Softee vs Stevie - [Sample Posting and Poll]

[Freddy C]

Okay. To start, Stevie was on a first name basis with all the kids. He had a personality that the Mr Softee guy (did he even have a name?) couldn't match. Next, Mr Softee didn't pitch pennies; Stevie would pitch pennies with the guys for laughs. Ask Georgie DeGasperus; it was a regular routine with them. He used to sell a HALF of a 10 cent ice pop (the kind with the two sticks) by gripping both sides and snapping it on the mid-line against the edge of the open freezer door. If you only had a nickel, and you asked for "a half 'a pop" he'd accomodate. Sometimes he'd miss making a clean break. Some of the other posts mentioned Stevie giving free ice cream to some kids now and again who had no money. Well, those "misses" became the giveaways. He was just a nice man that way. He used to talk to us about baseball and the Yankees. His truck had a sign that said "No Riders". I guess rules were made to be broken even back then. He would give me a ride down White Plains Road, from 1537 where I lived, down to the last building (around 1420). He had a rope tied to a rack of three or four bells, and he'd let me tug on that rope and ring the bells to my hearts content. Once he gave me a ride around the corner, up Archer Street, and let me off by PS 102. I rang those damn bells the whole way. Mr. Softee's ice cream was okay for a change of pace. But getting a snack from Stevie's Bungalo Bar truck was more than just about ice cream. It was one of those daily childhood experiences that makes you smile whenever you remember.

[Linda Hall]

Freddy that was so on the money about Stevie what a nice man for sure.That raps it up for me you reminded me picture perfect when you mentioned the double pops and braking them in half was that a memory I had forgotten.Now I can see the whole truck inside and out you just pushed my memory in gear.I have to honestly say my mom was always on a budget so believe me we did not get Stevie that much she would buy her own.I would look out the window when he came and feel some sort of feeling can't really remember but you know we accepted what our moms and dads said so we did not complain much but I enjoyed Stevie in another way when I moved to Beach and my son got Stevie evey night and I can still see him with his head looking up waiting his turn for Stevie I loved it.He was in his glory as were all the kids.O and by the way great story about the "tunnel" loved it thanks for sharing your memories with me.

[Freddy C]

Hey Linda, first off, glad you liked my "tunnel" story; much thanks for the kind words. Now, when you mentioned your son waiting anxiously for Stevie, that brought back more memories. Summer nights were not complete without hearing him ringing the bells on his truck as he drove along the street. Some nights he'd be running late, and all the kids would ask, "Did Stevie come around yet?" And finally, when the sweet sound of those bells rang out, every kid witin earshot became a beggar. "Mom, Stevie's here" were words that rolled off the tongue effortlessly, as I hollered in the 'back alley' for a nickel, dime or quarter. The sound of the coin(s) hitting the ground were more music to the ears. Find the money on the ground, run out of the alley to the front of the building, and don't stop until you get on the 'line'. Waiting on line, it was always a challenge deciding what it would be, a 'fudgikel' (Bronx slang for fudgesicle), an ice cream, an ice pop, or some conglomeration of the two.
I can still remember the taste of the 'creamsicle', with its orange ice exterior and that milky ice cream interior that blended together so deliciously. The same two flavors came in a 'combination ' cup. I can recall trying to eat all the creamy part first, before it melted in the heat of the summer night, leaving the orange ice portion for last. If I was in the mood for just an ice, I'd order an 'Italian ice'. I can remember scraping away at the rock-hard ice with the 'wooden' spoon (just a stick cut to a spoon shape). The cup of ice seemed to be unending. The biggest treat was at the bottom of the cup, where all the 'syrup' had gravitated. I can still taste that sweet accumulation of flavor right now; boy, that was a real summer treat. Those were innocent days of simple pleasures, and I dare say, dearly missed.

[Lydia58]

Of course everybody remembers Stevie. He was great & he did give out free ice cream on your birthday. Mr Softee was good ice cream, but usually the teen-agers working the truck were a little scary. Carvel on White Plains Rd. was great until it burned down. But does anyone remember the Good Humor man with his little stationary cart in front of Macy's? My favorite was Toasted Almond and although you can buy it now in a supermarket, it's not the same. They really cheaped-out on it, but it's still good. I heard that the Good Humor man lived on Theriot Ave and when he finally retired, he moved back to Italy a millionaire.

[Pat (Jacob) Abbamonte]

Hi All: Hope your summers are going well and all are enjoying the days... Ours are pretty hot here in Va. but my sisters tell me N.Y. and N.J. are too..

Just wanted to say to Lydia I hope you are right about Stevie moving back to Italy as a millionaire... He deserved to - because he did watch out for all the kids - always.... AND just look at all the people he left with happy memories of times long ago...

As far as a PERSON in this contest Stevie would always win to me Hands Down...

But honestly - I still have to say that I did enjoy Mr. Softee ice cream but there were always a lot of wierdos on the trucks. And Lydia I do remember Carvel and it was good too...

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer - have fun and stay safe...

[Linda Hall]

Vinny this is a piece of cake not ice cream hehe hehehhehhehh I'm glad your getting the hang of it lol

[vinnie imbrosci]

softee bungalow bar never came close stevie he was family.

[Laura.G.]

[quote="Buggsy"]If you think it was all about the ice cream you are wrong. Stevie was a neighborhood character who was a legend in his own time. How many people remember the Mr. Softee driver's name? Stevie was the best the ice cream didn't matter.

When Mr. Softee first started he followed Stevie on his route and pulled up behind him on every stop, which envoked some of the neighborhood guys ire. My brother Richie and Billy "Doodles" Weaver got in trouble with the Cops from the 43rd for egging the Mr. Softee truck from the roof of my building on Thieriot Ave. It was a lot to do about nothing.[/quote]

I'm new here but had to jump in on this The guy that drove the Softee truck was named "Steve"...no joke...some of my girlfriends & I used to watch the truck for him in front of Macy's when he would "take a break"....he paid us in free ice cream....Just as a sidenote: we weren't the scary teens that worked in the truck....just goofy 12 & 13 year old girls....The whole situation would be a bit "weird" in today's dangerous world but it was a safer more innocent era .....

[tayloravegirl]

Stevie was the best. If you got an ice cream up at ps102 park, he would sometimes let me ride on the truck down taylor avenue so I could get home. I used to love my birthday because not only did I get lots of toys, Stevie would give me any icecream I wanted. Even if it was over a dollar--a lot of money to a ten year old in 1976. Also I broke my arm on the 4th of July 1976 and when Stevie found out, he gave me a big milkshake. It was fantastic.

[irishgirl2]

Hello...Taylor ave....Did you ever come across a girl named Lisa Schneider? She lived there in the mid 70's. She lived at Taylor vae & Beach ave? She was a good friend back then and my family moved out of the bronx and upstate. I think her brother was Frank and her sister Susan