86th Street, Bensonhurst
10/01/03
Outside Off-Track Betting:
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
(The dead piano was not technically on 86th Street. I think it was on Avenue W. My sincerest apologies.)
10:39 PM | Comments (160) | TrackBack (1)
Comments
You totally missed it. I live between 20th and 21st avenue on 85th street and there is a house you would LOVE.
I beg you to take the M/W back to Bensonhurst and walk down 85th street (even side of the street) between 20th and 21st avenues. You won't regret it, and you will know it when you see it.
Seriously.
Posted by: Etan at October 2, 2003 12:06 AM
Here is a small taste of what you're in for, if you come back.
More is added every week, it seems.
Posted by: Etan at October 2, 2003 12:07 AM
This is fanmail! Just to say how much I've been enjoying your photos the past couple of months. I think you'd find Hong Kong pretty amusing to take photos of, too. Lots of weird signs here.
Posted by: j-a at October 2, 2003 12:32 AM
bensonhurst sucks.otb sucks
Posted by: jack at November 29, 2003 11:38 AM
You know... I'll tell you something, Bensonhurst use to be a real cool place until all these russian and chinese and rusky middle easterns started moving in making ALL the italians move out because they are virtually taking over.. what is wrong with chinatown or little odesa???
Posted by: sal at January 24, 2004 11:54 PM
ey yo sal theres plenty of italians still livin here, i'm in gravesend and avenue u couldn't be more italian if we tried, bensonhurst still has tons too and believe me we try to think of ways to get more of us here, move bak from jersey nd SI. we'll take over the neighborhood even more then we do now
Posted by: Joe at February 25, 2004 12:19 AM
Yo Joe and Sal. I agree with both of you guys. It used to be much better. but hopefully no more Italians run away from bensonhurst. There's still alot of us here. I still love living here
Posted by: Vito at February 25, 2004 09:17 PM
I couldnt wait to get outta bensonhurst. I only started to say three and not tree just a few years ago. Been 10 years and very happy being out of there.
Posted by: Jason at March 24, 2004 03:59 PM
I Live in Bensonhurst an I think all those motha Fuc*kin Chinos an ruskys should get outta here! I just with Bensonhurst could be like it was in the 50's, 60's, 70's, an 80's an stuff when all italians were here. There are a lot of italians still here but not like before. All the italians should move back to Bensonhurst.I love 18 ave im there all the time but i see a little to many chinos. I gotta go ill talk to everyone a notha time .
Posted by: Richie at May 9, 2004 03:47 PM
i've lived in a small inner city in connecticut all my life that was all italians at one point. now it is ALL PR's. in a couple of years i wanted to move to new york i have some family in brooklyn, and coming from a big italian family i wanted to move to an area that was primarilly italian. is bensonhurst a good place to move to be surrounded with that atmosphere? i dont want to be disapointed.
Posted by: katie at June 29, 2004 10:25 AM
ayy katie how u doin, bensonhurst nd gravesend are 2 areas that your a lookin for, great old time feel to em, in the last few months even alot of italian immigrants have started buyin out some once chinese homes so the neighborhoods are even better. look into moving here
Posted by: Joe at July 9, 2004 04:43 PM
Joe,
I lived in Bensonhurst on 18th avenue from 1959-1982. After that, because of buisness oppurtunities I unhappily moved to California. I wish I was back every damn day. Glad to see that the neighborhood still is predominatley italian... Joe, when I was a youngster the big thing around the area were the wiseguys. I had an uncle who would routinely beat me if I even went near a social club. However, many of my good childhood friend'sdrifted into the life--alot of young kids did, but what's gangland like in Bensonhurst today. Still the same I presume?
Posted by: Tony Marino at July 17, 2004 12:49 AM
ayy tony how u doin, yea its basically the same, we got at least 2-3 social clubs per block on 18th ave and the guidos are out in full force everyday sittin outside em
Posted by: Joe at July 17, 2004 05:00 PM
Im back an im still on 18ave a lot an Tony theres still a lot of social clubs an cafes on every block, a matter of fact my dad owns a social club were italian guys are always there playing cards, drinkin an havin a good time, And since my dad speaks Italian an moved here when he was 9 he talks to them a lot. I love bein Italian.And Kate Move to Bensonhurst, But if you are lookin for a place with lots italians also with big, nice, expensive houses go to dyker hieghts but stay close to Bensonhurst.
Posted by: Richie at July 27, 2004 02:07 AM
Hey all my Italian Friends
I love bensonhurst i have moved to pa due to all the foreigners moving in. I moved out of Brooklyn when i was 16 i went to New Utrecht H.S., and since i don't go back as much as i'd like to.I'm happy to know that the neighborhood still has my Italians making sure the area don't get flooded with foreigners
Posted by: Laura at July 29, 2004 02:21 PM
I'm a filmmaker and second-generation Sicilian on both sides and speak fluent Sicilian dialect. I was born in Bensonhurst (74th and New Utrecht) and my parents still live there.
I'm preparing a documentary on the culture and language of Bensonhurst Sicilians past and present. I'm hoping that Bensonhurst Sicilian-Americans visiting this list would be interested in participating by agreeing to be interviewed on camera.
I haven't formulated all my questions yet, but if you're interested, please e-mail me with your full name, age, ethnicity, borough and neighborhood of residence, phone and e-mail address. I am interested in interviewing teenagers as well as older people.
I will keep the information on file until we are ready to shoot in late-fall. You'd be contacted before then, of course.
Thanks.
Mike
P.S. I am categorically NOT interested in anything having to do with dunskies or malandrini (i.e., Sicilian wiseguys) for this documentary.
Posted by: Michael Cala at August 1, 2004 10:36 PM
yea bensonhurst , dyker, bay ridge, and gravesend r still mad italian. keep it goin strong!
Posted by: bklyn guito at August 15, 2004 09:29 PM
Ay Mike cala ill be happy to be interviewed by you im Sicilian an a teenager.You can go to 18 ave if u want wiseguys ill take u there got to cafe Bella I hang out there some times with my frien Pat.I live On 15 ave in the 70's ainbt gunna tell where. U never no ill talk to ya lata
Posted by: Richie at August 29, 2004 04:34 AM
A few bats and a few dropped chicos, russians and those fuckin spooky chinese pricks and maybe you guidos would stop breaking irish balls and bensonhurst could be a good neighborhood again.
Posted by: donnie at August 31, 2004 03:08 AM
Hey.Im orignally from New York.I lived in Putname County in Mahopac.It was all Italian and Irish when I moved 8 yrs ago.It still is now.Just like the Bronx was.Im plannin on tourin round bensonhurst because Im in ATL now whea everybody is black, spanish, or asian.I heard 18th ave is all jewish.Can anybody tour me round bensonhurst and gravesend?Im a teenager and live in a yuppie part of atl.still remember sayin aye How u doin?good times.Write an email if you could tour me round.no freakky shit tho.
Posted by: Michael at September 9, 2004 05:03 PM
hey!is bensonhurst all out italian how it was like in the 80's and 90's.Cuz i wanna go there only if its still italian.
Posted by: guido1 at September 23, 2004 05:24 PM
Just a question, do Italians have anything against blacks? Just asking because I'm am an African-American who happens to love the Italian culture. Just wondering.....
Posted by: JC at October 2, 2004 07:51 AM
ayy tony how u doin, yea its basically the same, we got at least 2-3 social clubs per block on 18th ave and the guidos are out in full force everyday sittin outside em
Posted by: Joe at July 17, 2004 05:00 PM
Joe what are guidos?
