Streetcar Sunday - The Bowery, New York

The Bowery in New York was (and is) a colorful place. It was originally a road that connected the city with surrounding farmland. The name comes from the Dutch word for farm: bouwerij. It is the oldest throroughfare on Manhattan Island. Although the Bowery was originally considered a respectable area, it became known for brothels, flophouses, and cheap entertainment by the time of the Civil War.

New York was the first city in the world to have streetcars, and the Bowery line was the first line in New York.  It started service in 1832, with a car called the John Mason, named after the company's president.. The original cars were horse cars, but by 1888 some of the lines were electrified.

You may notice that there are no overhead wires visible above the car. There's nothing unusual about that; you often can't see them on cards even when they were there. However, this time you can't see them because the cars didn't have them. The streetcars in New York were powered by an underground conduit instead. If you look closely, you may be able to see the line between the tracks that housed the conduit. Only a few other cities, such as Washington D.C. and London, did this, because most cities couldn't afford to do it. There is evidence that it was actually less expensive than the overhead wire system to operate once installed, but the initial installation costs and difficulties proved prohibitive to most.

The Third Avenue El (elevated railway), shown above, operated above street level from 1875 to 1955. It must have been strange to be on the street and have a train running overhead. Not surprisingly, property values shot up when the overhead rails were removed.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for what I think may be my favorite post ever!

Oh, and here's the back of the card.  It was printed by Illustrated Postcard Co between 1905 and 1907.

The American Dream

Here's a photo of my Dad in Rotterdam in 1953 at the age of 18, setting off for a new life in the United States.  With little money and no family in the US, he made his way with the help of a sponsoring family, the Karminskys. The Karminskys had escaped Nazi persecution by first fleeing Germany for Czechoslovakia and then eventually ending up in the United States. I have some Karminsky postcards I will also post some time.

My father settled in Chicago, joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Korea. After returning from the Korean War, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he earned an MBA and met my mother.

So, what is my father doing today - this very day, in fact? At the age of 75, he is competing in his 5th Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. The triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run (full marathon.) This will be a tough one, especially because of training interruptions in the last few months for two hernia surgeries and Achilles tendinitis. Oh, and one week before the race he took a header over the handlebars of his bike when a mail truck stopped suddenly in front of him. The crash broke his helmet and sent him on an ambulance ride to the emergency room, but still he persists. I'm not always sure why - but we will certainly do our part to support him with athletic champagne toasts. Go Dad!

Here is a more recent photo:

Today is Sepia Saturday and a great opportunity to get a glimpse of some fascinating family histories.

Cats on Penny Farthings

This is an old advertising card from J & P Coats. They made (and still do!) yarn, thread, and other sewing material. In fact, they are the world's largest sewing thread and needlecraft supplies manufacturer and distributor.

The cats are riding penny farthings, the name for the big-wheeled bicycles that were popular in the 1870s and 1880s. Incidentally, the name penny farthing comes from the British coins, which had a similar difference in size to the bicycle wheels.

Here's the back of the advertising card: