Nov.

25 anniversary of the British departure from New York in

1783, Evacuation Day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_25
Did anyone else go to Mrs. Clendennings Nursery School???
What was with that going to court anyway? Did kids have to say
this anywhere else?
I grew up on Walnut Street and there was a great candy store at the
corner of Walnut and Park (Angelos) on my way to Washington
School; I racked up a bill big-noting my friends on my fathers
account. (Did I ever catch hell!) Not too much later, I sneaked back
into our house and stole 50c from my fathers desk change to buy
my first Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine; I couldnt stand
the guilt so I confessed.
There was a White Castle at the corner of Washington and Park
Avenue. Ive been a vegetarian for more than 40 years but I
remember those mini-burgers with fried onions being awfully tasty!
My parents got married at St. Marys and took me to Chincoteague
on their honeymoon. (What were they thinking?!?)
Actually, monster movies were one of my childhood faves. Double
feature Saturday matinees at the movie theater on Washington
Avenue in Belleville with a newsreel, cartoons, a Three Stooges
short, and two horrors for 50c.
Anybody elses family shop at the Acme near the corner of
Washington and Grant? This was before McGrorys deli across the
street; Mrs. McGrory often wore sunglasses at work from walking
into a door.
Down the street was my favourite sweet shop, Lous. He made the
best New Yorkers which are, of course, egg creams in the City. I
remember awful awfuls but cant remember what they were--help,
please!
There was also a firehouse on one of the Grant and Washington
corners. My folks met at the Chatterbox Lounge, owned by Russell
Luzzi, on the opposite side. I cant remember wanting a dog as a kid
but the old man must have thought I needed one. I was asked to
come up with a name. I kind of liked Nunzio, the name of our
Washington Avenue barber. Nunzios barbershop had carousel
animals for the kids to sit on to shut them up while getting their
hair cut. After my dog, Nunzio never talked to the old man again!
(Guess that shut him up!)
Close to the bridge on River Road, there used to a a real dairy,
complete with cows, opposite the river. Not sure if they were the
suppliers but our milk came delivered in glass bottles with
cardboard circle caps; the milk was not homogenised and, in winter,
the cream would freeze into a round tower, pushing open the hinged
lid on our metal milk-box.
My father knew the caretaker of the bridge, which opened for river
traffic. Just once, he let my father and I sit in our car while he raised
us on the bridge! You may remember, the metal grid of the bridge
made it sing when cars drove across.
Was anyone else in the Indian Guides? My father and I were Big &
Little Climbing Bear.
On Grant Avenue between Walnut and the railroad tracks is still a
brownstone carriage block to alight from carriages and a hitching
post with a metal ring in it to tie up your horse.
Actually, my friends and I used to walk the tracks to Franklin
Avenue a lot. Theres a long trestle high over the park. We even did
it in the dark. On more than one occasion, I had to race for the little
platforms along the trestle when the train came. Past Franklin there
was a railway maintenance and storage shed; I jumped down there
once and got a big nail right through my foot. Another railroad
adventure was when I slipped my foot under one of the wooden ties;
yellow jackets had made a nest in there and dozens flew up my
pants leg, resulting in a lifelong bee-sting allergy.
Anybody get their first bank account at Bank of Nutley opposite the
Oval? Go on the town Easter egg hunt at the Mudhole? (All the big
kids pushed us out of the way!) How about getting your water from
the town spring near town hall? The Halloween costume parade? I
was Robert the Robot made out of silver-painted cardboard boxes
my father had rigged up with six, big lightbulb-size flashbulbs. I
won a prize by blinding the judges on every round. Had one left,
though, to blind the old man when he was helping me out of my
costume!
I think I was at Franklin when the nuclear submarine Thresher was
lost. The local boy killed was one of my friends.
If you went to NHS, you may have had Maxine Hoffer as your
English teacher (and a very good one). She was head of the NHS
English Dept but was probably best known as a cat lady. She often
had up to 35 cats at her home on Stewart Avenue and people would
bring her all manner of strays; I remember an opossum that fell out
of her library window, two skunks (not de-scented but very well-
behaved) and a big snake. Dogs were only added to the menagerie
after the death of her husband, Hoffman-LaRoche chemist, Max,
also an exquisite musician.
While Im at NHS, I should remember Harold Huntoon, a
wonderful history teacher and friend to his students. We didnt
know it then but he was gay and probably would be witch-hunted
out of a job these days. Never inappropriate <gag>, these were
days when teachers could hug students out of caring or touching to
show support. Weve lost a lot we didnt need to.
Had my first real dates at Villa Capri. Wore a beret. Read (and
wrote) beat poetry. Owner Angelo Nardi became a local legend
fighting the town council over his surreal sculptures.
Its been far too long since I caught fireflies, smelled the lilacs in
spring or picked our luscious backyard cherries and apples.