An odd question but how does the cosa nostra still affect modern day nyc? i dont hear much of it like they adhere to, im sure its all alive and kicking still but then i read it isnt, madon', how confusing
Posted by: aaron roberts at October 26, 2004 05:45 PM
ayoo aaron guidos are italian guys that got style and aint afraid a fuckin up somebody if they a look at em wrong. u kno we got pinkie rings, leather jackets, drive IRoc-z's. and the cosa nostra affects ny in alot a ways,just dun ask around
Posted by: Joe at October 31, 2004 08:34 PM
Cool!!! I used to live right where most of those pics were taken... on 86st and b'way and 85th and 21th. Love bensonhurst, born and bred! My heart is with 86th and B'way where I grew up, just love it there. To me 86th and B'way is the very heart on B'hurst :)
It's disapointing though, to see people that posted above, make prejudical comments on the many growing nationalties in B'hurst. In this day and age, can't people get past these things already!
Posted by: Tamara at November 13, 2004 02:14 AM
yea.im italian and plannin on commin to bensonhurst this christmas.u guys got anythin goin on in the neighborhood round christams like Santa Rosalia?tired of livin around bunch of chinos.is bensonhurst still a good place to relax for a sicilian kid?
Posted by: guido_express at November 24, 2004 02:32 PM
Hello My dear italian brethren. I am 100 % Russian and live in Bensonhurst. I accidentally came across this forum and found out what you think about Russians. I wonder why there's so much hate and despise??? What is wrong with us living here? Once your parents or grandparents came here because they wanted to have a better life. So, now is our turn to come here too. And look at these Russians: most of us are humble, modest, not ctiminal, not wiseguys.
The problem therefore is not with us, but with you. I still don't get it. Why?
Posted by: Nikolaj Romanoff at December 30, 2004 12:29 AM
ayo nicky we got a problem with use cuz u need a find ur own neighborhoods, we established these areas before u guys even heard a usin toilet paper bak in ur countries. i like that u got brighton beach to yourselves, keep it that way.
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at January 5, 2005 12:19 AM
hey jeo hye U dion this is my fiets time on this site I lived in besonhurst for 10 years until, we moved out becuse these shit hesd and towel head want a better life. My father owned a pizzaria in ave U called Michael Angelo's. I sixteen years old and i live i easton were the blck on this area.but eventuly i'm movin back to my home town in 86th st. don't try to write back becuse i gave a fake email becuse i don;t have a computer i'm using the school's any way's take it easy, my man
Posted by: Michael at January 12, 2005 08:24 AM
ave u is still mad italian.alot of italian and european immigrants are movin in too.we gettin rid of the towel heads and the russians.dyker heights is probably the most italian american place though.if u want the best place to go try howard beach in queenz.but all the guidos in here gotta keep bensonhurst up because howard beach is surronded by areas with pr's and niggers.
Posted by: guido101 at January 14, 2005 09:15 PM
ayo lolita what girl what popin. write back sweet ass
Posted by: Michael at January 28, 2005 10:34 AM
The Italian Bensonhurst of the past is a shadow of what it once was -- any Italian person with money has moved out of there, and those still left are largely the parents of people who moved away. Besides which, the Italians didn't teach their children the language and so...not much of a cultural community. Stop hating on the enterprising Chinese community - they and the Russian foreigners moved into Brooklyn and within one generation have been able to send their children to fine colleges. Stop living in the memory of the past glory of your neighborhood, read some books, educate yourself, and get past your pettiness. This coming from a child of Eastern European immigrants who has studied Italian and speaks it better than most of the Italians I meet in Gravesend & Bensonhurst.
Posted by: mica at January 28, 2005 08:35 PM
ay mica i dun give a fuck how many languages u speak, how boud dem apples? Lemme tell u somethin, the reason the chinese & russians was able to even move into r neighborhoods was because the last generation of italians thought it would b good for them to experience life away brooklyn but this generation burns with italian pride. take a look around diff parts of the area (stillwell ave, harway ave) and you'll c the start of an italian revival. stores & homes that just 5-10 yrs ago belonged to arabs/chinese have become italian owned. As r generation gets older we'll start displacin the newer immigrants in homes of r own all throughout the 2 neighborhoods cuz none of us wanna leave wat we love.
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at January 30, 2005 01:31 AM
Dear Joe,
How do you expect to earn the money to buy up those homes when you lack any ability to spell or reason logically and in a non-racist fashion? You hardly seem employable. Look at how many homes Chinese (and other non-Italian) people have bought up in recent years. Look at the diminishing number of businesses owned by Italians on 18th Ave. in Bensonhurst, for example. You are viewing this as some war, wanting your side to dominate (which they clearly don't right now- boo fuckin' hoo) two neighborhoods. In any case, as before, mi raccomando: educate yourself. (E se sapessi mica cavarsela nella vita, non t'occuparesti di queste cazzate razziste).
Posted by: mica at January 30, 2005 03:00 PM
Once agen ur talking aboud businesses that were bought while the last generation of italians left. And as for bein employable, i'm an actor & i kno plenty of other guys/bellas my age who are makin good money themselves
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at January 30, 2005 06:08 PM
Se non parli direttamente a cosa ho scritto, non ci stiamo communicando. Dovevo aspettarla. Boh, smetti di essere xenofobo, ti fara' bene.
Posted by: mica at January 31, 2005 11:22 AM
hey.i was planning on visiting bensonhurst this summer because it was italian.are there still alot of kids like 18-20 there?cause this russian guy here is makin it sound like they all left.
Posted by: nyc boi at January 31, 2005 05:31 PM
aye joe how u doin?i agree wit use.italian r gonna dominate the nieghborhoods again.we got all these immigrants from italy round all we need are da ppl to move bak from jersey and si.den we can take over the neighborhood even more den we do now.gotta keep all da guidos,ginzo,everything round.nobody better leave nyc.
Posted by: guido 101 at January 31, 2005 05:53 PM
absolutely guido101 we r gonna take em ova. NYC boi im 19 & theres plenty of italians from those ages who cruise the cugine durin the summer. & for Mica my eastern european hunny i did respond to wat u wrote directly. y dun u look around some of the areas and see for yourself just how many italian flags u see all ova the place in front a houses & businesses. even with the immigrants here now italians r still the dominant ethnic group in the neighborhoods by far & that'll soon b even bigger
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at February 1, 2005 02:45 AM
thanks alot joe.im italian and im commin this summer.im orginally from new york.had to move cuz my dad got a new job round hea in atl.no one round hea is guido or anythin.do u kno a kid named carmine on 24th ave.?i talk wit him on aim.
Posted by: nyc boi at February 1, 2005 09:38 PM
Hey Joe from ave U, my father owned a pizzaria there about 6-7 years ago in ave U called MichaelAngelo's pizzaria. It's down the street from sport's cafe. write back if you herd of it.
Posted by: Michael at February 7, 2005 10:49 AM
ayyy mike i think i kno wat ur talkin aboud. Its called Johnnys Pizzeria now & its on the same blk as a couple a cafe's, valleverde shoes & telco, rite? nyc boi i kno a carmine asaro but hes on 25th ave
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at February 8, 2005 01:53 PM
i was talkin bout a kid named carmine lengua on 24th.i guess u don't know him.anyway i commin round bensonhurst and gravesend this summer.got all the armani n everythin.agree wit use on pushin out the all the russians and wierd ass middle easterners.whea i am in atlanta is full of koreans.gotta get bak up to nyc.
Posted by: nyc boi at February 8, 2005 09:29 PM
ayo when i lived on 86th st my nonna( gradmother) own a two familly home and these russian familly rent the top floor. i tell have you ever smelled shit and vomit mixed togther. holy shit. After we sold the place these fucking chinc toke over it. write back yo
Posted by: Michael at February 10, 2005 10:54 AM
italian immigrants movin into hea now are goin to run the neighborhood.they have all the money to buy the homes.ruski's n chinks r gonna get pushed da fuk outta hea
Posted by: nyci at February 11, 2005 03:50 PM
yo you guy ever heard of santa Rosilia the big fest on 18th ave that the shit there, mad sexy itlian girls.I was pissed off last year when I saw thses nig and chinc walking in them like there fucking big shits, write back bro
Posted by: Michael at February 14, 2005 10:21 AM
You Italian guys are really something. I'm still not sure if this is a put-on, or if you guys really are channeling Andrew Dice Clay. The Russians and Chinese are great people. They work hard, don't bother anybody, and they don't think that anybody owes them anything. I didn't grow up in Bensonhurst, so I haven't seen how the neighborhood changed, but I say that right now it's a great place. It's a nice, quiet, safe place to raise a family, whether you're Italian, Russian, or Chinese. Or Irish.
