"I Can Fly!" ~ "No You Can't."

Walking inside Carl Schurz Park last night, seeing the 87th Street bridge reminded me of Allie Cobert. Allie, one of Dad’s best friends, was a piece of work. Over beers in Loftus Tavern on York Avenue, Allie, Walt Trusits and Dad counted the number of jobs Allie had in his lifetime. 65. Allie remembered why he left each one of them (or was asked to leave). He lost his fourth job, delivering poultry for a slaughterhouse on 80th Street for failing to report ~ he claimed with reason.

In 1938, Allie, 13, Walt and Dad went to the RKO on 86th Street to see Robin Hood on a Saturday, first show. They like it so much they stayed until it got dark outside. On the way home, they climbed half way up a Third Avenue El girder, wrestled and scrambled over stoops and cars, reenacting scenes from the swashbuckling film. Passing a warehouse, Allie found a huge cardboard box with a long piece of sturdy rope inside it. Allie announced, “I’m making wings, I’m flying.” Allie grabbed the box and the rope and headed straight down 87th Street towards Carl Schurz Park. Walt and Dad had trouble keeping up, but eventually met him on the bridge.

Allie had ripped a six-foot by four-foot piece of the box out. With a pocket knife, opened four holes that he put the rope through, then tied fist-sized knots so the rope was secured to the box so he could hang on. He jumped up on top one of two bridge side walls and ran back and forth across the bridge a few times to see if the rope knots would hold. They did. The makeshift wing billowed behind him. Allie, smiling, ready to go, stood on the bridge’s wall 15 feet above the concrete path, shouted, “Long Live the King!” jumped, and looked up and back just in time to see his crude wing break away from his roped grip. He went down like a rock, screamed once, then moaned a lot. Dad said, “Your leg looks funny.” The two friends carried Allie across the street to Doctor’s Hospital’s on East End Avenue.

Allie always called me, “partner.” He made me laugh and made sure I knew he was glad to see me. When I was young, if I saw him through Loftus or the Old Timers window, I’d go in the bar and he’d buy me a coke, and we’d split a newspaper. Now that’s a friend.

Here's a link to more Carl Schurz Park Full moon photos.

"Yorkville: Stoops to Nuts" storytelling show is coming back to Ryan's Daughter @ 350 E. 85th Street. next Wednesday night, April 3rd @ 7pm. Our last show was standing room only, we plan to top it. Our amazing April 3rd artists: Tricia Alexandro, Michele Carlo, Luke Thayer, Adam Wade, Eric Vetter, Alex DeSuze and Seth Foster. I'll host and tell an old Yorkville yarn. Free Event!

Please drop by Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Village to see my photo exhibit "New York Scenes from a Bicycle," on view through March 31st. Framed work and my book, "River to River: New York Scenes from a Bicycle," are for sale at the Cafe, my prints are for sale at Thomas R. Pryor Photography - my book is available online through Amazon.