The stroll south down 104th Street from Roosevelt Avenue to the Park Side Restaurant — an Italian-American old-timer in the heart of Corona that I longed to revisit — is a walk backwards in time. It traverses a former Italian neighborhood dating to just after World War II, of which only a few vestiges remain.

One establishment you’ll pass is Leo’s Latticini, which started out selling fresh ricotta and mozzarella when this neighborhood was still dappled with farms, and ended up as a multi-store complex housing a pastry shop, Italian grocery, and sandwich counter. Another, if you happen to be coming from the other direction, is the Lemon Ice King of Corona, one of the city’s most irreplaceable destinations for frozen desserts.