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Native New Yorkers, Just for fun I thought I'd start this thread: Where were you born and raised? What did you like about it? Do you still live there now, and if not, where are you??
I'll go first! I was born in NY Hospital, NY, NY. We lived in Jackson Heights, Queens where I was raised there for 21 years! I grew up on 72nd Street between Northern Blvd and 32nd Avenue. There used to be a Bohax (spelling?!?!) supermarket on the corner of my block, and then it was C-town.Now it is a CVS. Mark Twain diner was there, we got Burger King on 69th Street!! Whoo Hoo! Dunkin Donuts, and Wendys werent there until 1986 and 1988 I believe. I attended PS 152 on 62nd Street, Kg to 6th grade, then JHS 10 in Long Island City. I started HS in StJohn's Prep for 1 year and a half, then transferred to William Cullen Bryant in the 10th grade where I graduated. Went to Borough of Manhattan College and then Queens college.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT: I lived in a two family row house. My paternal grandmother lived downstairs. She was my second mother. (all my grandparents were immigrants and came to Manhattan and Brooklyn). We knew all of our neighbors. Our neighbors were extended family. Most moms were stay at home, and they cooked! Our neighbors were Italian, Greek, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Indian. On Saturdays, one mom would cook ethnic food and make enough for EVERYONE, the next week my mom would, the following week someone else.....I love ALL kinds of foods because of this! Everyone looked out for everyone. You could count on your neighbors. I loved walking on the Avenues, Steinway Street, 82nd Street, 77th St park by the Garden School. :-) Our favorite restaurant is Armondo's on 75th St and 37th Ave! It is still there and we go there a few times a year still for the food. When I was growing up, we used to walk there once in awhile to eat.
What the negatives were as follows: our house was small, 4 rooms. Crime slowly but surely became bad. This was before Guiliani; C'mon, we had the Son of Sam running around, and then after that, lots of burglaries, muggings. I was mugged when I was 14. In fact, the houses next door to ours were both robbed, and then my grandmothers apartment was (she has passed away and we had a tenant) with my mom and sister alone upstairs.
We moved to Staten Island as most of us worked in Brooklyn then. Staten Island sure isn't Queens and I still miss it till this day. I miss what I remember. Where I live now, neighbors don't even wave hello. :-(
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
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I was born in a hospital in Flushing (I forgot the name, I'll have to ask my mom) and lived in Middle Village, Queens until I was 3. My parents knew I'd need special ed, so that's one reason why they chose to move to Long Island. They didn't want to spend more money on private school, and they didn't think the public schools would help me enough. They also wanted us to have a decent sized yard to play around in. So, I went to Long Island until I was 18. Then I went to college in Maine for 2 years, then upstate in Cortland for 3 years. After I graduated I moved back to Queens, specifically Maspeth (where my dad's side of the family grew up). Then moved to Astoria for a couple years. Now I'm BACK on the island since I just bought a house with my newlywed husband. I'm glad to be back on the island.
Born in NY Hosptial. Lived most of my life in sunset park, followed by bensonhurst and now Orange county. Hopefully will be moving out west come summer time. What I miss most about NYC is the fact that @ 3AM & can go grab a decent hamburger joint that is open 24/7. I also miss the subway and hanging with my family @ the 69th st. pier in bay ridge. What I don't miss is the, rat race felling and the living on top of each other feeling.
My first eighteen years were spent in the greatest city of the world! It all started in St. Vincent's Hospital and we lived in Greenwich Village. The BATHTUB was in the kitchen and the bathroom had a toilet and a sink.
We also lived on Mulberry St. in Little Italy over a luncheonette. This was a railroad-style apartment with a BATHTUB in the kitchen but the toilet was not in the apartment, it was down the hall, make a left, and then the first padlocked door to your right. The toilet "room" had a high-tank pull-chain toilet in it and nothing else. I went to PS 130 and another PS # school in Chinatown and also to Hunter College HS for a while when it was an all girls' school.
We moved to Henry St. in the Lower East Side in the seventies and I knew we were moving up in the world because the apartment included a bathroom complete with bathtub and high-tank pull-chain toilet. No sink in the bathroom but at least we had a bathroom. I looked up the location in Google street-view and it is currently an empty lot.
As a Manhattan-ite I was opposed to moving to BROOKLYN (just being a stubborn kid). It was a 2-family house this time and the bathrooms included bathtubs, toilets, and sinks. We finally hit the "Toilet Trifecta". The neighborhood was NOT GOOD. Even though Bushwick is in Brooklyn, I had to attend WC Bryant HS in Astoria because I was one block out of the district for Bushwick HS. Bushwick HS was 1 mile away and walking would be the only way to get there. It took me three subways and 45 minutes to get to WC Bryant HS. At the time I didn't know I was dodging a bullet (probably literally as well) by not going to Bushwick HS. I clearly remember the Blackout of 1977, they were looting the stores under the EL four blocks away. I feared Son of Sam might get me because I met the profile of his victims.
