Childhood interests/hobbies [Archive]

Digital_Man

01-16-2013, 12:49 AM

What things were you interested in as a kid?

From the ages of about 6 to 12(before I got into music and collecting 45s then eventually tapes etc)my interests and hobbies included the following:

Drawing/coloring
Sharks
Dinosaurs
Classic automobiles (I still go to the occasional classic car show)
The Beatles (the band not bugs)
animals in general
Sea animals/oceanography
Gardening (I had my own small garden in the backyard when I was about 7-9).
Trees
Looking up stuff in the encyclopedia
Collecting stamps
Collecting coins
Collecting comic books(briefly and mainly because my brother did)

That's most of it but there were probably a few other things.

meimjustalawnmower

01-16-2013, 01:11 AM

Playing sports
Collecting baseball cards
Reading
Music
The girl across the street
The other girl across the street

nycsteve

01-16-2013, 08:34 AM

Painting ,acrylics
Stamps
Classic movies
Reading SciFi pulp 40's -60's
Chess
Hiking Biking Swimming
Animals, tropical fish
Devising plans to get out of school
On Edit if these weren't in full swing by 12 then the seeds were there. At 6 I have no idea what I was doing.

ronmac

01-16-2013, 10:00 AM

Building model kits. In fact, I still have several unassembled kits that I bought about 25 years ago.

Used to build cars and the classic Aurora monster kits, which are now worth tons of money.

We used to play pick-up baseball all summer, too.

walt

01-16-2013, 10:08 AM

Fear in the pit of my stomach when going for private violin lessons.I sucked as a violinist and hated lessons.I made poor Mrs Edson(violin teacher) suffer,and vice versa.
Mad magazine.
National Geographic magazine
Biking around the neighborhood.
Fighter planes, tanks,anything involving military machines from WW2 on

Playing stickball in the PS 178 schoolyard.(this was NYC schoolyard stickball,with Spaldeen/Pensi-Pinky rubber ball, stickball bat with a strip of black tape wrapped around one end, and a chalk strike zone painted on the concrete wall)

Hoops in the same schoolyard(178) and in Cunningham Park.
Squash in the same joint as above(i think i spent half my childhood in the 178 schoolyard, playing or hangin' out.
Tennis with my father at Cunningham and Alley Pond Park(s).

Trane

01-16-2013, 10:41 AM

I won't really mention music, which started around my 11yu mark

-Cycling... (used to deliver newspapers, but did a lot more than that), swimming.. and a bit of tennis
-2nd WW tank & half-tracks plastic model (mostly Tamyia 1/35) and modern fighterplane (Airfix 1/72)>> It helped out my hand-eye coord.. I almost started out these picturama (placing the models in a setting), but girls came in the picture, and I gave that up
-Electric Train set >> this was a communal family thing... the installation was quasi-permanent (well we moved around somewhat during those years), but it was rather complex, with trees and countryside, crossings, train stations, tunnels
-A few board games (Feudal, Diplomacy, chess, checkers >> I was less in stuff like Monopoly or Cluedo, because there were dice involved)
-Belgo-French comics (a whole lot more than Tintin, Asterix or Smurfs >> didn't like these blue twits) >> We simply couldn(t get into the US Super-heroes
-Spending hours reading and studying the Atlas >> geography was my best subject in school

Rarebird

01-16-2013, 10:52 AM

Reading
Model-trains
Aeroplanes
Model-aeroplanes

Scott Bails

01-16-2013, 11:24 AM

Playing sports
Collecting baseball cards
Reading

We used to play pick-up baseball all summer, too.

Biking around the neighborhood.

Reading
Model-trains

All of these.

I was addicted to the Hardy Boys books and probably read them all. Model trains were a hobby (HO gauge), but only at Christmas time, as we would put a train under the Christmas tree. But I was all into it, building a little town, etc.

Playing baseball and collecting baseball cards was probably the main obsession.

hippypants

01-16-2013, 01:45 PM

I collected sports cards too, but preferred the Monster cards that had pictures and scenes of Monster movies on them, as I was sort of a monster kid.

Built models: cars, airplanes, Universal Monsters, and Weird-O, Big Daddy Roth models

Played outside a lot: chase, swam in the summer, and rode the bike all over

Collected comics to a degree, which I still do, along with stamps, and coins. Always had some kind of collector mentality. And music as well, starting with 45's and Elvis Presley, Holly, etc.

Go to movies.

UnephenStephen

01-16-2013, 02:00 PM

drum lessons
hot wheels/johnny lightning hobby cars
Chess
Hardy Boys
playing with matches
taking peeks at Playboy or Penthouse

davis

01-16-2013, 02:13 PM

baseball - playing, watching, reading about
basketball - backyard
reading Peanuts comic books
built a few models
riding bicycle
making up stories based on & including titles from my sister's collection of 45's. A & B sides. Started collecting my own records @ age 13.

davis

01-16-2013, 02:23 PM

I remember hearing PP&M's version of "Blowin' in the Wind" on the Grants (dept store) store speakers and being captivated by it. I looked at the 45 & saw it was written by somebody called B. Dylan. I wondered who that was and whether it was pronounced 'dillan' or 'dye-lan". I probably asked my parents/sister who B. Dylan was-they had no idea.

Rarebird

01-16-2013, 02:41 PM

All of these.

I was addicted to the Hardy Boys books and probably read them all. Model trains were a hobby (HO gauge), but only at Christmas time, as we would put a train under the Christmas tree. But I was all into it, building a little town, etc.

Playing baseball and collecting baseball cards was probably the main obsession.
I think I only read The new Hardy Boys.
I still have model-train stuff (N-gauge), but it's not used. It's a too expensive hobby.

I used to play with Lego and Fisher-Technic as well.
Dolls were not my thing and neither was playing outside. My parents literary had to force me to go play outside.

markwoll

01-16-2013, 02:52 PM

Collecting rock and fossils
playing army ( this was the 60's and early 70's )
playing outside a whole lot, wandering for miles, riding bikes, dirtclod fights, baseball, kickball, football
reading lots of non fiction and then later lots and lots of Sci-fi
very little tv
listening to the am radio ( crystal ) at night from places far away
chemistry
making lead soldiers and staging extensive scenarios with big piles of blocks and hot wheels

mark

Rarebird

01-16-2013, 02:57 PM

Don Arnold

01-16-2013, 03:43 PM

Cool thread! For me, and for what I can remember....

Stamp Collecting
Did this for a few years as a younin', mainly because my dad had an enormous collection. In fact he had a whole room devoted to it (once my mom got him to move his stamp desk and assorted boxes, cabinets, etc. out of their bedroom!).

License Plate Watching
Perhaps an odd one, but as a kid during the summer I'd go with my dad (he owned a bakery and made deliveries to various stores, including one in downtown Victoria) and stand outside and note which out-of-province license plates I'd see. We're a tourist town and back in the day. My end-of-summer goal would be to see at least one plate from all 10 provinces and all 50 states. I'd usually come pretty close (the hard to find ones were Delaware and West Virginia I recall). The bonus would be seeing off-continent plates. I remember being very thrilled to see one from Okinawa (sp?). To this day, I still notice foreign license plates!

Bottle Collecting (for the refunds)
Don't remember when, but this started by walking down to a nearby beach over the summer and picking up refundable drink containers. It was a party beach at night so the mornings would sometimes yield plenty of empty beer bottles. I'm guessing I did this from about age 10 to 18 or so. During the warmer months, I'd wake up at 4am on a Saturday morning, then wake up my mom, and together we'd drive a circuit of beaches and parks where drinking sometimes occured. Being a numbers guy I actually kept records of how much I earned. Some stats for those who are interested: during this time frame I made over $10,000 (true!), picked up over 1,000 unopened beer (my neighbors thank me), and found all sorts of other interesting things. The biggest netting event was by far the annual Swiftsure event (a yachting race). For a few years, before the police cracked down on it, this was party weekend in our city's inner harbour area. A couple of years we made over $500 during the weekend. There you have it: all you ever wanted to know about bottle collecting but were afraid to ask. :)

willyswing

01-16-2013, 03:54 PM

HO trains
Aurora Model Motoring (mini slot cars)
Civil War
Model planes & cars
Soldiers
Toy car collecting (Matchbox & Dinky)
Reading (Edgar Rice Burroughs & Robert Howard were my faves)

MudShark22

01-16-2013, 03:54 PM

Evel Knievel was a huge idol for my brothers and I....
We built ramps in the backyard and rolled in barrels to jump over on our BMX bikes.
This translated into how we approached skiiing as well (more moguls / jumps the better)

I was into the supernatural: ghosts, ESP, Telekinesis, etc.;
Similar to ScottBails: collected the Hardy Boy books (have 40 hardcovers still...saved them for my son) as well as Hitchcock's 3 Investigators series;
played a lot of whiffle and baseball and pickup football (american and british);

A good life...

Klonk

01-16-2013, 08:13 PM

Wiffle Ball was the shit, Thomas. Hell, we had leagues well into the 2000's and I'd still play if anyone wanted :lol

Matchbox cars and GI Joes were pretty big for me. Unfortunately my destructive, explosive and pyromaniac ways left me with nothing to show for it :lol

But mostly I was outside playing sports and getting into trouble. :up

Vic2012

01-16-2013, 08:49 PM

I was no different than most of you. I built models. I only built those Monster Rods and a lot of stock cars and dragsters/funny cars and shit like that. I never kept 'em though. I was one of those kids that got bored and impatient fast. I hardly ever read the instructions and I always ended up with all kinds of leftover parts. Then when I'd get bored with the models I'd blow 'em up with firecrackers.

I also collected Hot Wheels. Never kept 'em either. If I only knew then what I know now. I also like those HO race tracks too. Had a couple of those as well.

Collected comic books for a few years. I started out with Archie comics then collected Marvel comics (never DC).

I never collected baseball cards, coins or stamps.

Jay G

01-16-2013, 09:04 PM

Aurora AFX slot cars
Ho and N Guage Trains
Hot Wheels - still collect 40 plus years later
Gi Joes - Had all of the originals as my grandparents owned a large toy chain in the Philly area and brought me the stuff every week.
Big Jim - my favorite of all of the action figures
Model building
Remote control boats

JKL2000

01-16-2013, 09:52 PM

I was big into model building too. Not anal retentive sailing ship models, but all the Aurora monster models, lots of Funny Car models, other cars, submarines were my favorites, other aircraft, naval ships, tanks, etc. It was really relaxing building and painting those things, what a great way to spend a weekend, when we weren't swimming, sledding, playing hide and seek, etc.

