OT: Bygone Behaviors

[UConnChapette]

Being left alone on summer days when my mom had to work. My sister and I were 10 and 8. We had chores to do to keep us busy and out of trouble, but once the chores were done we could hang out with our friends - even have them in the house without our parents around. If we did all our assigned chores, on Fridays we would get money to go to 7-11 to get penny candy and a coke slurpee. That dollar went a looooonnnnnggggg way back then.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

The red sign with black numerals in the kitchen window giving the price size of the block of ice to be brought into the ice box through the always unlocked kitchen door

 

[JRRRJ]

In East Hartford we had to shovel the driveway because the streets were plowed and it was a good 2 or 3 foot berm to drive through. We had VWs and they are pretty good on snow... with the engine over the drive wheels and all. I was just curious... thanks.

You had different snow than we did, apparently. Must have been really dry most of the time. Where was it?

I remember more than one occasion when, for some reason, we had a need to go out before the snowplows came through in the morning (we were on a back street). At least once with the Beetle and once with the monster '49 Chrysler Windsor DeLuxe, the front bumper pushed up a pile of snow that, getting under the car, provided enough lift that the rear wheels just spun, barely contacting the ground. We had to get out, grab the shovels that were always in the car in the winter and shovel snow out from under the rear axle and throw sand on the street (sometimes from buckets in the car, sometimes from sandboxes on the side of the street provided by the town) in front of the wheels to get going again. That wasn't often but, as I said, it was more than once. I suspect this was the heavy, crusty snow we got when a wet evening storm froze on top overnight, but my memory isn't that detailed.

 

[reno tony]

Re-reading my post... it wasn't very clear. We had the wet snow most of the time, and if the plows hadn't come yet we could get out of the driveway... most of the time. But once the plows came, the driveway had to be shoveled to get in or out. My family had VWs which were okay in the snow, but I had a 69 Firebird... most useless car in the snow made by man. This was circa 1975.

45 TO GO​

 

[JRRRJ]

A variety. Two I most remember were a 1950 Jeepster and a 1953 Mercury woody. Did we spin wheels sometime? Sure. Even got stuck once in a while and had to dig ourselves out. But remember front/4 wheel drive doesn't help with 2 of the 3 driving essentials: steering and stopping.

Yeah, I quoted the wrong post. My response just above was actually to what RegisteredUConn had posted.

 

[ctfjr]

Hitchhiking home from school in Boston. The Pike wasn't finished then so we took the T to Riverside Station, the last stop. That was where the Pike started (or ended, depending on your destination). We would stand at the entrance to the Pike with a sign that said 'Waterbury, CT'. Always got a ride and often the driver would take me right to my parents' house but mostly would drop me off at an exit in Waterbury & I would call home for a ride (from a phone booth).

 

[Waquoit]

In East Hartford we had to shovel the driveway

That's East Hartford. Try that in West Hartford these days and you might get tazed by the cops.

 

[reno tony]

That's East Hartford. Try that in West Hartford these days and you might get tazed by the cops.

Wow, tough neighborhood.

 

[MJS UCONN'73]

In the late 50s- early 60s, movies (double feature, cartoons) were 25 cents, but Disney movies were 50cents. First movie I saw when the price went up to 35 cents was " Battle in Outer Space". Movie theaters packed every Saturday. In the winter, going into the theater at 1pm and coming out in the dark........walking home 2 miles in the snow.

Walking 1.5 miles to my elementary school (few kids took bikes). Elementary Schools didn't have cafeterias- so at lunchtime you walked all the way home for a sandwich and then walked all the way back again.........all in 1 hour and 15 minutes. For me, it was a total of almost 7 miles a day.....and could be a tough slog in the Winter.

Neighborhood stores located on the first floor - or slightly below ground - in 2/3 story houses. The only "supermarkets" we're " downtown". When the first supermarket - a "First National" - was built closer to home.......most of those mom and pop stores began to struggle and eventually disappear.

When the first editions of Playboy were published - sneaking peaks in the back of the local Rexall Drug Store with my other degenerate 10 year old friends, and then running outside and laughing like crazy. And then going back in to buy our nickel candy or Popsicle.or bag of Stateline potato chips.