on cities

I've surrounded myself with upstaters. My husband, my friends-- all from way north of White Plains, formerly my line of demarcation dividing "the city" from "upstate" -- a New York state Mason-Dixon line of sorts. Back then I thought Mahopac was upstate, Newburgh certainly, but in reality they're just glorified Westchester.

Real upstate towns -- Cohoes, Syracuse-- have far more interesting pasts, built on industries long vanished...cities now mere shells of their former selves. While my own hometown is closer in concept to those Westchester bedroom communities I grew up dismissing, it's experienced its share of degeneration, though just a sliver of a borough of the city we know as New York.

This weekend I re-stumbled upon Old Kew Gardens, a site that documents -- extensively -- the history of this tiny section of Queens. It's the sort of site you spend hours on, both for lack of usability and the massive collection of current and archival photos.

For example, take the local movie theater--

Austin Theater, 1948. A nice neighborhood establishment, showing Key Largo and Wallflower.

Fast forward to 1977. Featuring Bite and the ever-popular Teenage Massage Parlor. (Picture wee Edie playing in a small park around the corner.)

On the positive side, the Austin has come full circle, now once again a proper theater (and yes it was gutted -- no, ahem, sticky floors). Too bad it lost the original marquee:

And maybe those upstate towns can reinvent themselves as well. Hopefully.

Photos courtesy OldKewGardens.com