I never read the Hardy Boys, but I read a bunch of Tom Swift books.

Digital_Man

01-16-2013, 10:02 PM

I collected basketball cards briefly when I was about 21 but that's hardly childhood. Lol. WHen I was a kid I didn't really collect baseball cards or any cards for that matter but I did collect stamps and coins. I still have collections from both.

I loved cars(and still do)but never got around to assembling models. It seemed too complicated to me then(and kind of still does).

Also, when I was younger I loved to ride my bike. I got a bmx type of bike for my sixth birthday only to have it stolen about two weeks later.

I also was big into matchbox/hotwheels cars up until about eleven years old. Also, lots of toys of course. My brother was big into little army guys and we would play with those. Also, "cowboys and indians" and other kid games. Also, when I was maybe five or six we had a sandbox and I would play in there. Lots of baseball and football games with the neighborhood kids too. Rundown(also known as pickle)was a big favorite if anyone knows what that was.

East New York

01-16-2013, 10:06 PM

I was a very busy kid...and, on the whole, a tomboy who utterly hated dolls and saw absolutely no sense in playing with them. :lol

Writing
Reading
Music (performance and listening)
Dance (ballet and raqs sharqi)
Languages
Ancient Egypt/Archaeology
Paleontology

Visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art/The Cloisters and The American Museum of Natural History (I was a member of the Met and the AMNH from a really young age and was always going to 'em on weekends and holidays, to children's programs and/or just to visit).

Geology
Malacology
Animals
Cooking
Whittling
Archery
Diving
Swimming
Biking
Prank calling
Jacks
Monopoly
Royalty
Stratego (oh, how I loved this)

...and the New York 'sports' of:

Stickball
Stoopball
Skully
Skitching (I only ever skitched off the back of a car; no buses or trucks or motorcycles. Honest. ;))

JKL2000

01-16-2013, 10:46 PM

^ Prank calling was a pretty good hobby back in the days before *69, especially in NYC where you could sometimes find minor celebrities listed in the phone book and call them! I remember my brother and I calling Hermione Gingold mercilessly one evening (she was in a load of movies and TV).

I was too smart to have ever skitched myself, but in college I had some friends who were dumb enough to do it, and I remember one guy skitching on a car, then hitting a manhole cover and busting the fuck out of his knees.

BTW, the Museum of Natural History ruled, as did the original planetarium - I still can't believe how they destroyed that place. How could it not be a landmark?

Digital_Man

01-16-2013, 11:49 PM

BTW, the Museum of Natural History ruled, as did the original planetarium - I still can't believe how they destroyed that place. How could it not be a landmark?

When I lived in the hudson valley area of NY, I went down to the city a few times to the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. The planetarium was way cool. Too bad I never got too see one of their laser light shows(ie Pink Floyd laser etc).

One of these days I'll have to take the two hour journey up to NYC and check it out again. I wonder if that big blue whale is still hanging by his tail. :p

Hunnibee

01-16-2013, 11:50 PM

UnephenStephen

01-17-2013, 12:46 AM

I remember hearing PP&M's version of "Blowin' in the Wind" on the Grants (dept store) store speakers and being captivated by it. there was a Grants in Jersey too? there was once one here in CT (New London) when i was growing up.

East New York

01-17-2013, 01:16 AM

^ Prank calling was a pretty good hobby back in the days before *69, especially in NYC where you could sometimes find minor celebrities listed in the phone book and call them! I remember my brother and I calling Hermione Gingold mercilessly one evening (she was in a load of movies and TV).

LMAO! I remember Hermione Gingold! What a great story. :D

I was too smart to have ever skitched myself, but in college I had some friends who were dumb enough to do it, and I remember one guy skitching on a car, then hitting a manhole cover and busting the fuck out of his knees.

Yes. I knew of kids who died. I was one of the dumb fucks. :lol For me, it was all about playing with the big boys.

BTW, the Museum of Natural History ruled, as did the original planetarium - I still can't believe how they destroyed that place. How could it not be a landmark?

No! What happened? Is the Hayden Planetarium gone now?!

East New York

01-17-2013, 01:17 AM

When I lived in the hudson valley area of NY, I went down to the city a few times to the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. The planetarium was way cool. Too bad I never got too see one of their laser light shows(ie Pink Floyd laser etc).

One of these days I'll have to take the two hour journey up to NYC and check it out again. I wonder if that big blue whale is still hanging by his tail. :p

The whale! :D I'll never forget that.

I loved Laserium...boy, do I miss home. *sigh*

East New York

01-17-2013, 01:19 AM

Legos

Absolutely!

meimjustalawnmower

01-17-2013, 01:20 AM

Legos
Star Trek (when the original series was "current", LOL)
Personally, I don't really remember Legos as a kid, although I know they were around. These days they're the biggest thing. My son (just turned 13) is absolutely obsessed with all things Lego. Problem is, the older he gets the more complicated the sets. The more complicated, the more expensive. I hope he finds a girlfriend real soon. :)

The original Star Trek was the first program I ever saw on a color television, if you can imagine that.

Dave (in MA)

01-17-2013, 01:25 AM

Never heard of skitching, but apparently it's the same as what was called skid-hopping around where I grew up (Boston).

Dave (in MA)

01-17-2013, 01:26 AM

there was a Grants in Jersey too? there was once one here in CT (New London) when i was growing up.

It was a national chain.

Hunnibee

01-17-2013, 01:58 AM

The original Star Trek was the first program I ever saw on a color television, if you can imagine that.

It's my earliest childhood television memory, aside from Romper Room! :D

Digital_Man

01-17-2013, 02:16 AM

Aside from music, for which I've always had an obsession...

Legos
Mythology
Drawing/sketching
Writing poetry (wish I had kept those early ones)
Books (especially history)
Dolls
Star Trek (when the original series was "current", LOL)
Playing/exploring/bikeriding outside

I wasn't really INTO music much as a kid(a really young kid anyway)other than the Beatles. My real musical obsession didn't really start until around 11/12. I did have an acoustic guitar at the age of 8 though and took lessons briefly but never got very far.

I had legos too but I had a lot of other stuff also.

As for poetry, I wrote my first poem at age 18. I have most of it still memorized. I wrote lots of "poems" in my twenties most of which I don't think were very good.

The playing/exploring/bike riding outside definitely describes a good chunk of my childhood also. I was a bit of a loner so it was usually just me wandering around like a lost puppy. :D

walt

01-17-2013, 03:46 AM

The American Museum of Natural History ())

Still a great place to visit and lose yourself in.I'm overdue for another trip there.

Vic2012

01-17-2013, 05:58 AM

I was big into model building too. Not anal retentive sailing ship models, .

:lol

Yeah, any friends I had that built model ships usualy had their dad helping them with it. And usually it was some long ass project that took all year. I think I might've had a model set of either a Gemini or Apollo spacecraft.

I forgot to mention that I did a lot of bike riding as a kid. I was never all that atheletic but I rode bikes all the time.

Okay, I had a few GI Joes too. I mean original Joes from the mid 60s. I might've blown 'em up too. If I knew then, what I know now ;).

Trane

01-17-2013, 07:07 AM

While I had an interest for music, I was mostly taping music from the radio, and it consisted of Beatles and Stones mostly... But when I started delivery newspaper at age 10, started looking at albums... didn't actually buy one until Sept 74 (age 11) >> Crime Of The Century

Originally Posted by Hunnibee
Legos
Absolutely!

mmmhhh... I stopped Legos around age 8, but still kept an aye on what my yopunger brothers were doing

taking peeks at Playboy or Penthouse

mmmhhh... Stealing Penthouse (from age 10 onwards) in my case... we'd (freinds and I) laugh at the sex stories in the reder's mail... until we'd started jacking off to them

Vic2012

01-17-2013, 07:40 AM

:lol at Trane. Thanks for the chuckle I needed it.

Brian Griffin

01-17-2013, 08:13 AM

Trane

01-17-2013, 09:26 AM

Plastic models, (military subjects), from when I was 10 or so until my late 40's - I took it to a level of perfection that took a lot of the fun out of it, never satisfied with my work. Have hundreds of unbuilt kits in my loft, I used to think I'd build some in my retirement years but I don't see that happening at this point
BG

I was rather good at doing these Tamyia 1/35 WW2 models as an early teen... I even used to fake the mud all over them (I'd paint the wheels and suspension pieces directly in beige-sand, instead of the olive drab green)... i almost started doing these sceneries, but never got around to it...

One day after a lot of toking (most likely lamb's bread or red lebanese), a few buddies and I took our lesser works and started a real war (with tennis balls as bombs) and demolished them... the original plan was to rebuild them from the broken pieces... but some pieces/rubbles were scattered in the nature, never to be found again... Oh well... sounded like a good idea after some six or seven doobies :roll :lol

Later on, in my 30's, I took of of these wooden models (the Cutty Sark or something similar, but I never got far... just too complicated and too much grinding and filing pieces...

Lately, I've wondered whether I would fancy doing one of those half-tracks again (just to test my hand-eye coord as I enter my 50's), but I can't figure out where I'd borrow the time to ever finish it up... sooo I'd better not start one.

Klonk

01-17-2013, 12:04 PM

Stratego (oh, how I loved this)

Were you a flag in the corner chick? Surrounded by bombs? Or were you a risk taker like me with the flag among the troops? Loved that game. I even had the electronic version called 'Generals'

Skitching (I only ever skitched off the back of a car; no buses or trucks or motorcycles. Honest. )

Skitching was awesome. Sure you could get hurt, but that was part of the awesome! You haven't lived until you catch a bus :up

Scott Bails

01-17-2013, 12:07 PM

Legos

It's funny, when I was a kid, I wasn't *that* into them. But now that I have two kids who are both way, way into them, I'm having a blast building stuff with them. My son especially loves to just build them, take them apart, and build them again.

meimjustalawnmower

01-17-2013, 12:52 PM

It's funny, when I was a kid, I wasn't *that* into them. But now that I have two kids who are both way, way into them, I'm having a blast building stuff with them. My son especially loves to just build them, take them apart, and build them again.
You ever accidentally step on a couple of those things in your bare feet? Damn that smarts!

Digital_Man

01-17-2013, 01:13 PM

I remember when I was about 8 or 9 my brother(almost three years older than me) somehow got a hold of a playboy magazine. I remember how excited I was to be able to look at it but I don't think I knew at the time why I was excited just that I knew it was something naughty(naked women) that I wasn't really suppose to see.

