If I Could Go Back In Time!

If I could go back in time for just one day I would spend that day at Palisades Amusement Park with my daughter, Samantha. I was born in the Bronx in 1962. I don't think my parents even thought about taking me and my younger sister to Palisades until they had heard the park might be closing. Probably because Freedom Land was just a mile away from us, in what is now Co-op City. The World's Fair in Queens was also a major attraction and just twenty minutes from home. Then, there was always Rye Beach Playland nearby in Westchester which still exists. The 60's seemed to be a golden age for amusement parks and special attractions!!!

So, my Dad made up for lost time by taking us to Palisades twice in the summer of '71...that last year. Twice in one summer was unheard of because we never went to any amusement park more than once a year. My Dad did not often take us on long drives (before the trip he checked the oil and made other preparations) so the 40 minutes it took to drive to the park felt more like the start of a vacation than a day trip...especially since we had to cross the very impressive George Washington Bridge.

My sister, Karen, was six and I was only eight but, certain wonderful moments are burned into my memory. The funhouse was fantastic!!! I liked being able to walk through at my own speed. At one point, there was a steep slide with a fast moving conveyor belt. My Dad, my sister and I just looked down at this thing and said, "no way are we getting on that". Just then, one of the attendants pushes a button and the floor we were standing on also turns into a fast moving conveyor, knocking us over and transporting us helplessly to the slide while we all laughed. I was allowed to go on the power boats by myself. It was so thrilling because the boats were powered by real gas engines and had real steering. I felt so independent at the wheel of that little boat. I wonder if I would have become a captain in New York Harbor many years later without that pleasant memory. I remember popping balloons for prizes with my Dad on the midway. The darts we were given were all dull and bent out of shape, but we didn't care... we were having fun. We couldn't pop enough balloons to win a prize so the attendant told my Dad that if we played just once more he would give us a prize no matter what. Well, we played again and he gave us our prize...a silly little plastic trinket that couldn't have cost more than a penny. I don't remember what it was but I remember how my Dad laughed. He didn't laugh like that very often so it made me feel good. Palisades Amusement Park brought us closer together.

Captain John Dunat