I went to the Farmer's Market on 207th street in Inwood this morning and then walked across the street to Inwood park and watched some baseball. That was where I met Luis Santana (above), pictured alongside his grandson (below). Louie grew up in the Dyckman projects with Lew Alcindor; his older brother played in the minors briefly with the Montreal Expos. Louie works as a porter in a hospital out in Brooklyn. He makes sure to come to all of his grandson's games. Says the kid, who plays shortstop and pitches, is good. The two were at the field hours before the boy's game. Just too damn hot to go to the Parade today, Louie says.
At one point, Louie grabs his grandson's bottle of Gatorade and takes a drink. The boy says, "Aw, Grandpa, it's too hot to be sharing drinks."
Louie chuckles and says, "That's okay, cause in a little while it's gunna be too hot to be paying for any drinks."
Pepper Games Allowed.
Meanwhile, at the market, the best stuff I saw today was some nice fresh greens, asparagus, rhubarb, and some baby beets.
Anyway, nice post, Alex. It brought back the memories.
But when my mom would take me to Inwood...it always felt like all restrictions were lifted. Just another day at the park...
I love taking a walk in the park and seeing these kids rallying behind each other, but I can't help but wonder what path their lives will take and how growing up that area, or any inner city neighborhood, is all about overcoming adversity and trying not to get sucked into all the negativity.
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