Posted by: Irish guy at February 16, 2005 12:04 PM
I'll tell u sumthin the bronx was cool till all these spics took it over.I live in Morris Park which is still Italian but the crime round hea is crazy.Use gotta get the guidos bak into the Bronx again.Morris Park and Throggneck are just like Bensonhurst and Gravesend.
Posted by: itl-bx at February 16, 2005 05:47 PM
I'm Frank, new around here. Thought I'd comment. I'm originally from the Bronx, but I left at a young age for Putnam County. I'm Italian, and I'm an aspiring filmmaker. I was thinking about moving back to the Bronx to maybe Belmont, but I've come to a realization.
Belmont is far gone, Albanians and Hispanics have taken over and now people from outside the neighborhood just visit like I have. There's a fuckin McDonald's on Arthur Ave for christ sakes!
But I've been to Bensonhurst and I think it's still got a spark. Are there a lot of Russians and chinks and shit? Yes. But are there still Italians and the wiseguys outside their social clubs? Yes. Is there a new generation of young Italians who want to take back their neighborhoods from people who already have their own? FUCK YES! And I'm one of them.
Me, Frankie, I'm moving to Bensonhurst this June. A kid who was taken away from his roots young who is now independently moving on his own to take back what was once his own people's neighborhood.
To people who put us down for racism... look, it's not that we hate anyone who ain't Italian. At least I ain't that way. It's just how we were brought up and I still occassionally call a black a nigger, sorry. But some blacks are nice. But no black could ever be nice in Bensonhurst, let them be nice in Bed-Stuy. Let the Russians be nice in Brighton Beach and round up all the Bensonhurst Jews and send them on a one-way trip to Riverdale, Bronx where they belong. Please, let us fuckin Italians have one neighborhood, just a couple blocks of the city that we can own. You wont see my ass in Brighton Beach and I don't want yours in Bensonhurst when I move there. But if we run into each other on a weekend in Midtown Manhattan when we're just hanging out for a Saturday night, then I'll be nice as fuckin hell. But let us live alone. Goddamn, all we want is the preservation of our culture as it is now and that will crumble if CRISTOFORO COLOMBO AVE (hell yah) is watered down with chink eateries.
Also, let me ask now. I been on some good sites about rent in Bensonhurst and it seems reasonable. But just askin, are there any Italians in the area that could help me in my move in anyway.. anyway at all, even if it's just hangin out with me on a stoop to get me acquainted. I'd appreciate.
-Frankie
Posted by: Frankie at February 16, 2005 09:17 PM
ayoo frankie see now this is exactly what i fuckin mean. we got enuff italians in this generation to take back the old neighborhoods & make em even more guido then they alredy are. I know of more families who moved to jersey who are movin back to bhurst & gravesend later this yr. This is just the beginning and if we all keep this up, gettin paesans to move back, then wen ppl talk aboud the golden age of these neighborhoods they'll be talkin aboud our generation. Frank i'd b glad to help u out, what area u thinkin of movin to? And itl-bx, we gonna keep arthur avenue, morris park and throggsneck havin that old world feel to it just like all great italian neighborhoods got.
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at February 17, 2005 12:31 AM
I'm not sure, honestly. I like Bensonhurst, I been there, but I know there's a lot of Jews and now Russians and chinks movin in. So I'd like to move to an area/street of Bensonhurst that's like all Italian, y'know.
How are the people in the neighborhood's toward residents? Most of NYC I know is hustle and bustle, but does Bensonhurst have it like the old neighborhoods did where neighbors were friendly and you knew everybody?
Posted by: Frankie at February 17, 2005 07:31 AM
ayo frankie wheather you like it or not thses motherFuc.. are coming in by the fucking dozens. I used to live on 86th where my two nieghbor rosa and Tina now its fucking lu and some other fucking chinc name. So I'm with you all the way bro Enough is Enough!! And joe from ave U you look like someone who has balls I'm wit you all the way. and frankie If your looking for a good Italin block is 18th ave it's all Itlian ther at least I hope it still is. Good luck in finding a good aparment.
Posted by: michael at February 17, 2005 08:18 AM
Frank the west sts in gravesend are very italian & practically everybody knows everybody there. wen somebody moves they tell everyone else in the area so that ppl from someone elses family can jus take there place & fit rite in. i know its like that on the high & low bay sts too. the bay 30s and the high bay 40s to bay 50 are very italian. There aint alot a jews in bhurst, & this is somethin i been thinkin aboud: bensonhurst in the 30s-60s was basically 50-50 jew italian but then as jews started formin there own neigborhoods (boro park, etc) it became overwhelmingly italian. rite now bhurst is 60% italian and the number of chinese gotta b close to that so afta a few more yrs as the chinese start settling in their own areas we'll go bak to bein all italian. jus sumthin to think aboud
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at February 17, 2005 07:56 PM
So then Gravesend is the place to be and not Bensonhurst, Joe? I was thinking of trying to get a place close to 18th Ave.
My secret plan is that after 5, 6, 7 years I open up an Italian community bar/pub on or off of 18th Ave.
Posted by: Frankie at February 18, 2005 07:06 AM
ayoo.frankie.i got sum family that just moved from throggsneck to mahopac in putnam county.whea in putnam?and joe of ave u u gotta get everyone from putnam bak to da bronx and queenz and brklyn take a visit out thea.every person is white and either irish or italian.
Posted by: itl-bx at February 20, 2005 12:01 PM
Awesome, man. I lived in Mahopac too. Damn. When'd you live in Mahopac? Mahopac used to rock, lot of Italians and Italian businesses. I lived in a house on Hilltop Dr. that was on the very top of the hill and you could see the lake through the trees, it was awesome. I always swam there.
I always got my haircut in the same barber shop on the strip across from the pizzeria and the ice cream parlor, the barber shop near the laundromat and the deli. Cut by this old Italian guy, he'd always say, "I'm a gonna give a you a hair cut that'll make a da girls love you!"
It sucks now kinda. I go back and the barber shop is a Latina hair dresser. But they opened up an awesome bakery near the pizza parlor that has Arthur Ave bread.
Nice seeing a fellow Mahopacer. Maybe I seen you at the JV before.
Posted by: Frankie at February 20, 2005 09:29 PM
yea.the jv mall is good.i used to live on tulip rd.and i got my haircut on da upper level of da mall thea.i moved in 1996.My grandma lives in those old retirment places rite by da mall.jefferson village or sumthin.
Posted by: itl-bx at February 21, 2005 11:47 AM
hey.im 16 and italian im from new york.im definatley gonna hang round bensonhurst dis summer.can anyone give me a tour round.cuz im gonna move thea once i get da chance too.write bak yo.
Posted by: itl-boy at February 21, 2005 12:00 PM
i live out in bay ridge and im irish.i agree with you guys bout all des wierd none white ppl movin into our areas.and i heard of mahopac in upstate.its pretty cool thea.
Posted by: kiss me irish at February 21, 2005 12:17 PM
Why the hell can't you guys type? Jeez, I have a thick New York accent, but that doesn't keep me from typing correctly. 'Thea'? Gimme a break, guys.
Anyway, it's the Jefferson Valley Mall.
Posted by: Frankie at February 21, 2005 01:02 PM
ayoo frankie the bar on 18th ave is a good idea, the blocks all around there aboud 63rd to 82nd st. are solidly italian. That would be a good area to move to if your plannin on maintainin that business over there. If you opened up a place like that catering to italians you gotta broadcast the soccer games cuz other then social clubs i only know of 2 other spots that do that. itl-box yea gettin some a the italians/irish from putnam into bklyn, queens would b great. talk to use lata
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at February 21, 2005 03:38 PM
ayo joe do you know a kid who graduated form New Utrect H.S called Joe LoDuca he's a friend of my brother who name is also joe write bak if you herad of him.
