Let’s take a trip down to 59th Street. Let’s go shopping and have a bite to eat. Maybe we’ll even see a movie.
Growing up in Yorkville, our main shopping area was 86th Street which had Woolworth’s and Gimbles and to this teenaged kid that was really all that I needed. They both had record departments albeit rather small. Woolworth’s had the luncheonette counter and Gimbels had the more upscale sounding Penthouse Restaurant. For fast food there was Burger King, McDonalds, Arthur Treacher’s and if you wanted a real hamburger (or steak), Flaming Embers. The latter also had quite possibly the best blue cheese dressing I ever tasted. I’d be chastised if I didn’t mention the two Papaya Kings. Best hot dogs anywhere, even better than what you’d get at the ballpark.
However, there was something different about shopping and dining on 59th street. There was Alexanders and Bloomingdales. There was also my favorite record shop, Disc-O-Mat on Lexington between 57th and 58th Streets. I spent a LOT of money in that place back when you could buy a vinyl album for about $4.99 plus tax. Now for $9.99 a month I use Spotify and can listen to any song I want at any time. Yes, the times have changed.
While most of my shopping was done on 86th Street, mom and I would occasionally trek downtown. We would almost always go into Alexanders, for clothes and/or toys. We rarely went into Bloomingdales, even though my aunt worked there. At the time that was a little too fancy for us! In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually been in Bloomingdales.
The movie theaters on 59th Street also seemed more upscale than what we had uptown. The Baronet and the Coronet had their names in bright flashing lights on the front of the building. At night time these lights could be seen reflecting off the windows of Bloomingdales which was directly across the street.
Adjacent to these fancy theaters, directly on the north east corner of 59th and Third Avenue, was a Chinese restaurant that you had to walk up a flight of stairs to gain entrance. If you were lucky enough, you could pull a seat by the windows – all of which actually opened. These seats were great for people watching as you ate your meal. While the food and atmosphere here was nice, it still didn’t beat my favorite Chinese restaurant on 86th Street, The Lotus.
In the middle of the block toward second avenue on the north side, was a candy store. It was here that I remember buying a couple of packs of hockey cards in 1979. From those packs I pulled a Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and the Wayne Gretzky rookie card, all future Hall of Famers and all of which I still have. The Gretzky rookie will fetch a nice penny if and when I decide to sell it. It’s currently well protected in a safety deposit box somewhere beneath the streets of Manhattan.
Further down the block there was one of a few movie theaters I can remember. It was in this theater on the south side of the street, I recall going to see a movie titled “Don’t Drink the Water,’ starring Jackie Gleason. This sticks out because it is one of only two movies, I remember seeing with both my mom and dad. The other being Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, over by what is now Lincoln Center.
Even further down the block at the northwest corner of 59th and Second Avenue there was another movie theater. This one is located right around the corner from the Roosevelt Island Tramway and adjacent to the entrance of the 59th Street Bridge. It was in this theater that myself and a bunch of friends waited in line for several hours to see Jaws 2 on the day it was released in 1978.
Walking further east, I always found the block of 59th between First and Second Avenues to be odd. On the north side was the bridge and on the south side were some stores and restaurants, none of which I have ever patronized for whatever reason.
Finally at the corner of 59th Street and York was a baseball field that I spent many a spring and summer day as well as some nights. In actuality, it was clay tennis courts with a huge bubble covering it. In the spring the bubble would be deflated and presto, it was turned into a baseball field. From what I understand now, the bubble is up year-round and the site is strictly tennis courts, with no baseball being played. I hope you enjoyed this trip down 59th Street as much I enjoyed writing it.
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