Hey there folks, I haven’t gone away as some of you may have noticed on some of the recent threads, I’ve just been warming up (or trying to stay warm as the case may be). Welcome back to Where & When! As you also may have noticed, I’ve taken the liberty of readjusting the game chronology to a single, progressive line of games in order to keep a better account of which challenge we happen to be up to (thus Season 2 is now incorporated to the original timeline, and I’ll get around to renaming those games shortly). It’s been a harsh winter here in the outskirts of The Big Apple, and I’ve managed not to destroy anything that anyone would miss in between working outside in Frigidaire temps and recovering from non-flu like symptoms, but as our fearless leader Alex would most likely say, “Never mind that s***, here comes Game 68!“ :
Another easy (if you’re from the area) one to figure out, along with some embedded nostalgia if you really are familiar with it. The good news is that it looks pretty much the same today; the buildings are all still around, that is. Of course, it’s not as tidy as this seems to be, but time and cleanliness wait for no man. So you’re job, as usual, is to track down the where and when of this picture and report back to us in the comments. This may be easier than I think as I look at the numerous clues in this one, so don’t pop a vessel if you get stuck. Winner (and we know how to become a winner, eh?) gets the golden mug of our customary hot chocolate with whipped cream for the cold weather (though it is gonna be a bit nicer this week supposedly), and the rest of us will share a spot of tea for our efforts. Bonus? Tell us what big store is off-screen to the left at the time this picture was likely taken and you’ll get a few warm brownies with whatever you’re drinking. Tell us a neat story about this area and I might sprinkle a dash of brandy to sweeten your experience >;)
So, let’s all get on this and have some fun, eh? I can’t make any promises on how soon I will return, but hopefully there will be more opportunities to play again soon. In he meantime, discuss, enjoy and don’t peek at the photo credit!
Photo Credit: Al Ponte’s Time Machine
Hm. It's definitely early 1940s. Grand Concourse, a quick Google suggests, but I am in a big hurry. I'll check back later to see what others have come up with.
Now it's the Emigrant Savings Bank:
http://www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/arch/buildings/ESBank.html
found the picture on Pintrest:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/292030357063345981/
Hard to see more there as I don't have an account and I avoid faceboob.
[2] Yeah, it's unfortunate they only seem to have a FB account as opposed to a Tumblr site which is still open access of sorts (I may be wrong, but Google doesn't have further info on other direct whereabouts). I've given up posting on FB and redirected my efforts to my own blog, but I maintain my account for mainly research purposes like this. Great photos to say the least.
The Pinterest comment says 1950s. Looks like just a guess. Still, that might be right -- the bus in particular does look like it could be a 1950s model.
Pineda ks two. Happy to watch a game with our regulars. But the lineup depresses me. Nobody in the middle who makes me smile and who inspires trust.
[1] You said Grand Concourse and I immediately thought of the Grand Concourse here in Pittsburgh. Too bad...
Wow, beltran really looks a lot slimmer. In a good way.
[6] Hey, seamus!
When I first looked at the picture, I thought, geez, if you covered up the right hand side, except for the "NY" signs, that could almost be Comm Ave in Boston along BU.
Jeers, youse guys! I'm on the other thread, the one with the photo of a naked woman. Come on over!
That was supposed to say Jeez...not Jeers.
So, looks like a few people beat around the bush, but rbj came the closest, finding a link with the same pic and showing us that it's Grand Concourse @ Fordham Road in the Bronx; c. 1950s. I guess some of those cars look like they're from the 1940s, but it's not unheard of for older cars to be seen in that region at any time, no?
As for the bonus, which no one attempted, I'll come right out and say it: I don't know, either >;)
Oh wait, it's Alexander's, which owned the building and the land it was on until either the 80's or 90s, when the company went bankrupt and was reorganized into a real estate holdings firm, which in turn had a controlling interest bought by current real estate hoarder Vernado (which itself is descended from a department store company called 2 Guys). If you check out the link, you'll find an interesting story about a mural from one of their more famous locations in Paramus, NJ.
I have an affinity for the older second-tier department stores; I remember my Mom taking us shopping at the Alexander's and Korvettes in Yonkers, as well as Barkers in Elmsford. Later we would find Mays and Service Merchandise in Fishkill and Montgomery Wards in Poughkeepsie. In high school, I worked at Caldors for a year before moving on the Loew's multi-cineplex at the Poughkeepsie Galleria. I think it was the toy departments that did it for me; I would wander off and play in that section while everyone else was shopping. Never in my life did I have to worry about getting lost or kidnapped (it never really occurred to me, to be honest) and the toys made it far more interesting than the boring and stuffy stores we also went to like Macy's, Bloomingdales, Saks, J.C. Penny's and their ilk (I don't remember ever going to Gimbels as a kid, probably never had the chance). Of course, I don't think Alexander's did have a toy section; I only remember buying clothes there, but it had a different vibe. It's funny to me when Alexander's is mentioned along with Macy's and Gimbels and Bloomingdale's because in my time Alexander's was a discount store like Woolworth's was more than a five and dime store at one point. At any rate, this pic was way before my time, but still brings back some interesting memories.
Thanks for playing, folks; hopefully I'll see you again soon!
Yeah, could be older cars -- but remember, cars didn't last as long then as they do now!
This site says 1940s. But I'm not confident either way.
My mom would take me clothes shopping at the Alexander's in NJ every August
I actually knew this one! Damn pacific-tmie-change-can't get to the Banter in time- grumble grumble..
Darn! Haven't checked in for a few days, but I defintely knew this one! I worked at that very Alexander's during the summer of 1970 before entering my senior year at Fordham Prep down the street. Stockboy in the ladies shoes department in the basement. Nearly poked my eye out shooting rubber bands at another stockboy back in the stockroom. Met the first girl I fell in love with (she worked the register), but it was bitterly unrequited. Ah, memories......