Posted by: michael at February 22, 2005 08:17 AM
Yo paisans i feel wat ur sayin. i neva lived in bensonhurst i live in Manhattan but i got mad relatives in bhurst and i plan on moving there wen i get older. ive been thro ave. U in gravesend and it is mad Italian. i got relatives in dyker heights and around 18th avenue to. we really gotta get these asian guys outa here and make it clear that this is still our neighborhood. anyway, do u think its still gonna b italian by the time i can move there?
Posted by: Tommy at February 22, 2005 05:41 PM
Well how old are you and when do you plan on moving?
Posted by: Frankie at February 23, 2005 07:41 AM
how u doin?im from south philly and live in little italy here.im gonna move up to bensonhurst soon.new york is the place.but is everyone there white tho.cuz we have tons of niggers like all round the rest of the city.is it expensive there cuz i kno real estate is crazy in new york now.
Posted by: tony at February 23, 2005 04:43 PM
im in my late teens but i wanna move there as soon as im able 2 so i can start a family there and shit. so id probly be in another 5- 10 years maybe. i hate goin there and seein those russian and chinease pricks. i mean i dont got a problem with them, but they have their own neighborhoods. y cant they just let us hav this one 2 ourselves.
Posted by: tommy at February 23, 2005 04:50 PM
nah man trust me its as hard 2 spot a black guy in bhurst as it is to spot a white guy in bed-stuy. there is alot of chinks and shit, but keepin niggers out has never been a problem in bensonhurst.
Posted by: tommy at February 23, 2005 04:54 PM
ok.the niggers round here are makin it really unliviable.i live like 10 miles from camden,nj.highest crime in da whole fukin country.so in bensonhurst u dont gotta put up with nobodys shit then right?
Posted by: tony at February 24, 2005 04:16 PM
nah all tha niggers r afraid 2 go into bensonhurst after wat happened in like 1989 wen that black guy and his friends got stomped out and killed by some italian kids.
Posted by: tommy at February 24, 2005 08:00 PM
i heard al sharpton got stabbed there.this is da place then.
Posted by: tony at February 24, 2005 09:00 PM
the italian kids that killed the balck guy one of them is my counsin i swear to god he is his name is Joe Romano and by brother was at New Uteect H.S when al sharpton was stabbed.
Posted by: michael at February 25, 2005 09:56 AM
whats a house cost in bensonhurst.im gonna move round there absoultly but is it expensive with all these immigrants and shit?
Posted by: tony at February 25, 2005 04:29 PM
YO TONY REALESTATE IS GOING UP, I WAS LOOKING TO SEE SOME HOUSE FOR SALE IN BESONHURST ADN HOLY SHIT THEY WANTED $789,000 FOR A ONE FLOOR HOME WHICH HAS 2 BEDROOM AND A SMALL FUCKING BATHROOM. SO IF YOU HAVE THAT KINF OF MONEY WELL THEN GOD BLESS YOU BUT IF YOU DON'T YOU MIGHT AS WELL RENT AN APARTMENT. PEACE
Posted by: MICHAEL at March 2, 2005 08:20 AM
789,000?how the hell is it worth that much.south philly is poor as hell.i make like 30 grand a year.i can't buy that shit.is it just crazy high now or is it gonna stay like this?
Posted by: tony at March 2, 2005 05:20 PM
You're better off renting dude, who buy's fucking space? Especially young people. You can get decent rents if you find the right resources from $500 if you share, and under 1100 if u share.
Posted by: Frankie at March 2, 2005 09:46 PM
ayoo mikey wadda u talkin aboud? houses routinely go for btwn 400k and 500k. i dunno wat area u seen a house goin for 789k, thats gotta b closer to dyker bro.
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 2, 2005 11:00 PM
No way joe this was in besonhurst or bayridge one or the other. swear to my gradfather grave that what I saw. All i no is thta the house there are fucking expensive so I would be better off renting. peace bro
Posted by: MICHAEL at March 7, 2005 08:25 AM
Buongiorno!
I also lived in Mahopac in the 80's & 90's. I was on Steiner Dr., off of Bullet Hole Rd. When I moved there it was still "the country."
I'm in Pelham Bay in the Bronx now, where there is still a predominant Italian population. The neighborhood is slowly changing though, but I still get great Italian food here. The day I can't get great pizza, awesome bread and amazing sfogliatelli is the day I'm outta here!
Ciao!
Posted by: Tony at March 7, 2005 02:55 PM
Right on Bro. i live in PA ANd the pastry shops here suck they can not even make a good cannoli let alone not even making a good cappociono here. there a good backry on 18th Ave called Vila Bate. that the shit right there.
Posted by: michael at March 8, 2005 07:57 AM
wow. reading these comments are just, wow. so im a black person. im wondering how would you guys feel if i walked thru bensonhurst? would i get stares, like i dont belong or people dont care and brush it off. cuz no matter what you guys think of me, i like italians, i like their culture and how you guys stay together like a tightknit family and look out for each other. that is all.
Posted by: vicky ankles at March 9, 2005 03:53 PM
I wouldn't d that if I were you no black ever go through there with out gettin a few name if you know what i mean.
Posted by: mIchael at March 10, 2005 10:31 AM
I'm not really racist, Vicky Ankles. I just have respect. Respect for other people's neighborhoods. Some of your people are alright, I've met nice black people, real nice ones. But we don't hang around Bed-Stuy, so why would you wanna hang around our neighborhood. Surely, you don't NEED to go to Bensonhurst for a slice, do yah?
By the way, I'm not from Bensonhurst, although I was hanging out there yesterday. I'm probably getting an apartment of 18th. I love it there, lots of Italians with a few chinks here and there. I ate at Gino's and then got an AWESOME cannoli from Villabate's. One of the best for sure.
Posted by: Frankie at March 10, 2005 10:48 PM
nah i wasnt talking about "hangin out" in bensonhurst...just simply walkin thru. but now i understand from micheals comments that i would be called a few names so that pretty much answered my question.
Posted by: Vicky Ankles at March 11, 2005 03:11 AM
I live in
Boise...In 1995 my two bedroom house w/front and back yard, in a very white , safe and in the center of town cost me $60,000 and it's doubled since....I cant imagine paying your prices....And yes Boise can be real boring but peaceful living is boring I guess...I LOVE NEW YORK...peace out
Posted by: Idaho at March 11, 2005 06:11 PM
yeah there nothing better then to see your best Russian neibors in the morning that the life , HA
PEACE
Posted by: Micahel at March 14, 2005 08:33 AM
What are you kidding me? Bensonhurst is a shadow of it's former glory. I remember cruising the strip on 86th Street from Stillwell to 18th Avenues under the elevated west end line, before it became illegal. Most of the Italians have moved to Staten Island. I can't even think of any clubs/discos left. The Sea Beach and West End lines used to be packed with Italians going to work; I hardly see a white face in the morning on the train. National Geographic had a article in 1979, on Bensonhurst. Find it-- what a world of difference. Regina Pacis on 65th Street is closed down, I remember when the mob went after the thief that stole the crown jewels off the statue of the Virgin Mary. The only mom and pop delicatessen in B'klyn that still makes heros is on Smith St, no more dinettes/delis where you could hang out on the corner and drink nips. How many pizzerias can you name in B'hurst. You can't name a dozen, think about it.
Posted by: george at March 17, 2005 05:06 AM
yo George I went to school for one yaers at stiwell so i CAN BE CLOSE TO MY FATHER PIZZARIA ON Ave U and west 9th my techer were all black it some private school shit. Anyway is Stiwell a nig... neighbor hood or what. write back bro PEACE
Posted by: michael at March 17, 2005 08:11 AM
yo georgi wa tha fuck r u talkin bout man? bensonhurst still has plenty of italian left in it. ill admit, alot of italians hav moved out,but the families tht r still there are keepin it alive with guido pride. hav u ever been to bensonhusrt in tha summer wen it is crazy italian? r u even from new york? o...and by tha way...there aint any discos left anywere..DICK!
