It seems quaint now to think we used to go buy newspapers at local stores. In Ridgewood we had Drapkins and Al and Harry's. The photo here is of Al and Harrys, which was around the corner from Drapkins. Both were places that the cops would go to briefly escape from the elements and to engage in conversations with the local owners and towns folk.
The Sunday newspapers, I know from first hand experience, were folded in two stages. On Saturday the first half arrived which included things like Travel, Book Review, Magazine, and the Sunday coupons and advertisements. The more time sensitive sections would arrive on Sunday. Together they made up part of many people's Sunday rituals, which included going to Church and picking up a dozen fresh doughnuts at Fischl's Bakery.
Al and Harry's used to sell glazed doughnuts and coffee which we would eat while on break from folding papers at Drapkins on Saturday mornings. These would always hit the spot as we used to start by 6 AM in order to get all the bundles of newspaper inserts off the sidewalk so people could walk.
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I used to love the cherry cokes and chocolate egg creams you could order at Al and Harry's. I was fascinated by their tattoos from the concentrations camps. That was an atmosphere rich in a mixture of cultures. From the cabbies to Mr. Bruce who cleaned the park across the street to cops and hippies and holocaust survivors. It was a real part of my education.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I remember rubbing pennies together just to go to Al & Harry's after church and buy some candy. I remember talking to a man who was working there a few times and asking about the tattoo on his arm.... I was probably ten or twelve years old. Had no understanding of what that meant at the time.
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