Friends and The Yellow Flats

“Nostalgia” is the feeling of returning home to a place you never left. Yet, sentimental recollections can be slightly uncomfortable, with shades of insecurities and exposures – both of which can be reconciled.

We didn’t have Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok in my early days, but flipping and trading baseball cards, playing stickball, alley mischief and just hanging out were our communication grid. The Giants and Dodgers leaving for the West coast steered many of us toward Mantle and the Bronx, albeit some were already soaked with the pinstripe aura. TV watching went from black and white to color and screen size increased with consoles. I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, The Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Lassie, and The Ed Sullivan Show were our fun escapism, offering reprieve from our street activities. The “box” had such an effect on many of us for entertainment but also brought us live, allowing us to see the shocking killing, by Jack Ruby of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated President Kennedy.

Music had its role in the 50’s and 60’s with Darin, Shore, Turner, the Shirelles, followed by Elvis, the Stones, the Four Tops, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles with an occasional song from Monroe Street to The Chairman of the Board. WINS, 92 FM was also an all-news station. Films were another affordable outlet with the films of The Birds, Ben Hur, West Side Story, The Thing, Magnificent Seven, Butch Cassidy and Goldfinger at the Fabian or US with the Stanley Theater and Loew’s in Journal Square.

The Friends

Semper Fi - “Always Faithful” - is the official motto of the United States Maine Corps. We had two Marines in our neighborhood: one like a young George Clooney who was a recruiter of potential Marines, and his brother who served in the Army combat in Viet-Nam- a Dick Van Dyck cut up, The second Marine was a trumpet-playing owner of a cool looking Le Mans car who had the actions of a Tom Cruise good crazy dude. Anyone know their names?

The “Flats” (the name assigned to the row of yellow-brick apartment buildings along the 1200 block of Washington Street) had its share of veterans -from 1203, with two brothers serving in the Army and Air Force and the third was a Infantryman living in the basement (and their mom serving as building superintendent).

Another Navy veteran from St. Joseph’s High School of West New York and St. Peter’s College, lived at the corner at 1221. Also let’s not forget a Navy guy, “Tucker”, his nickname, lived on the other side of the yellow bricks. Anyone know their names?

Coaches were there as well, such as the old timer “Toastmaster” – that famed character known to old Hobokenites because of his sports’ fame, humor and eloquence, who did “his thing” at St. Mary’s HS in Paterson, St. Michael’s in Newark and St. Pat’s in Elizabeth. He too, resided at 1221 too.

In the middle of the “columns” (the nickname for the “Yellow Flats”), was another great, our “Holzman-type” coach, who also served as a Jersey City Snyder High School coach. Both he and the “Toastmaster” were basketball shepherds, amassing many titles during their years. . Anyone know their names?

Washington and 12th had the captain of his high school baseball team who later took Hoboken youngsters to the Soviet Union to play baseball on an Ambassader trip of good will. In the outer banks of the yellow bricks, Hoboken had the best baseball coach in the city. Anyone know their names?

Returning to 1221, were two brothers who played high school football under Mr. Vincent Ascolese, both graduating college with a number of degrees entering the field of teaching and administration.

St. Joe’s of West New York had a significant influence in the early days of portal athletes from the Yellow Flats and it’s “cousin” on Hudson Street. St. Joe’s yanked three swimming, football and baseball gems from the mile square.

Fortunately, they missed the best – a free-styling swimmer at Hoboken High, a Navy veteran as well from 12th and Park (not Washington). His Indiana brother was a high school Red Wing pitcher and St. Peter ‘s graduate. Anyone know their names?

St Peter’s, Jersey City State College, and FDU were our secondary places of learning and career paths with teaching, administration, Wall Street and other ambitions.

One of our late Irish educational bloomers went on to secure his degrees from Kansas and further his initials from Columbia University, professing at many universities in the metropolitan area. Another Irish signature living on 12th and Hudson Street is one of the leading experts and speakers on fire safety as a former Fire Marshall and Deputy Chief. Anyone know their names?

Two families must be cited in the area. One whose father was a Hoboken Councilman, and his son who went to St. Joe’s of West New York playing football. He also went to Nebraska and became a school administrator. The other family had strong ties to Hoboken High School, father a teacher and the son had the lead in the 1965 senior play. Anyone know their name?

Candy, cake, coffee, tea and steel kept many of our parents employed. While a number of our parents were in law enforcement.

Indiana, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Carolinas, Nebraska, and the Jersey Shore, were landing areas after leaving our congested mile square. The Jersey Shore took one of our former educators, high school football player, and new guitar player in his local parish. His brother was part of the infamous car ride in the Weehawken in the late 60’s and all survived. Anyone know their names?

Fan Duel, Hard Rock and Draft King were no way near our neighborhood. So many dads pushed numbers and other various gambling forms to pick up some additional change. Remember the football slips?

We endured the congested liquor stores and taverns as many as six establishments in a closed area. We were a thirsty bunch! (thanks to Ricky Gerbehy’s notation).

One of our old buddies, still to this day owns the oldest drop-in tavern, The Wilton House at 58 Newark Street in Hoboken.

The texture of our friendships endured, some slip away due to human nature’s fate but as ageism sets, let’s all give air to the late song writer Warren Zeron. “Enjoy every sandwich” until we meet again at Ray’s or Tahen's Tavern on 12th and Washington Streets, home of the Yellow Flats - our own yellow-brick road!

Dennis Sevano was born and raised in Hoboken. He writes frequently about sports figures and notables in the Mile Square City. He currently resides in Teaneck.