Dining Al Fresco in the Summers of My Youth
May 13, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Simple Pleasures
When I was a kid in the 70’s we kept cool by staying outside rather than inside. Hardly anyone from the old neighborhood on 50th Avenue in Elmhurst, Queens had air conditioning then. Some of the people in the newer apartments had a Fedders unit under a window, but no one I knew had it. In the evenings we spent our time sitting on the stoop or in the backyard talking with friends and neighbors or playing hide and seek outside until our parents called us in. It may have been hot outside, but it was even hotter indoors.
There were eight of us in my family. My two brothers, three sisters, parents and I. We had a little fan in the kitchen but that did little to cool things down. Most meals were eaten at the two picnic tables my father put together outside under the giant maple tree. We ate every single dinner out there in the summer except if it rained. On the weekends we even had breakfast and lunch outside. Somehow the food always tasted better.
We had one of the bigger backyards in Elmhurst, though it pales to the acre my family has now. It was called a “double lot” and gave us ample room for a backyard basketball court, and an inexpensive swimming pool which we all helped my dad erect in the beginning of every summer. We learned some of our best curse words on the day we put up the pool. We also learned who our true friends were as people we hardly knew came out of the woodwork to use our pool each summer.
Sitting under the old maple eating dinner was fun. We talked, we joked, we fought… and all the while neighborhood life went on around us. We’d wave to old Mr. Valluzzi on the other side of the fence as he tended to his tomatoes and grapes with a fresh mint leaf tucked behind his ear. We waved to Mrs. Waddington as she came out to feed stale bread to the birds and we waved to Jimmy Sweeney or P.J. Greiner as they ran through our backyard and jumped the fence in an attempt to thwart off those in pursuit during a game of ring-o-leevio. We didn’t mind, we knew everyone on the block. I heard of families watching dinner in front of television sets, but I couldn’t understand why when our backyard was so entertaining.
After dinner on those hot nights Mom would break out the ice pops, such a treat, and ice cream cones on the weekend. I always bit the bottom off my cone and sucked the ice cream through the bottom. I suppose it might have been hot on those nights in July and August, but I don’t remember feeling uncomfortable, at least not until later on at night when trying to sleep while a fan blew the hot summer air around me.
Nowadays my new neighborhood doesn’t even have sidewalks. We eat dinner outside or sit out on the back deck but there are no neighbors to wave to and no friends using our backyard as command central. I keep telling my husband I want to move to a neighborhood, I want our son to experience the friendships and community we experienced on 50th Avenue. But he says it won’t be the same.
I know we can’t go back, but we can still dine al fresco and wave to your neighbors, even if they won’t let their kids run though our backyard.
Image via Old Elmhurst
My husband grew up at 42nd Ave and 94th
Street! He knew the high school you had pictured in your posting. What a small world! Great posting about remembering that we CAN keep things simple if we choose to.
Hi Shannon,
I lived across the street from that high school for most of my life. Even after I moved out – I lived in a n apartment a few doors down from the house I grew up.
When did your husband live in Elmhurst – we might know (or know of) each other?
- Deb
I remember mom telling us to come home when the lights went on. My kids and husband always gave a funny look at that one. Living out in the country, there are no street lights to come on. Actually, I don’t mind that part one bit, it’s easier to see the stars.
@deh – I remember that too. And there was this one light by Newtown that if we banged on it for a while it would go out. One night in 1977 we were banging on that light and the whole city went out. We thought for the longest time that we caused the NYC blackout.
Though there are no streetlights here, there’s a development going up in the farm across the road and now we see streetlights at night.
I wish with all my heart that we could go back to those days.
Beautiful post.
Now the neighborhood is overcrowded. The rents are through the roof. 1br apt starts at 1300. 2br 1500-1800 3br as high as 2200. I know, I unfortunately live here. I want out in the wrost way. Its just hard to come up with the $$$ to leave.
What a wonderful stroll down memory lane. Beautiful portrait you’ve painted Deb.
Hi Deb! My husband lived in Elmhurst roughly from the mid-60’s until about 1975 or 76. How about you?