" Look, it's Mr Softee! "

Where do I begin? I know that for me, growing up on Long Island, Mister Softee was an indelible part of summer. I can remember swimming all day, or being out in the woods and then seeing the Sun go down. Not long after, or maybe even just before the sun went down you would hear him coming. I say him, because 9 out of 10 times usually it was a guy driving the truck. Seeing him approaching, whether it was a twilight or after dark, gave me mixed emotions. I say this because sometimes, well a lot of the times the truck has this other worldly look to it. Between the headlights and the interior yellow-y garish lights, it was kind of scary to me. Knowing what came along with that truck (soft serve cones, sundaes, and banana splits) quickly vanquished whatever uncertainty I had inside me moments before. I remember the sound of the generator coming, kicking on and off, and a blast of cold air (not unlike walking into a Carvel) emanating from the window of the truck.

Sadly, my children will never experience any of this, that is unless they get the chance to leave the Phoenix area and go to the east coast. I know that some of the things that I grew up with back on Long Island still exist. Many places have changed, and some things aren't even around anymore. You can say that about just about anywhere nowadays though. I guess I'll have to take a trip back there with my family.. ALL of my family and see what there is to see.

Ah...Carvel... :)

If you grew up on Long Island in the 70's, 80's or I'm sure even today, one thing you had to have experienced was Carvel Ice cream. Summer wasn't summer unless some time was spent making a trip or two to the Carvel Ice cream store. Carvel and Mister Softee (..more on him in another post ) were the two main sources of ice cream on Long Island during the summertime (.. At least in our house anyway ) The Carvel location that we used to frequent was located on route 112 and I believe Peconic Road in Medford. There was a Honda motorcycle place located next door. I remember it's where my aunt Mary bought her Honda moped. It was the same moped that my cousin Mike and I would take out and joy ride when her and my mother would go to out bingo. Like I've probably mentioned before in a couple of my other posts, the things we remember as children aren't necessarily the same as adults. This would hold true with my memory of this particular Carvel location. I remember it being low in the back and being of high in the front. It had glass all around, and was angular. I guess you could say it appeared "postmodern" to me.

Since summers are always humid on Long Island, walking into one of these Carvel was like an immediate oasis. I remember the blast of cold air hitting you as you opened the door to go inside , and a smell in the air that could only be described as "clean". When I went to Google Maps and then to Street View, I made a point of finding the location of my childhood Carvel store. Although the images on here are aren't of that particular location, they are more of a "truer" reflection of what I thought it looked like in my mind as a child.

On Google Maps, I was greeted with a pale reflection of that memory...literally.Gone was the swirl cones that rotated on top and the red glowing neon "Carvel" sign in the front. The angular lines of the building were there, but the entire exterior was painted a stark white. The only signage on the building were some pink banners saying "Carvel" on them. I was a little sad with the results, but not too sad since the building was still standing. Even so it's still kind of depressing to look for things and places you knew as a child and to see them either modified or completely eradicated all together. At least that's the good thing about having memories, right?

"And I've been searching for something..Taken out of my soul..Something I would never lose..Something somebody stole"

                                                           In 1981 or 82' (because I don't remember exactly)my family and I took a trip down to Florida. Actually it was a vacation, and it was to Walt Disney World. Other than the main park,and Epcot Center,the other place we went to was River Country. River Country featured a rustic wilderness theming, complete with rocks and man-made boulders. The big attraction for me was Slippery Slide Falls, two water slides that emptied into Upstream Plunge (which was basically a large swimming pool). I remember getting on,sliding down,and then suddenly falling what seemed to be a few stories into the large pool below. Going there was one of my fondest childhood memories. River Country was closed down on November 2nd, 2001, due to the fact that a local brain eating amoeba, "Naegleria Fowleri", was discovered in the water of Bay Lake. As recently as 2010, electricity, water, and background area music continue to operate in the park. To look at it now, it just seems so small and insignificant..and sad.

              This is what Slippery Slide Falls and Upstream Plunge looked like when the park was open..

            This is what Slippery Slide Falls and  Upstream Plunge looks like today..abandoned..and eerie.

                Here is another view of Slippery Slide Falls and Upstream Plunge in it's current state.

                                  Here is a closer shot of Slippery Slide Falls and Upstream Plunge..

The Brookhaven Multiplex

This was a theater that was only around for like 15 years. I remember going there a few times in the mid 80's, most notably with my friend Stephanie. I couldn't tell you what movies I saw, but I can tell you that for it's time it was cutting edge.The front lobby had a huge concession stand with lots of neon and glitz. It also had 14 movies running at the same time. It was located right off the L I E and I lived about 2 exits west of it in Holtsville..right down the road. Probably about two years after it opened, I ended up moving to Arizona with my parents.Here are some shots of it after it closed, and during it's demolition around 2006-07.