New England Life

zzzzzzzzz...... hey, at least we aren't arguing about taxes again!

Hi Boo,

Yeah, Whalom Park was pretty nice. I do sorta remember a nice garden in the middle of things - but being the young kid I was, I wasn't at all interested in it. I also remember something of a lake with a boat you could buy a ticket for a ride on. I remember, because the cotton candy booth was down there never went on the boat since it wasn't part of the ticket.

It was a fun place, it's really sad that it had to close. People just expect so much these days and can't seem to be happy with simpler things. I did used to ride on the carousel - and the ferris wheel a little (scared me a bit), I spent a lot of my time in the fun house! I remember that quite well. they had a dark ride called The Pirates Den, which always had a long line. I tried it once or twice but usually it scared me a little too much (I was young) and then when I'm sure I would have been fine, I didn't like the long line. Never did the roller coaster (they had an old wooden coaster). I just don't understand why such a fascination with roller coasters these days, or rides with vertical drops or things that have to drench you with water! Why are these the only way to have fun?! There's pretty much nothing else to do at an amusement park anymore. Whalom was better than that. What a shame.

yeah ken, it's a busy place down there and i do like his music alot. as a matter a fact i have that cd.. http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/sites.htm here's a list of all the things we did when we went for the long walk on the freedom trail threw the city. i remember it being all marked out on the side walks and crosswalks so you could follow it from one end to the other.... boo, i guess they call it an island because it only has one way out and back. i had a freind i worked with that lived out there year round. i've been out there in the winter and it get's very cold and windy. and yes hampton has some indoor rides and a waterslide. they don't have any big parks there. you have to go accross the bridge into sailsbury mass and they have alot of rides there.
ken, yorks animal forrest and rides are still there. we were there last summer and DW had made some coments about going there sometime. nubble light is DW's favorite light house. we go there everytime we make our way back to n.h. there are alot of nice shops up there, we spend hours going in and out of them and i spend hours running back to put quarters in the dang parking meters...lol.... also boo i like hearing about cali, maybe someday i'll get to visit. i would love to see what it's like out there living in the past..lol...get the past, well i mean my past. 3 hours into my past anyway.... oh never mind me just rambleing....lol

I remember as a kid taking field trips in school down to boston. We went to the planatariam and the museum of science. We also went to the wax museum. Boy what a weird place that is.When we were older we used to take the Trailways bus out of Rochester on Sat mornings and spend the day down there. I remember once missing the late bus home and being stuck down there overnite.I remember walking araund with buddies and hearing some music coming out of this allyway. We went down and looked in the door and saw George Thorogood and his band the Destroyers playing in this real small theatre. That was before i really knew much of his music. After that i became a big fan and have seen him play ouer 20 times. I like his style. JFR, seeing as your into racing you must love his song Gear Jammer or maybe I Drink Alone?

This used to be such a sleepy place and now you guys are chatting up a storm!
Loved reading Wanna, Ken & JFR's memories unfolding. They are very similar to my DH's stories of growing up in New England. I appreciate stories like these and could read them forever. There is real integrity to most New Englanders.

I was just reading some of the articles on Whalom Park. It's too bad they couldn't have done something to make it still be a park. It stated something about it's decline because it had to compete with higher standards, the way Disney sets them. Which doesn't make sense to me. It seems like some people would want something local to go to ...for a picnic, maybe just experiencing the outdoors, couldn't they have just kept the carousel? Sounds like there use to be walking paths & gardens. I know all things change & sometimes there will be begone eras, but sometimes people are looking for simple things in life. Anyway, I wonder how it looks now. Said something about developers & condos.

JFR, Yes, Plum Island is small...it's not really an island I don't think either. What is it out there, marsh land I think ~ it's almost an island with all the water around it. From memory I can picture all the beach cottages & every once in awhile a giant newer house. I've only been there in Fall, so it seems like many of the cottages are used for Summer rentals. But I would imagine it's more for walking & taking in some bird watching or just taking in the beauty of the ocean. Unlike Hampton, that seems a little more hustle, bustle in the Summer, with all the shops & don't they have an arcade or rides?

We visited Santa Cruz, CA recently & they have a boardwalk...I think they were celebrating 100 years, so it's good to see that especially in California where the history isn't very old. There are rides, rollercoaster & a beautiful carousel that still has the rings to pull & throw into the clowns mouth. Bygone eras aren't always demolished & it's nice to see kid's today enjoying simple things that make them smile. We also had lemon icees ~ yummy!

I had a friend whos father owned a motel on Long Sands York Beach when i was a kig so I used to spend some time down there . The Animal Forrest Park was a neat place to go. I went back years later and the place was a mess. Are they still open? I always liked to go up to the Nubble Light. I always liked the ocean up there. The Casino was a cool place to go when i was young. They used to have a lot of big time music there. I saw a lot of groups there when i was young.The Good ole days!