Posted by: tommy at March 17, 2005 03:15 PM
ayo george wadda u talkin aboud?? i can name u a pizzeria or 2 on every block in bensonhurst, gravesend and bay ridge. Talk aboud italian clubs? Il Piatto jus opened up on 24th ave and 86th st and its business is crazy. So many new italian deli's and stores have opened up along stillwell, highlawn aves, and more & more guido strongholds are bein formed along 20th ave, 19th ave and Harway Ave. Start spendin a little more time in the neighborhoods pal before u start makin assumptions. Just like wen 2 fuckin moolies killed an italian who worked at telco on ave U a few months ago and the niggers were found dead a few wks later. i think thats a good comparison for u and the stolen crowned jewels off of Mary story. i kno of alot of italians who r really interested in movin bak to these neighborhoods, u should think aboud it
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 18, 2005 12:23 AM
hey joe I used to deliver to telco, how long ago was it when the Italian kid was killed.
Posted by: michael at March 18, 2005 07:57 AM
this happend in august mikey
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 19, 2005 01:07 PM
Hey.I just visited Bensonhurst and it has plenty of italians left.I was also visiting the Bronx and not a single person there is white.I noticed there were tons of italian shops on arthur ave and 187th st.what happened?
Posted by: tony at March 20, 2005 11:35 AM
yo tony ill tell u wat happened. wenever one black person moves into an all white neighborhood, all the whites get scared and move out in a pack. this is y arthur ave. isnt as italian as it used 2 be. bac in tha day, us italians had all the neghborhoods in ny. there was a movie, "A bronx tale" that takes place around arthur ave and shows how italian it used 2 be. ive never been there so i wudnt kno if it was still very italian or not tho
Posted by: tommy at March 20, 2005 12:07 PM
Ayo i am sicilian and live in North Jersey, I neva been to bensonhurst and dont plan on goin. the reason is cuz every one from fu@kin brooklyn think there tuff shit. Then you wonder why all the italians dont move back. Why are you like that
Posted by: NJ ginzo at March 21, 2005 03:02 AM
I proud that your scilian so Am I, but you do gotta admit peopLe from brooklyn are tough shit, i don't fucking care if your from philly or from camden for that matter you just better not run your your mouth, PEACE
Posted by: michael at March 21, 2005 08:16 AM
ohnyaeh and another thing people from NJ and PA don;t no how to mine there fucking bisness or keep there mouth shut people form NYC for that matter don't go blabing on just to show off!
Posted by: MICHAEL at March 21, 2005 08:18 AM
when i was on arthur ave. it was all puerto rican.and as for you sayin that when a black lives in an all white neighborhood all the whites move out.i doubt that happens.the italians and the irish are alot tougher.you think a black would ever walk through bensonhurst?and the jersey kid anyone from around the city whetehr its jersey or li are still tough.and to be honest people in brooklyn got a reputation for being tough.another place tough italians and irish are is in boston.north end is all italian.
Posted by: tony at March 21, 2005 04:40 PM
Hey i dont know what that other kid from jersy is talkin aboud. we italians stick together.
Posted by: Jersy-italian at March 21, 2005 07:16 PM
Also i think that it's guys like nj ginzo that f everything up for us. We try to stick together and get people together again but he is stupid and goin around makin us look like we fight each other. I was in bay ridge a couple times but not bensonhurst how is it out there. cuz in jersy there are italian communities, i wanna compare. i also wanna state that Newark, Paterson and all these other big cities in Jersy used to have tons i mean tons of piasans but all when the projects came in the 70's the italians left. these cities used to be beautiful now there like shit. is this the way it is in brooklyn.
Posted by: Jersy-italian at March 22, 2005 02:55 AM
yo jersy- italian brooklynn isn't what it used to be either I mean we have besonhurst , bayride, gravesand and so on, But Brooklyn espicially were 80% italian and maybe 10% Irish and 10% jewish. HArldy any blck or chinoco or even the fucking Rusky. Brooklyn used to be the best burough until the 80's when that fucking reagan guy made a deal with the soviet Unoion to let some russian be with there family even though thay came here and was trying to run thing's. So anyway I hate to say but slowly the Ilain communtie is changing. PEACE
Posted by: MIcahel at March 22, 2005 08:02 AM
Someone said that there are new italian imirgrants moving in to brooklyn is that true?
Posted by: Jersy-Italian at March 22, 2005 01:56 PM
ayy jersey italian how u doin. yea theres some new italian immigrants movin to brooklyn and we'd love for italians that left to jersey or SI to come back. use think we're all tough n shit but its only cuz wen u grow up here u gotta b like that or youll b nothin. mikey brooklyn was neva only italian, irish and jewish. dem r jus the top 3 ethnic groups, theirs always been blacks and spics jus not in our neighborhoods. if we give it time nd actually work at this by tellin all the paesans who left brooklyn we'll make bhurst, gravesend, bay ridge, bath beach more italian then they alredy r
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 22, 2005 02:55 PM
Joe i neva thought brooklyn paesans think there tuff shit. i think to be honest, it has to do wit the person how tuff u are not where your from. See italians first came to this area and stayed in manhattan then moved to the other 4 boros then as time went by they all moved to North Jersey and LI now in NJ the paesans from Northe Jersey and Philly taken over south jersey big time. Me personally i couldnt live there (to country) but how woulod you convince these guys to come back to the city after there parents left.
Posted by: Jersy-Italian at March 22, 2005 03:21 PM
yo i dont see wat the big deal is about moving to new jersey. evry1 says its cuz they wanna own more property and make more money and shit, but is it really worth livin out in tha fuckin country?? wud u rather hav good old italian junior livin next door 2 u or having some redneck neighbors. also wen in nj wen u own land, ur next neighbor is probly like a mile away or some shit. i kno people want a better life, but u cud have that here in brooklyn. it pisses me off that new york in general is becoming less white(italian in particular. r we gonna let all these spicks and ni66as take over our city?
Posted by: tommy at March 23, 2005 06:49 PM
ayo ima tell all a use rite now if we dont wanna c our neighborhoods go then we should fuckin do somethin aboud it. we all gotta get the word out. let the italians who moved kno that we got italians here who r dedicated to keepin brooklyn full a guidos and bangin bellaz. niggers and jews fuckin go the xtra mile to keep entire areas to themselves, we can do the same paesans
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 23, 2005 11:47 PM
Hey listen first of all if you eva came to North Jersy you'll see that there aint that much diff from here to NY, maybe south jersey but not north
. Second, i am with you all the way for italians to have there own neighborhoods and shit but how we gona convince 25 or 30 million paesons in this country to move to certain areas. i swear i love the idea i would rather have my kids go up next to an paesan (even and Northener! lol) then any other race.
Posted by: Jersy-Italian at March 24, 2005 04:39 AM
i aint talkin aboud 25-30 millions italians. look, wen bensonhurst was at its peak it had aboud 100,000 paesans livin in the neighborhood and rite now we have btwn 68-69,000 livin there with jus aboud the same # in gravesend and tens a thousands more in dyker heights, bay ridge, bath beach and manhattan beach.we dun even need any real drastic changes that quick
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 25, 2005 01:14 AM
ey joe how u doin. i gotta say, i disagree with u there. if we dont do something quick, the italian population in brooklyns just gonna keep diminishing. in some ways tho, brooklyn hasnt really changed much. this is especially tru in dyker heights and along 13th ave. in particular. alot of italians still life there and the areas surrounding it to. we jus gotta make sure it stays like this. we shud get tha mob on our side(if there still is one, i really wudnt kno) and win bac our neighborhood full force. and besides, we still got howard beach.
