In the Bronx in the 1950s we used to call the Saturday night dances, the "rat races." It was a pejorative term, but it pretty well captured the mood and feelings that the singles crowd experienced.

The guys would put on a suit and tie, slick back their hair, pile into a car and head for the dance. The mambo, cha-cha and rhumba were the Latin dances. Tito Puente was a favorite of the dance crowd.

Actually the dancing was secondary. Most fellows went to meet Miss Right. The girls usually went in groups of three or four. You never knew who you would meet. Sometimes you met the girl next door. Sometimes you met someone from Brooklyn or Queens. That was called geographically undesirable.

Some of the popular dance venues were Adath Israel, a temple on the Grand Concourse, Rego Park Jewish Center on Queens Boulevard or Jamaica Jewish Center in Jamaica, Queens.

A ride across the Whitestone Bridge required a 25-cent toll. It was usually paid by anyone except the driver. He was paying for gas. Occasionally some guys asked for the gas money. At 35 or 50 cents a gallon it was not excessive.

Roaming around the dance floor upon entering the room was a must. What was the overall picture? Were there any fabulous real winners? The girls usually took a position against a wall and they also observed the crop of male dancers.

There was always that terrible possibility that you would ask your "dream girl" for a dance and she would refuse. That was called getting "shot down." "Faint heart never won Fair Lady" and so the guys would pick up their spirits and keep trying. The mirrored mosaic on the ceiling spun colored light around the room and the music played on and on.

Getting a telephone number was a sort of victory. You hoped the girl would remember you when you called. Good Night Irene and The Party's Over were typically the last numbers played by the band.

The guys hopped into the car and exchanged stories and experiences of the night. Some true - some not. The all-night diner was next on the list. Eggs and coffee and soon Saturday night was history.