A Little Town with Many Memories

1.      If you take the "A" train from Manhattan into Queens and head toward Rockaway Beach, you will pass through a town called Hamilton Beach.  Don't blink, though, because if you do, you might miss it.  Many people have never heard of Hamilton Beach, and for good reason, it wasn't on maps for a long time, or so I was told.  When I was young I was made fun of for living here--there were some kids who would make jokes and call it "Critterville" and they would call us "Hamiltanians".  One nice young lady (sarcasm) even asked my friend Sandy if she had "dirt floors" in her home.  It has never been a well-respected place by outsiders, but for those of us who live here, and live here BY CHOICE and NOT BY NECESSITY, love it here.  We are a close knit bunch of people who look out for one another and love our neighborhood--and why shouldn't we?  There really are a lot of great attributes to this little place I call home.  It isn't perfect, by any means, but it certainly is special and it certainly is unique; it holds many wonderful memories of my childhood and I think it still has great charm and a lot of potential. 
2.      "Hamilton Beach" - the name makes it sound like a wonderful place to vacation doesn't it?  White sandy beaches, cabanas by the shore, blue and white nautical striped sun chairs, sea gulls strolling by the foam-tipped water as it washes ashore; sounds  heavenly doesn't it.  Well, you already know that vacation spot it is not; there are no white sandy beaches, cabanas, or striped sun chairs and umbrellas poking gracefully from the sand by the shore.  We do, however, have the seagulls, and there is a sandy beach, but it isn't very large and not many people utilize it for swimming and sun bathing.  There are no famous faces to be found here, no vacation getaways for the hot and happening trendy set, just a small community of hard working people and their families.  The neighborhood spans a mere 11 blocks.  There are no stores here anymore, there used to be one small  store called "Joe's" which was my favorite snack stop after school as a child, but Joe passed away quite a few years ago and the store closed down.  At the top of every street an American Flag waves proudly which were hung by our town's civic association.  The civic works hard to keep the town a safe, and clean place to live, and they always give every resident the chance to speak their minds and to vote on issues.  We even have our own little monthly newsletter called "The Clam-digger". 
3.      The funny thing about our little town is that if you are traveling by automobile there is only one way in and one way out; a two lane car bridge over Jamaica Bay is the only way people traveling by car and other vehicles can pay us a visit. There is also a pedestrian walk bridge which spans the bay and connects us to the ever popular town of Howard Beach.   Hamilton Beach is surrounded by Jamaica Bay on three sides and the fourth side is bordered by the "A" train railroad tracks.  Right beside those railroad tracks is the back-side of Kennedy Airport and some of its old terminals.  On snowy evenings you can hear the snow plows clearing the runways for hours, on hot summer evenings you can hear the airplanes revving up their engines, taxiing the runways, taking off and landing.  You can usually count on at least one phone conversation or crucial TV moment being lost because the plane that was flying over your house was so low and loud that you missed what was said.  Sometimes the planes fly so low that I swear you can see the pilot's blue eyes as he winks at you--joking of course, but they do fly low and many times I cringe as I watch what seems to be the planes just clearing the three story house next to mine.  The airport is one of my biggest concerns and one of the down sides of living here, but after 37 years of living here, I am used to the noise.  They used to have an air-rifle that would go off every few minutes to scare away the wild birds and sea gulls from the runways and to keep them from being sucked into the plane's propellers, but I haven't heard them in a while-or maybe I have just grown so used to it that I don't notice it any more.
4.      For entertainment purposes, we have one small, run-down park which the civic association is trying to have fixed (again).  Not many parents utilize it because although the equipment is only about 5 years old, it has been wrecked by teenagers who tagged it up and busted a great deal of the kid's play things.  There are jagged metal edges that a kid could get killed with, so I don't even bother to take my sons there.  It is also usually deserted except for out of town fishermen and teens cutting school.   
5.      Hamilton Beach is a community with lots of boaters.  Is that what you call boat lovers?  There are no sail boats or yachts here, but those who own the boats love them as if they were worth millions.  There are lots of docks at the end of many of the streets, so people can pretty much walk out their doors and down to their boats. There are also two boat clubs in the neighborhood for all the salty-dogs to hang about.  A handy thing for every resident to own around here is a row boat.  We should all probably have one hanging off the side of our homes (like the captain from Mary Poppins) because quite often we get hit with a high tide and we can't get out of our homes until the tide goes down.  It was great when I was a kid to wake up and find that you couldn't get to school because the tide was up to your third step.  As an adult, my view of the tides has changed, now I pray that it doesn't come up and in the house.  When storms hit, our streets become extensions of the bay and we all stand on our steps and ask if it has come into the bottom floor yet.  I remember as a child going down to my basement to find my dog floating around on an armchair as if it were normal.  Ah the memories.
6.      One of the things I am most proud of in this town is our volunteer fire department.  It has been around since before I was born (I am 37).  I lived four houses down from the firehouse as a child and my dad had been a member in his teens and into adulthood so I grew up with the wonderful men of Engine Co. 1.  Now, my boys are growing up right across the street from the new guys who we have come to love and trust as well.  They have always made themselves available to my family and to all of the surrounding communities.  They are a wonderful bunch of guys and girls.     
7.      Probably the nicest part of living here in Hamilton Beach is the annual baby parade.  Residents build floats, prop their cuties atop their masterpieces, and parade down the main street for all to see.  This parade is followed by a community gathering down by the park and baseball field.  There is a DJ, and The B-B-QUE Pit caters the event for all of the residents.  Last year we had two bounce-houses for the kids and Elmo was on hand to welcome the children.  It was a great day for all.  When I was a child this parade was always held on the same day as the West Hamilton Beach Firehouse Bazaar, but the bazaar has not been held in years (I miss that too). The firemen used to dress in their formal uniforms and march in the parade. Prizes were given for the best floats and we would work our hardest to win them. There was definitely a greater amount of participation in the old days, I guess it is because so many people are working two and three jobs to keep up with the economy now and there isn't enough time to commit to building the floats.  There used to be more time to spend with family doing fun things, it is sad that many of us don't get to fully take advantage of this fun event. I have wonderful pictures of my brother and I dressed up in our costumes and riding our floats.  We had so much fun.  I am so blessed to have had two parents who took the time to get involved in the community. 
8.      Yes, I do love Hamilton Beach and I am proud to be a third generation Nelson bringing her children up in this nice little community. So the next time you are riding the  "A" train and passing through our little town or traveling into Kennedy airport aboard a jet plane and look down upon a little neighborhood with seemingly nothing going on, you will now know that you have just passed through my little town