Father Knew Best

We Never Paid to Cross the River - Dad Knew the Way

In this issue, I share a son’s memory in the first section, but get down to business after the paywall. My Dad would want it no other way — the second part at least. And pretty sure he would not be an emoji guy, so will keep them to a minimum 🙂.

Happy Father’s Day to you and all your Dads.

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🛣️ A Father's Route

There is a section of the Henry Hudson Parkway that I never knew existed until I got married and drove my own car into the city.

Growing up in Westchester County in the 1970s and 80s, we had our way in — and it didn’t involve paying a toll.

My father, a man of principled frugality and determination, would take the long way: down the Major Deegan and across the dreaded Cross-Bronx Expressway.

Why? To avoid the Henry Hudson Bridge toll at 232nd Street. With five kids and inflation raging, every quarter mattered.

That meant heading south on the Deegan past Yankee Stadium, merging onto the Cross-Bronx — a stretch more parking lot than expressway — and weaving toward the Willis Avenue Bridge at 138th Street.

I can still remember seeing the vacant lot and occasional trash can fire at the top of the 138th exit ramp. That traffic light stopped our car while we took in the sights of the 1970s. Think, The Bronx is Burning, the wide ranging take on 1977 NYC.

That route deposited us squarely into Harlem and then downtown into Manhattan. It wasn’t always easy, but it was free — because Dad could see and avoid the toll.

There was a number on the sign, $0.50 cents. You knew when you were paying it, and you knew when you weren’t. Dad ran the math in his head and chose his path.

My Dad navigated the income side of the equation with equal determination and aplomb. As children we watched the S&L mutualization firsthand through his directorship at the Tuckahoe S&L. Not much bigger than the Old Bailey Savings & Loan, it ended up being gobbled up in successive acquisitions, being part of First Union for a spell and finally, Bank of America as I shared this past week in our New Barbarians’ Podcast.

But today, the tolls and opportunities are harder to see.