Coffee Flats Terrors

In May 2006 I took a subway/bus/walking tour of bocce courts in southwest Brooklyn. Today, my exploration of the city's bocce courts continued.

With no plans on my schedule, I figured this afternoon would be perfect for a tour around Northwest Queens. I took the N from Brooklyn to the end of the line in Astoria.

I didn't really plot my course other than by making the decision to visit the three potential courts in Astoria and then, probably, two more courts. I grabbed a Queens bus map once I got off the train.

Here's a rough sketch of how I spent my day:

Steinway Playground (aka Steinway Community?)

Was this a bocce court 20 years ago? I have no idea. When I looked at this court from Google Earth, I figured there was definitely a court here. I was surprised to find no such thing in person. I walked through this small park and couldn't find any hint that bocce had ever been played here, unless the court was leveled and paved over as possibly suggested by the photo below.

From here I walked a number of blocks toward the river and then headed south to find my next court.

Astoria Park

There were a few guys playing petanque on this surprisingly intact court.

The sideboards have seen better days and there's a strong breeze coming off the river but in the summer this would be a pretty swell place to play. If I play here, I'll need to remember to bring my own scoring mechanism.

After snapping a few photos, I dashed out of the park and picked up the 19A bus. It zipped me through Astoria and I was on Steinway Street in no time at all.

Ditmars Park

This place had an incredibly active bocce scene. Two games were going on when I arrived, with a number of people standing around and watching. These courts are in great shape.

The ball holders at this court were unlike any I'd seen before. The locals here fashioned a diagonal ledge intruding onto the court, from the top of the back sidewalls. It looked to be very effective.

One of the things I saw at this court that I'd never seen before was the ledge on top of the back wall rubber bumpers. It's about 10 inches deep and makes it easy to stand at the end of the court without getting in the way of play. It also makes it easy to sit on the back wall.

Because I had more courts to explore, I headed down Steinway Street to 30th Avenue where I caught the 18 bus. The bus left Astoria and wound through Woodside, heading toward Maspeth. I stepped off the bus just before it reached the LIE. I walked a few blocks west toward what I thought was Maurice Park.

Frank Principe Park (aka Maurice Park?)

The sign outside the park wasn't the one I was expecting, but there were bocce courts!

These two courts seem to be playable, but not ideal for bocce. The scoreboards have seen better days. Overall, the surfaces seem mostly level and all the sideboards are intact. I'd play here, but getting here using any means other than a bus or car is tough! I also didn't see any nearby bodegas.

I turned around and headed back toward the LIE, crossing it on my walk toward Juniper Valley Park. My face lit up when I saw a 7-11. I couldn't have been happier to pull myself a 22oz. Slurpee!

After a few blocks I found my next destination.

Juniper Valley Park (aka Juniper North)

These two courts were the home of the 2007 Citywide Bocce Tournament. Rumor has it there was some controversy with the bocce balls that were used! Scandal!

These two very nicely maintained courts featured a different scoring mechanism than I've seen at the other parks. Instead of a peg board, the folks here use a circular clock-type scoreboard.

I sat on one of the numerous benches, finishing my Slurpee. A few of the guys were talking about court maintenance and the different surfaces used. Apparently, the tennis clay stuff on the court the gentleman below can be seen smoothing out wasn't mixed with sand. One guy was adamant that a partial sand mixture was a necessity. He was also a believer in using a wide, heavy board coated with carpet on the underside. Apparently, that's the best way to keep the court smooth. I love that there's just as much arguing about court maintenance as there is about which ball is closer!

Speaking of court maintenance, here's where the locals keep their folding chairs, bocce balls and other goods locked away. Notice the use of large white pails for the carrying of bocce balls. The guys at Ditmars Park also used these.

Upon leaving Juniper Valley Park, which I kept calling Juniper Creek Park - thank you Big Love, I walked to the R train in Rego Park.

It was a good tour of a few of the bocce courts in Queens. There are still plenty of courts in the city to map and visit.

