of course bring home a souvenir of her visit!Here are some other great postcards I found. She had tons. I imagine she went to these places on weekend bus trips or something.These are two of the "Three Little Bakers", that's Nick and Hugo, Al was probrably dead at this point if you are wondering why there are only two. They scare me a little, my grandfather was pastry chef and he never felt the need to incorporate baking and dinner theater!The "Famous" Smorgasbord at Woodloch Pines Lodge in Hawley, PA!This scene looks scarey and cold, note the mean looking woman is wearing a full on coat and fur hat.And of course, The Pope! I mentioned before that I was finding newspaper clippings and photos of the Pope everywhere. Didn't matter which Pope, as long as he was The Pope. There was definitely an obsession there. I guess if she were born in a different era she would she'd be worshipping rock stars instead.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh man, i wonder if grandma FIB was at The Pope's Shea Stadium gig in 1979? the sound wasn't great but the encore of "Agnus Dei" with the live sheep on stage was bananas!! i think i still have a t-shirt from that tour too...

wwib

Anonymous said...

what a trip -- thank God for women like Maria Therese 'Oma"

Anonymous said...

Lisanne, regarding your Flushing comment - take a look at the restoration project of the John Bowne House in Flushing. It was a home connected with the Flushing Remonstrance and has a lot of historical significance relating to the provision of Freedom of Religion in the Bill of Rights. They're not quite at their fundraising goal - and could use some help!

Fascinating postcards! Thanks for posting them.

Lisanne said...

Thank you for alerting me! My father would probrably really be interested,not only he in insane history buff, believe or not, when he was a kid, he used to have a paper route and he delivered to the Bowne House when the Bowne Family still lived there! He rode his bike all the way from Whitestone!

and...my grandmother's apartment is on the corner or Barclay & Bowne just a couple blocks from the Bowne House. So I know the building pretty well...there will be more from Flushing so stay tuned...