Gripsholm leaving for the West Indies, 1961
Photo:Björn Wallde

Crew member Björn Wallde:

Memories of Pier 97? Sure.

Docked at the pier five times 1961-62 and once in 1966 on the Gripsholm. You had to walk through the huge hall/storage building to get to W57th St. You could feel the smell of coffee. There was a candy machine where I bought a Babe Ruth (10c?). Inside the building there were green Clark fork trucks driving around, that you had to watch out for. Out on W57th St., the West Side Elevated Highway (now gone) ran above your head. And wasn't there a TV studio with its audience lined up just outside the pier's exit? Yes, I'm looking up my map from 1961. One block away on the right, CBS. And there was a large site for garbage trucks nearby, back then just as today.

I also remember how we hung around on the forward deck and watched the embarking cruise passengers. There were gentlemen and blue haired ladies in their eighties, each one in their own black Cadillac, with chauffeurs in uniforms of varied color, cut and design. There was even one in a light grey uniform with riding boots and all. We almost stood at attention on the forward deck (though I hadn't served in the military yet).

I remember Gonon's store very well, plus the Morning Star Bar a few blocks up. It was still there as late as a few years ago. I had my first hamburger (two for 25c) at the Bus Stop Bar on December 21, 1961, at about 2 p.m.

Björn Wallde
GRIPSHOLM 1961-62 and 1966

Ps. I always go on about the first 10 minutes of Taxi Driver, for Pier 97's sake.
Check it out!

See more memories of Pier 97 here.