Life On The Stoop - Brooklyn In The 1940's

Most of our social interaction occurred while sitting on our stoop.  The sharing of the days work, grandparents enjoying their grandchildren, women talking about the days problems, what their husbands favorite meal is.  Kids playing and planning their birthday parties, babies being pampered by their grandfather and the men of course talking about baseball - How the Dodgers did that day.  

Did the Duke hit any home runs?  Campy belted two into the stands!  Joe Di, Snider and May's conversation always came up.  Who was the best?  Sometimes the debates got heated up and my mother would get the men back to reality and quietly calm them down with one of her sayings, "How Much Are They Paying You That You Get So Upset?"

The summer heat was relentless and we kids were sent out to the pastry shop where we all had lemon ice's to cool us down.

Hours creeped slowly by and as it came close to bed time each family would disperse and one by one return to their brownstone flats to sleep and be ready to go off to work in the early morning hours. All the neighborhood felt connected since their every thought, goals and aspirations were heard by all.

And once again "Life On The Stoop" ceased until the next night where it all started over again.