The movie never gets old. It’s nostalgic for me. The movie was based and taped in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. My hometown where I was born, raised and still reside.
The movie brings me back to my youth. It allows me to revisit spots I would go to with my mom and aunts when I was a girl. The places still existed in the 80’s even though the movie was made in 1977. I was born in 1976.
2001 Odyssey – I walked past that place a million times. My ex-boyfriend from high school’s brother used to hang out there and was a look alike for John Travolta. I had my one chance at being inside this venue when I was a teenager and it was a gay club. I went with my cousins one night after leaving a local pub.
Under the L – Bensonhurst under the train station
Jason’s – I remember walking past this shop all the time heading “out the line” to shop with my family. My aunts shopped in Jason’s for their clothing, house dresses and under garments.
The diner Tony and Stephanie have coffee/tea in – I ate lunch there with my girlfriend and her cousin in junior high school.
Kelly’s Tavern – Tony and Stephanie walk past this bar. It still exists. I’ve had drinks there.
Paint store – still exists
Tony’s house – I’ve walked past it walking around the neighborhood
Lenny’s Pizza – still in existence. Makes a good grandma slice.
Meat Village – family used to go shopping in there and my cousin’s ex-boyfriend from youth worked there
Store front with tax sign in window – still there, still doing taxes
Grand Union is gone and is now Staples
White Castle – eaten there as a kid but no longer exists. I can say I hired a lawyer that had her office in the building that replaced it White Castle’s location.
Basketball court – Fort Hamilton basketball court. Looks the same. I remember my parents taking me to ride my bike there when I was a kid. We would park our beige station wagon and run, play, ride or skate.
Verrazano Bridge – I’ve crossed it a million times. I’ve walked up to it. I’ve sat on the same bench that Tony and Stephanie sits on in the movie. I’ve parked at the parking spot at the bridge. My ex-boyfriend’s father was an Iron Worker who helped build the Verrazano Bridge. I walk along the water from the 69th Street Pier to the Verrazano Bridge every so often. I more often, more frequently, walk from 69th Pier to either the first or second overpass for my cardio fitness, to be by the water and to simply enjoy the beautiful sight of the bridge and Manhattan skyline. Depending on which way you’re walking, you have a great site for your eyes and sights that Brooklyn bred folks are really proud of!
The neighborhood looks the same as it did in the movie. The difference is most businesses in the movie are replaced with different businesses – store fronts.
I’ve walked, hung out, grew up all over the streets they used in this movie to showcase Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
I have the accent Tony and Stephanie had in the movie. I’m proud of it! I encountered people in the business world, in Manhattan, not liking the accent as I was growing up. And, how is Stephanie portrayed in the movie? Trying to lose her accent to fit in with NYC and make a career and life. Yeah, that was me. I worked at one gig that the women told me to go to voice coaching to lose my accent (I left). Smh. I’ve now embraced it. I now work with people that are not ignorant and their so diverse that I’ve been told (mostly by the millennials) not to lose the accent. It’s great! It’s a dying accent and it’s awesome I have it.
It’s funny how people have changed their point of view on my accent. I remember as a “youth” being singled out over my accent in places like Long Island, NYC and Los Angeles (1996). I was just in Los Angeles (May and Oct 2017) and it was embraced this time around. I’m the real deal – cawfee (coffee), noa (no), doin(g), New Yawk (York), words ending in er I end them with an a and vice versa….
My fiancé comes from downtown Brooklyn. I’m an uptown girl ; ) Bay Ridge Baby!!
Love and Pride – Brooklyn Pride (uptown, downtown – it don’t matter. As long as you).
xoxo
Jennifer
Enjoy
Its What I Said 
give me a
fever 🙂