My brother who had somehow gotten hold of a bunch of old PB's from my grandfather wound up swapping them for comic books from a neighborhood kid. I guess my brother didn't know any better(no wonder he stayed a virgin until 28).

Brian Griffin

01-17-2013, 01:20 PM

I was rather good at doing these Tamyia 1/35 WW2 models as an early teen...

I prefered and worked in the smaller scales

Armour in 1/87, 1/76 and 1/72, and Aircraft in 1/144 and 1/72 scales

My last doctor visit to an optomitrist resulted in a diagnosis of "still" not needing glasses, (I'm 54), but no way do I feel up to those smaller scales these days

BG

sonic

01-17-2013, 01:46 PM

pocket billards

Dave (in MA)

01-17-2013, 02:00 PM

slingshots

playing with matches, lighters, burning stuff with a magnifying glass

walkie-talkies - the kid across the street got a brilliant idea to get some discarded blasting wire from a nearby construction site, and attach it to a metal pole that he tied up in a tree in his backyard, and then ran it to his bedroom window to attach to his walkie-talkie. The next thunderstorm left a nice burn mark on the side of his house and took down half of the tree.

walt

01-17-2013, 02:00 PM

For a very short period of time when we were kids, my father had a subscription to Playboy.My brother(4 years older than me) was around 13 at the time and was very interested in perusing the magazine.I was also, if only to annoy my brother.

One morning, i heared the mail being put through the mail slot.Sure enough, there was the new issue of Playboy,my brother also heared the sound, and told me that if Playboy arrived, he wanted to read it first.The hell with that, said i, and i grabbed the magazine, with my brother in hot pursuit, threatening grievous injury to me if i didn't give him the magazine.

He was chasing me around the house, and i made a quick turn into the bathroom and slammed the door...right on my brothers thumb,gashing it severely.Blood flowed, he was screaming, my mother ran in,semi-hysterical..a real mess.
No major damage done,we went to the emergency room, Fred's thumb was patched up.I was punished.

The Playboy subscription was cancelled.

Good times.

Brian Griffin

01-17-2013, 02:06 PM

I was punished.

The Playboy subscription was cancelled.

Sounds more like pops was punished

BG

No Pride

01-17-2013, 02:08 PM

Drawing
Monster movies (and model kits)
Dinosaurs
Comic Books
Human anatomy (not the way I'm interested in it now, of course)
Astronomy
Microscopes
Telescopes

I'd decided I was going to be some sort of doctor or scientist until The Beatles came around and ruined my life. I ended up becoming a professional musician. Thanks a lot... Beatles. :mad
;)

East New York

01-17-2013, 02:13 PM

Were you a flag in the corner chick? Surrounded by bombs? Or were you a risk taker like me with the flag among the troops? Loved that game. I even had the electronic version called 'Generals'

Both, depending on my mood and the mood/character of my opponent. :D

I never heard of 'Generals'. How did I miss that one? I musta been under a rock or something! I did find a Stratego app a few weeks ago and was psyched until I saw that it got lousy reviews, so I didn't get it. :-(

Skitching was awesome. Sure you could get hurt, but that was part of the awesome! You haven't lived until you catch a bus :up

:lol OK, I admit it. My favorite was the B56 (now the Q56)!

East New York

01-17-2013, 02:15 PM

East New York

01-17-2013, 02:16 PM

You ever accidentally step on a couple of those things in your bare feet? Damn that smarts!

There was nothing worse than this, except stepping on a Spirograph pin.

Mr. Grizzly Bear

01-17-2013, 02:18 PM

Model kits
Airplanes
Trains
Reading encyclopedias
Batman
Animals (especially big cats and bears)
Dinosaurs
Space travel
Museums
Bicycling
Music
Board games
Model rockets (Estes man!!)
Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars
Playing Batman with the neighborhood kids (I always loved either being The Penguin or the announcer like on the tv show)
Photography
Star Trek (when the original series was "current")
GI Joe
Johnny West
monster movies
Cartoons
Walkie Talkies
Kenner Girder and Panel Bulding Set
Erector Sets
Ideal Motorific
Lots of Mad Magazine!
Aurora Model Motoring (HO mini slot cars)
Steam engines
Spirograph
Tether ball

Vic2012

01-17-2013, 02:18 PM

I used to buy those paint-by-the-numbers sets. I used to draw a lot, mostly Super Heros, cartoons, naked women, etc.;)

Scott Bails

01-17-2013, 03:04 PM

meimjustalawnmower

01-17-2013, 03:46 PM

Dave - you're not a serial killer by any chance, are you?

;):p

I'd just like to know if he still has all of his fingers?

Dave (in MA)

01-17-2013, 05:30 PM

my father had a subscription to Playboy...
there was the new issue of Playboy...
i grabbed the magazine...
i made a quick turn into the bathroom and slammed the door...
Good times.

:oops

Dave (in MA)

01-17-2013, 05:33 PM

Dave - you're not a serial killer by any chance, are you?

;):p
I'd just like to know if he still has all of his fingers?

Come on, don't try to tell me you didn't do the same things?

walt

01-17-2013, 06:08 PM

Dave - you're not a serial killer by any chance, are you?

;):p

:lol:lol:oops

walt

01-17-2013, 06:42 PM

Come on, don't try to tell me you didn't do the same things?

:oops

Digital_Man

01-17-2013, 07:06 PM

The Playboy subscription was cancelled.

Good times.

Something tells me your mom decided the PB subscription should end. ;)

walt

01-17-2013, 07:13 PM

Something tells me your mom decided the PB subscription should end. ;)

Correctamundo.:)

progeezer

01-17-2013, 07:35 PM

:lol Until I was 12 it was mostly sports. I started singing along to my Elvis, Buddy Holly & doo-wop 45s that I started buying at 9 or 10. When I was 12, a friend heard me and said "My older brother (who was all of 15) is in a doo-wop group and looking for a new lead singer so they can get rid of their current one". Since then, for the last 56 years, it's almost all music (listening, making, talking about, etc.) with sports taking up any slack.

JKL2000

01-17-2013, 09:36 PM

Okay, I had a few GI Joes too. I mean original Joes from the mid 60s. I might've blown 'em up too. If I knew then, what I know now ;).

Oh, I remember loosening he head on my GI Joe, then putting fire crackers in it with the fuse sticking out. So much fun to watch his head fly into the air! I also used to take my fishing rod and put the hook inside his head and put his head back on, then hang him from the fishing line off my grandparents back porch (it was pretty far down) and swing him around and stuff. But he could take it!

JKL2000

01-17-2013, 09:40 PM

No! What happened? Is the Hayden Planetarium gone now?!

They tore the whole thing down and built a new, much less interesting but more profitable planetarium. Instead of having live, long sky shows that changed a few times a year, they have a short, automated show narrated by people like Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford. There some ok exhibits, but I loved stuff they used to have like the scales that showed you your weight on the different planets.

Scott Bails

01-17-2013, 09:51 PM

progeezer

01-17-2013, 10:02 PM

We did do a lot of FL & The Teenagers stuff, along with Frankie's younger brother Louis & his group, The Teenchords. Heartbeats, Harptones, Del-Vikings, and on and on.....

Even in 1957, white people were stealing black music!:p

Scott Bails

01-17-2013, 10:10 PM

Yeah, Louis was pretty good, too.

meimjustalawnmower

01-17-2013, 11:56 PM

Saw a PBS thing about Frankie Lymon recently. Really quite a sad story.

Hunnibee

01-18-2013, 12:22 AM

I forgot to mention my baseball obsession! It started in the summer of 69, and yes, I was a Mets fan for a brief time. For much of my teens, though, I was a Red Sox fan. It wasn't until the 80s when I went "geographic" and finally caught Giants fever while living in the Bay Area. I've been a San Fran fan ever since! :D

Oh, and why am I the only one who loved Legos? They weren't just for the little kiddos. I was building castles on my bedroom floor when I was 13!

meimjustalawnmower

01-18-2013, 12:45 AM

Oh, and why am I the only one who loved Legos? They weren't just for the little kiddos. I was building castles on my bedroom floor when I was 13!
Melissa-
I think it's because Lego's didn't get really popular in the US until they introduced minifigures and themed sets, which was when most of us were already adults.

Trane

01-18-2013, 05:58 AM

Originally Posted by Hunnibee
Oh, and why am I the only one who loved Legos? They weren't just for the little kiddos. I was building castles on my bedroom floor when I was 13!
Melissa-
I think it's because Lego's didn't get really popular in the US until they introduced minifigures and themed sets, which was when most of us were already adults.

Not so sure... although we'd moved from Europe in 73 in Canada, we weren't the only ones playing around with these things...

And to be honest I always found these minifigures and themed sets horrendous.... not just because I was an young adult and thought it was ugly, but it killed a lot of creativity that was needed to play with Lego... After all, berfore these themed sets, you had to build from scratch with only your imagination... all a sudden, you had a user's manual...

Originally Posted by Dave (in MA)
slingshots

playing with matches, lighters, burning stuff with a magnifying glass

walkie-talkies - the kid across the street got a brilliant idea to get some discarded blasting wire from a nearby construction site, and attach it to a metal pole that he tied up in a tree in his backyard, and then ran it to his bedroom window to attach to his walkie-talkie. The next thunderstorm left a nice burn mark on the side of his house and took down half of the tree.
Dave - you're not a serial killer by any chance, are you?

;):p

Sounds more like Denis The Menace to me... :p

Supersonic Scientist

01-18-2013, 10:06 AM

Pre-teen
Coin & Stamp collecting
Playing Army
Hot Wheels
Fishing
Bike Riding

Teen years
Beer Can collecting
Astronomy
Reading this magazine called: Man, Myth & Magic
Playing this Bookshelf game called: Feudal (Still love this game and wish I could find others who would like to play)

Scott Bails

01-18-2013, 10:15 AM

Teen years
Beer Can collecting

I went through a phase with this, too. I had a few hundred before I gave it up.

Dave the Brave

01-18-2013, 10:39 AM

Scale models, of mostly aircraft, but dabbled in cars.
Rocketry
Kites of all kinds, once built a box kite that was over 6 feet high.
Remote controlled cars and aircraft
The great outdoors
Girls
Reading
Playing war using homemade weapons, we were poor.
Building fake aircraft cockpits under the stairs to the basement using stuff I found at the junk pile. I guess you can tell I'm an aviation buff.
Girls
Camping
Girls
And oh yes girls.

