... Recommend this page to a friend.

1. Alternate side of the street parking.
2. Ate at Chock Full O' Nuts Shops (date nut bread and powdered donuts that were crunchy).
3. Ate dinner every Sunday night at Fong Fongs on Church Avenue.
4. Ate Italian food at Collaro's on Coney Island Ave. A note here ... someone named Steve R. corrects me saying, "It was the one on McDonald Avenue off Quenton Road that was legendary. The one on Coney Island Avenue off Kings Highway and the one on Ocean Parkway and Avenue L were both much smaller in status; the McDonald Avenue one put up signs in their window "not related to any other Collaro's" (they had to make that clear to the public. A big brick of lasagna or baked ziti w/eggplant parm or chicken parm were the things to get. Only $2.70 when I was in Midwood H.S. in the late '60s." And I say, "Well waddaya know; thanks Steve.
5. Bought bobka at the original Ebingers on Flatbush Avenue. Or Butterbun on Nostrand Ave.
6. Bought Ebinger's Black-Out Cake (and didn't count the calories)
7. Bought knishes from Mrs. Stahls in Brighton, or Ruby the Knish Man (if you don't know what a knish is, see the note below).
8. Bought knishes on the beach and didn't mind the sand.
9. Bought pickles out of a barrel. The salt made you pucker.
10. Can name all the Brooklyn High Schools. Just try and do that today (impossible).
11. Can remember Delaney cards (unless you went to a private school).
12. Can remember when the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was white.
13. Don't speak with an accent - everybody else does.
14. Drove over the Marine Park Bridge for a 10-cent toll, and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel for 35 cents.
15. Everybody knows somebody from the neighborhood, even if it is your mother's cousin's son-in-law's sister's boyfriend.
16. Prom night at the Riviera nightclub in the Palisades, New Jersey (Tony Martin singing).
17. Got a "Kitchen Sink" at Jahn's.
18. Got a J.D. card and feeling like Al Capone.
19. Had a prom date at the Club Elegante.
20. Had roller skates with keys.
21. Handball in the park.
22. Hit two sewers in punch ball.
23. It's not the "shore", its the "beach" idiot.
24. Kings Plaza.... how come we get the crappy mall?
25. Knew who the neighborhood wise guy was, but you'd never tell the cops.
26. Know that NBC's main production studio is on Avenue M.
27. Know that the only place to get one heck of a cheese cake is in Junior's. That's on Flatbush Avenue (really the Flatbush Avenue Extension) and DeKalb Avenue (thank you, Mitchel Sackson, for reminding me).
28. Know that Junior's now has a second restaurant in the Times Square area
29. Know what E.J. Korvettes does not stand for "Eight Jewish Korean Veterans." Elayne Beloten writes to me saying her husband was one of Gene Ferkauf's first few friends and employees of E. J. Korvette. Gene (or Eugene) Ferkauf was the founder of Korvettes. Susan Forman, whose father was a lawyer and accountant to Eugene Ferkauf, wrote to me claiming a different derivation of the Korvettes name. She says, and offers excellent documentation, that Eugene had a partner (Joe Zwillenberg), and the 'E' stands for Eugene, the 'J' stands for Joe, and Korvettes was the name of a ship they liked. In fact, the chain store was founded in 1948, two years before the Korean War. Regarding the ship, 'Korvette,' it was originally meant to be spelled with a 'C' after the Canadian marine sub-destroyer (simply because they thought the name had a euphonious ring). When it came time to register the name, they found it was illegal to use a naval class identity, so they had to change the spelling to 'K' ... you did well, Susan, you did well, and thank you, Elayne for your Korvette contribution (which brings me to the next point).
30. Know that Brooklynites never allow for mistakes; in Brooklyn, you better be right or else... There's the story of this man, a neighbor of Gotti, who accidentally ran over Gotti's kid (a very unfortunate incident). This man was never heard from again. That's Brooklyn; I'm glad Susan's allowing me to live.
31. Know what the F.W.I.L. on the Lundy's Restaurant in "The Bay" stands for the brothers, Frederick, William, Irving and Louis. (see note below)
32. Know, or at least your hips do, what a Charlotte Russe is.
33. Owned a pair of pumps from Miles or National's.
34. Played at ( Eddy) Faber's Fascination and Skeeball - saved tickets for junk.
35. Played "Hide 'n Go Seek" at dusk (say it quickly and you'll know why we called it "hang-o-seek".
36. Played Hit The Penny, Stoop Ball, Skelly, and Potsy.
37. Private beach? What's that?
38. Remember a time when the Greeks didn't own ALL the diners and the Koreans didn't own ALL fruit stands. Except the Greeks on Utica and Church, where you just said going to the Greeks for lunch.
39. Remember Bohack's, Packer's, and Smilen Brothers fruit stores (one was on Nostrand Avenue).
40. Remember Coney Island fireworks every Tuesday night in the summer, and watching it from your roof.
41. Remember submarine race watching at Plum Beach. Heck, if you even know where Plum Beach is.
42. Sheepshead Bay is for fishing and seafood.
43. Shopped on Fulton Street and Pitkin Ave. before the mall and all the dreck.
44. Swear that Grabstein's Deli had the l-e-a-n-e-s-t pastrami (see note below).
45. The first bar that you hung out in when you were 15 is "so young now".
46. There is a bagel bakery a few blocks away.
47. There is at least one pizzeria within 1 block of your house and a candy store on the corner.
48. Thought "Buddy's Fairyland Kiddie Park" on Utica Ave. was a major amusement park.
49. Thought going "away to college" means NYU, Pace, or Pratt.
50. Waited for the Good Humor or Bungalow Bar guy to come around your block.
51. Walked along the Coney Island Boardwalk, with a Shatzkins knish.
52. Washed it down with a Sunny Boy orange drink.
53. Went to a Bar Mitzvah at the Colonial Mansion, sometimes two on a weekend.
54. Went to Big Daddy's on Coney Island Avenue as a change from Nathan's.
55. Went to Brennan and Carr for a double dip roast beef that dripped all over you.
56. Went to Murray the K rock concerts at the Brooklyn Fox or the Brooklyn Paramount. Went the night before for good seats.
57. Went to Saturday matinees at the Oriental, Oceana, Canarsie, Kingsway, Avalon, Elm, Congress, Midwood, Vogue, Kent, Rugby, Sheepshead, Tilyou, Mayfair, Kenmore, or Marboro theaters (you can put a "the" in front of all those names).
58. You ate at the Horn and Hardart Automat.
59. You can correctly pronounce Long Island (well, you might incorrectly sound that "g"), but aren't exactly sure where Long Island begins.
60. You curse. A lot. Or can at least out curse anyone from anywhere else.
61. You don't go to Manhattan, you go to "The City."
62. You have no reason to go to Queens, except for Met games.
63. You know and go to the REAL Nathan's ... the one in Coney Island.
64. You know someone with mob ties.
65. You know the difference between going with, seeing, fooling around with, and going out with someone.
66. You know what a "johnny pump" is.
67. You love "Welcome Back Kotter" (and not because of the crisp writing or great acting).
68. You made a scooter from orange crates and an old skate.
69. You made carpet guns that shot old linoleum projectiles.
70. You never realize you have an accent until you leave.
71. You waited for the rides on a truck to come to your neighborhood for 10 cents a ride.
72. You walk down "The Avenue" and see at least a handful of the people you knew growing up.
73. Your friends came over to hang out on the stoop.
74. You've had a pigeon crap on your car and/or your head.

