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MAP: Bernie Sanders' New York

By Alexandra Leon | February 24, 2016 8:16am | Updated on April 8, 2016 9:45am
 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) outlines his plan to reform the U.S. financial sector on Jan. 5, 2016 in New York City.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) outlines his plan to reform the U.S. financial sector on Jan. 5, 2016 in New York City.
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Andrew Burton/Getty Images

NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' New York roots are never far from his mind — or his accent. 

The Vermont senator’s 1940s childhood was spent in Midwood, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, where he would play stickball with the neighborhood kids and watch Saturday morning cartoons at the nearby theater, according to the New York Times.

He grew up in a rent-controlled, pre-war apartment building near Kings Highway, where he lived with his parents and older brother, Larry. 

His father, a Polish immigrant, was a paint salesman who worked out of Long Island. His stay-at-home mother, born to Polish and Russian immigrants, would cook the family meat-heavy dinners and longed for a single-family home like the ones down the block.

Sanders attended P.S. 197 and James Madison High School before matriculating at Brooklyn College, which he attended for a year. 

Although he took off to study political science at the University of Chicago and later settled in Vermont, Sanders is a tried-and-true New Yorker.

To take a tour of Bernie Sanders’ New York, check out DNAinfo's interactive map:

►Our first stop: 1525 East 26th St., Midwood

Sanders’ childhood home was a pre-war, rent-controlled apartment at 1525 East 26th Street, near Kings Highway. He and his brother traded nights in a small bedroom and living room in apartment 2C. He has spoken fondly on the campaign trail about running with a group of neighborhood kids who would play stickball, marbles and boxball without adult supervision, according to the Times.

►Stop #2: P.S. 197, 1599 East 22nd St., Midwood

Sanders went to Public School 197, where he was a basketball star. During his presidential campaign, he’s told reporters that his team won the Brooklyn Borough Championship while he was at school, and the septuagenarian has proved he’s still got chops on the court.

►Stop #3: James Madison High School, 3787 Bedford Ave., Midwood

Sanders attended James Madison High School, which was 90 percent Jewish and ranked as one of New York City’s best public schools in the 1950s. There, Sanders made his mark as class president, captain of the track and cross country teams, and a reporter for student newspaper The Highway. His junior year, he came in third in the New York City indoor 1-mile race. The track team came in sixth place in the city and second in the borough his senior year, before his graduation in 1959.

►Stop #4: Nostrand Movie Theater, 657 Nostrand Ave., Crown Heights

Growing up, Sanders would watch Saturday morning cartoons with his brother Larry at Nostrand Movie Theater, which is now the site of a Key Food in Crown Heights, the Times reports.

►Stop #5: Prospect Park, Brooklyn

As he was approaching the finish line in a high school cross-country race at Prospect Park, Sanders pushed his co-captain Dan Jelinsky ahead of him so Jelinsky would finish first, ignoring a tradition that the top two runners join hands at the end and cross the finish line together, according to the Times

►Stop #6: Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx

During his junior year, Sanders, who was a member of the Public Schools Athletic League, clocked 15:18 during a cross-country race at Van Cortlandt Park, taking 15th place, according to Mile Split NY.

►Stop #7: Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Ave., Flatbush

Sanders studied at Brooklyn College from 1959 to 1960 before leaving for the University of Chicago. While he was at Brooklyn College, he roomed at a nearby Flatbush apartment with economist Steve Slavin, a fellow Madison High graduate. The two lived off spaghetti and meatballs, and pints of ice cream, Slavin has told Politico.

►Stop #8: The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St., Midtown

Sanders has made several appearances in the city during his campaign, including a September 2015 fundraiser and a January 2016 speech on financial reform at The Town Hall in Midtown.

►Stop #9: Sylvia’s, 328 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem

Sanders met with Rev. Al Sharpton for breakfast at Harlem’s famed soul food restaurant Sylvia’s, the same spot where President Barack Obama met with Sharpton during his 2008 presidential campaign.

►Stop #10: Memo Shish Kebab, 1821 Kings Highway, Sheepshead Bay

During a visit back to his hometown during his campaign, Sanders was spotted at Memo Shish Kebab, where he reportedly snacked on a lamb sandwich and some mixed kebabs for lunch.

►Stop #11: Bay Street and Victory Boulevard, Staten Island

Sanders released a campaign video featuring Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, who died after being placed into a chokehold by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in Staten Island. Sanders later met with Erica Garner in South Carolina as she campaigned for him in the state.