DtB

East New York

01-18-2013, 12:58 PM

They tore the whole thing down and built a new, much less interesting but more profitable planetarium. Instead of having live, long sky shows that changed a few times a year, they have a short, automated show narrated by people like Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford. There some ok exhibits, but I loved stuff they used to have like the scales that showed you your weight on the different planets.

Oh, no! The beautiful old dome is gone?! ::::cries:::: What a shame!

East New York

01-18-2013, 01:01 PM

Oh, and why am I the only one who loved Legos? They weren't just for the little kiddos. I was building castles on my bedroom floor when I was 13!

You're not. When you originally posted about 'em, I responded. :D I loved Legos...but as Trane says, I didn't like the themed sets that came out when I was older.

Brian Griffin

01-18-2013, 03:27 PM

What a shame!

I well remember my first "Laserium" - and the announcer saying, "No smoking of ANY kind" just before it began

Got a pretty good laugh

BG

meimjustalawnmower

01-18-2013, 05:26 PM

Not so sure...
And to be honest I always found these minifigures and themed sets horrendous.... not just because I was an young adult and thought it was ugly, but it killed a lot of creativity that was needed to play with Lego... After all, before these themed sets, you had to build from scratch with only your imagination... all a sudden, you had a user's manual.
I understand, but that doesn't discount the fact that Lego's are far more popular now than they've ever been, primarily due to the minifigures and themed sets. Kids want entire sets just to get the characters. One of the main attractions at Lego Stores is to be able to create your own minifigure package for purchase. The console game versions of Lego adventures are over the top. My son learned everything about the Star Wars trilogy from playing Star Wars Lego on the Wii. When I finally showed him the real movies, he knew what was coming before it happened. Sorry dude, but it ain't what it used to be when Tinker Toys were the bomb. ;)
BTW- my kid doesn't even look at the manuals anymore, and he saves the extra pieces to make his own things.

markwoll

01-18-2013, 07:25 PM

Lincoln logs, tinkertoy, and erector sets were the bomb as a kid.
We had another 'build stuff toy' , small plastic cubes with holes on some faces and pegs on others and some of the faces had hinges. Add to this plastic plates axles, wheels. Kind of fun to do a mash up of the assorted kits.
Imagination rules.

Mark

Strangely I found the patent application for the plastic cube toy, still haven't found the name of the toy.
google.com/patents (http://www.google.com/patents?id=MBNfAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false)

ronmac

01-18-2013, 07:29 PM

I well remember my first "Laserium" - and the announcer saying, "No smoking of ANY kind" just before it began

Got a pretty good laugh

BG

My first NYC Laserium experience brought a pleasant surprise with Nektar from "Recycled."

Jefferson James

01-18-2013, 08:22 PM

I was always looking at the Sears catalog and dreaming about the guitars, drums and keys they were selling.

As a kid I was really into music, drumming, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, GI Joe (not with Kung-Fu grip), H0 scale trains, building forts in the woods, digging "caves", climbing around on rocks and cliffs, diving, and wearing my older sister's hand-me-downs.

I'm still into all of that stuff to a certain extent, excepting the hand-me-down thing.

llanwydd

01-18-2013, 08:58 PM

I had only very short lived hobbies because my parents would always interfere with them so I tended to develop interests instead. In fact I should call them obsessions.
4th grade - Children's Digest
5th and 6th - Mad magazine (which I had to hide)
6th and 7th - Rolling Stones but never bought an album
7th and 8th - Elton John and Wings (my father smashed my Band on the Run album)
High school and onward - Yes (things started improving by then)
I don't remember having any major interests during the 1960s

Vic2012

01-18-2013, 10:52 PM

As a kid growing up in San Francisco I visited the Steinhardt Aquarium a lot. There was a lazer show there too. I was there in 2008 and the damn thing was closed for renovations or something. I took my kid to San Francisco and the damn thing was closed. Well, at least we went to Height/Ashberry and bought some posters of Jimi and Janice.

nosebone

01-18-2013, 11:51 PM

I had two of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFKAr7wfdg

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 08:04 AM

I remember that toy ^. I never got what the appeal was. You take a plastic square, cook it, it turns into a spider. Then you compress the plastic again, cook it, watch it turn into a spider. Whoop dee dooooooooo :lol

Now this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg/250px-Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg

... was loads of fun ;).

llanwydd

01-19-2013, 08:30 AM

LOL. I had the Time Machine too. It's only fun the first time. Then you know what the capsule will turn into. I knew a kid who had the Mouse Trap. Based on several inventions by Rube Goldberg, I believe.

walt

01-19-2013, 08:36 AM

Rock Em Sock Em Robots.......by MARX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDjwtjIQS8

"his block is knocked off?".........

I think this toy lasted 2 days before my brother and i destroyed it.......

Jay G

01-19-2013, 08:42 AM

I forgot I was also into Legos, Shrinky Dinks, Spirograph and model rockets.

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 08:43 AM

These were a lot of fun too:

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4913254482774878&pid=15.1

Jimmy Jet ;)

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4782498458437548&pid=15.1

ronmac

01-19-2013, 10:36 AM

Now this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg/250px-Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg

... was loads of fun ;).

Just played that with my kid last night.

Klonk

01-19-2013, 12:14 PM

Mouse Trap was awesome, but I don't think I've ever actually played the entire game because the anticipation of setting off that contraption was overwhelming :lol We always just winged it.

No Pride

01-19-2013, 12:19 PM

Now this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg/250px-Mouse_Trap_Board_and_Boxjpg.jpg

... was loads of fun ;).
I had it when I was a kid. The trouble was that I didn't have the patience to actually play the game; I just wanted to get straight to the part where the ball starts rolling.

Another favorite toy when I was a kid was "Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots." You know, the boxing robots who's heads would pop up when they were TKOd. Demented little wannabe bully that I was, I used to put a toy soldier in one of the robot's arms and have the other one beat the crap out of him. I used to throw my toy soldiers in the incinerator and watch them melt too. I don't know what I had against those soldiers, but don't worry, I've changed; now I play in a band that does lots of benefits for the military and their families. I guess I'm trying to turn my karma around. ;)

No Pride

01-19-2013, 12:19 PM

Mouse Trap was awesome, but I don't think I've ever actually played the entire game because the anticipation of setting off that contraption was overwhelming :lol We always just winged it.
You beat me to it, Klonk! :lol

nosebone

01-19-2013, 12:26 PM

I had all of these, and when Polar Lights brought them back in the late 90s I bought them again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIS0f9iJ8Lg

No Pride

01-19-2013, 12:39 PM

I didn't have all of the Aurora monster models, but I definitely had The Creature From the Black Lagoon, he was my favorite!

The other ones I had were Godzilla and The Wolfman. I don't have those anymore, but a plastic Godzilla with moveable limbs is proudly on display on my bookshelf today.

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 12:49 PM

I didn't have all of the Aurora monster models, but I definitely had The Creature From the Black Lagoon, he was my favorite!
.

I had it too. I might've had Frankenstein too.

No Pride

01-19-2013, 12:55 PM

Rock Em Sock Em Robots.......by MARX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDjwtjIQS8

Gosh, I should stop skimming through threads and actually read everything. I totally missed this post before I brought the same toy up. Sorry, Walt!

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 12:56 PM

Another favorite toy when I was a kid was "Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots." )

Yep. That was a fun toy.

Did you ever have any toy instruments? I remember one time I wanted an electric guitar but couldn't afford one and I knew my Mom wouldn't buy me a real one. I must've been 11-12 years old. I remember they used advertize this "guitar/amp combo" thing in the back of comic books (along with the X-Ray Specs and shit like that). So I saved up and orderd the damn thing. Ya gotta laugh. I'm not sure what the hell I was expecting but it turned out to be a heavy plastic, hollowbody guitar with F holes and heavy gauge, steel strings. The "amp" was this little plastic thing that looked like a transistor radio. Basically it was a cheap, p.o.s. microphone. The part that you "plugged" into the guitar was the mic with suction cups, that you placed over an F hole. What a worthless, piece o' shit :lol

I also had a toy drum kit when I was around 7-8 years old. The bass drum had a picture of a Hawaaian sunset or something.

UnephenStephen

01-19-2013, 01:09 PM

I had two of these:
we had one (was my sisters i think). don't remember the name being Strange Change but i definitely remember the plastic squares and the cooking. after a while though, the squares didn't recompress too well which pretty much ruined it.

UnephenStephen

01-19-2013, 01:16 PM

speaking of playing with matches, there was another thing me and my brother were into that i don't remember the name of. they came in red-colored rolls and each roll contained numerous round pockets of gunpowder. we used to smash them with rocks or burn them with matches to explode them.

disclaimer: i/we never went so far with this stuff that we ended up setting something on fire. just normal kid stuff.

markwoll

01-19-2013, 02:40 PM

Caps, made for cap guns.

speaking of playing with matches, there was another thing me and my brother were into that i don't remember the name of. they came in red-colored rolls and each roll contained numerous round pockets of gunpowder. we used to smash them with rocks or burn them with matches to explode them.

disclaimer: i/we never went so far with this stuff that we ended up setting something on fire. just normal kid stuff.

UnephenStephen

01-19-2013, 03:38 PM

Caps, made for cap guns.yeah, i remember the word cap was in there somewhere but i forgot they were made for those guns (even though we probably had one).

Superfly

01-19-2013, 05:27 PM

Radio
the beatles
collecting 45's
nasa moonlanding models
universal monster models
drawing
hippies
television
girls - yes...it started at a very young age.

nosebone

01-19-2013, 05:55 PM

Back to playing with matches, I remember burning orange Hot Wheels tracks; plopping noxious flaming globules on the ground.

meimjustalawnmower

01-19-2013, 06:01 PM

yeah, i remember the word cap was in there somewhere but i forgot they were made for those guns (even though we probably had one).
Toy cowboy cap guns and holsters. So common when I was a little boy. Nowadays a little kid could be removed from his/her home for having one of these.

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 06:06 PM

:lol at Nosebones post.

UnephenStephen

01-19-2013, 06:09 PM

Toy cowboy cap guns and holsters. So common when I was a little boy. Nowadays a little kid could be removed from his/her home for having one of these.yeah, i was gonna say.. different times. i guess kids nowadays are too busy texting or playing video games to play with cap guns especially given the potential danger of using them. but Amazon still sells the guns and the caps which was surprising. i thought they went the way of the 8-track or VHS tapes.

meimjustalawnmower

01-19-2013, 06:39 PM

but Amazon still sells the guns and the caps which was surprising.
When cap guns are outlawed only outlaws will have cap guns.

ronmac

01-19-2013, 07:50 PM

Here's one I built several years ago.

http://www.ronmac-creative.com/Contact/files/dracula-model.jpg

ronmac

01-19-2013, 07:52 PM

When cap guns are outlawed only outlaws will have cap guns.

