This too is Yonkers–By Eric Schoen
Polar Vortex. Do you ever remember hearing that expression when you were growing up? When the calendar turned to January and February you knew the temperatures were not going to be 80 degrees and that there was every possibility that ‘ the weather outside would be frightful.’ Temperatures would fall into the teens and single digits. All that meant was putting on another layer of clothes.
Snow, ice, sleet is such a hassle for us. Don’t you hate when you host a visitor from a warm climate and they are delighted when they see a flake of snow falling from the sky? I’ll never forget being in Plaza Las Americas, this gigantic shopping mall in Puerto Rico at Christmastime several years ago. They were making an artificial, fake snow fall from the top floor of the mall to the entertainment/activity center on the first floor. Kids and grownups alike danced and twirled with the artificial snow falling on top of them.
Everyone was so excited, and if the ‘artificial’ snow stopped for a minute to recharge the device that made it, the crowd would get very upset. All I was thinking of was taking some of these folks so enjoying the snow back to Yonkers to help me dig my car out when the next big snow storm hit.
Digging your car out. Mom and dad parked their cars on the street on Bruce Avenue, the street where I grew up. The plows would plow the snow on top of the cars, the cars would have to get out and throw the snow back in the street. Vicious cycle just like it is today. Only today, there are so many more cars clogging the streets so things have gotten much worse.
It’s still illegal to throw snow on the street when you dig out your car or shovel your sidewalk or garage entrance. But people still do it. The question is if not the street where does one put the shoveled snow?
I enjoyed riding an old fashion wood sled on the weekends or whenever school was closed because the roads were clogged with snow. Basically either you had a sled or you would take pieces of a large cardboard box and sail down the hill. Bruce avenue from Rockledge Place to Lawrence Street was the perfect distance for riding a sled and certainly steep enough. You would slide down the hill carefully not to sail into one of the many cars parked on both sides of the street.
Allowing cars to park on both sides of the street not only made it impossible to clear the snow (as it does today) but also made a sort of bumper ride as you were coming down the hill. Somebody always got stuck in the middle of the hill forcing you to swerve around them and trying very hard to miss the parked cars.
With the hills in Yonkers no matter what part of the city you lived in kids were guaranteed a good ride with your sled. I could either go down Bruce Ave to Lawrence Street or down Bruce Avenue and go down Rockledge Place to South Broadway. But you had to be careful when you hit South Broadway because it was an Emergency Street that got cleared first. You had to be able to brake as you didn’t want to hit the cars running along the snow free South Broadway.
You were sad when the snow plow reached your block and took your sledding path away. But you could always count on the hill at Pelton Field or as old timers knew it, Pelton Oval. The snow remained unplowed on the steep hill in the park allowing many hours of fun. It had its fair share of accidents over the years, and the city would close it until forced to open it by neighbors.
I Googled Pelton Field to see what would come up. First thing is that it came up as Pelton Oval, it’s official name. The description: Green space with a playground plus soccer fields, basketball courts & other sports facilities. And I must say that the Parks Department has done some wonderful renovations of the park recently. But nary a mention of being one of the best places in Yonkers to go sledding.
Wooden sleds? A thing of the past. When was the last time you put a sled under the Christmas Tree? Or gave a sled as one of the gifts for the eight days of Chanukah? Now they have these big round flexible flyer things on sale at Target for $4. Or a steel red saucer flexible flyer costing a bit more.
Why do you think on snowy days you don’t see many sleds flying down the hills of Yonkers. If kids are out in the snow they have a shovel in hand wanting to make a couple of bucks by shoveling out your driveway or your car. No school? Who would want to be out in the cold snow when you can sit in the warmth of your apartment playing video games and watching television.
It dawned on me that with such a large Latino population I should ask a friend from Puerto Rico why I don’t see kids flying down the steep hills of Yonkers on their sleds anymore. He reminded me that sleigh riding is not a popular pastime in Latin America countries. Why? They didn’t have snow. Pretty intelligent explanation! I guess why the sight of make believe snow in the mall in Puerto Rico was such a treat!
Mom and dad told me that when they were young the ice in the Hudson River would freeze so hard they could walk over the river from Yonkers to Alpine, New Jersey. I don’t know if that was an old wives tale or what because it’s been very hard to verify. Send me a note if you crossed the Hudson to Jersey on foot when the ice was frozen hard!
So the Polar Vortex is coming. Hopefully by the times you read this article it will be long gone. But hey, sometimes it’s nice to forget about government shutdowns and walls and reminisce about the good old days. Cue Mary Hopkin:
Those were the days my friend
We thought they’d never end
We’d sing and dance forever and a day
We’d live the life we choose
We’d fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM or download the SIMPLE RADIO app for free from the APP STORE.
