Jersey'isms (Newark, Budd Lake: good schools, taxes, to live in)

[JennyOnTheMove]

I am saddened by all of this reminiscing! I grew up in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee in the 70's. Yes, Fort Lee has a Coytesville section, it is on the border of Englewood Cliffs. I remember my mother had to buy me Tuffskin Jeans from Sears, with the reinforced knees, because I would ride my Big Wheel down the driveway and do spinouts into my neighbors garbage cans. I'd climb trees, catch bugs in jars, and chase the ice cream man. I'd run down the cliffs in Fort Lee, where we built a fort, and traded Wacky Packages cards, while drinking Hawaiian Punch from a thermos, and eating Nik'l Nips Wax bottles. On Sundays, my mother would give us a dollar and send us off to church up on Myrtle Ave., and we'd ditch church and run across the street to the 7-11 and buy slurpees, and those 2 foot long Giant Pixie Sticks, and sit on the wall until the churchgoers started to pour out of the doors. Then we'd wipe the sugar off our faces and head home.

We spent our Friday Nights at the Paramus Roller Rink, where all the guys from "Paterson" were the ones to watch! We'd get all excited about wearing out iron on transfer T-shirts and our satin Jackets!

Sunday afternoons, we went to the Paramus Ice Rink, and froze our butts off, bought Hot Chocolate for 50 cents, and chased boys around the rink for 3 hours til our parents came to pick us up!

I remember being a tween ager, and getting dropped off at "Paramus Park" where the waterfalls, and the cool glass elevator just mesmerized us. We'd hang out on the stone steps, and hide in a corner sneaking cigarettes!

Our Summers were spent at Beach Haven, where "summer rules" were in effect....that meant you could wander for a good 2 hours before you had to go back home to 'check in' - (yeah, no cell phones in 1978) - we would go to play miniature golf, buy hot pretzels with mustard, and 'frozen custard', and top that off with some molasses pops from Stutz's in Ship Bottom. Of course, when our two weeks was up, we would stock up on homemade fudge and elephant ears, and head home!

Our annual family 'picnic' was held at Pleasureland, or Suntan Lake! Our parents would take us to all these cool places, like Wild West City, or Fairy Tale Forest, or The Land of Make Believe! (I'm tearing up, here!) We had no cable television, so Saturday morning TV consisted of Wonderama! (If you got up REAL early, you had to suffer thru Davey and Goliath!)

Sunday afternoons, all of our Aunts, Uncles and cousins would come over and my mother would make a 'pot of sauce' and we'd have 'macaroni and meatballs' for dinner, and we were allowed to drink SODA!! (Brookdale soda, in the cool glass bottles!) and CHARLES CHIPS!! Remember those tin cans of Potato Chips??!!! And after dinner, we had CARVEL FLYING SAUCERS!!!

Then we would run around my yard, playing freeze tag, mother may I, red light green light, and just having a BLAST!

I swear, that kids today don't have half of the fun we had as kids. It's so sad. As my daughter says, they take away everything fun. No more roller or ice rinks, no more Sportsworld, Discovery Zone, No more Paramus Pool Parlor, Suntan Lake, Pleasureland, or Old Mill Bathing Beach. Sad. Jersey was the bomb! But I guess you can only go back in your memories!!!!! I sure miss it!

[JennyOnTheMove]

Originally Posted by mr.man

Does anyone remember the guy who used to come around and turn an old car tire into a flowerpot? My grandmother still had her's till this day.

YES! My uncles had a gas station in South Hackensack, 3 Brothers Service Station, and the man came and made four tires into flowerpots and I sat and watched in amazement. I thought I wanted to be that guy when I grew up!!!!!!!

[JennyOnTheMove]

Originally Posted by shannybannany

OMG! Okay I know this is weird but my brother and I both say Mah! Unless we are talking about her to each other then she is called: Mommy.

Shanny: "Did you call mommy today?"

Shanny's brother: "I talked to mommy today and she said..."

SOOOOO Funny! We do the same! And its funny because one time I said to one of my sisters, that its funny we still call her Mommy, when we're like 40 years old. But when we talk TO her, we say MAH- really loud and staccato.

[JennyOnTheMove]

Originally Posted by mr.man

I remember booty-chokers, we also had (high waters) when your pants were too short

My sisters teased me with "Flood is Over, Land is Dry, Why do you wear your pants so high?"

[beowulf7]

JennyOnTheMove should be renamed JennyOnARoll ... look at her go! Whoops, sorry for ruining your streak of posts.

Yes, I'm also missing NJ. But not its weather yet.

[JennyOnTheMove]

Originally Posted by sligogirl

You recall having a Jersey tomato sandwich on white bread, with a ton of mayo and some salt. This was called lunch in the 70's, and my Bronx born hubby still winces when I eat this Jersey delicacy.