The only thing that stops a bad kid with a cap gun is a GOOD kid with a cap gun.

Vic2012

01-19-2013, 08:11 PM

I had cap guns. Never played with real guns ever. Hate 'em. But toy Tommy guns and cap guns .... Yeah! :lol

nosebone

01-19-2013, 09:22 PM

What about BB guns?

I had a Crossman 760 pump .

We used to have BB gun wars throughout our neighborhood.

No one ever got blinded, and I don't remember any coppers either!

meimjustalawnmower

01-19-2013, 09:43 PM

We used to have BB gun wars throughout our neighborhood. No one ever got blinded
Well, I'm guessing that you were either lucky, or every kid in your neighborhood was an expert marksman. If BB's can kill a bird, which they can, then they should easily be able to rip right through a human eyeball.

UnephenStephen

01-19-2013, 10:27 PM

What about BB guns?
my Dad wouldn't let us have one. thought they were too dangerous. but i wasn't like Ralphy in A Christmas Story where i just had to have one - it wasn't really that important to me.

Dave (in MA)

01-19-2013, 10:42 PM

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6SCiP-y5vmpaPUgGfJ4y_c2fjt0D-EwxxxhCm2UmVc-7LAPAB
For some reason, Nicky was the only non-alliterative one.

Klonk

01-19-2013, 10:47 PM

We used to have BB gun wars throughout our neighborhood.

:lol you sure we never played together? BB gun wars, roman candle battles...hell I even remember having lawn dart fights!

Dave (in MA)

01-19-2013, 10:51 PM

nosebone

01-19-2013, 11:26 PM

:lol
:lol you sure we never played together? BB gun wars, roman candle battles...hell I even remember having lawn dart fights!
Yes, Roman candle fights!,
And making bombs with shotgun shells,match heads and whatever other flammable household items we could get our hands on.
We were all little
pyros.

meimjustalawnmower

01-19-2013, 11:37 PM

:lol
Yes, Roman candle fights!,
And making bombs with shotgun shells,match heads and whatever other flammable household items we could get our hands on.
We were all little
pyros.
So...you guys were the assholes who shot off fireworks during arena concerts in the late 70's?

llanwydd

01-20-2013, 12:08 AM

One of my short-lived hobbies was filmmaking. I was 12 years old. My next door neighbor sold me a super8 camera and I got some film and made a Kung Fu movie inspired by the recent death of Bruce Lee. Only one of us (not myself) was a martial arts expert and I made him the star. I had it developed and kept in the can for 36 years before I was ever able to view it. Never got a super8 projector but eentually had it transfered to dvd. The kid who sold me the camera was in the film as well. One moment between takes Sam went home to get his shotgun and wanted to try a very spectacular stunt in which he would fire a shotgun shell, hollowed out and filled with ketchup, at an actor. I called it a day as soon as he got back to the set. I may have saved a life.

Scott Bails

01-20-2013, 12:11 AM

BB gun wars, roman candle battles...hell I even remember having lawn dart fights!

Wow. So much stupidity - no wonder you're a Rangers fan! ;):p

ronmac

01-20-2013, 11:29 AM

What no napalm battles? What pussies!

Klonk

01-20-2013, 01:05 PM

Wow. So much stupidity - no wonder you're a Rangers fan! ;):p

:lol see how it all comes together?

What can I say? These are the stupid things we did as kids, but at the time it was fun and what a lot of kids did. Sorry Proggies, models and comics just didn't cut it. We were outside from the buttcrack of dawn until Mom called us in for dinner.

Hey, if there was any good to come from it, I now have a high tolerance for pain :lol

JKL2000

01-20-2013, 10:05 PM

Anyone else remember getting a black thumbnail from setting off caps by flicking them? Someone in the neighborhood demonstrated how you could use a needle and thread and sew a whole roll of caps together through the gunpowder part, and then set it off by yanking the thread with the caps held just inside the lid of a metal trashcan. You could also make your own fireworks with the powder from a bunch of caps and masking tape - or so I've heard.

Caps were great! I liked using a magnifying glass to set them off.

Oh, here's a toy that's now perfectly positioned for a comeback - not! Anyone remember the PEZ Gun? It was a pistol that you loaded with PEZ, then you stuck the barrel in your mouth and shot the PEZ into your mouth. WTF were they thinking of? But we had them. You can see that "Bag o' Glass" wasn't that far off.

Vic2012

01-20-2013, 10:27 PM

We used to catch bees and fry 'em under a magnifying glass. I always felt sorry for them. I wasn't the nutjob frying 'em, but I'd help them catch the bees. :lol

Jefferson James

01-21-2013, 08:24 PM

So...you guys were the assholes who shot off fireworks during arena concerts in the late 70's?

Once, at a Hammy Sagar concert, I had some "ground bloom"-type fireworks; they look like M-80s, you light them on the ground and they spin like crazy. I lit one of them and hurled it against the wall of The Swing Auditorium; the thing exploded like you wouldn't believe -- massive!

I've done the same thing dozens of times since and have never been able to replicate the experience.

they came in red-colored rolls and each roll contained numerous round pockets of gunpowder.

I used to fold them so there were, like, 50 charges stacked on top of one another, then smash it with a hammer. We did everything with those cap-gun rolls -- lit them by scratching the cap with our fingernails, lighting them on fire, painstakingly removing the gunpowder for home-made paper firecrackers, etc. Good times.

Anyone ever use masking tape to tape a bunch of soda/beer cans together? You're supposed to remove the tops and bottoms, making a cannon. I never went that far, I just made screwdriver holes in the bottoms and tops. I just taped a bunch together, punched a small hole in the side of the bottom can, put in about a teaspoon of gasoline or lighter fluid, SHAKE THAT SUCKER, then light it from the top.

BOOM!

nosebone

01-21-2013, 10:06 PM

Awesome,,:rofl

llanwydd

01-21-2013, 10:08 PM

I remember explosives going off in Madison Square Garden at a Yes concert. The audience was very, very unhappy. I wonder who has to pay for the damage when somebody does that?

Scott Bails

01-21-2013, 10:09 PM

Benoit David

Vic2012

01-21-2013, 10:11 PM

Hey Kerry, if somehow we ever meet in person, remind me not to offer you a cigarette.

nosebone

01-21-2013, 10:14 PM

I was at a KISS concert at MSG in the late 70s and it was total bedlam with fireworks.

I believe it was the M-80 Joe Perry accident prompted the ban on concert fireworks.

meimjustalawnmower

01-21-2013, 10:16 PM

Once, at a Hammy Sagar concert, I had some "ground bloom"-type fireworks; they look like M-80s, you light them on the ground and they spin like crazy. I lit one of them and hurled it against the wall of The Swing Auditorium; the thing exploded like you wouldn't believe -- massive!
BOOM!
So I suppose you wouldn't mind seeing one of those things coming your way while you're up on stage, then?

llanwydd

01-21-2013, 10:33 PM

I believe it was the M-80 Joe Perry accident prompted the ban on concert fireworks.

You mean setting off bombs in the audience was allowed before then?

nosebone

01-21-2013, 10:34 PM

You mean setting off bombs in the audience was allowed before then?

Yup

progeezer

01-21-2013, 10:40 PM

In my neighborhood growing up (Sunnyside, Queens), there was an older kid (about 16 when I was 13), "Crazy" Gallagher, who was truly dangerous!:O

Two of his favorite little pranks were:

1. Going up on the roof of a six story apt. house and throwing a stuffed life-size dummy down in front of (or sometimes on to) moving cars below, and

2. Pouring ketchup and red food coloring all over his stomach, lying down by the wheels of a parked car, eyes almost shut, so all the red was showing. He would wait for an old lady to happen by, jump up screaming with his dick hanging out and run away!

That's life in the big city:p.

ronmac

01-22-2013, 12:27 AM

I remember explosives going off in Madison Square Garden at a Yes concert. The audience was very, very unhappy. I wonder who has to pay for the damage when somebody does that?

Or, the hospital bills, for that matter.

Hunnibee

01-22-2013, 03:44 AM

I remember the good ol' days before bottle rockets were banned. We used to put them in all kinds of crazy places to shoot them off. One time, I even had one in the back pocket of my jeans. I bent over and lit the rocket, and it took off into the sky. My ass did not explode, LOL! We did some crazy stuff back in the day. It's a wonder I still have both eyes and all 10 fingers!

Vic2012

01-22-2013, 07:19 AM

walt

01-22-2013, 08:33 AM

Trane

01-22-2013, 10:17 AM

Trane

01-22-2013, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by Vic2012
How did we survive our childhoods? I never wore a helmet while bike riding. We used the most toxic glue for our plastic models (I never huffed airplane glue, btw), we drank water out of a hose, and God knows what else we did back then that today would be considered "child abuse." Somehow, some of us turned out okay (a little cracked but okay in general).
And many of us seem to find our way to Progressive Ears.

Coincidence?.......You decide.

maybe we didn't survive these dangers as well as we thought we did?? :p ;)

nosebone

01-22-2013, 10:26 AM

Trane

01-22-2013, 11:30 AM

And neighborhood dogs roamed freely, pooping everywhere and biting kids left and right.
newspaperboys rang at unknown strangers' house to collect the money... sometimes were even invited for a glass of milk or ... dare I say it?? .... a beer (I delivered until 17)

Rarebird

01-22-2013, 11:36 AM

newspaperboys rang at unknown strangers' house to collect the money... sometimes were even invited for a glass of milk or ... dare I say it?? .... a beer (I delivered until 17)

Never been invited in. Only got some money. Some people I still remember like Ton van der Kleij (drummer with Earth & Fire) who always gave me a nice tip.

walt

01-22-2013, 11:40 AM

..and a slice of pizza was 15 cents.

Yes..i'm old.:)

nosebone

01-22-2013, 12:54 PM

..and a slice of pizza was 15 cents.

Yes..i'm old.:)

And in restaurants, you could smoke Marlboros with one hand and eat your meal with the other.

Don Arnold

01-22-2013, 01:04 PM

How did we survive our childhoods? I never wore a helmet while bike riding. We used the most toxic glue for our plastic models (I never huffed airplane glue, btw), we drank water out of a hose, and God knows what else we did back then that today would be considered "child abuse." Somehow, some of us turned out okay (a little cracked but okay in general).

