With the first hint of spring comes the draw of water ice

With the tease of spring in the air, a man roared down 63d Street on a quad runner, his shirt ballooning in the wind as he did a wheelie. On the block, a young couple sat nestled on front steps, and the line outside of Morrone's Water Ice grew and grew.

The store, at the corner of 63d and Race, the first in a long line of rowhouses, has been a staple in West Philadelphia since 1925. Generations of loyalists have come from near and far to stand at the window, and they were there Friday, the warmest day of the year with temperatures above 70 degrees.

"I've been coming here all my life," said Stan Cameron, 32, holding a teetering tray of cherry water ices for him, his cousin, and grandfather in one hand, while nibbling his pretzel with mustard with the other. Next to him, his other cousin, Zamir Smart, 8, licked away at his first water ice of the season. "It's good," he confirmed. "It's real good."

Few things give Steven Caporaletti more pride. Now 25, Caporaletti started working at Morrone's when he was 15. He walked up to the window one warm day to order a mango water ice and a pretzel, as he had done countless times, and owner John Morrone offered him a job as the window manager. Caporaletti never left. Now, he runs the place.

"Water ice is my life," said Caporaletti, a married father of two. During the off season, he works part time at a big electronics chain. During the season, he makes batches of water ice every morning, which he views as a labor of love. The store is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

His secret? Texture.

"Some people make it soupy," he said. "Thing is, it can't be too hard or too soft. Ours is just right."

Just look at the line.

"It's what people grew up with," Caporaletti said. "I take pride in that because I make it. It makes me feel good."

On the board, flavors include the classics: lemon, cherry, and mango. Grape, blueberry, cherry vanilla, peach, and tutti frutti are also available, all served in small, medium, or large plastic cups. There are warm soft pretzels, hot dogs, gelato, and banana splits, both regular and upside down.

Still in her school uniform, Navaeh Wall, 6, needed both hands to balance her split, with its mountains of ice cream, topped with diced pineapple and strawberries. The aspiring model, actress, and doctor sat on the side of the store, as cars pulled up, and intermittently fed the walnut toppings to her father, James, 48.

"She doesn't like walnuts," he said, waiting like a puppy at the dinner table for more.

In front of them, a boy bolted out of a minivan toward the counter, followed by his older brother, then his big sister. Trailing behind was dad.

"Water ice drives my kids crazy," joked Rodney Mason, their father, who grew up making the four-block pilgrimage from his home to the counter for a sundae.

"I tell my kids about the Morrone's walk," Mason, 46, said as he waited for them by the curb. "It's part of the fabric. And when the weather turns warm, here we are."