So, after the sharks..I just want you all to know, I wish, I wish with all of my heart and soul, that my grandchildren could have been raised like we were. Without all this technology, and visual over stimulation, the drugs, the sex scandals and horrors, the video games giving kids points for killing other people, or our police force. When all of this was not glorified. We had RESPECT, and morals.
I believe a lot of this is from too much technology, and alas, it is also from my generation, as adults, who suddenly decided we needed 2 incomes, and left our children either in the hands of strangers, or in the hands of video games, TV, movies, and the Internet. . . unchecked and unsupervised. They are not being schooled in manners, respect, morals, and family values.
Been to a restaurant lately, where there are families dining out? Have you noticed, they are not talking to each other at all? From the father, to the toddler, they are all holding tablets and phones, and communicating with everyone and anyone, except each other. It is horrifying.
 | |||
| Yep, exactly. |
Now, back to the past, my past, the long ago 63-18 and more past.
Elementary School, Unqua.. our town was based on Indian grounds, so, we have a lot of Indian names, some were tribes of the area. I loved school, after the first day. I was never sure, never understood how the other children my class, magically knew to go lay down for a rest on the mats, when the teacher turned off the lights. The first day:? I was on the rocking horse, and observed this phenomenon, with my child's eyes. Then the teacher came and snatched me off the horse, and sounding a tad bit mean and angry, told me about the resting, as if I felt sleepy after that!
It got better, lol. I was a nice girl and a smart girl, and I learned my lessons well. There was a boy in another class, that came up to me on the play ground after lunch one day, and kissed me. I punched him. Told you, I was smart.
 | |
| First grade. |
I am sad to say, that her parents moved into a new home several towns away when we were 13. I think Phyllis was too sad about this. She was killed by a train on an overpass a few months later, my friend, who would get off her bike when we had to cross tracks, look both ways a hundred times, and run like the wind to get across fast. killed by a train on a overpass? I could not believe it.
That was my first funeral. My older sister, Diana, escorted me into the funeral parlor. There was a closed casket viewing. Her mother was up front in a wheel chair, as she had a mini stroke upon learning of her baby girl's death. The picture on the casket, was of Phyllis in her Communion dress and veil. I could barely walk up the aisle, when suddenly, her mother turned and saw me. She stood up and said.." Valerie is here!!! Phyllis, get up Valerie is here!!! Get up and say hi to your friend!" That was the last thing I remember from that day... I fainted.
One girl over from Phyllis, is me. Yes, I was cute.
Time moved on. my parents took us on a lot of trips, most of them short one day trips. We had a lot of stuff available to us on Long Island, and it was a short hop on the Long Island Rail Road to Manhattan, which is a tiny rock most people assume is the sum total of NYC. Then there are THOSE people, who think the entire state of NY is NYC. NY is a big state, my friends.
NYC is composed of 5 boroughs: New York City is considered the county seat of these five counties: New York County (Manhattan), Kings County (Brooklyn), Bronx County (The Bronx), Richmond County (Staten Island), and Queens County (Queens). Manhattan is a mere 23 square miles. NY State is over 19000 square miles.
 | |
| Tiny red dot on the head of Long Island, is NYC. NYC? |
NYC is truly the city that never sleeps. Day or night, it bustles, and you can find an eatery open around the clock. The museums are awesome, from the Museum of Natural History ( Dinosaurs long before any Jurassic Park) which houses the Hayden Planetarium, as well, to the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, there are more than 32 museums.
The buildings and skyscrapers, that were once the tallest in the world... like the Empire State Building, towering up at 102 stories. I remember being on the observation deck, which is surrounded by open glass, and hugging the wall of the building. I fear heights!! Daddy saying, but, come just look... Um, no, I'm good.
Central park. Greenwich Village.. Carnegie Deli ( Pastrami baby!! Knishes!!!) I remember coming to Florida, and ordering a pound of Pastrami, when I noticed them cutting some square meat with zero fat on it.. Um, I do not know what that is, but, it ain't Pastrami!!! Put it back where it came from. Knishes? Non existent here, and what is up with that yellow mustard? Brown mustard, Spicy brown mustard, Deli mustard, I mean, seriously?
This is how it's done..
 |
| Knish |
 |
| Coney Island Knish |
 |
| Pastrami on Rye, Oh My |
 |
| Not square, and a layer of fat |
We had amusement parks all over too, between NY and NJ, were not lacking. Coney Island, in its day.. oh yeah buddy. The Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone roller coaster. There was a Steeplechase, Carousel type horses, that rode a track, all around the tops of buildings. Nathan's... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the best fries and Hot Dogs EVAH! Wait, not entirely true, those hot dog vendors got me every time. Rockefeller Center , the Rockettes, and the ice skating, Macy's Day Parade and Times Square!! Let us not forget the famous Bronx Zoo! When I moved here to FL 25 yrs ago, I took the family to the zoo for a farewell to some of my childhood memories. Even the modern graffiti on the boulders, did not dry up my tears.
