THERE has been a drugstore on the SW corner of Queens Boulevard and 55th Avenue in Elmhurst since 1921, which was when Queens Boulevard (formerly Hoffman Boulevard in this stretch)…

WHILE I did not patronize Doyle’s Corner, Broadwaya nd 42nd Street in Long Island City often, as I lived miles away in Little Neck, the longtime HQ of the Greater…

YOU know what can be a key indicator of where things were in the New York City of long ago? Manhole covers and coal chute covers. There’s a hidden city…

SUNSET Park and its neighbor to the south, Bay Ridge, once boasted a considerable Scandinavian population, primarily Norwegian (Nordisk Tidende was to be found on most newsstands, and a number of…

Is the blue and white painted sign for De Lorenzo & Bro. Iron & Sheet Metal Contractor at #43-45 Grand Street, just east of 6th Avenue, gone for good? I…

On a recent jaunt to Hunters Point, I was heartened to see an honorific street sign honoring Tony Mazzarella, who opened the Waterfront Crabhouse in 1978. It attracted famous visitors…

LONGTIME Forgotten fan David Silver found this small fence “medallion” in Jamaica, at 143-13 95th Avenue between Allendale Street and Brisbin; it’s left over from the 1960s or earlier, before…

In a situation that fairly ridicules work rules at the Metropolitan Transit Authority, you definitely know what platform to stand on to get to Manhattan at the Fort Hamilton Parkway…

I never wear sandals, because my toes are a mess; I think they’re too far gone for any spa to fix, and I’m not up for expensive podiatrist treatments. Thus,…

My father was a camera buff, or rather, he was a buff of taking pictures. Much like myself, he took thousands of photos, many of which remain in my collection.…

WERE I to hazard a guess about the derivation or etymology of the word “stationery,” without looking it up in Merriam-Webster or Funk & Wagnalls, I’d say it’s because writing…

I recently walked from Briarwood to Forest Hills, mostly along Austin Street, a walk I hope to complete along its northern section soon. I have also published a couple pieces…