Growing up in in NYC was great , grew up in a housing project that was built for returned WWII Vets , literally a thousand kids , the beach was one block way and in the opposite direction the bay one block and a big park across the street, it was real community with a diverse population , after school we had a community center which was staffed by teachers, summers at the beach a plenty of fishing, every Wednesday fireworks of off the beach sponsored by Schaffer beer, the city sponsored concerts at the park , got to see Dizzy" Gillespie , "Count" Basie band at school got to see Robert Merrill and Beverly Sills sing opera, went on trips to Manhattan to museums and plays and the UN, went to ball games with my dad at Ebbets Field and saw Jackie Robinson play, in the early 60's went to Yankee stadium and saw mantel Maris ford and yogi play just a subway ride away, got to meet Eleanor Roosevelt at the UN.. and RFK when he come to Rockaway, Got to see JFK and LBJ in Manhattan, in addition Khrushchev on his way from idelwild airport to the UN
Education was first class, 3 tiers of HS graduation, regents for those going to college , commercial for those going to work in business retail and a general diploma who were going into the trades , NYC also hade trade high schools focusing of different trades
CUNY city university of NY was free to high school students who had a 2.5 gpa
Overall a great experience and sense of community , education and culture
Rockaway??
Sounds like a good life..........