And many of us seem to find our way to Progressive Ears.

Coincidence?.......You decide.

maybe we didn't survive these dangers as well as we thought we did?? :p ;)

I see it all clearly now. It's a real life version of Lost. Progressive Ears is the island. PE members are the cast. See you all in some church....

Trane

01-22-2013, 01:26 PM

See you all in some church....

unless it's to burn it down, no way!!! :D

And even then, don't need to go inside ;)

ronmac

01-22-2013, 02:06 PM

unless it's to burn it down, no way!!!

Nice. From the South of Brussels?

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 02:10 PM

So I suppose you wouldn't mind seeing one of those things coming your way while you're up on stage, then?

Your supposition would be dead wrong; what part of "I hurled it against a wall" are you failing to grasp, oh wise one?

Man, your imagination makes more failed leaps than Evel Knievel.

nosebone

01-22-2013, 02:25 PM

Man, your imagination makes more failed leaps than Evel Knievel.

:rofl

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 02:48 PM

Your supposition would be dead wrong; what part of "I hurled it against a wall" are you failing to grasp, oh wise one?

Man, your imagination makes more failed leaps than Evel Knievel.
You claimed to have done this at a Sammy Hagar concert. Even if you personally didn't send fireworks into the audience or at the stage, you sure were'nt doing much to discourage the behavior. Imagine that. :roll

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 03:06 PM

You claimed to have done this at a Sammy Hagar concert. Even if you personally didn't send fireworks into the audience or at the stage, you sure were'nt doing much to discourage the behavior. Imagine that. :roll

My claim is true -- Elvis Costello wrote that. :) I remain blissfully unaware of any obligation on my part to discourage anyone's behavior, anywhere, at any time, whether 30 years ago or 30 seconds ago.

And, dude, I was 17 years old. Come on, man. People were smoking pot at that show, too -- it was illegal in California then (cough). I didn't see anyone there discouraging that kind of behavior.

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 03:22 PM

My claim is true -- Elvis Costello wrote that. :) I remain blissfully unaware of any obligation on my part to discourage anyone's behavior, anywhere, at any time, whether 30 years ago or 30 seconds ago.
So I ask the same question as before: Would you mind seeing one of those things coming your way while you're up on stage? You're a professional musician, so be honest.

And, dude, I was 17 years old. Come on, man. People were smoking pot at that show, too -- it was illegal in California then (cough). I didn't see anyone there discouraging that kind of behavior.
Really? You're gonna compare pot smoking with an M80 exploding in someone's lap, or a bottle rocket whizzing towards your head? I was 17 once, too, but I wasn't stupid.

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 03:43 PM

So I ask the same question as before: Would you mind seeing one of those things coming your way while you're up on stage? You're a professional musician, so be honest.

No. Edited: No, I would not want to see any fireworks coming my way while I'm on a stage. The only thing I want to see coming my way would be panties and bras -- but not yours. :)

You're gonna compare pot smoking with an M80 exploding in someone's lap, or a bottle rocket whizzing towards your head? I was 17 once, too, but I wasn't stupid.

Again, you missed the landing Evel. You accused me of not "discouraging that behavior", in which my response made my feelings perfectly clear: it is not my responsibility nor obligation to make anyone aware of the merits -- or lack thereof -- of their behavior. I don't have kids of my own and those would be the only humans on the planet to which I would feel a responsibility to hold accountable for their actions.

Klonk

01-22-2013, 04:03 PM

Really? You're gonna compare pot smoking with an M80 exploding in someone's lap, or a bottle rocket whizzing towards your head? I was 17 once, too, but I wasn't stupid.

The stupid kids were way more fun to hang out with.

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 04:06 PM

No. Edited: No, I would not want to see any fireworks coming my way while I'm on a stage. The only thing I want to see coming my way would be panties and bras -- but not yours. :)
You're a funny guy.

Again, you missed the landing Evel. You accused me of not "discouraging that behavior", in which my response made my feelings perfectly clear: it is not my responsibility nor obligation to make anyone aware of the merits -- or lack thereof -- of their behavior. I don't have kids of my own and those would be the only humans on the planet to which I would feel a responsibility to hold accountable for their actions.
Well, what you were actually doing was to encourage the behavior, whether you think so or not. Fireworks used by amateurs have no place in that type of setting. As a performing artist you would also have not just the obligation, but also the responsibility to ensure the safety of those who pay only to see you perform. Luckily for you, there's not much of this kinda thing happening these days. But I understand. You were just 17. We all did some dumb shit when we were young. Then most of us grew up.

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 04:12 PM

The stupid kids were way more fun to hang out with.
And they never elevated their taste in beer.

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 05:33 PM

Well, what you were actually doing was to encourage the behavior,

Apparently he only behavior I'm encouraging is you being fucking weird.

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 05:50 PM

Apparently he only behavior I'm encouraging is you being fucking weird.
Truth hits everybody. Sting wrote that. ;)

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 05:52 PM

And the truth is you're being totally weird. I wrote that. :)

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 06:00 PM

And the truth is you're being totally weird. I wrote that. :)
Well, if that's the best you can do...

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 06:05 PM

That's all I need to do -- I called you out, stomped on you, rolled you up and smoked you. Be nice or I'll hurl fireworks the next time I see you at a 10,000 Maniacs concert. :)

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 06:10 PM

That's all I need to do -- I called you out, stomped on you, rolled you up and smoked you. Be nice or I'll hurl fireworks the next time I see you at a 10,000 Maniacs concert. :)
No man. Instead of actually trying to engage in a serious conversation, you chose to flex your 17 year-old muscles. Good job.

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 06:14 PM

If that's the best you can do...now can we get back to childhood interests and hobbies? Thanks. Love you, mean it.

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 06:32 PM

Rope-a-dope.
"...hit nothing but air." Angelo Dundee said that.

Love you back.

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 06:36 PM

Love you back.

I accept your apology and agree to move forward not only with this thread, but with our relationship. My advisors -- Meg and Ryan -- will be in touch with you soon to confirm the details of our arrangement.

Dude, if you want to start a thread about fireworks and concerts, I would be happy to not only open the thread, but to engage in meaningful discussion under said header. Meanwhile, can we get back to childhood interests and discussions?

Actually reverting to childhood doesn't suit either of us. :)

Vic2012

01-22-2013, 07:34 PM

Kerry wins!!! :lol

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 07:44 PM

Vic -- we all lose when someone gets an eye put out by a stray firework.

Lou

01-22-2013, 07:51 PM

It's all fun and games, until someone gets hurt. Then it becomes hilarious!

Jefferson James

01-22-2013, 07:55 PM

^:)

Lou

01-22-2013, 08:10 PM

meimjustalawnmower

01-22-2013, 08:10 PM

Kerry wins!!! :lol

It's all fun and games, until someone gets hurt. Then it becomes hilarious!
I hope you guys have your kneepads on. ;)

Lou

01-22-2013, 08:15 PM

I hope you guys have your kneepads on. ;)

Plenty of scar tissue. Don't need 'em.

Vic2012

01-23-2013, 06:04 AM

Vic -- we all lose when someone gets an eye put out by a stray firework.

Yes I know :). But I just couldn't help LMAO reading that back and forth exchange between you guys. Okay I was a little X)+:beer when I was reading it and I had this vision of Kerry standing in the middle of a ring and the referee is holding your arm up declaring you the winner :lol :rofl. These back-and-forth exchanges that go on for a page or two are very entertaining.

Trane

01-23-2013, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by Trane
unless it's to burn it down, no way!!!
Nice. From the South of Brussels?

Naaah, central Norway :p ;)

Vic -- we all lose when someone gets an eye put out by a stray firework.

Never undrestood the attraction of fireworks... The Dutch are really into that shit... and the Enschede catastrophe ten years ago (countless deads and half the city burned to the ground) hasn't cooled them at all

nosebone

01-23-2013, 12:12 PM

Never undrestood the attraction of fireworks..

Well....,they're good for distracting zombies

Rarebird

01-23-2013, 02:34 PM

Never undrestood the attraction of fireworks... The Dutch are really into that shit... and the Enschede catastrophe ten years ago (countless deads and half the city burned to the ground) hasn't cooled them at all
No, the Dutch like their fireworks. Don't get started about a forbidding it, because it is a divine right, just like guns in the US. In one or two years the fireworks in the Netherlands bring more damaged eyes, than the complete war in Iraq.

East New York

01-26-2013, 05:50 AM

In my neighborhood growing up (Sunnyside, Queens)

Sun Luck! Sun Luck, OMG, Sun Luck!

Brian Griffin

01-26-2013, 09:26 AM

Got some neighbors, I'm from Jackson Heights

BG

walt

01-26-2013, 09:45 AM

Grew up in Flushing, moved(en famille) to Jamaica Estates,moved to Brooklyn,now living in Oakland Gardens(Queens).

East New York

01-26-2013, 11:09 AM

Got some neighbors, I'm from Jackson Heights

I remember that Astoria, JH, LIC, and Woodside were absolutely crawling with Yes and Genesis fans.

Grew up in Flushing, moved(en famille) to Jamaica Estates,moved to Brooklyn,now living in Oakland Gardens(Queens).

Nice. I'd give almost anything to move back home.

Brian Griffin

01-26-2013, 12:38 PM

I remember that Astoria, JH, LIC, and Woodside were absolutely crawling with Yes and Genesis fans.

Yerp

I'd give almost anything to move back home.

I don't know about that, but I do miss NY Pizza, Bagels, Greek food in Astoria, and Indian in Jackson Heights :)

I will say this, I visited the Heights a few years back to coincide with a Yesshow and it was great to visit

Italian, Irish, Greek make up is now Indian and Middle Eastern but a rock solid middle class neighborhood, fantastic to see

I could not believe the improvements made to a public park that was a block away from where I grew up

BG

progeezer

01-26-2013, 01:33 PM

I went back to Woodside last year for a reunion of a bunch of guys (incl moi) that used to sing doo-wop under the Queens Blvd./Roosevelt Ave "el" for the echo, and it was a trip singing all that acapella stuff again and seeing friends I hadn't seen in almost 50 years.

I miss NY Jewish deli food more than anything (especially knishes), as well as REAL NY fold-over pizza, but I gotta say that I'm elated at how my 5 kids have turned out being raised in a quiet, safe midwest neighborhood instead of NYC streets.

