Time Travel
Going back 40 or so years
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As long as I can remember, I've always been interested in planes. I recall being excited about going to the airport to pick up relatives when they flew to New York to visit us. We'd usually arrive at the airport a few minutes early so we would run up to the airport's rooftop viewing area to watch the planes takeoff and land. It was thrilling to see the flying machines.
Those who know me are also aware that I've been a longtime camera buff. Here's an early photo of an aircraft that I snapped way back in the mid-1960s. Aircraft such as this Boeing 707 Astrojet helped usher in the jet age. This plane was taxiing at Idewild Airport which is now called John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK). JFK is one of three major airports serving the New York City area, other two being Newark (EWR, about 25 miles away in New Jersey) and LaGuardia (LGA, about 15 miles from JFK). |
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I grew up in New Rochelle, a suburban city not far from New York City. Some of the older readers may remember the George M Cohan song 45 Minutes From Broadway which was a reference to New Rochelle. Others may remember this town as the home of television character Dick Van Dyke. New Rochelle is only a few miles from the New York City border.
Recently I traveled back to New Rochelle to attend my 40th high school reunion.
For me, this was truly time travel. I couldn't help but feel that I was turning the clock back 40 years to the year 1967. I was at the same time anxious and nervous about renewing friendships with former high school classmates with whom I graduated from New Rochelle High School.
As I hadn't flown into LaGuardia Airport for many years, I was surprised by my flight's arrival approach. The pilot navigated our plane over some landmarks that were very familiar to me from my youth. Since I had my camera pointing towards the window, I was able to capture some of these landmarks.
| Please note that on this flight into LaGuardia, the weather was quite overcast. As a result, the quality of the photos aren't up to par even after a considerable amount of tweaking. |
Follow along and I'll take you on this short time travel photo tour of the approach to landing at LaGuardia Airport which took me over my youthful romping area.
Photo Tour of Approach to LaGuardia Airport |
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 The terminal control chart for the New York City area shows the path of our arrival at LaGuardia Airport. Our plane traveled on a long downwind leg northeastward, past LaGuardia and over Long Island Sound about 16 miles. The base leg was short and the extended final leg brought us directly to Runway 22. The numbers on the chart roughly correspond to the photos below. |
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This mini tour begins as the 737 flies past LaGuardia Airport as we begin a long extended downwind leg. You can see that Runway 22 extends into Flushing Bay. We'll be flying northeast over Long Island Sound. |
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This photo shows City Island, a picturesque and vibrant neighborhood located in the eastern Bronx. The restaurants in City Island are noted for fresh and tasty seafood. |
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Here we are passing by New Rochelle, my childhood home. We're now flying over Long Island Sound, an extension of the Atlantic Ocean. The island to the left was known as Fort Slocum. It used to be an army base. In the background, you can see another body of water. This is the Hudson River and is about 7 miles from the New Rochelle shoreline. |
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On the aircraft chart, this location is referred to as "amusement park". Its name is Playland. As a youth, we spent many evenings there. Enlarge the photo and you'll see the ferris wheel, roller coaster and mini-railroad (my favorite). |
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Playland is also known as Rye Beach. With its large white sand beach and adjacent boating area, it is a popular recreation area. It is located just to the west of the Connecticut state line. |
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Here's a view of City Island again as we continue the approach southwestward toward LaGuardia. It is a small island. In my younger days, I dined often at the seafood restaurants that line the narrow streets. |
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New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. This is the Throggs Neck Bridge which connects the two boroughs of the Bronx and Queens.
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The Whitestone Bridge also connects the Bronx with Queens. LaGuardia Airport is situated on the northeastern shore of Queens along Flushing Bay. The Whitestone Bridge is very near the entrance to LaGuardia. |
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Touchdown. After landing at LaGuardia, we're greeted by a familiar sign. |
The Reunion and Time Travel |
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Here is another place that I used to hang around when I was younger. You can see its location in Photo # 3. From my childhood home, I would walk four blocks to Hudson Park where we would go to the beach. |
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This is New Rochelle High School. With its castle-like towers, it is one of the prettiest high schools in the U.S. I graduated in 1967 and the following year NRHS suffered from the nation's biggest fire. For the next few years, students attended classes in portable classrooms. The high school has since been rebuilt to pre-fire condition and as you can see it is very attractive. |
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This is another photo of New Rochelle High School. The school entrance is flanked by two lakes making the campus magnificent.
Thanks to classmate Stu Soloway for this photo. |
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My visit to New Rochelle lasted only two days. Upon departing New York, I snapped this photos of a squadron of F/A-18s. These military aircraft were positioned on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, most likely to provide for the security of the New York's air space. |
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Final Thoughts My time travel turned out to be very enjoyable. I reconnected with most everyone that I expected; there were only a few faces from the past that I would have liked to have seen. But the reunion gathering was great. And so was the time afterwards when I was able to spend more time with so many friends. To the left are some of the happy classmates that attended our 40th high school reunion. With the advent of email - something that wasn't available to us in 1967 - I am now staying in contact with many of these friends. What I have learned is this: time travel really does exist. |
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Author: Arnie Lee
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