Radio City Music Hall ~ The Vatican of the Silver Screen

Last night, walking through Rockefeller Center a memory struck me like a brick. In 1970 the best bang for the buck in New York City was Radio City Music Hall. My sixteenth year was a very good one.

After my last class at LaSalle Academy around 2pm, I’d take the # 6 subway at Bleecker Street to 51^st Street where I’d pick up my girlfriend at Lexington and 50^th after her last class and we’d walk over to the Subway sandwich store on Broadway. Order two giant Tuna heroes with cheese and lots of extra mayo, two jumbo Pepsi’s and place it all carefully in my practically empty plastic school bag (didn’t do much homework on Radio City nights). We positioned a sweater in the bag to cushion the food.

Then we’d stroll over to the greatest movie palace in the history of movie palaces: Radio City Music Hall.  We paid six dollars for two tickets and enter the cathedral.  Walk up the plush carpeted horseshoe staircase to the Mezzanine where we’d take over the center of the first row and watch the Rockettes perform on the front and back of the film. We took our shoes and socks off and dug our feet into the velvet rug under our luxurious seats and worshiped silently in the Vatican of the silver screen.

With Radio Center Music Hall as my playground, I owned New York City.