But its only good if the Tomato came from your neighbors garden, and your mother sent you over there to get a bag of tomatoes cus the neighbor called and said she had too many! RIPE beautiful, naturally organic, and TASTED LIKE HEAVEN! On Wonder bread. LMAO!!!!! My mother had us 5 girls to raise, and so instead of buying us sandwiches, she would go to the deli, buy a pound of bologna and a loaf of wonder bread, and we would all sit in the back seat (yes, all 5 of us) and make the sandwiches in an assembly line!!!!!!!

[shannybannany]

Jenny,
You're awesome! I grew up in Highlands (Monmouth County) so although maybe the names of places are different, experiences are the same.

I got a huge grin after reading your posts! You brought back a lot of kewl memories.

Reppies to you chickie!

I will add: Since we were shore kids, if we left our friends to play with the summer kids, we were called, flat-leavers!

~Shanny

[ff18wife]

Originally Posted by JennyOnTheMove

I am saddened by all of this reminiscing! I grew up in the Coytesville section of Fort Lee in the 70's. Yes, Fort Lee has a Coytesville section, it is on the border of Englewood Cliffs. I remember my mother had to buy me Tuffskin Jeans from Sears, with the reinforced knees, because I would ride my Big Wheel down the driveway and do spinouts into my neighbors garbage cans. I'd climb trees, catch bugs in jars, and chase the ice cream man. I'd run down the cliffs in Fort Lee, where we built a fort, and traded Wacky Packages cards, while drinking Hawaiian Punch from a thermos, and eating Nik'l Nips Wax bottles. On Sundays, my mother would give us a dollar and send us off to church up on Myrtle Ave., and we'd ditch church and run across the street to the 7-11 and buy slurpees, and those 2 foot long Giant Pixie Sticks, and sit on the wall until the churchgoers started to pour out of the doors. Then we'd wipe the sugar off our faces and head home.

We spent our Friday Nights at the Paramus Roller Rink, where all the guys from "Paterson" were the ones to watch! We'd get all excited about wearing out iron on transfer T-shirts and our satin Jackets!

Sunday afternoons, we went to the Paramus Ice Rink, and froze our butts off, bought Hot Chocolate for 50 cents, and chased boys around the rink for 3 hours til our parents came to pick us up!

I remember being a tween ager, and getting dropped off at "Paramus Park" where the waterfalls, and the cool glass elevator just mesmerized us. We'd hang out on the stone steps, and hide in a corner sneaking cigarettes!

Our Summers were spent at Beach Haven, where "summer rules" were in effect....that meant you could wander for a good 2 hours before you had to go back home to 'check in' - (yeah, no cell phones in 1978) - we would go to play miniature golf, buy hot pretzels with mustard, and 'frozen custard', and top that off with some molasses pops from Stutz's in Ship Bottom. Of course, when our two weeks was up, we would stock up on homemade fudge and elephant ears, and head home!

Our annual family 'picnic' was held at Pleasureland, or Suntan Lake! Our parents would take us to all these cool places, like Wild West City, or Fairy Tale Forest, or The Land of Make Believe! (I'm tearing up, here!) We had no cable television, so Saturday morning TV consisted of Wonderama! (If you got up REAL early, you had to suffer thru Davey and Goliath!)

Sunday afternoons, all of our Aunts, Uncles and cousins would come over and my mother would make a 'pot of sauce' and we'd have 'macaroni and meatballs' for dinner, and we were allowed to drink SODA!! (Brookdale soda, in the cool glass bottles!) and CHARLES CHIPS!! Remember those tin cans of Potato Chips??!!! And after dinner, we had CARVEL FLYING SAUCERS!!!

Then we would run around my yard, playing freeze tag, mother may I, red light green light, and just having a BLAST!

I swear, that kids today don't have half of the fun we had as kids. It's so sad. As my daughter says, they take away everything fun. No more roller or ice rinks, no more Sportsworld, Discovery Zone, No more Paramus Pool Parlor, Suntan Lake, Pleasureland, or Old Mill Bathing Beach. Sad. Jersey was the bomb! But I guess you can only go back in your memories!!!!! I sure miss it!

OMG...the memories...there are so many things you mentioned that I completely forgot about....thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

[ff18wife]

Originally Posted by JennyOnTheMove

SOOOOO Funny! We do the same! And its funny because one time I said to one of my sisters, that its funny we still call her Mommy, when we're like 40 years old. But when we talk TO her, we say MAH- really loud and staccato.

My sister and I do the same EXACT thing...ROFL.....

[sligogirl]

Originally Posted by JennyOnTheMove

But its only good if the Tomato came from your neighbors garden, and your mother sent you over there to get a bag of tomatoes cus the neighbor called and said she had too many! RIPE beautiful, naturally organic, and TASTED LIKE HEAVEN! On Wonder bread. LMAO!!!!! My mother had us 5 girls to raise, and so instead of buying us sandwiches, she would go to the deli, buy a pound of bologna and a loaf of wonder bread, and we would all sit in the back seat (yes, all 5 of us) and make the sandwiches in an assembly line!!!!!!!

Hi JennyOnTheMove
Yes, had to be home grown tomatoes, ours, or the neighbors.
And, as far as the bologna, did you ever fry yours with butter as well, and pull it together with two slice of Wonder bread?