That's my Uncle Joe with my two sisters on the Ferris wheel. Where was I?
Too little for the Ferris wheel! So Uncle Joe was kind enough to take me on something more suitable. But you could see I was thrilled to be on this train ride. This might have been the caterpillar ride, where a huge awning rose up from the last car and covered the riders. Everytime my sisters and I took this photo out when I was growing up, it was, oh, the caterpillar ride, so I'm sticking with that story. I think this is Rockaway Playland, in Queens. It was kind of threadbare
compared to Coney Island. We didn't have a car, so
it had to be reachable by subway. The A train from Columbus Circle
would have taken us straight out to Rockaway.
More youthful amusements at the shore: me, my sister Elaine, and cousin George waiting to look through a telescope. Coney? Rockaway? Orchard Beach in the Bronx? It could have been anywhere on the subway line. Although we did make it out to Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, probably by bus or a relative who had a car. About 1960.
This one is easy: the sprinklers at Central Park. Our favorite thing to do on a hot summer weekend. And we could walk there from home. That's me in red, Elaine and Maria. Elaine has on her two piece bathing suit commemorating the 1964-1965 World's Fair, so that helps date the picture.
And here's my mom on a carousel. Sometime in the 1970s or 1980s. We had a car and were driving all over by then. This is probably Great Adventure in New Jersey.
But back to Ferris wheels...
Wonder Wheel, Coney Island, August 2009. I love that ride.
See who else is going around this Sepia Saturday, click below.
Oh my! You have really pushed me over the limit with these photos...now I'm craving the fair! But the one and only sad thing about the State fair here is...it's marking the end of summer! School starts again the day after the fair! Oh no!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! The Ferris Wheel of the 50s looked like little more than a porch swing - not too much in the way of idiot-proofing. I like that you included your uncertainty about where you were because you've shown me a way to include photos when I don't have all the facts.
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful collection of photographs here, and what memories attached to them too. Can I just say, that if you are that little girl in the first photo in 1957, then you are very well-preserved in the 2009 photo. It must be your youthful spirits - perhaps I should hop on more rides!
ReplyDeleteThe Ferris Wheel looks primitive back in those days. Fine series of fair photos - so more interesting when you can relate them to yourself and your family,
ReplyDeleteGreat set of family photos - my favorites would be the one of you & your sisters at Central Park and the one of you & your uncle on the train. Some really neat old cars in the background in the train pic.
ReplyDeleteIf the Ferris wheel looks primitive in the 1950s. it is not because of its age. There were huge Ferris wheels more than 100 years ago. And Disneyland was already operating by then.
ReplyDeleteA great selection of family photos that really fit this weeks theme and bring back memories. You took me back to my childhood. My brother and sisters loved playing in the sprinklers in the back yard when we were kids.
ReplyDeleteI'm puzzled why I couldn't find any family photos of our fair when it was so big a part of our growing up. You were lucky to have so many for this week's post.
ReplyDeleteNancy
How sweet of your Uncle Joe to take you on the caterpillar ride!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!