Posted by: tommy at March 25, 2005 09:03 AM
I have to say all you guys are attacking this guy George that posted on 3/17/05 are nuts. I live in Bensonhurst all my life. He is the only guy that described it in detail correctly. The crusing on 86th street which was one of the trademarks of Bensonhust completely disappeared. I dated girls and hung out all over Bensonhurst, its a ghost town now. No familiar faces anymore. You didnt need a cell phone all you had to do was walk out your door there were crews on almost every corner. 86th st.& 20th ave parking lot, Kings hwy. & W10th st. Bay pkwy & 63, Ave. U & W11, Ave U by the square, Cropsey Park, Sethlow school yard, Highlawn ave, Ave S & W 12 just to name a few. Now I have no idea what these kids are doing today. You want to talk about moolies walking through Bensonhurst, I see them everyday. Not only do they walk through Bensonhurst some of them are walking through holding a white girls hand! Right on 86th st. you could go there and see it on almost any day. I remember Romeo & Juliets on 18th ave, gone, Plaza Suite, gone, all the after hours, gone. Theres still Bay Ridge though. The clubs there are still pretty good. Oh, and that so called club on 24th ave & 86st (Piatto) its a resturant/bar, and a part owner of that place is Puerto Rican I dont know how good it is, but I dont think its gonna make it. To many Russians. I dont mean to sound so negative Bensonhurst is still a nice and pretty safe place to live and I dont plan on leaveing, but it will never be as it was in the 80's. Now you go down 86th st and all you hear is a bunch of white kids blasting that getto crap music. I still love Bensonhurst but dont ever try to compare it to the way it was.
Posted by: JOSEPH at March 25, 2005 01:11 PM
i was walking along ave u.i only saw white faces.if you actually look at the statisitcs bensonhurst has some russians,asians, and hispanics but its like 80 maybe 81 percent white.
Posted by: tony at March 25, 2005 04:24 PM
i realized why my neighborhood and plenty of other italian places are gettin overrun.its because we just let anyone in.bak in the 80's and even the 90's we would be on a black or hispanic persons case for coming in.now we just let them come and once that happens the italians dont want to hang round.howard beach is only nice is because the italians that live there aren't puttin up with this shit here.i though bensonhurst would be good.i don;t mind all this getto music just as long as the people arent shitty lookin.
Posted by: itl-bx at March 25, 2005 04:31 PM
joes gotta point. i get pissed wen i go thro howard beach or bensonhurst and see rich italian kids hu shud be acting guido, instead are acting like they live in tha ghetto, blastin that rap crap. parta wat joes sayin is tru but i 4 one never see any black guys in bensonhurst, unless maybe there on a major avenue going shopping, but thats pretty much as far as it goes. aside from that, i never see any black guys walking up italian-owned blocks, and i dont expect to. u also hav 2 put into account that times r changin. it aint tha 60s any more and racism is slowly diminishing
Posted by: tommy at March 25, 2005 05:21 PM
Listen i don't know how it is in Brooklyn but in Jersy the Italian kids might listen to rap but dress guido as hell. The butten up shirts wit the top five buttons not buttoned and the pomaded hair, the whole nine. Shit even the girls are lil guidettes. I no for a fact i dated an italian gurl from brooklyn and they try so hard to act like a fuckin Nigga.if u go to any club or any italian town in Jersy Italians dont act black. Anyone who has been to North Jersy or the Jersy Shore durin holidays can vouch. The way they can tell us from any one is the way we dress act and talk. Now in brooklyn, I know stupid people are havin a hard time telling the difference from an albanian, arab, and italian. THe problem is not the oldtimers but the Fuc*kin Youth. ALso i have a question, so one told me that Albanians are taking the place of the Italian mobs in Brooklyn. Is this true, and answer honestly. I heard Italian cafes are turnin into Albanian cafes the whole nine.
Posted by: Jersy-Italian at March 25, 2005 05:57 PM
18th Ave along the 60's and 70's is Dyker right? And 86th and U are in Bensonhurst? I get confused over the boundaries.
Posted by: Frankie at March 26, 2005 10:56 AM
18th ave is bensonhurst. 86th and u is like the border line between bhurst and gravesend
Posted by: tommy at March 26, 2005 11:41 AM
What's a better area, Tommy? And also, where are more Italians? I never been around 86th. I'm from the Bronx, so I rarely have gone into Bensonhurst. I always just go to 18th Ave and eat at the Foccaceria. 18th Ave is cool and all, but there are soooo many chinks walking around.
Posted by: Frankie at March 26, 2005 06:51 PM
I can't believe my March 17 commentary would be so offensive to the ignorant. Thanks Joseph, for being the only intelligent guy that understands and remembers when Bensonhurst was the world.
According to the census of 2000, 7.5% of Brooklyn's population is Italian, compared to 1980 when it was 18.3%. That is a significant drop.
18th Avenue was and still is the main business avenue in B'hurst. I took a walk, and starting taking notes. I found only 4 pizzerias. I found twice as many more franchised restaurants. About one-third of the merchants' signs are in a foriegn language. Where do you buy guido-wear like ChamsdeBaron, or Serucci? There is no more Chess King stores, or others of like ilk. The now defunct Walker Theatre on 64th, was able to attract the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, Connie Francis...when there was a community to support it. I know you think the the Feast is a big thing, with the zeppole trucks and sausage carts, but it never compared to the madness that followed after Italy's World Cup win over Germany in 1982. It was like Mardi Gras.
Those were the days.
Posted by: George at March 27, 2005 10:48 AM
hey george no pffense or anything, but i find it kinda sad that ud take the time outa ur life to find out the censuses and walk up 18th ave and take these "notes" by the way, i find it very hard to beleive thers only 4 pizzarias in 18th ave. r u sure u got that right? also, frankie, i hate to say it, but u r right about 18th ave being over run by chinks. thers still alot of cafes and socail clubs and shit like that tho, and most of the chinese businesses are mainly around 86th and utrect. avenue u is definatly a better place. its nothing like 18th avenue, and thers virtually no chineses people or businesses. its mainly all italian, it has a real old time feel to it. take a walk around there, ull like it.
Posted by: tommy at March 27, 2005 12:56 PM
on the other hand, i gotta agree wit u george. the best days of bensonhurst are gone. any ideas on how 2 make it better?
Posted by: tommy at March 27, 2005 01:00 PM
im tellin all a use, we got close to 70,000 paesans in bhurst and close to that much more in gravesend. social clubs line avenue U, 20th ave, 18th ave, parts a bath ave, new utrecht ave and stillwell. the italian areas really make up more then ppl think. George in regard to ur comment aboud wear to buy guido gear, Jack Charles on 18th ave sells great suits and sweatsuits includin countless otha smaller stores that sell soccer jerseys, such as tutto calcio. u talk aboud wen italy won the world cup in '82, u shoulda passed by social clubs on both Ave U and 20th Ave yesterday jus for the qualifying match against scotland and seen the huge crowds wid everybody rockin forza azzurri gear. buona pasqua to all a use and lets all think of a way to get some more italians to these alredy great italian neighborhoods.
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 27, 2005 02:24 PM
hey joe of U how ya doin? im glad to hear that italian soccer is still big in brooklyn and thers still social clubs all ova the place. about how many social clubs are on ave. u? cuz i was there jus the other day and i didnt see any, i might have overlooked it tho. and another thing, is this guy george really right about there being 4 pizzarias on 18th??? thats fucked up. i dont think its tru cuz i can name atleast 2 before 86th street even. write bac. peace
Posted by: tommy at March 27, 2005 04:29 PM
Listen i don't know how it is in Brooklyn but in Jersy the Italian kids might listen to rap but dress guido as hell. The butten up shirts wit the top five buttons not buttoned and the pomaded hair, the whole nine. Shit even the girls are lil guidettes. I no for a fact i dated an italian gurl from brooklyn and they try so hard to act like a fuckin Nigga.if u go to any club or any italian town in Jersy Italians dont act black. Anyone who has been to North Jersy or the Jersy Shore durin holidays can vouch. The way they can tell us from any one is the way we dress act and talk. Now in brooklyn, I know stupid people are havin a hard time telling the difference from an albanian, arab, and italian. THe problem is not the oldtimers but the Fuc*kin Youth. ALso i have a question, so one told me that Albanians are taking the place of the Italian mobs in Brooklyn. Is this true, and answer honestly. I heard Italian cafes are turnin into Albanian cafes the whole nine.
