One of my fondest memories of Queens College Air Force ROTC was our participation in the Columbus Day Parade on October 12, 1957. Lord knows if that tradition still exists, with all the cancellation of our flawed heroes. But the parade remains a superb memory of my time in NYC.
For us, the parade started at or near 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. We marched from there to 86th Street, where the parade ended.
We had our own very small band and my best friend, Oleh, played the bass drum to help us keep in step. Our entire ROTC detachment was less than 100 folks, so our unit in the parade was not large at all.
The parade route up Fifth Avenue was magnificent. After only about 8 blocks we’d pass the wonderful NYC Public Library at 42nd Street. The masterfully sculptured lions at the main entrance always captivated me.
As we approached Rockefeller Center at 49th Street we could see the beautiful RCA Building on the left and Sax Fifth Avenue on our right. Just a bit north was the highlight of the parade for me. We would pass in review the marvelous St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Reverend Francis Cardinal Spellman, the Archbishop of NYC. He would be standing on the steps of the Cathedral to accept our passing in review. Columbus Day still has a special magic for New York’s Italian-American Catholic population.
As we continued up Fifth Ave, we’d reach 59th Street. The iconic Plaza Hotel would be to our left. We were now at the southern beginning of NYC’s great Central Park. It continued northward to 111th Street, but we only marched to 86th.
The remainder of the parade brought us past some of the most luxurious apartment homes in the Upper East Side.
Near the end of our short journey, at 81st Street, we passed the. World famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. My cousin, Nancy, was the executive assistant to the director of that fantastic institution for a time. She treated my wife, Marjorie, and I to a wonderful luncheon at the Executive Dining Room several years later than the parade. Small world, isn’t it?
OK. We’re now at 86th Street. Turn right and go a couple a blocks and you were at the 86th St Brauhaus. Time for some beer and brats. Then home and back to the school routine. 86th Street was the Broadway of Germantown. It was like a Little Germany in the Upper East Side of old New York. There were several German theaters, restaurants, delis and other attractions. Unfortunately, it’s essentially all gone now. I believe The Heidelberg restaurant is still there. Time changes a lot of things. Not always for the better, says this old duffer. A stroll up or down 5th Avenue is still a great experience. Try it. Enuf.