Update 12-21-10

Hi,

Merry Christmas, of course.  There's supposed to be a lunar eclipse tonight, the 21st, as an early celebration.  Sounds like fun, if it isn't all fogged in.  Meanwhile, clearer, and closer to earth:

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Going back to deli research -- I dragged out of my "if it happened over 40 years ago I remember it" memory bank.  On the end of the shopping strip we're talking about was a record store.  I bought my first Harry Belafonte, 78-speed record there -- "Mama Look At Boo Boo."  Then there was an Allstate Insurance office, then Royal Farms Appetizing, which later became Glick Brother's Meat, then Ben & Sol's, and lastly, First National Grocery.  In all the years since, I still have not seen a drive-up, grocery-store-to-car conveyer belt.  Very cool !

[Rich -- That makes it sound like Ben & Sol's was where I remember Shluker's.  That's possible, since no one can pin down when Shluker's closed.]

From Allen Moss in Maine:  As soon as Judy Hartstone mentioned "Len's," I went into a culinary reverie! Aside from their stainless steel bowls of fabulous deli pickles and sliced tomatoes, they had incredible grilled hamburgers.  Remember that their grill could be seen through a huge floor-to-ceiling pane of glass on the interior side of the mall?  You could watch the crew make those hamburgers and then go inside and gorge yourself.  "Thanks for the memories, Judy!"

From Mark Perlman:  I think I've previously mentioned that I have a 1965 Valley Stream phone book.  Ben & Sol's and Royal Farms are not listed in the white or yellow pages.  Shluker's Bakery at West Sunrise Highway is in the white pages, but, interestingly enough, not under "Bakeries" in the yellow pages.  And I don't know if the phone book has the right spelling of Shluker's or not.

[Rich -- as I wrote Mark: That's neat news.  And since we used to trust phone books, that might be the right spelling of Shluker's -- it feels better than any version I've been using.  And, maybe, you've caught the year between the disappearance of Royal Farms and the appearance of Ben & Sol's.  Though, if Barbara's memory is right, maybe Royal Farms and Shluker's disappeared around the same time, leaving no deli on that strip, and the empty bakery space to be filled.]

From Betsy Fels Pottruck: Yes, there was a Ben & Sol's that was in Green Acres.  My mom's friend actually was the owner.  And, yes, the first one was in Brooklyn.
    I am not sure where Ben & Sol's was located in the shopping center, but maybe it took over the Len's spot or possibly the original Cookie's spot.
    I think that Royal Farms might have been on Rosedale Road in that little shopping strip mall that was just across from where you came out of Green Acres onto Rosedale Road.  The card shop there was called Royal Cards.

[Rich -- I don't know what moved into Len's or Cookie's spaces, or when each of those businesses disappeared.  But evidence has Ben & Sol's on that isolated shopping strip west of Gimbel's.  And there may have been a deli opposite the back entrance of Green Acres, but I'm not sure it was connected to the candy store/card shop Royal Cards.  Or was there a candy store and a separate card shop/drug store in that strip?  If there was a candy store, I would have bought comic books there, but I either used Molly and Leo's or biked to the much larger candy/drug store opposite the Valley Stream movie theater.]

From Marilyn Eisbrouch:  I think the memory haze regarding the Ben & Sol's and Royal Farms probably has to do with who was around and utilizing the shopping center in the 60s and who was doing this in the 70s.  Also, I'm pretty sure that Royal Farms had a refrigerator case with lox and cream cheese, but we would have gotten our bagels from Shluker's anyway.  The health store took over 2 storefronts at the minimum.  And it was not on the corner.  It was somewhere in the middle.
    Also, besides my brother Michael working at Ben & Sol’s, I think Joey Barnett used to work there, too, probably in 11th or 12th grade.  That would mean that it was probably in existence by 1967 or '68.  I remember getting a chuckle out of Joey working in a kosher deli because, of course, he wasn't Jewish.
    Finally, I saw this when I went online to research:  "Remember Ben & Sol’s on the way out of Green Acres?  It was the last place before you were out of the shopping center.  Great franks, good fries, and very good knishes.  First place I ever tried a knish."

[Rich -- That, again, locates Ben & Sol's near First National -- if First National was still there.  When I left to college, there seemed to be big supermarkets ringing Green Acres -- Safeway, Grand Union, First National, Bohack's (maybe), and one at the rear entrance to Green Acres.  A few years later, there were mainly a cramped, maybe King Kullen, on Merrick Road near Central Avenue, and another supermarket further north on Central, near the Southern State -- maybe Waldbaum's?  I guess a lot more people left the area than I thought.]

From Eric Hilton: Great responses and deli sleuthing.  Glad I asked that question.
    I agree with Judy Hartstone that Len's had the best grilled hamburgers and the best B&W ice cream sodas.  But across the street from Mitchell’s was another ice cream place, before, or at the same time as, Walt Itgens.  I remember going there for my favorite Lime Ricky, but I've forgotten the name of the place.  Also, does anyone remember going to the library on Rockaway Avenue, a block from the movie theatre? There was a good bakery there, but can’t remember its name, either.

[Rich -- I remember the library; there was something comfortably creepy about it -- like why was there a dusty library upstairs over these stores?  I didn't have any memories of libraries in New York City to compare it to, but the one in Valley Stream just seemed wrong.
    Separate entirely from this, while looking at some of -- I think -- Linda Tobin Kettering's photos on Facebook -- which have been linked here before -- I noticed an article about 1936 Green Acres which mentions it was originally a gated community.  I remember the pair of little white brick gate houses at the entrance to Green Acres on Mill Road, but it's hard to imagine that people ever had to work in them.  They seemed smaller than phone booths, and that's when I was less than 5-foot tall.]

And on an absolutely different subject, from Zelda White Nichols:  As of December 30th, my husband and I will be the proud owners of half a duplex investment property called Sand Turtle in Garden City, South Carolina -- and who knew there was another Garden City?  This one is just south of Myrtle Beach.
    The property is half a duplex, one block from the beach.  It has five bedrooms, 4.5 baths, is beautifully furnished, and has a small pool on its side with a BBQ next to it.  The other half of the duplex mirrors ours and has its own pool.  There are some ocean views from the porches, street, and master bedroom, which is upstairs, where the view is glorious.
    The place is move-in ready as of the second week in January, and new rental rates will be set after we close.  The kitchen is very nice, but with so many great restaurants around, you may not want to cook too much.  The house sleeps at least 12, maybe 14, as -- along with the 5 bedrooms -- there is a pull-out couch in the living room.  This might be a place to consider for your next mini-reunion as it’s more accessible for people in the Southern states.
    I want to wish all of you a Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas.

[Rich -- It may be a bit soon to start thinking about another class reunion, but perhaps the people who live near Washington want to take a weekend trip.  And, since Zelda's brought us back to Christmas again, here's a link to a really nice piece of animation that's been going around the Internet:   http://www.youtube.com/user/ExcentricPT 

Also, as has been happening this time of year, I'll be away next week, and away from my computers.  So you're getting two newsletters today, the second a weird, California story.  Happy New Year everyone.]

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com

The South '65 photo site:  picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65


Rich