AND the most important reason that you are a Brooklynite, or at least have the soul of one, is ... You're still angry that the Dodgers left.

* One reader, Allan Rosen, who found this page wrote to me saying (and he might be right), that "FWIL does not stand for the names of the Lundy Brothers. It actually stands for the name of just one brother, Frederick William Irving Lundy, known to his friends just as Irving. He adds that, "Two of the brothers were named Clayton and Stanley." Thanks Allan, and now, back to the list, the FWIL (Lundy's) line.

Cheryl, a graduate of Tilden High School, Jan '72, lives in Atlanta (that's some city in Georgia), and writes about her experiences there vis-à-vis deli, says in Atlanta they have no idea (she uses the word, "clue") what real deli is. She doesn't even know why she's living in Atlanta. Well, Cheryl, if you don't know, what can I say? Makes no sense to anyone here in Brooklyn why anyone would want to live in Atlanta.

Cheryl talks about Marty Grabstein who became a part time actor (full time job is a waiter at the Carnegie). She tells about Appy's (name then changed to Joe's Deli), and yes, Cheryl, it was on the corner of Ralph and Glenwood, across from South Shore High School.

When Cheryl visits here, she brings a cooler so she can return to Atlanta with some real soul food. Btw, Cheryl, Ebinger's bakery is out, Entenmann's is in. You'll find Entenmann's at the end of some aisle in any supermarket but alas, nothing has ever come up to the level of Ebinger's blackout cake. Some trivia: Arthur Ebinger's parents, who came from Germany, opened their first Brooklyn bakery on Flatbush Avenue in 1898.

You would buy a blackout cake, a rich chocolate layer cake filled and frosted with dark fudge and dusted with chocolate cake crumbs, and take it home in their green and brown box. It was named for the wartime blackouts, and I'm told that it was so rich in chocolate that if it had been fed to the enemy, it could have ended World War II two years earlier. Alas, Ebinger's bakery closed its doors in 1972.

Of course, I'm not going to argue with anyone who calls himself "DeliMan" who sent me the following email regarding the above "Grabstein" comment ... and I quote:

"I have been enjoying your website very much, but I must disagree with one of your memories, perhaps you didn't live in that neighborhood.

While Grabsteins was good, the absolute best kosher delicatessen in Brooklyn, was the "Quality Deli" on Church Avenue between East 19 Street and Ocean Avenue. It was diagonally across the street from "Dubins Bakery", undoubtedly one of the best independent bakeries in Brooklyn (and we know that there were many). As for lean pastrami, it could never be totally lean since it was marbled with fat throughout (not like what they call pastrami today - not the real thing).

