Branch Brook Park, Cherry Blossom Parade,Belleville, Mrs. Bamberger, Suicide Hill Bicycle Path

Suicide Hill? Was that the steep asphalt one right off Orange Street that led to the rink? When I was nine I went down that hill on my scooter, hit a rock at the bottom and went head-first over the handlebars, landing on my head. I scooted home and nonchalantly entered the kitchen, and my mother had a fit when she saw the blood and the gash on my eyebrow. (I coulda put my eye out!) A Brown & White cab took us to the Presbyterian for stitches.

Re the cherry blossoms: This will be the weekend to see them.

John it's been way too long ago but,I remember "Suicide Hill" Bike path to be on the Belleville border part of BB Park, near the most beautiful of the Cherry Blossoms. There was an existing beaten hikers trail that wound around a long stretch of the park. This dare-devil launch darted off that path down a steep, bumpy slope that seemed to go on for far too long. As for us "Fourth Street-ers", Bobby 'Bumps' Zagorski, Frankie Ferrante and Sussex Avenues'Joey Donafrio were some that earned their wings. Jimmy Egan and Steve Ponzini were also badge earners. I never had the onions.

Wasn't Suicide Hill the drop off by the Belleville entrance to Branch Brook up by the County Hospital? There was a baseball field up top and it dropped off in the back to a nasty drop at the West end... we used to call it Dead Man's Hill.
You can see it on the right side of the cherry blossom road when you're heading toward the Washington Avenue end of the park.

I remember a gang of us riding bikes in the park in 8th grade--we chickened out of trying Suicide hill but we all rode back down to the boathouse end of the park and had the great idea of riding down from the top of the wall of the reservoir at the skating rink instead.

I didn't make it. I still have gravel in my left palm to this day! Seemed like a good idea at the time. Glenn Raaser always carried a handkerchief and I wrapped my hand up and used a rock to bang the bike into good enough shape to make it home.

Nowadays a kid would call on their cell phone and probably have an ambulance show up... In our day we were worried the whole ride home about how to tell my parents that I busted up the bike! (Like one of the comparison's on Jeff's list).

Bobby J, I think you got it. It took a Jasper...and I bet it made you think of Van Cortland and the world famous...." Cemetary Hill ".