Letters from Our Readers:

In a message dated Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Matt Carlson writes to Matthew Bashie

Matt - Thanks for another interesting addition to your serialized autobiography. I did the math -my family moved into Wavecrest in the spring of 1964 and then I finished a few weeks as a kindergartner at PS 215. We must have moved into the complex in late May or June because one of my first memories is of buying a Toasted Almond ice cream bar from the Good Humor man on the Crest Street circle. There may still have been a place to wash your feet there in whatever that concrete thing was.

I am writing because your memories of Beach 19th Street stirred up a few of my own recollections. I was very young but I do believe that in 1964 you could still rent a big beach umbrella (I think they were green) at the entrance to the 19th Street beach. There may have also been canvas tents or cabanas available to rent for the day. I seem to remember these concession existing in 1964 but not for many years after that.

The bicycle rental barn (Franks) on the triangle of land by Beach 26th Street only lasted a few years past 1964. I remember exploring the damaged bicycle rental place about 1969. Perhaps the shop was partially burned out or was otherwise abandoned because there were old bicycles and bike parts strewn about everywhere.

I am sure we weren't supposed to be in that abandoned store but exploring ruins was a central part of growing up in Rockaway around that time. I also explored (could it be considered as trespassing?) many of the old abandoned bungalows and seasonal hotels. I don't consider myself to have been a vandal for the damage was already done by the time we discovered we could enter into a place to have a look around. We would explore previously ramshackled places, some that were already heavily damaged, some were only half demolished. We saw old hotels already in the process of demolition and parts of the old places would still be standing but with rooms exposed to the open air. I consider it amazing that none of us ever got hurt falling through a floor in one of those ancient places. Of course we were chased away on a number of occasions but back then it was not a crime to be curious children.

(Photo - Matt Carlson with his younger brother Teddy on the beach. The boardwalk and Wavecrest are in the background.) Matt was in the first graduating class of Beach Channel High School, 1976. He is now a career counselor with Minnesota State University

There were so many wonderful places to play. I remember climbing through an open window into a small summer home with a summer porch or widow's walk - probably in the Beach 9th Street area. The musty and spooky climb to the top of that "falling down" home was a true adventure. We found some sort of "root celler" in the weeds on Beach 19th or 20th Street. To us, it seemed like there must be a buried treasure down there!

There were several places under the bungalows colonies having ample crawl spaces and to us it turned into an exciting network of hiding places. Eventually many of the construction sites on the early beach streets became play areas for us. On weekends or school holidays, we would build rafts and float across the pits that would eventually become the foundations of the new (not yet built) high-rise buildings. One of my friends recently reminded me that we once crawled through(unused) sewer pipes under some new development under construction.

It was a special time in my life and there were so many special places and I can see from your stories that you too have a strong affection for that period of your life and for the Rockaway areas.

Matt Carlson