Day 1
Friday, January 6, 2023
After all this time leaving work and watching the sun come up, it did feel weird driving in with the masses and seeing the first hint of sunrise while walking from the work parking lot.
This from the train and please excuse the filty windows... Of course, that's what the phone chose to auto-focus on.
The line was surprisingly short at the TSA security stations. One of the nice things about TSA Precheck is that you go through a metal detector, not a body scanner. So, you don't have to remove your belt, jacket or shoes.
Perhaps it was the extra light traffic. Or perhaps the TSA agents were simply bored. But, every third person was "randomly" chosen for extra screening and the body scanner. And of course, they were finding false positives and people were getting patted down.
My flight to Newark was in Terminal C and I had plenty of time. So, I walked. It was the perfect excuse to stroll through the rainforest once again towards Terminal B.
As for the flight, there's nothing quite like finding your seat and suddenly remembering that yes, you did pay the extra couple of bucks for the legroom.
Not a bad view, either...
My Lyft driver was Volodymyr. He had a Ukrainian band named Okean Elzy playing in the car. Yeah, I hadn't heard of their music, either. But. it wasn't very loud, so I had no issue with it. I was actually kinda digging it after a while. I was more concerned with how often he checked his phone.
My home for the next two nights was the Best Western in my old home town of New Providence, NJ. I've stayed here multiple times over the years. The location can't be beat.
It was mid afternoon and I had no plans until dinner. So, after checking in I took a walk, grateful for the sunshine after all the rain.
There's just something about walking around in your old home town. Naturally, I stopped into our brewery for a quick pint. It's still amazing Untied Brewing was allowed here. Times certainly have changed.
Being significantly east of Atlanta, sunset comes almost an hour earlier. With the Murray Hill train station a few blocks away, it seemed the perfect place to settle in.
I was meeting one of my oldest friends at the diner in the center of town, an easy ten minute walk. While so many businesses have changed over the years, Prestige Diner has remained, even being voted Best Diner a few times. Here in Jersey, that really means something.
Jeff and I first met in high school band and have been close friends since. This is from sophomore year, Jeff's freshman year. I'm in the drum line, second from the left. Jeff is somewhere in the middle. My friend Andrea is on the far fright of the baton twirlers. My friend Ann somewhere in the center of the Flag Squad line. Also somewhere in there, on trombone, is future Enron CFO Andy Fastow.
We must have lingered in the diner for at least an hour and a half, just telling stories and catching up. Afterwards, we took a long walk, passing by the high school. It's changed a great deal over the years. Places we used to sit and hang out are long gone as exterior walls have moved outward.
The school was locked up and dark. Years ago there was a basketball game, so the front doors were open. We walked in and no one questioned us. We walked along the hallway with all the academic awards, talking about the people we remember. We also walked into the auditorium. I was a kid the first time I walked in there for one of my sister's choir concerts. The room had a certain smell. It still did. Not a bad one, just a distictive smell. Some of you reading this will understand.
It's funny though, while there were plenty of memories we both shared, there were others that meant more to one of us. Case in point, senior year. There was always a fall play. Every two years it was a musical. This time it was "How to Suceed in Business Without Really Trying." Jeff was in the production, I was in the pit band. Final rehearsals took place during spring break.
On the Thursday, I got together with a few other members of the pit band and organized pizza delivery for noon the next day. This was 1982 and there was no Dominoes, nor were there cell phones. I had to order a day early. They wanted a number to confirm on day of delivery. Mom got the joke and agreed to confirm.
Just after noon, the doors in the back of the auditorium open and in walks a guy with a stack of pizzas. I wave him up and pay him. Everything stops cold. The band director says, "I guess that's lunch."
Somewhere in my archives I do have some photos Dad took of the show. Unfortunately, I haven't found them. But, it's been fun coming across some other pictures I had completely forgotten about.
We left the high school and walked out towards my parent's place, telling stories of the people we knew who used to live along the way. I passed my parent's house last summer when it was being renovated. I was shocked to see it after the fact. I've met the family who lives there now and they're good people. I'm glad they're enjoying the house.
Saturday, January 7, 2023
With no set plans until evening, I set out on a walk through town. When I lived here, New Providence was a pretty blue collar town. Things have certainly changed over the years. Directly across South Street from the motel is a new developement of luxury townhomes. They're calling it South Street Commons. Starting price is $949K.
Since I hadn't walked Central Avenue in a long time, it seemed the logical choice. This brought me to the top of Livingston Avenue. It was a hard slog up the hill on our bikes as kids. The reward, some serious speed coming back down.
I kept going, eventually turning down Maple Street, where I hadn't gone in a very long time. For some reason, the green vines on the rusty red railroad overpass caught my eye.
Crossing over one of the numerous streams in town, I suddenly had a completely random flashback. It seemed as if every summer, we'd get one or two days where it would rain heavily all day. I remember crossing this bridge, looking down and seeing a guy I knew from school. It was the first time I had seen anyone floating on an inner tube. He waved as the current took him under the road.
This eventually brought me to Salt Brook Elementary School, where I graduated 8th Grade in 1978. The memories of those years are a lot more vague than high school. But, the place certainly has changed. No real surprise. When we moved here, the town supported four elementary schools. By 7th grade, we were down to two.
This is what we refered to as the Upper Playground. The building in the back wasn't there, and a large oak tree grew in the middle. Funny how much smaller is seems as an adult.
Of course any trip back home wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Avenue Deli fo the usual sandwich, a Turkey Sloppy Joe, Jersey style...
There was plenty of activity as I walked past the high school, so I made a brief stop. Over the front door was a light and a sign. If it was flashing, the school was in lockdown, something we didn't have to worry about back in the day.
The doors to the auditorium were locked, but the cafeteria was wide open. I wasn't expecting the giant projection screen. It was showing the wrestling match going on in he gym.
Not much of a sunset...
Eventually, it was time to head out and meet some friends for dinner at our usual spot, the Stirling Hotel. It's relatively central, and I can get there easily by train. I don't know why, but I get a kick out taking the train, even if it's just three stops.
With a little time, I experimented with the settings on my phone for this shot of the train station. I really like the way it came out.
As for the evening, once again a mixture of old stories, catching up on life events, ageing and completely random topics we all seemed to be able to relate to.
One of those nights that just seems perfect.
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