YO NOBODY ANSWERED THIS> COULD SOMEBODY
Posted by: Jersy-Italian at March 27, 2005 04:48 PM
You're repeating yourself. Shut the fuck up.
Posted by: Frankie at March 27, 2005 09:31 PM
Do the young Italians still go to the clubs in Bay Ridge? How old you gotta be now to get into them places over there?
Also, how the girls holding up in Brooklyn? Do the Italian girls go for the Italian guys? Or do they run with niggers like everywhere else now?
Posted by: Frankie at March 27, 2005 09:35 PM
ayy tommy how u doinn, the social clubs on ave U r hard to find if ur passin thru quickly. theres 2 btwn w9 and w8 that r cafes and pasticerrias but also serve as social clubs to watch calcio and the ballgames. the players lounge a block afta that is also a big italian hangout to grab a drink nd watch the game at. more traditional social clubs can b found next door to ciccios pizzeria on w5. theirs not as many as you'd find on 20th ave or 18th ave but their r places on U that dun seem like a social club (pizzeria's, barber shops) but serve that purpose wen theirs soccer games on. frankie, every italian/sicilian grl i talk wid says theyd neva b caugtht dead wid a nigger nd i gotta honestly say i neva c that in the neighborhoods. plus u kno if any of their brothers, uncles, father found out theyd b dead anyway nd the moolie too. alotta russian/irish broads seem to b the whites that date niggers nd wen u see a white grl wid a spook thats usually the grls nationalites, not to mention the spic broads. yea italians hit up alotta bay ridge clubs specifically alpha which jus re opened 3 wks ago nd has had great crowds each nite
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at March 28, 2005 12:22 AM
yea joe i did see alot of pizzarias and other small businesses while i was on U. having very few commercial bussinesses and alot of family businesess says alot. the only thing is we cant let 18th avenue get more chinky then it already is. can u confirm wat george said about ther being only 4 pizzarias in 18th avenue? i kno ther is still alot of italian businesses around there tho cuz my cuzins live rite around there. i also havent been there in a year or so, so maybe someone can tell me honestly how italian it is today. and as for the jersey italian, i cudnt giv u an honest answer about those albanians. peace.
Posted by: tommy at March 28, 2005 11:42 AM
George I cant believe it,ChamsdeBaron, Chess King, I remember that place. Kings Row had better stuff I thought. Frankie, I havent been out in a while but I know a few people that go to these clubs in Bay Ridge. It depends on where you go and what night. If you go to Legacy, Friday nights you got a younger crowed than Saturday. But if your looking for a little bit of an older scene, try Pazo. The average age there is about mid- thirty. Oh, and speaking of pizzeria's nobody mentions the famous Lenny's thats still on 86th st, or L&B, although I never really cared for L&B's pizza the heros were pretty good.
Posted by: JOSEPH at March 28, 2005 12:26 PM
yo Joseph u said u live in bensonhurst do u kno anything about there being only 4 pizzarias on 18th avenue? write bac. peace
Posted by: tommy at March 28, 2005 03:31 PM
The albanians, who are muslim, have a big hold in the Bronx. They are petty crooks trying to get organized. They live in apartment houses; how much big time could they be. They can't touch the Throgs Neck or Pelham 'hoods, the whites still have there private houses here. They do have a small pocket of them in Brooklyn in Kensington, like Church & Mcdonald. They control the painter's union--big shit! Go paint your 3 rooms a day for $100.
What the hell happened to manhattan beach. I went there this past summer and it was nothing but hamsters. Back in the day, the parking area was full of caddys and monte carlos, irocz...every clique had a spot on the beach. How did you guys let this go. As for Bensonhurst and BayRidge, the hamsters are everywhere, they flock to the KFC and McD, the can't all work there or lookin for jobs. I don't know if they are cops lookin for trouble or what.
Posted by: ORLY at March 28, 2005 03:37 PM
Enough is enough. The racial slurs stop NOW.
Posted by: Mike at March 28, 2005 04:17 PM
What the hell is a hamster?
Posted by: Irish guy at March 28, 2005 09:08 PM
Racial slurs are just words. Who fuckin cares?
Posted by: Frankie at March 28, 2005 10:28 PM
yo pretty sure hampster means african american. and mike u eva herd of freedom of speech?
Posted by: tommy at March 29, 2005 12:24 AM
Why does my post keep getting deleted? At first I thought it was a mistake. I dont see anything wrong with my post. Explain, or e-mail me. Thanks.
Posted by: JOSEPH at March 29, 2005 03:45 PM
Tommy I am not exactly sure of the number or what street George started taking his "notes" from but I would have to say there are more. But, how many are still owned by Italians? I would have to say less than half of them in Bensonhurst are still owned by Italians.
Posted by: JOSEPH at March 29, 2005 03:47 PM
About 18 Avenue, you got 5 pizza spots, actually 4 'cuz Bellisimo is a sit down restaurant, with wait staff. They are DaVincis, Ciros. J&V, and Pizza Den. I think 5th Ave, from [downtown] Atlantic Ave to about 96th street has the about a pizza spot every 4 blocks, except when it cuts through the greenwood cemetary area; these are not even Italiano 'hoods.
Posted by: ORLY at March 30, 2005 02:57 PM
The politically correct censorship starts NOW.
Posted by: Irish guy at March 30, 2005 04:02 PM
yo orly u must b wrong about that 1. i kno of all of those pizzarias but there is more on 18th avenue. not to mention the countless number of italian shops and restaurants that line the 18 ave strip.
Posted by: tommy at March 30, 2005 05:56 PM
Boy did I do a google search. -.- I started off reading the comments but then my brain cells gave out half way through and started skimming. A message to the people with 'jew problems'. We're not all orthodox, asshats. Second, those of you who cant type to save your life, you're making brooklyn people look stupid so quit it. We get it you're italian. Another thing I want to bring up is that the old immigrants were not just the jews and italians. The greek and irish have been around a long time too. And with all the racial slurrs. You can call the new immigrants all the names in the book but they're not going anywhere and not all of them are bad. A good number of my friends were not born here and they're great people so get your heads out of your asses.
Posted by: Ms. M at March 30, 2005 07:50 PM
"you're making brooklyn people look stupid so quit it. We get it you're italian."
I don't like that dig on Italians, man. First off, this Italian can type. You just have to cut these guys slack, most of the Italians on this board are probably 14 or 15, aren't allowed outside and have watched way too much Sopranos and Growing Up Gotti. But they in no way should reflect on the rest of us literate typing Italians. And hell, they'll grow out of it someday. When they realize that duplicating an accent over the internet is retarded.
Me? I'm Italian, from the Bronx, and I guess I'm what many would call "guido." But people need to stop portraying Italian-Americans as dumb meathead wops that eat pizza and watch The Godfather. Granted I'm Italian as you can pretty much get and I fit the stereotype well. But there's different layers to everyone and I'm certainly not out making hate crimes despite my dislike for a lot of black people (some are nice) and other groups who are taking over our neighborhoods. Me? I'm strong, I'm intelligent, I'm articulate, I'm hardworking, AND I'm Italian.