I often tell people when they ask where I'm from, "I was born & raised in NYC, but in 1971 I moved to the United States":D.

Tasia - Sun Luck! Holy shit, memories galore!:D

walt

01-26-2013, 02:21 PM

Flushing has the best Asian food outside of Chinatown.Better than Chinatown, in fact.Less touristy(but that is changing,slowly but inexorably).

Jackson Heights is a vibrant polyglot community.I've seen concerts of Indian classical music there.It's nice not to always have to go into Manhattan to see that genre of music.

Where we lived in Jamaica Estates is almost unrecognizable.The houses were mostly torn down and rebuilt more gaudily by the Bukharan (Russian) people who bought up every house they could get their hands on.

UnephenStephen

01-27-2013, 03:43 PM

drum lessons
hot wheels/johnny lightning hobby cars
Chess
Hardy Boys
playing with matches
taking peeks at Playboy or Penthouseforgot to mention model rockets. there was a company back then called Estes that made model kits that we would either send away for via regular mail (gasp!) or buy at a local toy store. it was a fun hobby. there was one rocket that we never found when it came back to earth but that was rare. others when they got old and we tired of them, we'd glue the nose of the rocket in the body so it couldn't pop out and release the parachute effectively blowing it up when the gases from the rocket engine built up and had nowhere to go. good times. :lol

meimjustalawnmower

01-27-2013, 07:52 PM

I miss NY Jewish deli food more than anything (especially knishes)

When I divorced my first wife in '84, I decided to go visit my father in White Plains NY just to clear out my head, which was how I eventually wound up living in the NE for the next 26 years (but that's neither here nor there). Anyway, Dad treats me to a Mets game. It was my first time at Shea. I go to the food stand and I see this thing called a "knish" on the menu board. I ask my Dad - "What's a nish?" (I thought the k was silent). He told me how to pronounce it, what it was, and " just put mustard on it". I said "What's the deal with mustard around here? Does it have to go on everything?"
Now, this wasn't my first time in NY. I had been in Katz's Deli when I was a teenager in NYC on vacation, but I guess I wasn't paying attention back then.

That was my introduction to the knish, which I still love to this day, and I'm catholic. :)

Trane

01-28-2013, 07:13 AM

I miss NY Jewish deli food more than anything (especially knishes), as well as REAL NY fold-over pizza, but I gotta say that I'm elated at how my 5 kids have turned out being raised in a quiet, safe midwest neighborhood instead of NYC streets.

Next time you're in montreal, don't forget to try the Montreal Smoked Meat in Jewish deli shops... you'll never want that NY pastrami anymore ;)

walt

01-28-2013, 07:22 AM

Katz's Deli :)

As a kid, going to Katz's Deli was a treat,something to really look forward to.We didn't do it very often so each time was memorable.We'd usually also make a stop at Yonah Schimmel's Knish joint.

Last year my brother and sister in law came into NYC to visit from AustinTX where they live.My brother insisted we make a pilgrimage to Katz's,something we hadn't done in 30 years or so.

Very disappointing.The place was SRO,apparently it's still the touristy thing to do to visit Katz's, but the food was mediocre(my sister in law liked it but she was the only one).I've had better deli sandwiches at my local deli in Oakland Gardens,and a hell of a lot less expensive,too.

I've had it with Katz's.Never going back again.

meimjustalawnmower

01-28-2013, 10:38 AM

Very disappointing. The place was SRO,apparently it's still the touristy thing to do to visit Katz's, but the food was mediocre(my sister in law liked it but she was the only one). I've had better deli sandwiches at my local deli in Oakland Gardens,and a hell of a lot less expensive,too. I've had it with Katz's. Never going back again.

Yeah, I've heard a couple of comments like that recently. Too bad, I guess. Thing's ain't what they used to be.

progeezer

01-28-2013, 11:08 AM

Next time you're in montreal, don't forget to try the Montreal Smoked Meat in Jewish deli shops... you'll never want that NY pastrami anymore ;)I've had the large Montreal smoked meat sandwich at the legendary Schwartz's Deli there, Hugues. It was very good (but too fatty for my taste). I'll still take the Hebrew National Corned Beef & Pastrami in NYC anytime.:)

llanwydd

01-28-2013, 11:35 AM

I discovered that if two pre teen boys each were to grab an arm of a Stretch Armstrong, and proceed to walk in opposite directions, You could make Stretch extend almost the entire length of a KMart aisle. However, he does NOT revert back to original form after this.

Not to get off the present tangent but this is the funniest story in the thread. Being at the top of the page, I'm surprised that nobody commented on it. What was the final outcome of the experiment? Did you get to keep Stretch?

Brian Griffin

01-28-2013, 11:37 AM

Not to get off the present tangent but this is the funniest story in the thread. Being at the top of the page, I'm surprised that nobody commented on it. What was the final outcome of the experiment? Did you get to keep Stretch?

One would presume that being teens, they simply walked way and left the ruined toy on the shelf

BG

ronmac

01-28-2013, 12:28 PM

Yeah, I've heard a couple of comments like that recently. Too bad, I guess. Thing's ain't what they used to be.

Just like those clowns in Philly making cheese steaks with Cheez Wiz.

Jay G

01-28-2013, 02:32 PM

Just like those clowns in Philly making cheese steaks with Cheez Wiz.

Very funny you should mention this. Any real cheesesteak fan in the Philly area knows that Genos, Pat's and Jim's (3 world famous places) are garbage tourist trap places and there are dozens of local neighborhood places much much better. Real fans do not put Cheez Wiz on our steaks. We put silky melted american cheese. Lastly, real cheesesteaks are not made with Amaroso rolls even though most people think they are the real deal. They are again garbage that is awful tasting and mushy.

Rarebird

01-28-2013, 02:34 PM

Cheesesteaks? Why would one want to ruin a perfect steak by putting cheese on it? It's sacrilege.

Jay G

01-28-2013, 02:54 PM

Cheesesteaks? Why would one want to ruin a perfect steak by putting cheese on it? It's sacrilege.

Different kind of steak. Not a slab you would eat open fire grilled from a traditional steakhouse but a thinly sliced cut of Ribeye fried on a flat top with oil and served on an Italian long roll that is soft and chewy on the inside while firm on the outside. Typically served with melted cheese, fried or raw onions, peppers, etc. It is a legendary sandwhich in Philly. One of the shops I mentioned above, Pats, even made an appearance in the very first Rocky movie.

ronmac

01-28-2013, 02:57 PM

Very funny you should mention this. Any real cheesesteak fan in the Philly area knows that Genos, Pat's and Jim's (3 world famous places) are garbage tourist trap places and there are dozens of local neighborhood places much much better. Real fans do not put Cheez Wiz on our steaks. We put silky melted american cheese. Lastly, real cheesesteaks are not made with Amaroso rolls even though most people think they are the real deal. They are again garbage that is awful tasting and mushy.

Actually, I believe provolone is the standard.

Jay G

01-28-2013, 03:00 PM

Actually, I believe provolone is the standard. Not sure what is standard. My favorite shop which has been voted Philly best numerous times and is legendary amongst true steaksandwich lovers uses all cheeses but the best is the silky american kept melted in a giant double boiler.

Scott Bails

01-28-2013, 03:08 PM

Very funny you should mention this. Any real cheesesteak fan in the Philly area knows that Genos, Pat's and Jim's (3 world famous places) are garbage tourist trap places and there are dozens of local neighborhood places much much better. .

I agree about Geno's and Pat's, but Jim's rules.

And I'm not a fan of Whiz - I'm a provolone guy. :cool

Scott Bails

01-28-2013, 03:08 PM

Cheesesteaks? Why would one want to ruin a perfect steak by putting cheese on it? It's sacrilege.

With all due respect, you know nothing about which you speak. ;)

Scott Bails

01-28-2013, 03:09 PM

Not sure what is standard. My favorite shop which has been voted Philly best numerous times and is legendary amongst true steaksandwich lovers uses all cheeses but the best is the silky american kept melted in a giant double boiler.

Which shop is that, Jay?

Jay G

01-28-2013, 03:17 PM

UnephenStephen

01-28-2013, 03:45 PM

when did this become a food thread?

Rarebird

01-28-2013, 03:51 PM

With all due respect, you know nothing about which you speak. ;)

I do, I just hate cheese, so anything containing cheese is a no go for me.

Rarebird

01-28-2013, 03:56 PM

Different kind of steak. Not a slab you would eat open fire grilled from a traditional steakhouse but a thinly sliced cut of Ribeye fried on a flat top with oil and served on an Italian long roll that is soft and chewy on the inside while firm on the outside. Typically served with melted cheese, fried or raw onions, peppers, etc. It is a legendary sandwhich in Philly. One of the shops I mentioned above, Pats, even made an appearance in the very first Rocky movie.
Sounds nice enough, but still no cheese for me. I may be Dutch, but if there is one thing I hate, it's cheese. Nowaday I always have to ask if something contains cheese. Hamburger, no cheese please. Farmhouse omelet, no cheese please. Otherwise I get stuck with something with cheese, which makes it uneatable for me.

Jay G

01-28-2013, 03:57 PM

when did this become a food thread?

Eating was my #1 childhood hobbie.

Dave (in MA)

01-28-2013, 05:09 PM

I do, I just hate cheese, so anything containing cheese is a no go for me.
You could try the cheese, steak, cheese and cheese. that's not got much cheese in it.

UnephenStephen

01-28-2013, 07:07 PM

I do, I just hate cheese, so anything containing cheese is a no go for me.i'm glad i'm not the only one (though i love pizza - still haven't figured that one out).

Scott Bails

01-28-2013, 07:11 PM

Steve's Prince of Steaks. 3 locations (2 in NE Philly and 1 in Langhorne Bucks Co) but for some reason the 1 location is not as good. They are so good that the most recent steak shop darling in Philly actually copied their sandwich style from Steve's and has admitted so.

Ah..yes. I've been there a few times. Great place, indeed.

I do, I just hate cheese, so anything containing cheese is a no go for me.

Then you're obviously not qualified to comment! ;):p

(I kid, I kid)

yogibear

01-28-2013, 08:45 PM

basketball , baseball , softball, football, running, reading, stealing, fighting, comic books, bicycles, and modifying them. going to the local swimming pool to play in the water even though i couldn't swim. drag racing with dad. game playing as in darts, badminton, pool, board games chess checkers poker and black jack and games of skill. elvis presley mostly due to dads influence. music , radio, free concerts , watching and hanging with friends into karate, listening to heavy rock and big time guitar freak when i could find it since we were rather poor i had to mooch. working at the local fruit farms cutting fruit as in peaches, apricots and pears to prep them for drying.

