For all who grew up in the Rockaways remember Playland. Whether you were very young with all your families your first time. One can never forget this wonderful place. As we grew older many of us went there to hang out as they use to say and just be there on a saturday with our own friends. Again it was a simpler time. For a few dollars we could be with our friends or by ourselves. Remembering All the smells and the grit of the place is another feeling of home. I have been collecting photograph and postcards for over 30 years now . Its fun to put them all together for all to see this wonderful place. I hope you enjoy all your own memories.
Bruce Baumwoll
Click the photograph and it shall take you to a little film I did on Playland a few years ago
Click here to see my photographs of Rockaways Playland gallery.
Woody Allens : Radio Days
Click here to see my photographs of Rockaways Playland gallery.
Love the old photos. Thank you for sharing
I worked for Mrs. Guiest and she was not the sweetest employer.
I in grew up right down the block on 97th St where my family owned and rented out summer rooms and bungalows, have for whatever reason come back to live on the block four times in my life as do now again, though our sprawling and beloved property has also gone the way of Playland, as I had stood alone on the beachside of same where lived at the time, which no longer exists as well, to sadly witness the beginning of the end of that grand old mainstay of my long-ago childhood, as a giant crane took the first bite of the lighting ball tower which had loomed over the park to warn air traffic of the wooden ‘Hurricane’ roller coaster which had stood sentinel for more than a century, a watershed moment of my life with whom I longed to have the presence o any of the many souls that could have or should have been there with me to share that awesomely haunting moment in time.
OMG….we went there almost every weekend to “hang”. Thanks so much for the memories.
briught back so many memories .thank you
I loved this place as a little girl. I lived right across the street. My siblings and I would go on the rides every day.
grow up in wavecrest and all over far rock i sure miss her
Always went on Wednesday nights for the fireworks, but had to first go to the Bow Wow.
Green sidewalks – I remember the green sidewalks
of long ago – youth! To the right,
we lined up in a schoolyard that once was
an attraction. The whole town was an attraction
long ago, when we were young. We timed summer break by
the number of workers on the coaster, as seen from class.
On the left, a pair of taverns shadowed by
the rollercoaster, we heard the people screaming
as it rushed by. You can still hear it.
In the middle of it all
the green sidewalks. Past the skee-ball place
we knew by smell – a uniquely skee-ball smell and
sounds only heard when a token dropped, and the
lever was pulled kkkkkkkklack! arooooom of wooden balls –
clunk! as another ball launched, its sound rolling up the ramp
providing all the drama. O’Gara’s beer hall,
Then, the gypsy and
Fascination, with the odd, stern man calling
the shots – our own Boo Radley.
At night, rifle shots rang out
as vets impressed their dates,
shooting for prizes rarely won.
and the coaster clacked, riders still screaming
‘til the lights, one by one, trickled off.
Drunks staggered out of the bars, the 24 hour diner
lights burned bright, and the ocean waves were the only sound
tumbling down the green sidewalks
of that old town for one more night.
Wow! Me and my family use to go down to Rockaway every summer for two weeks.We use to stay at Moran’s bungalows located on 98th St. directly across from the entry of the amusement park and also where the Rockaway bus stopped to let all the day people off for some fun,and also the Rockaway boat that came down on Wednesdays.I can go on and on about my experiences there,but I will never forget all the good times we had.Thank You for letting me share my experience❤
Hi Danny, Thank you for sharing your memories , Perhaps you might have some photographs of your families times . I would love to do a post and share them, Be safe and again thank you for all your thoughts
Bruce
1956…. Joey Chalmer and I spent Saturday afternoons at Playland. Our moms gave us $1.25 each which was enough for the day including bus fare. Spent most of it in the penny arcade.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful memory. Life really was so different in so many ways.
Thank you so much for sharing the memories of a once great and wonderful place to be. I worked as a cashier for the Coaster for several years, also on the re-ride, and also the re-ride for the Scooters. My mother was a cashier for the Scooters for years. It was an awesome place to work at. The people, the smells of different foods, the games, the lights, the everything Playland. I am glad for these pictures, they may have torn it down, but it will never be torn from our happy memories. Thank you again.