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Posted by Marc at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Earlier today some friends and I met for afternoon bocce at James J. Walker park in the West Village. I forgot my camera so these cameraphone photos will have to tell the story. The court isn't flat. That much I should make clear up front. It's hard to believe tournament bocce was played here last weekend. If I'd been in the bracket to play in Manhattan, I would've been very disappointed.

(There's no scoring mechanism, so I made me own from a camera tripod and dry-erase board.)

I think this bocce on Sunday mornings/early afternoons may become a regular thing. Let me know if you're into playing on a semi-regular basis. I think we've got a few more weekends before the weather turns. This spot would be pretty great for night bocce, too. It looks like there are lights, but I'm not sure if they get turned on or not.

Posted by Marc at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've posted photos from this past Saturday's Urban Bocce event:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/expiredappliances/sets/72157602234615359/

Posted by Marc at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier today I joined some friends for an afternoon of bocce at Dreier Offerman park. The courts weren't crowded and we were able to step onto the nicer court and start playing. We played three games total. Mike "Reason to Believe" of If You Want My Bocce was on the winning team each time. He did miss a few take out shots causing one old man watching him to turn around and walk away in disgust.

I've posted a handful of photos on flickr.

On the way home we drove past the courts at Dyker Park. That's where all the old men were hiding! The newly renovated courts looked like they had a covered playing area. Since the courts looked crowded, we didn't stop to play. I'll visit them soon, I hope.

Posted by Marc at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A few Terrors (and a Kai) gathered at Floyd last night for practice.

I have decided that I have no weaknesses. I am a bocce machine.

Posted by Marc at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I just posted a dozen photos from yesterday's bocce tourney at Coney Island - Urban Bocce 2006: The World (& other orbital objects) Cup.

Jim and I competed as "The Green Team." We wore red t-shirts and carried red hand towels with us. The hand towels were useful when it came time to wipe sand from the bocce balls. Jim and I placed second in our division, forcing us to start the tournament right away. We won our first game in the tournament. And then a second. And then a semi-final game.

Unfortunately, our string of victories ended in the final match of the day. Jim and I fought hard, but just didn't have enough bocce tossing accuracy left. We had fun, though.

(Listmaker's photos - including an image of me throwing a ball overhand. Yeah, that final game got a little out of hand.)

Posted by Marc at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, the final game of the summer bocce season at Floyd is looming. It's tomorrow. We take on Cobra Kai at 3:30. The game will decide whether or not The Terrors are a .500 team. We know we are. Those guys aren't going to know what hit them.

Last night Erik suggested we get some practice in. I suggested a Saturday morning trip to Dreier-Offerman. I'm not sure what happened to Erik this morning. He wasn't able to join us. Perhaps he's at Floyd right now, practicing on the court where we'll actually play. A few other friends and I did head to Dreier-Offerman Park around noon today. Both courts were in use. We hung out and watched a game, but the urge to play was strong.

One of the friendly guys at the park suggested we check out Marine Park. He told us that no one would be playing there. I have no idea how he knew that would be the case, but he was right. Fifteen minutes later we rolling balls on the very nice, fast surface at Marine Park. It's a little sunny there, and the breeze today was pretty vicious. That didn't get in the way of the fun, though.

I was happy I got the chance to visit these three courts. It's one more public parks bocce location I can cross out. I prefer the courts at Dreier-Offerman, though. They're in the shade. There's a bodega just across the street. And because the courts at Dyker Park are being renovated, I think the courts at D-O are getting a lot of regular play and some amazing maintenance. Of course, if I had a car I'd head back to Marine Park without a second thought.

I took a few photos. The first is located here. Take a look at it and just click next until you reach the end.

Posted by Marc at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Earlier this week I invited friends to play a little bocce outdoors at the courts at Dreier-Offerman park. Nine of us, including members from If You Want My Bocce and Cobra Kai, gathered yesterday to play a lot more bocce than expected. I've posted sixteen photos from the day on flickr. Just click next to scroll through the photos.

