Author Archives: rockviv
People Marching (and Standing) for Something
Well, at least you can call it a victory in this sense–410,000 people in New York City were NOT watching football on Sunday afternoon. With apologies to my family and friends in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis–I must say, that’s something I would celebrate! … Continue reading
A Ferry Nice World, Long Ago
I often try to imagine a world without cars, and vintage maps are helpful. This week, I am gazing at two examples–(1) the Beers 1886 map of Central Rockaway Beach, New York and (2) a sepia drawing of Staten Island as it appeared from … Continue reading
Past and Future Tents in the Rockaways
9/4/14 UPDATE: Camp Rockaway achieved its Kickstarter funding and will be showing off a model tent on Saturday, September 6, 2014, from noon to 5 p.m., at Beach 92 and Holland Avenue in Rockaway Beach. The public is invited to … Continue reading
Jane’s Walk 2014: Fifth Avenue of the Peninsula, Beach 116th Street and Rockaway Park Into the New Century
At the turn of the century, only ten streets of hundreds on the Rockaway Peninsula were numbered—and Fifth Avenue (now known as Beach 116 Street) was one of those ten streets. The City of New York, which replaced the Town … Continue reading
Death of the Last True Hero: Goodbye, Pete Seeger
His aura was exceptional. His voice had failed years ago, but that aura remained. Few can render an old-time folk song these days without attracting snickers. Pete never needed to worry–he practically perfected that musical genre in his lifetime. If … Continue reading
A Year Later–and Yes, We’re Still Here
More than a year after nature’s damaging blow to the peninsula, I continue my peripatetic existence, traveling back and forth between New York’s upstate and downstate counties. Peripatetic is really the right word, hearkening back to the wandering teachers … Continue reading
Rock-Rock Rockaway Bard
As these beastly hot days of summer arrive, some residents have decided to walk away– for now, or forever. Rent a U-Haul and drag it all behind. Others have sought out counselors from Project Hope. Many of us talk incessantly … Continue reading
Yes, There Were Once Double Dunes…and Triple Dunes…
We can’t find any vintage photos to document what Rockaway Beach looked like when it was first settled in the 1860’s. The closest we have to a visual image is a fisherman’s map, circa 1900, that marks natural features such … Continue reading
Again, We Celebrate the Earth!
It’s Earth Day–April 22, 2013. The planet and its creatures continue to fascinate. The past half year began by wowing millions with the wind, waves, and fires of Superstorm Sandy. It’s continuing to impress on us the extremes of cruelty that can be caused by humans wielding not only assault … Continue reading
Is the Mailbox About to Become Obsolete?
It used to be the largest employer in the United States. Until Walmart began its explosive growth in the late 1990’s, the U.S. Postal Service, with a workforce of over a half-million (and, incidentally, the largest motor fleet in the … Continue reading
Oy Vey Rockaway 