Mars Deli – Flushing, New York

You’ll have to excuse my walk down memory lane for the last few posts. Hopefully, you find them somewhat interesting since I have several more. I think this view of New York City is instructive, however. The tall towers and tourist sites of Manhattan get top billing — but that’s not where the average New Yorker lives. The outer boroughs like Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx are where the working and middle class go about their lives. Don’t worry. There’s be plenty of dramatic Manhattan landscapes scheduled later in the series.

These stores are part of the shopping district I mentioned yesterday, located next to the Skyline Towers. Most, if not all, have changed since I lived there. Although after fifty years, my memory is getting a bit sketchy. I believe the toy store was located here, where the Mars Deli now stands. I bought plastic models, a significant source of my childhood entertainment.

I’m sure childhood access greatly determines development, skills, and interest. I lived in a high-rise until age nine. I didn’t have extensive access to sports and other outdoor activities. Making plastic models, drawing, and building unique structures out of scrap paper was part of my fond memories. Creative activities for sure but without the influences and riggers of sports.

Now at age fifty-eight, I wonder if my high-rise living determined my creativity in photography and interest in architecture. I dabble in tennis, but nature and the outdoors don’t generally excite me. Just give me the city. I love walking around, observing, and documenting.

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