Posted by: Frankie at March 30, 2005 10:10 PM
Ayo, I know most of the readers of commentary are probably Italiano, this is what really got me annoyed, bear with me; the Time magazine"s "Most influential person of the 20th century" was Albert Einstein. I was apalled! I figured it should have been no other person than GUGLIELMO MARCONI!!!! This guy's discovery and use of radio waves led to everything from radio transmission to remote control to ultrasound to cell phones. Who voted for this guy Einstein, that really surmised previous experiments of the likes of Max Planck and others and tried to create an universal theory. That had no influence on space travel as much as "Elmo's" did. We could not have been on the moon if it was not for him. Either 20th Ave or Ave U should be renamed fo him, if not B"hurst itself---Marconiville.
Posted by: George at April 2, 2005 07:01 PM
"Most Influential" was the title. In that case, even thoguh Marconi's contribution might've been greater, I wouldn't say he is wider known or had more influence on culture directly than Einstein. Though when you think about it, I'd say Hitler was pretty influential. Negatively, but influential still.
Posted by: Frankie at April 2, 2005 09:27 PM
hey.the reason why italian people arent coming back as fast as we want them to is because they have to see what their missing.Joe of Avenue U if you so concerned about this shit get some people together start up a webpage.and put it up on the board.
Posted by: tony at April 4, 2005 11:52 AM
I said it before its over everyone gave up and pulled out. Staten Island is pretty nice its sort of like living in the suburbs while still being close to the city.I said before I love Bensonhurst and up and down the side streets there are still some blocks that have Italians. My block used to be one. I used to go in my backyard and 2 houses down there was this Italian lady that used to make her own fresh macaroni you could smell it. Now russians own that house. The houses on each side of me are Chinese. I used to go in my backyard and hop the fences to hang out with my neighbors, now they dont even speak english.
Posted by: JOSEPH at April 5, 2005 04:30 PM
ayoo everybody listen upp im thinkin a startin somethin. i been gettin the word out aboud this site to some a my paesans and their families and wat the purpose would b, gettin more italians to our neighborhoods. my boy dom's father runs an italian mag called l'idea and we're thinkin a ways of gettin the word out even more thru that publication. its published not jus in new york but all ova. its purpose and target would b gettin italians to come ova from italy and to bring bak those that left to jersey or florida. si i dun really care aboud cuz i like the fact that we got that boro to ourselves. if all a use get the word out too insted of jus postin on the site we can make all a south brooklyn truly italian. tell em the good things aboud r neighborhoods like the family atmosphere and the old world style livin that still goes on throughout bhurst, gravesend, bath beach, manhattan beach, dyker heights and parts a bay ridge. theirs still tons of us here and with a little help like this we can make it even betta
Posted by: Joe of Ave U at April 6, 2005 01:25 AM
I'm With you all the way bro
Posted by: MIchael at April 6, 2005 07:56 AM
I live on 20th ave two blocks from Trunzo's Market on 18th ave. So basically in the very hart of Bensonhurst. I'm a 3rd generation Sicilian American and I can relate to what most of you are saying about the neighborhood changing. Ethnic groups should definatley have their own neighborhoods. The problem with the chinese is that there not bad or stupid people, their dynasty's are some of the greatest in human history. The problem is they don't assimilate themselves into american culture. They can move here (New York) and literally never have to learn english and still survive. What I'm actually seeing more of is the Central American's and mexican day laborers lining 65th in the mornings. This is the real problem. Our borders are wide open. The people we really need to blame are the punks in Washington. Last I heard Bush wants to give amnesty to all these illegal mother f'ckers. Bensonhurst is still very italian and a great place to live. There are still bars here that are 100% italian and the social clubs are in full swing on most nights. Another problem is the italians that are leaving. If no one left nothing would change. So I blame most of the current problem on the people selling out to the highest bidder and leaving for Staten or Jersey. Lets face it people feel most comfortable being around people with the same mind set. (So lets stop the hate, separate) and leave us italian's one damn neighborhood we can still call are own.
Posted by: Christopher at April 6, 2005 02:57 PM
You know what, ive been thinking I agree with Christopher, and I am also an old school Italian thats lived in Bensonhurst all my life. The Chinese are ok and keep to themselves and take care of their property, but I think we should get rid of the mexicans on 18th ave. (by the way they are a fixturethere for years) and let in some Purto Ricans. I rather have them than the arrogant Russians.
Posted by: sharky953@aol.com at April 7, 2005 01:48 PM
i'm half italian half puerto rican. pr on my ma's side. what do yahs think about that? u care?
Posted by: Tony at April 7, 2005 03:45 PM
Hey Tony, I think that's fine that your half PR. I'm sure you and your family have lived here for years if not generations (legally) and that not only do you take great pride in your heritage but also in yor neighborhood. What I'm talking about are the people that are here illegally. It blows my mind that thousands of illegals can cross our borders and just stay here. No one seems to really give a shit. In fact they can get free medical care and many other city and state handouts. Where as you our I have to pay for it. There not just a drain on our neighborhood but a drain on our society. In fact the other day two of these guys were pissing on the steps of PS 205 right where the little kids sit in the morning (simply people with no class or respect.)
Posted by: Christopher at April 7, 2005 06:43 PM
I'm all italian and live in the bronx.bensonhurst still has tons.i think what people on here shuld focus on is gettin italians to move back to all parts of the city.During the 60's and 70's even the early 80's eastern harlem and south bronx were italian.brooklyn and queens has alot.if you spread influence around the city itself will become more guido.if you give italians a bunch of places to move around too more people will probably come back or come from italy.just think of some ways more italians or even whites move to nyc.
Posted by: nyci at April 7, 2005 10:41 PM
i new a neibor next to us half Dominican and half Italian. They were very nice people and very genoruos.
Posted by: michael at April 8, 2005 07:58 AM
hey i agree wit all a u guys. i think we should really make an ongoing effort to get people to move bac to southern brooklyn. i kno evry1 has moved outa ny, but doesnt any1 care about nyc anymore? i kno i do. i think us italian shud have this one part of the city to ourselves, just like tha blacks to harlem and the russians to lil odessa. we should respect their land, only if they respect what is ours. italians have been here for years and it has an authentic italian feel. that is wat seperates it from jersey of s.i.
Posted by: tommy at April 8, 2005 12:24 PM
why the fuck would u give harlem and the bronx to the blacks and hispanics.italians and irish were there way before them.and also harlem is gettin a large white population.bensonhurst is still pretty much italian though.but i think italians need to come back to arthur ave and the neighborhood belmont in the bronx because it still has tons of italian influence with the restuarants and shops.fuck westchester and jersey.
Posted by: nyci at April 8, 2005 01:35 PM
You guys are really out there. I was only kidding.
Posted by: JOSEPH at April 8, 2005 04:06 PM
Sorry guys, I'm really tired of having this conversation about how Italians are so much better than anybody else on my photolog. It's taking too much of my time to monitor and delete the extremely offensive posts. I'm going to shut down comments on this post in a couple days. Hope you understand and can find a more appropriate venue for your conversation.
Posted by: Mike at April 8, 2005 04:15 PM
We'll behave Mike.
Posted by: Frankie at April 8, 2005 04:55 PM
yo mike i dont think any1 thinks italians r better than any1. this site has a emphasis on urban decay, and neighborhood changes. as for the racial slurs, there just words. honestly, hu tha fuck cares. its not a hate thing, its just good convo
Posted by: tommy at April 8, 2005 06:51 PM
Yeah, Mike. I guess a lot of this stuff is offensive. Worse than that, a lot of it is just the same guys saying the same things over and over again. Still, you shouldn't ought to censor it, and no one should have to promise to "behave" themselves. Nobody is trying to keep the non-Italians from posting their opinions here (unless you are, unbeknownst to us) it's just that the Italians thus far have shown the most interest in Bensonhurst as a distinct neighborhood
I guess that's what you're bent on doing, though, so I hope that someone here sets up an alternate site, and posts it's address here.
That way, everybody can say what's really on their minds, whether you consider it vile or not.
You know what I mean, Mike? If you don't want to know what a guy thinks, then don't ask him what he thinks.
Posted by: Irish guy at April 8, 2005 07:33 PM
Are we cut off yet? Hello? Is this thing on?