I played on a city-wide bocce league a while back and my team came in absolute last place (but we had a lot of fun). There was a group of young dudes from Bensonhurst that absolutely wrecked us every single time. Bocce players are serious about their sport!
So cool that you joined a league! I hope you had shirts made. At first, I was inspired to take up bocce, but the longer I watched, the more I realized I would get laughed off the court.
Ugh we never got around to making shirts, but if I remember correctly our team name was Bocce McBocceface. So I’m pretty sure we were laughed at often 😂
It was the BEST PART! Admiral Avenue which was this weird isolated Bermuda Triangle of a street abutting the big mall and the big cemetery.
My husband-at-the-time and I lived on the upstairs of a rowhouse (not in a separate apartment just the upstairs) with a family that included the parents, seven kids, two dogs cats and several ducks. We had no refrigerator but there was a lot of faux wood paneling and pink-and-gold flowered wallpaper. It was fun to watch the whole family frolic in the backyard in the summer, which was maybe 15x15-feet and taken up almost entirely by a huge above-ground swimming pool.
Sounds amazing! Did they let you use the pool? Or pet the ducks? And how did you cook without a fridge?? You should do a return to the neighborhood story.
Enjoyable scenes. And, as always, a super interesting history. Love your posts…
Speaking of bog bodies, I haven’t seen the bog body found you mentioned but I have seen a different one, the Grauballe Man, displayed in a museum outside of Aarhus, Denmark. A hard-to-describe encounter…a bit eerie, a bit surreal…
And, this really has nothing specific to do with the neighborhood you highlight but, as you mentioned pickleball in your post, I realized that this might be what I miss most about living for 20 years away from my homeland: the chance to experience this “new” sport that seems to be all the rage. I don’t know for sure but I think I’d really like it and I’m sad I’m missing out.
Thank you! I just looked up Grauballe Man. Yikes! That is terrifying. As far as pickleball goes, I don't think you are missing much (besides the chance to blow out your knee.) If you really want to play though...https://www.pickleballnorge.com
You've been hoovering around my neighborhood for quite some time, so I'm looking forward to the day when you feature Rego Park/Forest Hills :) On several occasions, I've walked into Middle Village from our house. There are some really sweet looking Italian bakeries, which I've never tried, but I'm sure they're quite good. Juniper Valley Park is the gem of Queens' recreational parks. While Forest Park, Alley Pond Park and Flushing Meadows Park have the best walking trails, Juniper Valley Park's amenities are top notch. The fitness court you mentioned is the best I've encountered in NYC to date. They also have pickleball courts, which I think might be somewhat new.
I was almost going to cover Rego Park but I made a last minute pivot to MV! The park is indeed beautiful. I even saw one of the park goers with his own leaf blower making sure everything looked good.
"...energetically assisted by a set of strong-jawed dogs." I write fiction about one such similar beast, so naturally this clever turn of phrase caught my eye.
The juxtaposition of those homes and the mausoleums that look the same... brilliant.
🙏🙏
Finally reading…I, too, dream of swindling the city, and would like to be referred to as “the Big Bankroll”!
I think I’d prefer “The Brain”
That photo! Of that tiny lawn! And the two planters!
The fire hydrant is winning! No the traffic cone is winning!
I just want to know what’s up with that raised platform behind the hydrant!
There is for sure a story behind those red cars.
Some of your best most heartbreaking photos yet!
Too kind!
Another fascinating piece of history and geography. I wonder how many bodies they found when they drained the swamp.
I played on a city-wide bocce league a while back and my team came in absolute last place (but we had a lot of fun). There was a group of young dudes from Bensonhurst that absolutely wrecked us every single time. Bocce players are serious about their sport!
So cool that you joined a league! I hope you had shirts made. At first, I was inspired to take up bocce, but the longer I watched, the more I realized I would get laughed off the court.
Ugh we never got around to making shirts, but if I remember correctly our team name was Bocce McBocceface. So I’m pretty sure we were laughed at often 😂
Oh boy the neighborhood I moved to when I first moved to NYC!
What part did you live in?
It was the BEST PART! Admiral Avenue which was this weird isolated Bermuda Triangle of a street abutting the big mall and the big cemetery.
My husband-at-the-time and I lived on the upstairs of a rowhouse (not in a separate apartment just the upstairs) with a family that included the parents, seven kids, two dogs cats and several ducks. We had no refrigerator but there was a lot of faux wood paneling and pink-and-gold flowered wallpaper. It was fun to watch the whole family frolic in the backyard in the summer, which was maybe 15x15-feet and taken up almost entirely by a huge above-ground swimming pool.
Sounds amazing! Did they let you use the pool? Or pet the ducks? And how did you cook without a fridge?? You should do a return to the neighborhood story.
Enjoyable scenes. And, as always, a super interesting history. Love your posts…
Speaking of bog bodies, I haven’t seen the bog body found you mentioned but I have seen a different one, the Grauballe Man, displayed in a museum outside of Aarhus, Denmark. A hard-to-describe encounter…a bit eerie, a bit surreal…
And, this really has nothing specific to do with the neighborhood you highlight but, as you mentioned pickleball in your post, I realized that this might be what I miss most about living for 20 years away from my homeland: the chance to experience this “new” sport that seems to be all the rage. I don’t know for sure but I think I’d really like it and I’m sad I’m missing out.
Thank you! I just looked up Grauballe Man. Yikes! That is terrifying. As far as pickleball goes, I don't think you are missing much (besides the chance to blow out your knee.) If you really want to play though...https://www.pickleballnorge.com
Thanks!
You've been hoovering around my neighborhood for quite some time, so I'm looking forward to the day when you feature Rego Park/Forest Hills :) On several occasions, I've walked into Middle Village from our house. There are some really sweet looking Italian bakeries, which I've never tried, but I'm sure they're quite good. Juniper Valley Park is the gem of Queens' recreational parks. While Forest Park, Alley Pond Park and Flushing Meadows Park have the best walking trails, Juniper Valley Park's amenities are top notch. The fitness court you mentioned is the best I've encountered in NYC to date. They also have pickleball courts, which I think might be somewhat new.
I was almost going to cover Rego Park but I made a last minute pivot to MV! The park is indeed beautiful. I even saw one of the park goers with his own leaf blower making sure everything looked good.
Haha! Leaf blowing the park is SOOOOOOO Middle Village!
Rego Park is gonna be sooooo good it’s sooooo weird.
"...energetically assisted by a set of strong-jawed dogs." I write fiction about one such similar beast, so naturally this clever turn of phrase caught my eye.
Would love to read it! I added a footnote to the original article if you are curious.
This is the kind of thing she dictates to me: https://davidperlmutter.substack.com/p/national-pet-day