Vic2012

01-29-2013, 06:20 AM

Scott Bails

01-29-2013, 10:02 AM

Has anyone ever put Philly Cream cheese on a Philly Cheese steak? Is that allowed? Personally, I find the Philly cheese steak sandwich a little overrated. Like "Buffalo Wings" and other regional favorites, it's only "the best" when you're actually eating one in its place of origin, .... right Scott? :lol

Not so sure it's the geography that makes it, but, for whatever reason, you can't get these regional favorites done correctly except in their place of origin.

If I had a dime for every person I knew who dreamed of opening an "authentic" Philly Cheesesteak place in Florida, or Arizona - someplace where Southeastern PA folks would go to retire - I'd be a millionaire.

Seriously, the cheese steak is a good sammich. I just don't see anything unique about them. It's just a hot, beef sandwhich with melted cheese on a roll. I don't get all the hand wringing over them. It's like New York pizza vs. Chicag deep dish. The fate of nations hangs in the balance over this :p.

Again, you can't get the true sandwich - or pizza, or whatever - except in its place of origin, for whatever reason. Like the Primanti from Pittsburgh, or the various regions' BBQ.

Everything else is fugazi. :lol

No Pride

01-29-2013, 11:47 AM

Not so sure it's the geography that makes it, but, for whatever reason, you can't get these regional favorites done correctly except in their place of origin.

If I had a dime for every person I knew who dreamed of opening an "authentic" Philly Cheesesteak place in Florida, or Arizona - someplace where Southeastern PA folks would go to retire - I'd be a millionaire.

Again, you can't get the true sandwich - or pizza, or whatever - except in its place of origin, for whatever reason. Like the Primanti from Pittsburgh, or the various regions' BBQ.

Everything else is fugazi. :lol
On a somewhat related note, there's (what I believe to be) a national chain called "California Pizza Kitchens." Sometimes I'll drive past one and think to myself, "why would anybody in Chicago want a California pizza?!" :O

walt

01-29-2013, 12:11 PM

Hell,it's getting harder and harder to find a joint in NYC that makes the old fashioned"New York" style egg cream.And malted.

I wish i could go back in time to Rogers' candy store on Union Turnpike(187th st).They made primo egg creams and malteds, to die for.

It's now a storefront dental clinic.Irony of ironies.

progeezer

01-29-2013, 12:19 PM

I'm waiting for the "what's an egg cream?" post:lol.

No Pride

01-29-2013, 12:30 PM

I'm waiting for the "what's an egg cream?" post:lol.

What's an egg cream?

Didn't want to keep you waiting too long, Steve; you being at the age when you're afraid to buy bananas if they're too green. ;)

But seriously, what's an egg cream? :oops Is it a NYC kinda thing?

progeezer

01-29-2013, 12:38 PM

What's an egg cream?

Didn't want to keep you waiting too long, Steve; you being at the age when you're afraid to buy bananas if they're too green. ;)

But seriously, what's an egg cream? :oops Is it a NYC kinda thing?It really is a NYC thing, Ernie. You take chocolate syrup, put it in the bottom of a large glass. Then you put in JUST A LITTLE milk. You then put in seltzer (club soda) UNDER PRESSURE (a spritzer or fountain) while mixing vigorously. It creates a creamy, frothy top to your creamy chocolate soda. There are no eggs (other than in the milk) in an egg cream.

Holy shit, you got a straight answer!:O

Oh yeah, and I got your banana.........:p

walt

01-29-2013, 12:52 PM

You take chocolate syrup,

YOU take chocolate syrup.I take vanilla syrup.;)

MudShark22

01-29-2013, 01:05 PM

Actually having a cheesesteak for lunch today.

American "wit', no sauce.

Different kind of steak. Not a slab you would eat open fire grilled from a traditional steakhouse but a thinly sliced cut of Ribeye fried on a flat top with oil and served on an Italian long roll that is soft and chewy on the inside while firm on the outside. Typically served with melted cheese, fried or raw onions, peppers, etc. It is a legendary sandwhich in Philly. One of the shops I mentioned above, Pats, even made an appearance in the very first Rocky movie.

progeezer

01-29-2013, 01:06 PM

YOU take chocolate syrup.I take vanilla syrup.;)Yeah, they used to make Vanilla & Strawberry egg creams too, but I'm a fucking purist!:D

Dave the Brave

01-29-2013, 01:30 PM

It really is a NYC thing, Ernie. You take chocolate syrup, put it in the bottom of a large glass. Then you put in JUST A LITTLE milk. You then put in seltzer (club soda) UNDER PRESSURE (a spritzer or fountain) while mixing vigorously. It creates a creamy, frothy top to your creamy chocolate soda. There are no eggs (other than in the milk) in an egg cream.

Holy shit, you got a straight answer!:O

Oh yeah, and I got your banana.........:p

Hey Steve. I didn't know there was eggs in milk. Learn something new every day. :huh

Brian Griffin

01-29-2013, 01:35 PM

The NYC soda shop on the block I worked on in the 70s / 80s made Lime Rickeys in addition to Egg Creams

BG

progeezer

01-29-2013, 01:55 PM

Hey Dave - the secret's out!:p

I flunked Bovine Biology miserably, and remember, I'M FUCKING OLD!!:D

Dave the Brave

01-29-2013, 01:57 PM

Hey Dave - the secret's out!:p

I flunked Bovine Biology miserably, and remember, I'M FUCKING OLD!!:D
Don't worry Steve I'm just pulling your leg.

Dave Sr is the only guy older than me and you.

DtB

progeezer

01-29-2013, 02:06 PM

Oh, I know!:D

Dave (in MA)

01-29-2013, 02:13 PM

There are no eggs (other than in the milk)How the hell did the cow pull that off?

ronmac

01-29-2013, 02:36 PM

How the hell did the cow pull that off?

Why, that's udder nonsense!

walt

01-29-2013, 03:32 PM

To err is human,to forgive,bovine.

progeezer

01-29-2013, 07:28 PM

I am humbled that my premature dementia has provided amusement for my friends:D.

nosebone

01-29-2013, 09:15 PM

Any hot dog chili freaks here?

Take a Hummel hot dog and smother it with Pat's (RIP) hubba-hubba chili.

There's only one Pat's left in Stamford Ct., since he passed away a couple years ago.

meimjustalawnmower

01-29-2013, 09:36 PM

Any hot dog chili freaks here?

Oh yeah...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUu9pLT60qU

East New York

01-29-2013, 09:57 PM

Not just *any* old syrup in dem egg creams (quoth the Erudite Brooklynite)....but DIS stuff:

1049

progeezer

01-29-2013, 10:08 PM

U-Bet! We have friends who live in Manhattan who sent us a Zabar's basket for Christmas. There's still a little Fox's U-Bet in our frig!:lol

Here's an old NYC question: What was Yogi Berra's favorite drink?

meimjustalawnmower

01-29-2013, 10:15 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtbulcYcHc4

progeezer

01-29-2013, 10:18 PM

:D:D

East New York

01-29-2013, 10:33 PM

LOL...right on. I loved Yoo-Hoo!

Now, what was Joe Franklin's (of WOR-AM radio) favorite drink?

(I used to listen to this station as a kid because I loved Jean Shepherd)

Scott Bails

01-29-2013, 10:37 PM

Always loved Yoo-Hoo. :up

progeezer

01-29-2013, 11:18 PM

Was Joe Franklin's Ovaltine?

llanwydd

01-29-2013, 11:48 PM

Now, what was Joe Franklin's (of WOR-AM radio) favorite drink?

(I used to listen to this station as a kid because I loved Jean Shepherd)

You too? I grew up in northwest New Jersey and WOR reached all the way to Pennsylvania. I loved Gene Shepherd. I think I was one of the first people ever to hear the story of Ralph, Schwartz and Flick. Remember Rambling With Gambling? It was on for over 70 years with at least three generations of John Gamblings. Another favorite of mine was CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. I listened to every show from the time it first aired for about two years. Then later on they had Bob and Ray which was pretty bizarre. Some of my very earliest memories are of eating breakfast while listening to Gambling as well as the traffic report with Fred Feldman (later George Mead) who gave the first radio reports ever broadcast from a helicopter. WOR's transmitters used to be in NYC. Now they are in Secaucus, NJ.

East New York

01-30-2013, 12:16 AM

You too? I grew up in northwest New Jersey and WOR reached all the way to Pennsylvania. I loved Gene Shepherd. I think I was one of the first people ever to hear the story of Ralph, Schwartz and Flick. Remember Rambling With Gambling? It was on for over 70 years with at least three generations of John Gamblings. Another favorite of mine was CBS Radion Mystery Theatre. I listened to every show from the time it first aired for about two years. Then later on they had Bob and Ray which was pretty bizarre. Some of my very earliest memories are of eating breakfast while listening to Gambling as well as the traffic report with Fred Feldman (later George Mead) who gave the first radio reports ever broadcast from a helicopter. WOR's transmitters used to be in NYC. Now they are in Secaucus, NJ.

Yeah! My mother listened to Rambling With Gambling when I was a kid, too! Listening to WOR each weeknight, late, was a big part of my childhood; I also remember hearing Ed and Pegeen Fitzgerald, Arlene Francis, and Barry Farber, too.

I was scared out of my wits, but also laughing, when Jean told the story of his tonsillectomy on his show. Great, great stuff.

walt

01-30-2013, 07:50 AM

Brian Griffin

01-30-2013, 07:53 AM

My beloved Pops tortured me with Rambling with Gambling both when were together in the car as well as with the radio above the fridge in the kitchen

I do remember John Wingate

Pops was a big Bernard Meltzer fan as well

BG

llanwydd

01-30-2013, 08:20 AM

WOR was a fixture on the kitchen radio in my parents house.All these names ring a bell-Rambling With Gambling,Fred Feldman...

Anyone old enough(besides me) to remember Henry Gladstone doing the news on WOR?....Harry Hennessey...John Wingate....Peter Roberts....Roger Skibenes...anyone remember(i sure do)Lyle Vann signing off with his trademark"Goodnight little redheads.....and everyone."

Yeah, these names are all coming back. That's probably good for the brain. Gladstone had a voice I might describe as "trebly" which seemed suited to AM radio. There is one other name I remember. John Scott who I believe didn't appear until the early 70s. I remember the name Lyle Vann but I don't remember "Goodnight little redheads".