The Bronx-You can't go home again-Part One

The Bronx, one of the burroughs of New York City.  I was born there in 1946 and lived there until 1956 when we moved to New Jersey because my father got a really good job there.


The picture above is 264 East 211th Street where my grandparents lived for as long as I could remember.  They did live in another apartment building right down the block but this was built new and was a real step up for them.  The only difference that I can see in this picture, much more recent, is that the trees are much more mature and there is a chain link fence across the front courtyard. Perhaps the sidewalks have been redone in the past 55 years but they are sidewalks that I walked on almost every day of my young life.  
There are so many good memories, some not so good, I still dream about being in their apartment and can describe every room in detail.


Technology today can bring you right into your old neighborhood with Googlemap.  Taking a virtual walk up East 211th Street is a strange experience.  


Right across the street facing their building is The famous Woodlawn Cemetary.  There is a wrought iron fence stretching from one end to the other separating us from the graves.  My mom, my brother and I used to take walks in there.  It was green and lush and, of course, peaceful.  I don't think I ever thought about it being a cemetary - just fun to walk around in.  


There was a park nearby also called the Oval.  Picture below.

It has changed a lot.  There used to be forsynthia bushes surrounding the park making a huge circle of yellow in the Spring that used to awe me.  We went there many days after school.  My mom, my brother, my mom's friends and their kids.  We were fast friends until I had to move away.
Try as I might, I can't seem to grasp that fun feeling anymore.

Picture of Grandma with me in my Brownie uniform and my brother, Peffie (Stefan).  1954.