Quote of the Day

The Cusacks were here a few years before me, so a tip of the hat to them. But I rememeber the protestors against The House Tours because of their gentrification and aim to bring in middle class white folk. It made me feel like I was a settler in the West bank. I was so impressed with the cost of these houses in the seventies also how nice the neighbourhood felt, except at night. There were gang wars on Wyckoff Street, every corner had a bodega with domino players outside, the corner streets were embedded with Micheloeb caps that clacked when you walked on and attracted lighting. There were sawd off bodies found in back yards, wild dogs ran free in the early morn and there was fighting on the streets from little lads to seniors. Those were the days. There were no bars or restaurants for yuppies like us, there were a couple of places on Atlantic or else it was a hike to Montague or Juniors. If I found myself on Smith Street at night I would walk down the center of the street, there were few cars. It was damm scarey with tough guy social clubs, 'ethnic' bars and Reagge'record stores'with bullet proof glass.It was easier to buy dope than a Big Youth LP.

— by oldtimer in A Successful Buy-and-Hold Strategy on Hoyt Street

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That was a lot of words that said absolutely nothing.

Posted by: Xander Crews at March 16, 2009 3:47 PM

the guy who helps fix stuff at my apt was telling me how he used to buy pot in the 80's at the plant store that's now that Mediterranean place at st. marks and 6th ave. Also some karate place that was by were flatbush farm is.

also some guy who lived above me in park slope grew up in Carroll gardens and was around 40 years old. He talked about it like it was the greatest place ever. But of course he was Italian and most likely hung out at those "tough guy social clubs".

Posted by: Santa at March 16, 2009 3:51 PM

"It was easier to buy dope than a Big Youth LP."

maybe not such a bad thing....though its pretty easy to buy most drugs these days too, what with home delivery and all,

Posted by: wasder at March 16, 2009 4:00 PM

I vote Xander Crews above 3:47pm post as the real QOTD

Posted by: fsrg at March 16, 2009 4:11 PM

Read "Fortress of Solitude" by Jonathan Lathem (sp.), who writes about growing up in this neighborhood. Very similar expierence.

Posted by: Molly at March 16, 2009 4:57 PM

Santa, c'mon, those are gross generalizations. And it's unlikely that a man that is 40 now was hanging out in the social clubs - those were for the old guys.

Ya know, Fortress of Solitude is fiction. And JL does take some artistic license. He was there, but me thinks he goes too far sometimes.

Also, if you were walking down the middle of the street on Smith Street then they would know you were scared and you would get mugged. Better to be cool and just keep you head on, look straight ahead and walk like you belong there. Worked for me.

I do not remember even one reggae music store on Smith. Myrtle maybe, but not Smith.

Posted by: cobblehiller at March 16, 2009 5:46 PM

aww, look at that.a couple of encouraging words for gentrifying sissies everywhere from one of the pioneers.

Posted by: buckfast at March 16, 2009 7:47 PM

the term "pioneer" is seriously offensive in my opinion.

Posted by: Santa at March 16, 2009 9:07 PM

class and racially discordant new neighbor?

Posted by: Putnamdenizen at March 16, 2009 11:13 PM

Show some respect Xander and fsrg. I'm actually pissed off. Nobody will likely read this, but I was checking in with Brownstoner and saw that one of my favorite posters had gotten the ol' QOTD. And I loved his musing as usual, and found it informative and heavy on nostalgia.

But only nine, count them NINE responses. Then, when I went in to read them, two of them were rude and disrespectful. Brownstoner is becoming a freakin' high school cafeteria.

Posted by: Nokilissa at March 16, 2009 11:55 PM

Cobblehiller - There certainly was a reggae store on Smith Street. It was called Reggae World. In the front were a few dirty reggae albums in a rack. The back wall had a little hole in it - that you would slip five dollars through for your nickel bag. You probably walked by it many times without noticing.

Posted by: fexleycb at March 17, 2009 9:45 AM

Thanks Fexy and Noklissa although I don't like the idea of myself as heavy on nostalgia.
You remember the same 'record' shop. I was more impressed by their stock of obscure Jamaican LPs and I think that it confused their business plan when I bought out half the inventory. I liked to think that they took me for undercover and that the cover had been blown, coz they closed not long after.
Just to give nostalgia a break.........
Back in the day it used to be a relief to return to Brooklyn from Mid Town Manhattan and all the drunken cops, firemen, and catholic school kids from Jersey who Paddys for a Day. I could stop at the bar on Bergen and Smith for a Bud and they didn't know from Saint Patricks from San Juan Bapiste.
Happy Saint Patricks Everone

Posted by: oldtimer at March 17, 2009 10:32 AM

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March 16, 2009

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