I mentioned in my profile that I have this nostalgia for "Small Town America". I guess if I had to narrow down what it is most that I miss, it would have to be simplicity of life and a closeness in the community and the family.
When I was a kid our town had one movie theater that showed two movies at the same time, and if you paid for one show you could actually stay in the theatre as long as you wanted and no one kicked you out. My friends and I would go see an afternoon matinee and when it was over we'd go to the theatre next door and watch the movie playing in the other theatre. When we finally left the movie theatre we'd ride our bikes to the "Five and Dime" store and sit at the soda counter and order a hamburger, french fries and a Coke and it would cost us just under a dollar. It almost seems unreal when I think back about it.
Our town also had only one pizza shop that made the best greasy, thin crust cheese pizza I have ever tasted. I still haven't found a place to this day that has pizza that tastes as good as it did way back then. We had one sub shop and the sandwiches were called Submarines- and they were the best. We had one jewelry store, one department store, one hardware store and a corner candy store. We spent alot of time riding our bikes to the candy store. For a dollar we could fill a small brown paper bag with "penny-candy" and then ride around all day eating candy- it was great!
As I grew, our small town grew as well. Soon there were more pizza shops, more department stores and more sandwich shops cluttering our little Main Street. We didn't mind- it was called "progress", but as I look back now, I realize how nice it was before things starting getting built up. Our childhood was predictably simple. We would either ride our bikes or walk to school the mile or so it took to get there, never caring how long it took. We'd laugh, or talk, or even make up stories about the one scary house with the overgrown lawn on our way to school.
Life seemed so much simpler then, and the reality is- it was simpler. As kids we would play outside all the time- no sitting inside watching TV or playing video games. We would spend the majority of our childhood outdoors building tree-forts, playing "kick the can" or hide and seek. We were healthy, skinny and always up to something. It's hard to imagine that kind of a life when I look around and see all the technology that has replaced that simple life.
I guess talking and writing about it keeps it alive for me. The truth is, when I'm thinking about my growing up years and our little town in New Jersey, it does make me smile and warms my heart a little. I hope my trip down "Memory Lane" brings a smile to your face as well- and maybe bring a memory or two back for you that made you happy. Until we meet again...
When I was a kid our town had one movie theater that showed two movies at the same time, and if you paid for one show you could actually stay in the theatre as long as you wanted and no one kicked you out. My friends and I would go see an afternoon matinee and when it was over we'd go to the theatre next door and watch the movie playing in the other theatre. When we finally left the movie theatre we'd ride our bikes to the "Five and Dime" store and sit at the soda counter and order a hamburger, french fries and a Coke and it would cost us just under a dollar. It almost seems unreal when I think back about it.
Our town also had only one pizza shop that made the best greasy, thin crust cheese pizza I have ever tasted. I still haven't found a place to this day that has pizza that tastes as good as it did way back then. We had one sub shop and the sandwiches were called Submarines- and they were the best. We had one jewelry store, one department store, one hardware store and a corner candy store. We spent alot of time riding our bikes to the candy store. For a dollar we could fill a small brown paper bag with "penny-candy" and then ride around all day eating candy- it was great!
As I grew, our small town grew as well. Soon there were more pizza shops, more department stores and more sandwich shops cluttering our little Main Street. We didn't mind- it was called "progress", but as I look back now, I realize how nice it was before things starting getting built up. Our childhood was predictably simple. We would either ride our bikes or walk to school the mile or so it took to get there, never caring how long it took. We'd laugh, or talk, or even make up stories about the one scary house with the overgrown lawn on our way to school.
Life seemed so much simpler then, and the reality is- it was simpler. As kids we would play outside all the time- no sitting inside watching TV or playing video games. We would spend the majority of our childhood outdoors building tree-forts, playing "kick the can" or hide and seek. We were healthy, skinny and always up to something. It's hard to imagine that kind of a life when I look around and see all the technology that has replaced that simple life.
I guess talking and writing about it keeps it alive for me. The truth is, when I'm thinking about my growing up years and our little town in New Jersey, it does make me smile and warms my heart a little. I hope my trip down "Memory Lane" brings a smile to your face as well- and maybe bring a memory or two back for you that made you happy. Until we meet again...
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