Bocce photos from Saturday.

Posted by Marc at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

(Dave rolls with confidence.)

A few Terrors and a few IYWMBers got together earlier today at Dreier Offerman Park in Brooklyn. Yesterday was court scouting today and today was game day!

I've posted the photos to a flickr photo set.

Posted by Marc at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm in the midst of planning a summer baseball trip (Quick! Someone tell me if it's better to see the Burlington Bees or Clinton Lumberkings!) and I've been using Google Earth to get an idea of the spatial relations between cities in the midwest.

And when you're playing with Google Earth, you've got to look at your own city. Combine that with my lack of plans for the coming Memorial Day weekend and it's a recipe for searching out New York City bocce courts. I spent part of yesterday cross-referencing the courts listed on the parks website with the aerial photos from Google Earth.

After scoping out a few far flung Brooklyn locations, I turned my focus on Manhattan. The court Jamie visited two months ago isn't listed, but one at James J. Walker Park is. Zip zip zip on Google Earth and "WHOA! that's just a few blocks from my office!"

I swung past the park yesterday afternoon and took a few photos.

Approaching James J. Walker Park from Hudson Street brings a new ballfield into view. There's a large fence in centerfield. Behind that fence one can see the concrete ends of a bocce court. I entered the park from Clarkson Street, walking along the outside of right field.

The bocce court looks to be in okay condition. Having never played on an outdoor bocce court, I don't know how to perform an evaluation. The surface looks below average and it certainly isn't made of crushed oyster shells. There are divets in the course, but it's possible bocce could be played here. I plan to walk past the court once a week during lunchtime to see if there are actually bocce players engaged in a game.

This photo-taking convinced me I should check out a few of the bocce locations on Brooklyn, as an advance scout for outdoor play this weekend.

After work, I took the F Train to Bridge Park. If you look at a map, this park covers the Brooklyn approach to the Manhattan Bridge. The surface is all asphalt and concrete, bisected and trisected by the elevated highways of the BQE.

I don't think repairs have ever been made to this actual park. And who decided it would make sense to do anything recreational beneath a highway? This seems like an artificial way to increase the acreage of NYC parks.

Bridge Park 3 it is. Early this week when discussing playing bocce this upcoming weekend, I'd mentioned this park as a possible location. I sent an email with the subject line "brooklyn smog style bocce." I had no idea how right I was. One wrong throw and you're sending a bocce ball hurtling upward into the windshield of a car zooming by at 40 mph!

A closer look reveals there will be no aberrant bocce tossing. In addition to the desolate nature of the "park" the sides of the two bocce courts are surrounded by fences.

But what about being a rebel? I walked closer, thinking that my friends and I could just tear the fences away! No dice. There's no hint of wood sideboards. The courts are strewn with trash. Oddly, between the wood chips and the grass the surface looks much better than it could. Obviously, these courts have been cleaned out in the past year.

From DUMBO, I walked to Court Street and deeper into Brooklyn, planning to check out the bocce courts at Carroll Park.

Nestled between Court and Smith on Carroll Street, this park looks to hold a gem of an outdoor bocce court. It's protected from the basketball courts by high fencing and the park sees regular visitors. I smiled when I glanced at the court's surface from a distance. I thought a comfortable spring weeknight would bring out bocce players. I was wrong. The court was empty. AND I couldn't have played if I'd wanted to. Both gates into the court area were locked!

The court was surrounded by brooms and other items used to maintain such a good looking bocce surface. In addition to those items, a scoreboard was hung from the fence at mid-court. I want to play here! Who has the keys to those locks? When are people playing here? Do I have to join a society to get in?

Perpendicular to the nice bocce court is this one. It's not overrun with garbage, but the surface looks to be all gravel!

Do people play on this court? I'm definitely not bringing my new bocce balls here. And what kind of rolls can one expect on a jagged stone surface?

