Last week, my husband and I were on vacation in NYC and took a trip to Parkchester. I havent been back to my childhood home since 1987 when I got married and moved to Maspeth in Queens, so I was excited to see the old neighborhood.The weather that day was hot, very humid (90%) and overcast. We first had lunch with a dear friend on City Island. By the time we got to Parkchester, it was pouring rain, so my pictures are not as clear as I wanted. I am happy to report that the buildings and grounds are in excellent shape. The chain fencing that warned us to keep off the grass when were kids is being removed and some of the lawns have been replaced by shrubs. What really put a smile on my face was seeing the new windows and air conditioning units! Remember those sweltering days in our apartments? I had hoped to take pictures of the Oval, but the rain and lack of parking made that impossible. From what I managed to see, the Oval is the same as always. There are a number of new stores along Metropolitan Ave. We drove by the Loews American which is being gutted to make way for a new Marshalls - so sad. Also, Zaross Bakery is still there, but our Macys has been reduced in size by half. The northern part now houses 2 clothing stores: New York, New York and Dress Barn. The one disappointment for me was the sight of the stores which are bordered by Unionport, Guerlain St, White Plains Rd and Tremont Ave. With the exception of the Playdrome and Harmony Records, all of the stores that I knew as a child are gone: Leondards Bakery, Oscars Deli, the Chinese Laundry, MacElroys Bar and Grill, Carls Pizza and Toysun (both are under new ownership.) The Palace Theater is now a furniture store and the corner candy store that kids in my generation called Jacks is unrecognizable. My day in Parkchester brought back wonderful memories and I am glad I made the trip. I am especially happy to see the diversity in the community and how hard the Parkchester Preservation has worked to undo the damage caused by the Helmsey/Spear ownership in the 70s and 80s. Parkchester is going strong! I took pictures of the 3 apartments that my family lived in.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 19:18:00 +0000
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