Retracing Jack Kerouac

Rockaway Blvd. Subway station, the nearest subway stop to 133-01 Cross Bay Blvd. in Ozone Park, Jack Kerouac’s home from 1943-1948

133rd Ave

The rose-coloured house in the background is the one Kerouac lived in

Nativity-Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Rockaway Blvd.

A few shots to show the area in which Kerouac lived in the mid- to late 1940’s. I find it interesting to muse how the area must have looked like 70 years ago – hard to say which of the buildings stood at that time and which were later additions. I chose some of these photos as I believe some of them held special significance to Kerouac, for example the church, which as far as I can tell is the nearest Catholic church to where he lived, so it’s possible he went there a few times, although I believe churches didn’t hold as much significance to him at this stage as earlier and later in his life. I have got no idea whether the post office was in the same building at that time, but seeing it I had to think about Kerouac and the myriad of letters he wrote to friends, family and business associates (the latter probably not as often at this stage of his career) and him bringing them to the post office.