Over fifty years ago, when I was in high school, my mother and my two brothers moved from Corona, Queens, to the Murray Hill section of Flushing, Queens. Murray Hill was like Corona once was. It had that country-style community setting. As one emerged from the Long Island Railroad stop, getting off at Murray Hill Station, one walked into another era. On the corner of 150th Street and Barton Avenue was an old-fashioned butcher shop with massive hooks to hang cows and other animals in the window. Oh my, imagine cows in the window! It had wood shavings on a tile floor, with a tin ceiling, and giant globe drop lights with massive fans.
Turning the corner onto on to Roosevelt Avenue from 150th Street going west, you passed the former residence of Ms. Nancy Davis Reagan, the former First Lady of the United States, wife of the 40th President, Ronald Reagan (1981–1989). Her address was 149–14 Roosevelt Avenue. Her home still stands but is in disrepair, never given landmark status, I suppose for political reasons.

On the week of The 4th of July, you could bring your American Flag to Anthony’s Dry Cleaner and have it cleaned for free, showing reverence for our flag. On 149th Place and Barton Avenue, you passed Ms. Camilla George’s Art Studio. She painted a full life-size portrait of me in oil and titled it, Corona’s Historian. One day, I will purchase it. Camilla George’s Studio was in a big Colonial-style white house, with twenty windows, an art gallery, and a workshop. Around the corner, from her gallery, was an antique shop that sold, “Antiques, Old and New,” as the sign read. The man who owned the shop was Dave. Hence, Dave’s Antiques Shop. Antiques were strewn all over his shop, adding to its mystique.

Across the street from Yaya’s Diner on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 150th Street was, and still is, Beplat’s Hardware Store, now under Korean ownership. The Beplat family was in business for over a hundred years but has long since moved. Back then, the Beplat family would help you with any hardware devices to repair anything, plumbing, electricity, paint, plaster, nuts, screws, tools, equipment to make repairs, drills, and axes, and so much more. There were saws, machines, wires, hanging from the ceiling, and shelves stocked with hardware to solve any problems. I learned volumes from Mr. Beplat on how to repair and fix anything. Stepping into Beplat was like a flea market. There was something for every job.

Getting off at Murray Hill was like stepping into the early 1920’s. You did not have to walk too far to find everything you needed. It was a quaint, serene, and a decent place to live.

Murray Hill had it all. All you had to do was to walk in a complete circle from the railroad station. Across from the Long Island Railroad on 41st Avenue between 150th Street and 149th Place was Jen’s Ice Cream Parlor.

Murray Hill was tree-lined every block shaded in the Summertime time. Most houses had a small backyard and a porch facing the streets. All the neighbors would be on their porches, in their rocking chairs, gossiping on Roosevelt Avenue. I still remember the sound of crushing leaves, and in Autumn, one could smell the leaves burn. Then, there were the American holidays, The 4th of July, barbecues, fireworks, and friends sharing the event. Thanksgiving Day, neighbors would greet you and ask what you were thankful for and then share cakes, pastries, and friendship. Christmas in our town was special, too. You could see Christmas trees lit-up from the windows as you passed the houses. On Halloween, the whole neighborhood went Trick-or-Treating. It was colorful, sweet, and not so spooky.

All year long children played street games, on the blocks where they lived. We played stickball, football, basketball. We rollerskated, bicycled, and dated. One could hear the train whistle blows as the trains slowed down or sped up upon approaching or entering the Murray Hill Station.

Yes, I remember Murray Hill, looking back, and looking forward, today, it is a Korean town. Hopefully, Murray Hill will keep its charm of a community going for generations. Step into the Korean Coffee Factory, (located on the former site of the butcher), on the corner of 150th street, between Barton Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue, for red bean buns, sweets, and Ginseng Tea. Enjoy!