One time me, my brother Ed, my friend Tito, and Ronnie, were over talking baseball music etc..
we were hungry, the weather was bad, so we decided to call the local pizzeria to oder home delivery; which was on Atlantic Avenue and Nevins.
When I called they asked for my address, after informing them of my address, 130 3rd Avenue apartment 8-G ....
they paused on the phone ...Where!
so again, I said my address....
paused..Where!
then the guy stated "Hey man, we don't deliver to projects.. "
I asked "why?"
"...our delivery person got mugged a couple of times delivering there."
I felt bad.. This was the the first time I started noticing people, couple of friends, making comments like "Man, how can you live there, isn't it dangerous?"
I also have had few girls pulling away from me simply because their parents didn't want a guy from the projects hanging or dating their daughters.
To me, it was the best place to live!
So much fun, what some people don't realize at the time, the projects were a mixed race: Puerto Ricans, Blacks, Whites Irish, Italian, etc.. My best Friend Doobie was from England! (I dated his sister "Kitty".)
Anyway, it was a big community, where parents of friends would looked after all the kids, and/or would tell your parents if you got out of lines like "Mira, I saw "Elbing" on Bergen Street con la policia, he was with that Julio!
I'll tell you what really happened that day on Bergen Street with "Julio"
One morning I bought this paper called the Buy-Lines, where you can buy used instruments. I saw an add for a used Black Fender Stratocaster for $200 in Queens. I called my friend Julio and asked him if he wanna come with me to buy a Stratocaster,..he said cool , (Julio was a tall Black Rocker who loved Aerosmith!), he had a beautiful Black Les Paul with P-90s! and we would woodshed for hours!
Anyway we were walking along Bergen Street to catch the F train to Queens to buy the guitar, all of a sudden this police vehicle jump the curb next thing they had us against the wall in broad daylight, passersby stoping and looking at us..
That's when I noticed "Tita", the Witch/Gossip Columnist from the Projects, apartment 19 E, staring at me, and I know whats she was thinking.. "Umm, mira, Elbing and Julio! must be drugas!", I need to tell his mother.
This one officer checked my pockets and found the $200 for the Strat. I said to myself "Oh shit" they are gonna think it's drug money!" But he also found my Buy-Line paper with a circle around the Strat, and ad address.
The officer told his partner "Hey, they have no drugs, he's buying a guitar." But the other officer yelled "I don't care, book them!! book them!!"
The first officer who found the $200 keep telling the other officer " book them for what!" they have no drugs, he's just buying a guitar,
After 15 minutes, they finally let us go..
(I discovered later that the officers assumed we came from a candy store on Bergen Street, which sold drugs.
Well, they let us go, but not before Tita (The Witch from the projects) told my mother what she saw, thus, my mom kicked my but, with me crying "But Ma! I was just buying a guitar!", que no! its Julio, I don"t want you hanging out with Julio!
I still have the same friends from back then and yes, including" Ese Julio!"
At this time, I was getting serious about playing guitar. My musician friends would come over and we all would woodshed on guitar, playing records trying to learn riffs from bands like UFO, Robin Trower, Judas Priest, putting the needle on the record player back and on 16 to learn the riffs slowly etc. we would play for hours. When my friends were over my mom would make us "arroz con sachicas," and or lansana. Afterwards we would then go out and hang out at CBs or the Great Guidersleeves, but not before going to the local liquor store on Court and Baltic Street to buy Boones farm or Tango. (that same liquor store is still there). We would also woodshed with one of my friend best friends Anthony Barmonte, who went on the play with New York Thrash Metal band "Nuclear Assault." man we had so much fun down his basement playing guitar learning riffs from Al Dimeola, and of course drinking, girls, man...great times!
However, should of been a lawyer...
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