The best things in life are free..... (Jersey City, Rahway: college, camper)

[EEEPNJ]

OK - let's all think back to our childhood and think of the memories that really stand out. I want to see what meant the most to us.... was it learning to ride a bike, playing hopscotch on the street, going on a family vacation, learning to read.... what are your best memories.... and I'll share mine, let's see which required a lot of $$$ and which did not......

[wileynj]

"...that's why we give them to the birds and bees."...I want money"

LOL..ok, I'll play.
Building go carts out of scraps.... playing kick the can... george of the jungle (watch out for that tree!"...).. building forts.... ahh, the dyas before computers and TVs with more than 13 channels : )

[regarese]

My father teaching us to play kick the can. LOL. I'm in my 30's and used to spend most of my summers at my grandmother's (dad's mom-my parents are divorced). My grandmother lived on a street with a bunch of kids and we all played together all summer. We were sitting outside one night after the street lights came on (what a treat!), my dad and grandparents were sitting on the porch and the kids were just kind of milling about. My dad (picture Uncle Buck/Al Bundy type of guy) says, "Why don't you do something?" Us-"There's nothing to do." Him-"Play kick the can." Us-"We don't know how." Him-"WHAT??? You don't know how to play kick the can? How do you not know how to play kick the can? Kelly-go get a can out of the garbage! Don't know how to play kick the can...what's the matter with kids today? I guess you don't know how to play run the bases either! Gotta teach you everything! (he was all of maybe 30 at that time-lol)" We played that game all summer long.

[EB2]

Playing outside - especially until as dark as mom would let me before threatening to ground me. THAT is probably my fondest. I loved playing outside SO much, and am so saddened by the fact that kids just don't do it today.

Catching fireflies (speaking of which, I've never seen them in NJ - but given the climate and such, can't think there wouldn't be any.... am I wrong?)

I still remember my first bicycle.... training wheels and all. I believe it was for my 5th birthday. I remember riding it up and down the driveway until I was told to come inside.

Playing tag! or hide and go seek.

Playing silly word games...like pig latin.

Building snowmen/women/children....and snow forts...and snow animals. When it came to snow, I sure did get creative.

Building forts...both inside and outside. Taking a sheet and tying it tree to tree. Or, if inside, standing up sofa cushions to make a "cave/fortress", and either covering the top with remaining cushions, or a sheet.

Going to the public swimming pool. Now that I think of it, it was pretty gross with all of the kids peeing and stuff in it - but I loved it then.

Having an adult rake a pile of leaves to jump into.

Seeing how late I could possibly stay up on Friday or Saturday, even with a set bedtime the rest of the week. There was always that one show I wanted to see late at night, and somehow would fall to sleep shortly after my week-bedtime.

Getting up on a Saturday morning and grabbing a bowl of some of the sugary-est kids cereal, and watching Nickelodeon - when shows, in my opinion, were actually GOOD.

Going to summer camp, not free - but definitely up there on my fondest memories. Up until a few years ago, I was working at a summer camp, because I loved it so much when I attended as a camper.

I could go on, and on, and on. I think this is far too long, though.

I loved childhood.

[wileynj]

Originally Posted by regarese

My father teaching us to play kick the can. LOL. I'm in my 30's and used to spend most of my summers at my grandmother's (dad's mom-my parents are divorced). My grandmother lived on a street with a bunch of kids and we all played together all summer. We were sitting outside one night after the street lights came on (what a treat!), my dad and grandparents were sitting on the porch and the kids were just kind of milling about. My dad (picture Uncle Buck/Al Bundy type of guy) says, "Why don't you do something?" Us-"There's nothing to do." Him-"Play kick the can." Us-"We don't know how." Him-"WHAT??? You don't know how to play kick the can? How do you not know how to play kick the can? Kelly-go get a can out of the garbage! Don't know how to play kick the can...what's the matter with kids today? I guess you don't know how to play run the bases either! Gotta teach you everything! (he was all of maybe 30 at that time-lol)" We played that game all summer long.

I wonder is Wii has a "kick the can" game . Hummm..we may be onto something here
Did your dad show you how to wear the cans on your feet so that you could run down the road after dark and make sparks

[regarese]

Originally Posted by wileynj

I wonder is Wii has a "kick the can" game . Hummm..we may be onto something here
Did your dad show you how to wear the cans on your feet so that you could run down the road after dark and make sparks

LOL. No he didn't. I got jipped!


We were playing tag with our 3 year old the other day (inside though) and she ran to me as base. My husband said to her, "1-2-3, get off my mother's apple tree or you will be I-T IT!" It was like I was transported back to being 7 years old again when I heard that.

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by wileynj

"...that's why we give them to the birds and bees."...I want money"

LOL..ok, I'll play.
Building go carts out of scraps.... playing kick the can... george of the jungle (watch out for that tree!"...).. building forts.... ahh, the dyas before computers and TVs with more than 13 channels : )

No we didn't build go-carts out of scrap. We stole shopping carts from Shop Rite and dismantled the wheels from them to build go-carts. We always heard it was illegal to take those carts from the parking lots but who cared? We were just kids. Thats pretty funny thinking back now...

[DowntownJerseyCity]

Some great and funny memories....

Learning to ride a bike in the parking lot of a lace doily factory while dodging 18 wheelers. (dangerous and free).

Going to Bethany Beach, DE for vacation.

Hanging out with my aunt and uncle in Rego Park, Queens then making friends whom I still keep in touch with 20 years later.

Stickball in Bensonhurst with guys named Vinny, Gino, and Angelo.

Chasing the Mister Softee truck all the way to the Boulevard.

Learning to drive a 5 speed VW and having 100 cars behind me laying on the horn as I stalled it out constantly.

Remembering my father giving me "the talk" on prom night. Awkward!

Kayaking down the Delaware.

Hot Dog Johnny's

Moving to SC and was floored that a state in America could possibly be that hot at 2AM.

[desertsun41]

Free memories. Crabbing behind the old Giants Stadium in Jersey City.

It was a Sunday ritual to walk through the dump at the corner of Rahway Av and Rt 1 across the street from the old Bowling Alley and where the Incinerator garbage plant is now. We collected good stuff from the dump and rented a table at the old Avenel Auction across from Rahway College...... oops I mean Rahway Prison.......oops I mean NJ State Prison. You have to be politically correct today ya know. We sold a lot of good stuff we found at that dump. We liked to call the prison a college.

We used to ride our go-carts in the old Fort Dix grounds on all those empty roads.

Anyone remember the old S. Kleins department store on Rt 1 in Woodbridge where now there is a art store among others and a Red Lobster out front? My Mom worked the cookie counter at the S. Kleins entrance way. We picked her up every night at 10 and each night a different one of us kids would run in and she would give us a big bag of free cookies and we ran out. There were no security cameras in those days. Im surprised we all stayed thin eating all those free cookies.

The good ol days..............

[regarese]

How about roller skating on a freshly paved road or parking lot? That was the BEST!