"Out to the Island"

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Years ago while growing up on L.I. many of us Baby Boomers had grandparents living in one of the five boroughs. My grandmother lived in Brooklyn, on Grattan Street. She lived in a building with six railroad flats. Hers was on the third floor, right side. On the second floor, left side lived my great-grandparents and great-uncle. My great-grandparents owned the building. The other apartments were occupied by tenants who were near-relatives, all having roots in the same "old country", Lithuania.

Sometimes Grandma would visit us. She would come "out to the island" for the weekend. Her trip would start on Friday afternoon with a subway ride to East New York where she would transfer to the LIRR. The railroad delivered her practically to our doorstep since we lived half a block from the station.

After shopping and game playing with us on Saturday, going to Mass and and having an early dinner with the family on Sunday, my father would drive her back to Brooklyn. We couldn't wait for her next visit and always asked when she would be coming back.

March 17

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I'm not a celebrant of St. Patrick's Day anymore. The kids are grown, so no more corned beef dinners or fresh loaves of soda bread. Many of us L.I. Baby Boomers though, have St. Patrick's Day Parade memories from our youth that always come back on the day.

Living in the shadow of Manhattan gave many of us the opportunity to attend the parade, first marched in 1762 by Irish soldiers who were part of the English military here in the British colony. The parade as we know it has grown to a cultural event that makes us all honorary Irishmen (Irishpersons?) on March 17.

The holiday originated in Ireland to honor the man credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people. So much for the meaning of the day. For many of us teenage Baby Boomers attending the parade and drinking beer in the Blarney Stone was a right of passage. Throwing up on the LIRR as we headed for home at the end of the day was a sure sign of a successful outing.

I'm Back with Bruce

A bit about our fellow Baby Boomer, Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen... born in 1949, his father was a bus driver and his mother a legal secretary. He was raised not far from LI, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. His most recent gig, and the inspiration for this post, was performing with his cohorts, the E Street Band, at Super Bowl XLIII.

Bad enough he grew up as a "middle child", but his two siblings were both sisters! To add to his misery, his parents maliciously enrolled him in parochial school (can you feel the pain?). Eventually transferring to public school did not resolve Bruce's conflicts with educational systems, aka authority (again - anyone identifying?).

Despite all these impediments, or maybe because of them, Bruce emerged as the wonder that he is.

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Who gets rid of dirt and grime and grease in just a minute?

Image via WikipediaAnother Baby Boomer memory is brought back with the news of the passing of House Peters Jr. last week on October 1. Mr. Peters was the original Mr. Clean and while not a Long Islander, Mr. Peters was born nearby in New Rochelle, NY.

In the late 1950s he was chosen by Proctor & Gamble to represent the product of the same name in an ad campaign by P&G to gain the public's attention away from another familiar cleaning product, Lestoil. The television commercials which ran throughout the sixties left us with a lasting memory of it's familiar jingle. To bring back that catchy tune click here.

A Room with a View

Hi Vivian,

I've got so much more to tell you about the trip!

The Hilton Reykjavik Nordica was a great place to start the day and come back to every evening while exploring the city. In the European custom, a full breakfast was offered each morning. Cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, breads, muffins, pastries, eggs cooked to order and a full compliment of hot foods were more than enough to satisfy any guest. The only unique item to me was a small station at the beginning of the buffet which had a bottle of cod liver oil with shot glasses piled next to it. A North Atlantic custom, I'm guessing. A number of people indulged in this offering...but not I, nor my VBFF&E.

In the late afternoon guests would begin gathering at the lounge located in the hotel lobby, sipping on before dinner drinks. A modern gas fireplace nearby, about six feet long, added to the comfortable atmosphere. With the temperature only in the high 40sF and rainy weather on some days, it was a good feeling to enter the hotel with the fireplace on.

The hotel faced Reykjavik Harbor and from our fifth floor room we had a clear view. We could see blue, blue skies filled with huge shades of grey clouds floating along the coast and covering mountains of volcanic rock. Icelandic homes and businesses stood in the forefront rounding out the portrait.

You'll love it when you get there!