Brooklyn ... Where It All Started

Life begins with pizza, Di Fara Pizza, the gold standard from which all other pizzerias in New York City grew. The legacy continues with the Ave. J Deli where the brisket, pastrami, and corned beef were cooked on the premises. We hung out at Old Dutch Diner after playing pool, and ate the greasiest, greatest cheeseburgers and fries. Of course, we couldn't resist Cooky's Restaurant and Joy Fong Chinese Restaurant, also on Ave. J. Bernie's Candy Store on Ave. H by the BMT is where Bernie hosted us and made the spectacular rich, creamy chocolate egg creams and cherry lime rickeys that defied definition as he orchestrated a symphony from his magic soda fountain. Our fathers went there for coffee in the morning before going to work and met us there on warm spring days after a stickball game. Late night favorite was Dubrow's Automat on Kings Highway not far from The Clothes Horse where everyone got their bell bottoms and observed the Brooklyn Beauties in there miniest of mini-skirts. We couldn't resist Nathan's in Coney Island, especially in the winter where my father and I navigated our way through the crowds to the secret back room cuddling a bunch of thin roast beef sandwiches dripping in gravy and steaming hot clam broth. Wow! Oh, we did make an effort to get an education, at least in our parents' eyes, at Midwood High School and then on to the dream of all free colleges, Brooklyn College which shared the same street campus. But the real education was at Artie's Poolroom.

Who could forget?