This hint of NYC bocce courts has fired me up to go on a quest for more places to play. The idea of playing on a true outdoor court excites me. I may spend my Sunday checking out the courts in Astoria or elsewhere in Brooklyn. I will find a place to play on Monday.

Posted by Marc at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Today at work after lunch we had a class of kids in and that meant that work would be impossible. So I took the opportunity of a free hour to go play some bocce in Peter Cooper Village, where they have 2 outdoor courts. The walk from the office is literally about 3 minutes and we have this salty older guy named Randy who is a regular in the park where he helps by picking up trash. He's also a world-class wiseacre who is always busting someone's balls - he's an ex-Marine, ex-alcoholic, chain smoker who was never married or had kids as far as I know. His sense of humor is a combination of military, vaudeville and 100% USDA pure sarcasm. At any rate, he's won a couple of bocce championships in the PCV tournaments that they have and we've keep saying that we need to play some time. The combination of a loud class, nice weather and a boss on vacation made today the day. We were joined by one of my co-workers and a guy named Eddie who could politely be described as Randy's toady. Kind of a big, dumpy guy who would hang out outside the general store waiting for anyone to talk to him if he lived anywhere but NYC.

A quick description of the court: it's much different from that at Floyd. It's about twice as wide, maybe 50% longer and has a much thicker, softer layer of clay. Randy had raked the court when we arrived, so it was relatively flat but the quantity of clay made it so that any step or drop of the ball moved a significant amount of it to create craters. and little hills. Eddie was a little too eager to have my female co-worker as his partner, so Randy and I teamed up. On their court, the pollino had to go past the halfway point but the other balls did not. Also, balls could hit the back wall without penalty and games were played to 11, which makes more sense after you play and realize how much easier it is to get multiple points. We never changed the order of throw at all, meaning I always thre the 1st and 3rd balls for our team.

The whole thing took some getting used to. Firstly, the court was hard to gauge. The size difference makes it a whole 'nother animal. As much as you thought the court would retard the rolling of the ball, that wasn't always the case. If you found a groove, the ball might go 10 feet past where you wanted it, or else it might hit an especially slow spot and stop 10 feet short. Unlike Floyd, there were few breaks in the court, even with all the hills and valleys because the softness allowed the balls to just roll right through. Aim was even more paramount, but accuracy was elusive and even if you did manage to hit your opponents ball, they didn't often move as far as you wanted. This hurt us in the first game when my co-worker found that she had some sort of gift straight out of "The Natural". It was uncanny and time and again she left us with near-impossible shots. Eddie pulled his weight too and we found ourselves way behind, eventually losing 11-1 (and it would have been 14-1 if the score allowed). Eddie couldn't have been happier about this - he didn't shut up the whole fucking game cheering all of our bad shots while Randy was uncharacteristically quiet. Turns out Eddie almost never beats Randy. I felt bad because I had been talking some shit on previous occasions about our championship-winning ways, but it certainly wasn't all my fault.

Things turned around quickly after that, though. Eddie's string of luck ended and it became apparent that he actually had very few skills, and his teammate had some more good shots but left things open for us much more often. When we finally wrested control of the pollino back, I started playing a lot of short games, which she wasn't fond of. Meantime I started to find my range and we piled up multiple points more often than not as Randy would close things out with a succession of nice tosses. There's a reason he's the guy with the balls, the rake and the tpae measure. We won 11-4 and opened up a 10-2 lead in Game 3 before weathering a mini-comeback to win 11-6. This will certainly not be the last time I play out there this year. I'm even considering getting my own set of balls to keep at the office.

It was cool to play somewhere other than Floyd on a court that required an entirely different kind of approach. It was also cool to work up to the point where I felt confident in my throws again - I think we'd hold our own out there after a few games. It also makes me want to try out some more of the courts around town that Turkey has previously researched. But that should probably wait until after the spring playoffs.

Posted by Jamie at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)