76e-Serrapede Family in Brooklyn 1940s: What were the old time soda fountains like?

Introduction

Emily Leatrice Serrapede loved going to soda fountains and luncheonettes when she was in high school.  Once she began working part time in her junior year her parents approved of her going out for a meal in the company of her favorite cousins, the D’Agosto sisters (Lillian, Martha and Emilia) and Rita Errico.  Josie and Sam taught Emily that with careful budgeting and planning she would have the extra money to enjoy these get-togethers in Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge. 

Emily learned that it was important to balance her efforts in school and at her job with time out to relax and renew.  She always said that when school or work became demanding, the anticipation of an afternoon out enabled her to get through the challenges.  Emily would think about the places she wanted to go and when the goal was realized she experienced a great sense of satisfaction since this was something she had earned through her own effort.

Relationship Notes

Emily L. Serrapede was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, N.Y.  She attended Bay Ridge High School from September 1944 through January 1948.  Emily was:

• The daughter of Sam and Josie (nee Muro) Serrapede
• Sister to Junior (Sammy, Sabbatino)
• The Mom to EmilyAnn

A beloved soda fountain and family style restaurant lives on in Bay Ridge:  Experiencing something from my Mom’s teenage years

Anapoli Family Style restaurant at 6920 Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is celebrating its 125^th year in the community when this post was written in 2017.  Before the current owners bought the business it was known as Logue’s.  The current owner has kept all the original fixtures.  Photos dating back to the early decades of the 20^th century show customers in the same setting enjoying their meals.  It offers us an opportunity to experience what a soda fountain and family style restaurant was like when Emily went to Bay Ridge High School.  The school is located 7 blocks away, but knowing how much Emily enjoyed long walks and exploring new neighborhoods we are certain she came here when she was in the area.

First Day of Spring, April 20, 2021

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.”
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

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“Spring” by Alfons Mucha
Wikimedia Commons
Public domain
Photo courtesy Rue Royale Fine Arts

76d-Serrapede Family in Brooklyn-Emily’s Walks to Owl’s Head Park and Shore Road 1944-1945

Introduction

Emily Leatrice Serrapede attended Bay Ridge High School in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, NY from the Fall of 1944 to the Winter of 1947.  After classes she loved exploring the surrounding neighborhood filled with charming step streets, courts, terraces and other interesting little side streets.  I know something about this area because Emily was my Mom.

The school is located about a 5 minute walk from Owl’s Head Park and Shore Road, both places Mom loved to go on weekends as well as after school.  We have two undated photos taken sometime between 1944 and 1946.  In one photo Emily is standing on the Promenade below Shore Road.  In the second photo, which unfortunately is blurry, she is sitting on the wall of Owl’s Head Park.

On Monday, February 20, 2017 I took a walk along the same streets Mom had walked through over 70 years ago.  I was able to see some of the sights she did and be taken in by their appeal.  The culmination of this walk was reaching the highest point on the hill in Owl’s Head Park.  From there I enjoyed a beautiful view of a large vessel sailing along the Narrows.  Beyond Staten Island was clearly visible against the clear, blue sky.  All the scene needed were a few gulls gliding on the wind to create the kind of scene Mom told me inspired her to keep achieving and keep seeking new horizons.  She had high hopes for her future as she advanced in her high school studies.

The photos of Mom during the mid-1940s look like they were taken in late Spring or some time during the Summer based on her clothing.  I decided a winter time walk was a good way to understand How Mom enjoyed her walks even when there weren’t any leaves or flowers in bloom.  I was blessed to have a bright, clear day with hints of early Spring in the air as I took this walk. 

Relationship Notes

Emily Leatrice Serrapede was born on April 18^th, 1931 to Josie and Sam Serrapede.  She was:

Junior (Sammy’s) sister

EmilyAnn’s Mom

The Serrapede family lived on the first floor of a multi-family dwelling on 66^th Street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NY at the time Emily attended Bay Ridge High School.