We had real cameras. No cell phones, we talked to each other out loud. No symbols of smiley faces, we smiled IN person, and meant it. Our parents held our hands. Every trip we took, my dad would point out sites and history along the way. We took trips to the Catskill Mountains, and stayed at a cabin, a few times. I think our biggest "would be" vacation, was the time they planned to take us to Niagara Falls and Canada. They rented a cabin for a week. We stayed one day.
My sister Diana, broke out with Chicken Pox on the way up.. I was next the following day, my parents did not even unpack, we turned back and they came home,with the rest of us breaking out in age order.
Do you know what happened next? A Chicken Pox Party.. all of your neighbor friends and lil ones, came to visit to get contaminated, yes sir. We had no vaccine for that yet, so, it was thought since you became immune from having it, bring it on! Then, after the party, we all sat on the couch that had the scratchy material, and rubbed our backs on it. Boy,that was an itch to reckon with. Guess what? Their BAAAAACK! Yes, rather than give the kids the vaccine that is now available, ant+vaxers are having the Chicken Pox Parties.
When they started giving out the Polio vaccine, they put it on a sugar cube, and ate it. I mean, who wouldn't want that? I wanted a second dose.
Movies...Saturday matinees at the Pequa Movie Theater, which has been closed for many years now. My parents would drop us all off on Saturday, and I am pretty darned sure, they went home for a lil something something.😉
Movies.. Premature Burial. The Blob. During the showing of the Blob, right when the movie shows the people in the movie theater watching a film, and the Blob absorbs the projectionist, and begins to oooze out of the booth, the Pequa turned off the film and left the lights out in the theater. I had to leave the area, sit outside in the lobby, sobbying, awaiting my parents to return. 13 Ghosts with the glasses to choose to see the ghosts, or not. Duuuuhhhh Duhhhhhhhhhhh go the ghosts, Freaked me out! Most of the time, I used the non seeing side of the glasses. Juliette, would hide behind our chimney at home, and go Duhhhhhhhhh Duhhhhhh, and I would cry and tell on her. Yeah, I was a goody two shoes rat. She just reminded me of this last nite on Facebook. Did I mention, I was quite a scardey cat? ( Was, um, still am to some degree. I did see the original 13 Ghosts on TV a few years ago, and I laughed at how riddiculously it was not scarey)
Diana, my big sister, earned her Evil Witch title because sometimes she was outright mean to us little sisters. We had our bedrooms on the second story of our house, and in our room, there was also the " attic", which consisted of a crawl space with a little wooden door. Diana told us it was inhabited by a witch.. and when we would peek in to see the witch, she would make creepy sounds and voices behind us, and well, it kinda freaked us out.
The Beatle's movie, A Hard Day's Night, came into the Pequa, and it ended up sold out, however my sister Juliette and I were up front when the doors opened. The crowd pushed so hard, my sister was pushed right through that glass front and nearly trampled. We still went to see the movie, and she was OK. Thank God.
Let me not to forget to tell you we also had the Massapequa Drive In and Zoo!!
Load up the car, with kids, chairs, snacks, drinks ( or use the concession stand, but, with 6 kids, not so much).. Have station wagon will travel. The Zoo was right there, so, on special nights, we did both. My sister and I used to sneak into the zoo some afternoons, and feed the animals. We would tell the employees we worked there..We believed we pulled that off pretty well. One day I had the really bright idea of climbing the little enclosure into the Monkey Mountain. I did, however, the monkeys realized I was not an employee, nor was I a monkey, that those lil guys ran me off in a fast, and not very polite manner. We stopped playing employees. Anyone remember the Sandy Becker Show? Was one of my favorite TV shows. He occasionally came out to do his show at the Zoo.
 |
| The Monkey House |
All American Drive In.. is still in Massapequa, and is a total icon and one of my favorite memories. My dad liked to take us there weekly for a treat. Right around that time, if you spent under $1.00 for the food, you did not pay the sales tax they had just initiated. My Daddy was a very smart man. There were 8 of us to buy food for. We each had a dollar in our hand. ordered a hamburger, fries, and a drink, NO sales tax, and change . Yep, smart man. I am like my Daddy. smart. I am like my mother, mush pot loving hot mess. LOL
Loving Long Island
How about I finish up my rant about my really, really good childhood in the next blog?
No comments:
Post a Comment