Friday, March 4, 2011

None of Dem are Rubber

I had the pleasure of getting a little lost in Gravesend Brooklyn.  It is not far from where I grew up in Sheepshead Bay.  It in fact, reminded me more of the Sheepshead Bay I grew up in than the Sheepshead Bay of today.  (Does that make sense?)

First I had to photograph these 2 signs.  The one for Dallas BBQ was on the subway. Look at the Bottom "New York's most popular in Queens"  I know my grammar sucks but I don't spend tens of thousands of dollars on an ad campaign.  Most popular what it Queens.

The other was in the window of a kosher grocery on Ave U. "We will be delivery to ....."

I will be submitting these to Engrish.com.  Most of the stuff they put on their blog is funny English translations form Asian speaking countries.  This stuff is from Brooklyn.  Forgetaboutit.

Anyway I always assumed that the town (and then neighborhood) of Gravesend was named after a cematary or something.  Not so much.

Gravesend was founded in 1643 by Lady Deborah Moody who named this community after her hometown in Gravesend England.  Founded on the precepts of religious freedom, Gravesend which means at the end of the grove derives it't name from two Saxon words "Grafes Ende"

At the bottom of that slab there is a time capsule.  It was place there October 4th, 1987.  I wonder what objects represent the history of the Gravesend community on that date?

The monument is surrounded by a fence that is adorned with signs like this.  I don't know if $50 is enough of a reward.  But I did not see any dog poop near it.




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The F train from Ave U goes in two directions.  Coney Island and Manhattan.  If you don't read the signs you can figure out which way the train is going by looking down the track.

To Coney Island


To Manhattan


Below the "EL" on McDonald Ave. it looks like this.

It reminded me that when I was about the age my kids are now I was driving around with my Dad.  We were either under this El on McDonald Ave or under the El that runs over 86th St.  I told my dad that it must be very dangerous to drive here, with all those columns in the road.  He agreed but added that it is not so dangerous if you are lucky because every third one is rubber.

It was not till 10 or 20  or 30 years later when I was driving my own car under that same El that it occurred to me that NONE OF DEM ARE RUBBER. Even if they were rubber I would not drive like Gene Hackman.


2 comments:

  1. Loved the Engrish, and your dad's remark cracked me right up. "Every third one is rubber" is the sort of thing a kid would believe for 30 years. Just love it. You made my day.
    (I tried watching the car chase but it made me dizzy. I remember The French Connection, however.)
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stanley wrote: "are you positive you did you touch them. 10 can be concrete and the nex 3 rubber. Do you know how rubber got its name?"

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