Topic: Places of your childhood, in pictures

[metaldams]

Rob, where in Connecticut did you live?

[Dunrobin]

Rob, where in Connecticut did you live?

I lived in Cos Cob, part of the Town of Greenwich.  We lived there from 1960 to 1965, and my little brother was born there.  I loved it there and was really bummed when we moved to Michigan.

[metaldams]

I lived in Cos Cob, part of the Town of Greenwich.  We lived there from 1960 to 1965, and my little brother was born there.  I loved it there and was really bummed when we moved to Michigan.

Greenwich!  I should probably bow to you, that's one of the richest areas in the country.  I grew up in humble Stratford.

[Dunrobin]

Greenwich!  I should probably bow to you, that's one of the richest areas in the country.  I grew up in humble Stratford.

Greenwich isn't all rich, and we certainly weren't.  The area where I lived, Cos Cob, was probably lower middle-class at best, and had a lot of immigrant families.  My family lived on the second floor of an old farm house that had been converted into apartments.  The place was kind of run-down (as I realized when looking at family photos many years later,) but I never noticed as a kid - it was just a fun place to live.  The house was at the crown of a hill which was topped by a stone outcropping (suitable for climbing by young boys), and at the bottom of the hill in the back was a swamp, complete with an island.  There was an old stone wall at the bottom of the hill, which ended flush at the top of the wall, with about a three foot drop to the level of the swamp.  We had a blast in winter sledding down the hill and shooting out into the air over the frozen swamp, eventually skating across to the far side.  The trick was avoiding the spring, where the ice was always thin.

My father was a town police officer, and they were so poorly paid back in those days that he used to moonlight doing security guard duty for some of those rich families.  I remember visiting him when he was guarding an empty mansion (I think the estate was being disputed and no one was living there anymore) - the place was awesome (especially to an 8 year old kid.)  Think of the mansion in Dark Shadows.   

There was one of those large estates less than a mile from our house.  Most of the grounds was covered in woods, and they allowed the public to roam the grounds freely and had even put in some asphalt walkways.  We used to ride our bikes into the woods there and play all day.  They even had a huge pond, where we could fish and swim.

[metaldams]

Well, according to Wikipedia, Greenwich is the richest city in Connecticut, with a wealth value of $430,000 a person.

You know, that childhood post you made was awesome, and it gave me a great idea for thread.  I'll post it this weekend.

[shemps#1]

I grew up in Meriden, which is in the south central region in New Haven County.

[Dunrobin]

Well, according to Wikipedia, Greenwich is the richest city in Connecticut, with a wealth value of $430,000 a person.

You know, that childhood post you made was awesome, and it gave me a great idea for thread.  I'll post it this weekend.

I think Greenwich has been the richest town in Connecticut since at least the Victorian era; it's where a lot of the New York elite liked to build, since it's easy to get to the city by train.  I remember knowing as a kid that Lucille Ball had a place there, and my father used to drive Bud Collyer into the city to do the "To Tell the Truth" show.

Most of my fondest childhood memories come from my days in Connecticut.  I could go on reminiscing, but we've already hijacked this thread enough.  Maybe we should move these into a new topic?

[metaldams]

I think Greenwich has been the richest town in Connecticut since at least the Victorian era; it's where a lot of the New York elite liked to build, since it's easy to get to the city by train.  I remember knowing as a kid that Lucille Ball had a place there, and my father used to drive Bud Collyer into the city to do the "To Tell the Truth" show.

Most of my fondest childhood memories come from my days in Connecticut.  I could go on reminiscing, but we've already hijacked this thread enough.  Maybe we should move these into a new topic?

Yeah, actually, I'll start my new topic idea today, but it does involve childhood, and it's a pretty awesome idea.

My Dad used to drive by Paul Newman's house all the time.

[metaldams]

You read what the title says.  I can think of tons of things to post, as I'm sure you guys can too.  Just google image search your hometown, place a picture you find online, and tell us what meaning it has for you.  For example.




In the background is the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, CT.  It's a few block from where I grew up, and while it's been run down for a while now (sadly), there used to be a lot of plays that took place there.  I understand Katherine Hepburn has appeared at Shakespeare Theater, or so I'm told.  Anyway, when I was 11 or 12, the place was run down, but my brother and friend heard rumors of a lost stack of Playboys, so we would go searching the grounds for this lost box of girlie mags.  Of course, we never found it.

I look forward to posting more pictures and seeing everybody else's.

[shemps#1]

There you go, all moved.

[shemps#1]

There, I finally figured it out! This is Castle Craig, which overlooks Hubbard Park in Meriden CT. I had many birthday parties in Hubbard Park despite hating having birthday parties there.

