I lived in Flushing in February 1969 when 18 inches of snow fell on the city. The snow plows managed to clear the streets of Manhattan pretty fast, but for us residents of the boondocks the situation was quite different. We managed to dig out our sidewalks and driveways, but the plows were nowhere to be seen. Many streets went days without being plowed.
The anger of Queens residents became headline news and threatened the re-election of Mayor John Lindsay. But by November the affair had blown over and the city was basking in the glory of those Queens residents, the New York Mets, who had just won their first World Series. Lindsay was re-elected, and Queens remains a step-child to this day.
These photos were taken after that blizzard around our home on 41st Avenue and 154th Street. That's my Dad and Sister manning the shovels.Bob Bobster
7 comments:
nice to see someone's representing the real queens out there
I grew up in Rosedale between Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway. the dads on the block collected money to pay (bribe) the garbage men to plow us after waiting 5 days.
I remember the '69 blizzard as well. I live over on Quince Ave...and when the plows come by...they bury the shoveled driveway with great efficiency.
Bryan
You got to admit one thing about Bloomberg. Unlike Lindsay he's been doing a great job in getting snow up off the streets here in Queens. He's often got those plows out even before it's stopped snowing.
For the record.....
in case nobody heard it or remembers :
Mayor Lindsay was being interviewed LIVE on a radio show . He was speaking on the phone ....perhaps from an old phone booth (anyone remember those) ?
Someone interrupted him, in the middle of his comment, and he said over a LIVE MICROPHONE, '....Would somebody close that f-----g door. I'm on the phone!"
I did a double take....thinking that I heard it wrong but when the radio announcer noted , afterwards, that the "mayor had uttered a profanity" I was reassured that my hearing was OK !
Looking at those pictures I noticed not one piece of Queens Crap. The good old days.
Thanks for the pics, Crapper. That was the mother of all blizzards. We had snowball fights for weeks in Woodside.
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