NYC is not like anywhere else and I wish I could have experienced it as a resident adult but at eighteen I really could not afford an apartment in Manhattan and moved to Jersey purely by default. I loved Manhattan and hated dangerous Bushwick but I hear it's very different and much safer there now. I love being a Native New Yorker and I always correct people when they assume I'm from NJ. I firmly say "No, I only LIVE in New Jersey. I am FROM New York City!"
Born in LaGuardia Hospital, and raised in Hollis Queens. I still live in Hollis, but not for much longer....either moving to Brooklyn or DC this summer. Most of my family is in St.Albans, South Ozone, Cambria Heights, and Elmont, so I'll always have a deep love and affection for these parts of Queens and Nassau County.
Went to HS in Brooklyn and college in Manhattan. I've had such diversity of life experiences, from good to great to bad to straight up bizarre, but I'm so happy to have been born and raised in NYC. New York really has such a strong presence and native Nyers are truly one of a kind people.
I was born in Beth El Hospital, Brownsville, Brooklyn (in case you can't find it on the map, that might be because it's called Brookdale Medical Center these days!)
Raised in Brownsville, Jamaica Queens and [involuntary shudder] suburban New Jersey. But I can't be accused of not sticking to my guns. I always said I'd come back to Brooklyn!
My first eighteen years were spent in the greatest city of the world! It all started in St. Vincent's Hospital and we lived in Greenwich Village. The BATHTUB was in the kitchen and the bathroom had a toilet and a sink.
We also lived on Mulberry St. in Little Italy over a luncheonette. This was a railroad-style apartment with a BATHTUB in the kitchen but the toilet was not in the apartment, it was down the hall, make a left, and then the first padlocked door to your right. The toilet "room" had a high-tank pull-chain toilet in it and nothing else. I went to PS 130 and another PS # school in Chinatown and also to Hunter College HS for a while when it was an all girls' school.
We moved to Henry St. in the Lower East Side in the seventies and I knew we were moving up in the world because the apartment included a bathroom complete with bathtub and high-tank pull-chain toilet. No sink in the bathroom but at least we had a bathroom. I looked up the location in Google street-view and it is currently an empty lot.
As a Manhattan-ite I was opposed to moving to BROOKLYN (just being a stubborn kid). It was a 2-family house this time and the bathrooms included bathtubs, toilets, and sinks. We finally hit the "Toilet Trifecta". The neighborhood was NOT GOOD. Even though Bushwick is in Brooklyn, I had to attend WC Bryant HS in Astoria because I was one block out of the district for Bushwick HS. Bushwick HS was 1 mile away and walking would be the only way to get there. It took me three subways and 45 minutes to get to WC Bryant HS. At the time I didn't know I was dodging a bullet (probably literally as well) by not going to Bushwick HS. I clearly remember the Blackout of 1977, they were looting the stores under the EL four blocks away. I feared Son of Sam might get me because I met the profile of his victims.
NYC is not like anywhere else and I wish I could have experienced it as a resident adult but at eighteen I really could not afford an apartment in Manhattan and moved to Jersey purely by default. I loved Manhattan and hated dangerous Bushwick but I hear it's very different and much safer there now. I love being a Native New Yorker and I always correct people when they assume I'm from NJ. I firmly say "No, I only LIVE in New Jersey. I am FROM New York City!"
That's right I'm from the bronx NYC and I live right now in Va beach. NYC will be always in my heart. I am NYer till I die
That's right I'm from the bronx NYC and I live right now in Va beach. NYC will be always in my heart. I am NYer till I die
When r u coming back?
I was born at Unity Hospital in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, (doesn't exist anymore) raised in East Flatbush. Went to private elementary up until the 9th grade then transferred to Tilden H.S, graduated, went to City Tech downtown Bk. Got a good job then married and moved south for six years. Got sick of it, then really home sick, moved back to NY and now I'm here again baby. I'm also a NewYawka at heart until the day I die.
I was born in a hospital in Flushing (I forgot the name, I'll have to ask my mom) and lived in Middle Village, Queens until I was 3. My parents knew I'd need special ed, so that's one reason why they chose to move to Long Island. They didn't want to spend more money on private school, and they didn't think the public schools would help me enough. They also wanted us to have a decent sized yard to play around in. So, I went to Long Island until I was 18. Then I went to college in Maine for 2 years, then upstate in Cortland for 3 years. After I graduated I moved back to Queens, specifically Maspeth (where my dad's side of the family grew up). Then moved to Astoria for a couple years. Now I'm BACK on the island since I just bought a house with my newlywed husband. I'm glad to be back on the island.
Run by the Salvation Army.
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My Story
I went to PS 130 and another PS # school in Chinatown and also to Hunter College HS for a while when it was an all girls' school. 
