Greetings,
Just found your site today. There was an old photo of Rockaway in today's Times
(Tues April 19), accompanying an article about NY politics. Bobby Kennedy was
campaigning for the senate, sometime in 1964 (early September?) and he had a
rally just off the boardwalk. The question is where was the photo shot.
Any thoughts?
OK Sleuths.....get your glasses on and take a look at the link below. Elisa Bachrow Hinken has written indicating that the photo may have been taken in Long Beach, NY and not Rockaway. After checking out the photos write and let me know what you think.
http://www.ilovelbny.com/RFK.html
RFK Not In Rockaway, But In Long Beach In ‘64
Rockaway Wave, April 29, 2005
Last Week The Wave published a photograph that had appeared in the New York Times questioning whether Robert Kennedy had been campaigning in Rockaway in 1964. While the scene of Kennedy standing on a boardwalk did not look like Rockaway, we asked readers to clear up the mystery. A number of people, Rick Gold included, said that Kennedy was actually in Manhattan Beach and that he was playing basketball nearby and actually shook hands with the Senatorial candidate. More compelling, however, was Seth Patton’s notice that RFK was actually in Long Beach, nearby National Boulevard. Patton says that he was a lifeguard there when Kennedy came in 1964. To back up his contention, he referred us to the Long Beach website, which included this picture of Kennedy at Long Beach that day, and there is no doubt in our minds that he’s right.
The
thing that makes me think that this might be
For the length of boardwalk
shown in the picture, I think there would have been stairs if it were Rockaway.
Carole Waxman Cohen 1959
August 15, 2006
I lived on Beach 68 Street in Arverne from 1960 until 1973. I
used to go to Beach 69 Street all summer long during the 1960s. I do not believe
that photo was taken on Beach 69th Street and I will tell you why.
I can see why you thought it was that area because there were several stores
along that strip of the boardwalk with the Knish store at west end of the strip.
However, from the Knish store, heading eastward, was a fresh waffle and ice
cream store, Abe's Pool Room, a Penny Arcade, the entrance to the Lockers, and
lastly the Pizzeria. The exact sequence of the center stores escapes me, but the
Knish/Frankfurter store was on the west end and the Pizzeria was on the east end
of the strip of food stores/amusements. Then, east of the Pizzeria was a set of
stairs with metal railings on the sides that led down from Beach 69th Street to
the sand and sea shore. As a matter of fact, there should be a series of wooden
stairs, one at each street in that area - looking eastward - and I do not see
any stairs. That is why I do not believe that photo was taken near the stores by
Beach 69th and 70th Streets. There were definitely steps that lead down to the
sand in before and after 1964. So, it must be at another location, but I am not
sure of the location.
Good luck in your search. I am curious as to where it could be. If you find out,
please let me know.
Regards,
Patricia Ippolito-Mattone Email Address:
pmfp107@optonline.net
FRHS Class of 1968
May 1, 2005
September 19, 2005
Regarding the picture of Bobby Kennedy in 1964 at the
boardwalk, I tried enlarging it to read the names of the stores, including the
knish store, but it was too grainy to make out.
I grew up on Beach 67th street right off the boardwalk. Jerry's Knishes, that
was referred to, was actually on Bch. 35 st. and the boardwalk. The knish place
on Beach 68th next to the penny arcade was actually Marty's Knishes. I know,
because Marty lived next door to me at 140 Beach 67 St.
I am certain that this picture is not of the boardwalk in Rockaway beach because
we did not have stairs like that. The stairs that Kennedy is climbing are
parallel to the boardwalk and have a wooden top rail. Rockaway Beach stairs were
perpendicular to the boardwalk and had metal tubular railings. I know, because I
used to sit with my legs through the railing as a child when we watched the
fireworks on Wednesdays in the summer. Oh how I wish I could still do that.
Sorry I could not have been more help.
Irving Eisenberg, Class of 1966
September 29, 2005