The Quality Deli - Where There Is No Compromise With Quality - was just less than three blocks from the RKO Kenmore theater and therefore, from Flatbush Avenue. Occasionally I run into people who remember the Quality Deli and they all agree with my assessment. I consider myself to be somewhat of a Deli maven. I hope that you will find a place for this superior store on your web site...DeliMan."

My response to his well-worded objection is that maybe he's right (and I'm giving him equal time) although there are so many subjective opinions on the pastrami issue. Regarding any discussion on pastrami, there might be the Canarsie version and his Flatbush version.

So since I did not live in that neighborhood, I'll accede to his request and give honorable mention to "The Quality Deli" (to say "the best" smacks of arrogance). And the "absolute best"? Hey, Mr. Goldberg, get a hold of yourself.

Note that some living in that "Quality Deli" neighborhood might have referred to it as Bill's as noted by Robert Bernstein, who currently, July 2007, works in the Mayor's Office of Opperations. If Bob is reading this correction, let him put a good word in for me to our good mayor. And if he runs for president, Bloomberg certainly has my vote.

We'll also keep in mind that the Mill Basin contingent also wants to be heard (not to mention Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn Heights, and all points north, east, south, and west (except Bay Ridge where they might ask, "What's kosher pastrami?")

On the subject of gastronomy there is no certainty; one says the apple is delicious, another says the apple is wormy (that's the apple we'd give to the teacher), this is Brooklyn with all kinds of pastrami opinions. However, with a kosher name like "Paul Goldberg" I do have to give his kosher pastrami opinion some respect. And I have to admit, toward the end of the Grabstein era, the pastrami was getting a bit fatty.

Truth is, there were many great delis in Brooklyn.

Brighton Beach doesn't have any good Jewish delis anymore; seems Russians go for a different kind of meat (I'll be damned if I know what's hanging in their stores). Manny Blatt writes and reminds me that Brighton had Zei Mar's; I should have known that but they moved out shortly after I moved in so it skipped my mind. Currently, closest good deli I know is Jay & Lloyd's at 2718 Avenue U. That's between 27 & 28th Street; might as well give them a plug. The serve great kreplach soup (not easy to make a good kreplach) and a delicious pastrami.

Robert Wechsler (used to live on Quentin Road and went to Madison High School) writes saying that he has to "weigh in" on delis (clever idiom there). He writes that his dad was a deli counterman from the 1940's when he was drafted into the navy until the day he died in 1979 on the way to work. He was a partner in the Goldor Deli on Kings Highway in the 1940's when there were three delis on the Highway between Ocean Ave. and East 16th Street. I quote now:

"His longest stint was at Zip's Deli on Remsen and Avenue A, around the corner from Tilden, which was in business from the 1950's until 1978 when it burned down. I won't comment on Willie Grabstein's pastrami, but Zip's (which was owned by Harold "Sonny" Sipzenger) had some of the best corned beef in the business. There was no such order as lean corned beef; It was always lean and delicious. Sonny ordered his pastrami, corned beef, tongue, all from different vendors. He made his own french fries, potato salad, and coleslaw -- all a lost art."

He adds that he "lost track of most the waiters - Louis Bernstein (Louie), Tony (the originator of the famous 'Tony salad') Maniscalco, and Manny." He says that [year is 2006 now] Sonny passed away a few years ago but his lovely wife, Gertie, is a snow bird but she still lives in Brooklyn a few months a year.

And now about knishes ... first you have to pronounce the "k" and it's an Eastern European snack food popular in Jewish communities. It consists of a filling covered with dough that is either baked or fried. They can be purchased from street vendors in urban areas with a large Jewish population, sometimes at a hot dog stand, and often in stores that feature Jewish delicacies.

And finally, thank you Susan Adler Szold. I corrected the spelling of that tiny beach found along the Belt Parkway (which is now a bit of a problem to Brooklyn). I corrected the spelling. You are right; it is "Plum" and not "Plumb" (must have been a typo). And you moved to Fairfield, CT? How could you!!! (three exclamation marks)

Any corrections? ... ... you be my guest.

Now for the history buffs ... Coney History 1609-1880 ... very humble beginnings.
And if that's too much ... Brooklyn - a Quick History ... for those in a hurry.
Great, here you can see ... 1879 Map of Coney Island ... where everything was.
All right, here's the way ... Coney Island Hotels ... used to look years ago.
Remember when a ... View from Brooklyn ... looked like this?
Look, old Coney Island's ... Beach & Boardwalk ... used to looked like this.
And now, just for fun, only ... Old Brooklynites ... could possibly understand.
And now, old Brooklyn ... Remember When ... fond, recollections.
Oh yeah, lest we forget - Brooklyn Now - The Modern Way - you will recognize it.
All right, here's the way ... Old Brooklyn ... used to look years ago.
And a Brooklynese letter - Brooklynese ... from Bill Gates himself.
And what do we have here ... The Cyclone ... known all over the world.
They'd say, "Hey, I'll kick you to Canarsie" ... that's what they used to say.
We'll return to the ... Navigator ... our contents page.