I had a number of friends that couldn't wait to get out of The Point. Indeed, their sentiments regarding The Point bordered on hatred. A few of them moved to various parts of L.A., and for them, in light of growing up in The Point, L.A. was a relative paradise. I moved to L.A. in the beginning of ' 78 and lived there for about four years. I didn't share my friend's sentiments regarding The Point. For me, the move had more to do with getting away from New York and settling in some place new and different where the grass was greener, so to speak.
When I returned to New York four years later, I wound up in Forest Hills (and Bayside briefly). My parents had sold their house and, quite frankly, I couldn't afford to buy a house in The Point . . . so I wound up in an apartment building that subsequently went Co-Op and I lived there for about sixteen years. The Co-Op wasn't the greatest, but I was lucky to find affordable housing relatively close to Manhattan that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I moved to Florida in 1998. My move was for pratical purposes as well as for the "grass is greener" purposes. And I can't say that I love it here in Florida, but I do, indeed, like it here and this is probably as good as it's ever going to get, for me.
When I was a kid, growing up in College Point, I had alot of big ideas and big dreams. However, none of my "big ideas" and "big dreams" amounted to anything. Perhaps it's a result of old age creeping up on me that I've come to accept that fact. Or perhaps I'm just your typical beaten-down loser when it comes to the game of life . . . and I've resigned myself to the fickle finger of fate, or, at least, use "fate" as an excuse. Or perhaps I finally grew up and, in the process, gained a little wisdom. Does any of the above sound familiar to you?
From the vantage point of over fifty years, I can honestly state that my College Point "experience" was a positive and formative experience. I'm certain that some of you, out there, are now cursing me and calling me a fool and an idiot. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I welcome all opinions on this blog. Again, this blog is a FREE SPEECH blog, and a NO HOLDS BARRED blog. So please feel free to SPOUT OFF HERE!
