An unexpected trip down several strands of memory lane in this one! Personally understanding the struggles of growing up in NYC’s tough neighborhoods, and for Stallone in particular, Hell’s Kitchen—becomes the even lower platform from which to reach for heights everyone says are not possible. Yet you do it anyway, and win.
So why did I run up the ‘Rocky Stairs’ in 2015? My girlfriend and I turned 50 the same year. Our birthdays are very close in time, so we usually celebrate in some way together. We have been friends since we were 5 years old, through thick and thin. She decided to have her birthday weekend in Philly, so we all flew or drove in to co-celebrate. What I expected was a big ass long table in an old-school Italian style restaurant downtown with lots of family and stories and amazing platters of calamari and parmigiana floating around tables. What I didn’t know is her twin sisters had a boom box and an agenda afterwards: For us to all go over to those famous stairs, hit play and take off up them (on full stomachs, of course!)
We birthday girls led the way. I have to say it was not an easy run but the music definitely helped. We had reached a point in our lives and our friendship when that run felt more necessary than I could have imagined. We laughed and cried all the way.
When we got to the top? Of course we held our arms high, hands clasped and jumped up and down. The victory we had won over Time tasted quite sweet.
An unexpected trip down several strands of memory lane in this one! Personally understanding the struggles of growing up in NYC’s tough neighborhoods, and for Stallone in particular, Hell’s Kitchen—becomes the even lower platform from which to reach for heights everyone says are not possible. Yet you do it anyway, and win.
So why did I run up the ‘Rocky Stairs’ in 2015? My girlfriend and I turned 50 the same year. Our birthdays are very close in time, so we usually celebrate in some way together. We have been friends since we were 5 years old, through thick and thin. She decided to have her birthday weekend in Philly, so we all flew or drove in to co-celebrate. What I expected was a big ass long table in an old-school Italian style restaurant downtown with lots of family and stories and amazing platters of calamari and parmigiana floating around tables. What I didn’t know is her twin sisters had a boom box and an agenda afterwards: For us to all go over to those famous stairs, hit play and take off up them (on full stomachs, of course!)
We birthday girls led the way. I have to say it was not an easy run but the music definitely helped. We had reached a point in our lives and our friendship when that run felt more necessary than I could have imagined. We laughed and cried all the way.
When we got to the top? Of course we held our arms high, hands clasped and jumped up and down. The victory we had won over Time tasted quite sweet.
So there we have it: My Rocky Balboa story.
Fascinating, and so well written, as usual, rogue!
Thank you so much for reading!
I was not expecting that! Did you know that Stallone has a brief early career appearance in Woody Allen's Bananas? Beginning of movie, subway scene.
I only found out back in March when I was researching him. I didn't know beforehand.
My wife and I watched years ago and I said to her, "Say, isn't that ... ?"