Eastchester Road at its intersection with Mace Avenue is a commercial district, with small businesses on both sides of street. You could walk the eastern side of Eastchester Road with your eyes closed and know which shop you were passing by the one trait that characterized each from the other: its smell. Continuing on this olfactory tour, we come to Villa Maria, Sal’s next-door neighbor to the south.
The atmosphere surrounding Villa Maria captivated you as the aroma of baking bread mingled with the rich scent of melting mozzarella until you could almost taste those elastic strings that stretched like fili telefonici (telephone wires) with every piping hot bite. It called out to you, luring you in for a hot slice.
Most of us could scrape together enough babysitting or allowance money to buy a fifty-cent slice, served on a sheet of deli wrap, and a Coke to go with it, so we came here to mark occasions great and small.
An ordinary Saturday turned special when a group of us decided to meet at Villa Maria for lunch. When school dismissed early during exam week, we headed to the pizzeria for lunch. When someone had their braces removed, we celebrated at the pizzeria with lunch. After a shopping trip to Westchester Square, we left the Number 9 bus at the corner and headed straight to the pizzeria for lunch. When we were older, we met at the pizzeria to rehash all we had discovered about high school after a morning of freshman orientation.
On summer nights when the group hanging out on the front stoop inevitably started to think about food, our thoughts turned to Villa Maria. Even as late as 10:30 p.m., we could order a pizza and have it delivered for free. Still wearing his flour-dusted apron, the baker and proprietor himself would struggle out of his compact car with the large, flat box. As he lumbered toward us, we would be rummaging through our pockets for bills and change to pay the man and offer a decent tip.
The boys of the neighborhood found Villa Maria to be a convenient and inexpensive place to take a girl for something resembling a date. In New York City you had to be 18 to get a driver’s license; 17 if you completed the driver’s education course. Going on dates by bus was an option, but not always financially possible. Taking a walk to Villa Maria was often the solution, and never a disappointing choice.
The southward walk along Eastchester Road ends here for now. Next, we turn north, cross Mace Avenue, and arrive at our supermarket, Associated Food Store.
© Barbara Cole 2020. All Rights Reserved.
I remember going to the pizza place with friends. It always smelled so good in there. The sauce was delicious and the cheese oozed from the slice. And they let you stay there for awhile!