[metaldams]

What are you compalining about, that's awesome!  I had my birthday parties at McDonald's, or at my house.

[Dunrobin]

That place is tits, Jim!  I would have been all over that place when I was a kid.



Here is a picture of Cos Cob School, which still looks pretty much how I remember it.  In my day the ground floor had the Kindergarten though 3rd grades, along with the cafeteria.  The second floor had school offices and the music room on the right, and the school library (which was open all summer, a cool thing back then) on the left, with the combination gym/auditorium in the rear.  The Third floor had the 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

I can't tell from the picture if they are still there, but in the early 60's the school had a big semi-circular drive in front that was lined with big chestnut trees.  I loved the smell of the damp leaves and chestnuts laying on the ground on autumn mornings.

Looking at Google Maps and some of the images I've found, I guess Cos Cob was more "upscale" then I realized.  Probably why the old man had to moonlight so much to make ends meet.   

[shemps#1]

I didn't have my birthday parties at Castle Craig but at Hubbard Park which is nowhere near as cool as Castle Craig. The park was always full of people, especially during the summer when my birthday falls. Hubbard Park is also known for its Daffodil Festival, which is decidedly uncool (and pretty gay).

[Seamus]

Just to throw in a little Ohio backwater in the midst of all this Connecticut elegance:



Our single streetlight in my hometown of Mt. Orab, OH.  The orange building is the drug store where I bought my Marvel comics every month growing up.  I was a fanatical comic book geek, so I'd get excited every time Mom announced she was going to the drug store if I knew the next month's offerings were available.  I was still buying my comics there when I turned 16 and was finally able to drive myself there whenever I wanted.  A year later I migrated an hour and a half north to Columbus for school, and I've been here ever since.

The building on the left used to be a bank, but got re-purposed as the Mt. Orab police department after the bank went under.  

[metaldams]

Seamus, I can't see your picture because my work computer blocks it, so I'll have to wait until I get home.  That said, you'll appreciate this picture of the back of the church I was baptized at, only because it's so Hammer Horror.

[Seamus]

I bet the parishioners thought something evil had fouled the sanctity of their House when you unleashed a Gene Simmons tongue at the priest as he crossed your forehead.

[metaldams]

I bet the parishioners thought something evil had fouled the sanctity of their House when you unleashed a Gene Simmons tongue at the priest as he crossed your forehead.

When I was five, I once slapped my father in church. 

[Curly4444]

Seamus, I can't see your picture because my work computer blocks it, so I'll have to wait until I get home.

I couldn't see it either, and im at home.

[Seamus]

I couldn't see it either, and im at home.

Might be good now.  It kept disappearing on me too, so I found a different link to to the pic that seems to be holding up better.  Ain't it beautiful?

[metaldams]

My grandmother's condo where I spent every Christmas and plenty of summer days (where I watched BABES IN TOYLAND too).  Only 4 blocks away from my house.  I miss this place.



The sacred halls of my high school.   

OK enough from me, let's see more from you other guys.

[Curly4444]

Looks like that place has nice big balcony's metaldams . School looks pretty modern compared to mine. Mines old school, and has gone getto.

[metaldams]

Looks like that place has nice big balcony's metaldams . School looks pretty modern compared to mine. Mines old school, and has gone getto.

Those blaconey's rocked in the summertime, no doubt.

My high school is a very rich private school.  A kid in my brother's grade died at age 20 after crashing his third car his parents bought him after drunk driving.  In my area (moved to Delaware at age 13), high schools are either trash or Beverly Hills 90210, no in between.

[Seamus]

The covered bridge on the way to Grampa's.  I spent much of my teenage years helping out on Grampa's farm in Sardinia, OH - planting, hanging, and stripping tobacco, bailing hay, shoveling corn.  Always had to drive through this bridge and hope no one was coming the other way.  A few years ago they finally deemed it unsafe to drive through, blocked it off, and built a bypass road around it.



The ruins of the box office at the Lake Drive-in theater.  I've got hazy recollections of being jammed in the car with the family watching movies here when I was a tyke.  Pretty sure I saw Star Wars here when I was 4 or 5 (I definitely remember seeing previews for it here and getting excited about it - one of my earliest memories).  In the early eighties the screen collapsed during a freak wind storm, putting the place out of business.  Some smart-ass put "Gone with the Wind" on the Marquee shortly after the screen was destroyed, giving rise to the Mt. Orab myth that that particular movie was playing when the winds came along and flattened the screen.

[metaldams]

I've never been to a drive in in my life, that must've been a cool experience.  A shame about the screen collapsing, but something tells me the drive-in wouldn't exist anymore anyway.  Does anybody still have a drive-in in their area?