Tag Archives: long island

September 23, 2009 · 5:37 pm

Long Guyland, New Yawk

Picture - Map of Long Island - Nov 1, 2008_0

For those who do not live in these parts, that is the way people tawk heah.

Well, not all of us, but I suppose many. If you are a New Yorker you can tell the subtle difference between the Brooklyn dialect and that of  say, Joisey. If not, we all sound the same to you. It is even more apparent when you were raised here and then move away. My brother gets a big kick out of hearing the old NY-speak.

I bring this up today because I have encountered a particularly classic brand of the Long Guyland accent this week. As I posted earlier, I am a Jury Duty phone alternate this week. Every night, after 5, I have to call in to see if I am required to show up the next day. Yes, this is very convenient… NOT!

Anyway, when I called in the second night and every night since, the man on the recording had the most classic form of the Long Island accent. The first time I actually laughed out loud and then proceeded to leave his accent as my Facebook status. It had such a warm reception there I thought I would bring it over to the blog and share it with all of you. Here is what he said:

“This is the Nassaw County Jurah notification system. You must locate yaw jurah numbah located on paht A of yaw jurah caud. Yaw numbah stahts with the lettah aw.”

Let me translate that for you:

“This is the Nassau County Juror notification system. You must locate your juror number located on part A of your juror card. Your number starts with the letter R.”

Hey, there’s no place like home.

This reminds me of an ad campaign I did in a High School art class…

Long Island, more than just an accent!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under humor, New York, New York City, places of interest

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June 29, 2009 · 8:51 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday-Nunley’s Ferris Wheel

nunley's-ferris-wheel

Ever stumble upon a piece of your childhood and feel like your breath had been stolen? The sight of this old relic caused both Gary and I to stop in our tracks. Believe it or not, we grew up in the same town. Being way older than I – not really, but I like to say that – and having moved in his early teens, our paths did not cross until later on.

Both of us stood in front of this broken down blast from the past and realized that our very first experiences on a ferris wheel had been on this very ride. I remember exactly where it was positioned to the left of the doorway, just outside the main building that housed the carousel. And the little boats where right behind it. The thought of what was breeding in that water would make a modern day mama cringe.

Damn, that thing looked so big back then. And new(ish) for I am sure it had been around for awhile by the time I road it.

nunley's-signNunley’s was a sweet little amusement park on Long Island that seemed like a Six Flags to me when I was a kid. If you lived anywhere on the south shore in Nassau County, you knew Nunley’s. A promise to visit this magical place made everyone happy.

It was on its carousel that I first learned about trying to catch the brass ring. When you caught one your day was complete.

I suppose many are still out there trying to catch it again.

Me? I was just happy to visit with an old friend. And share that memory with my husband. Who says you can’t go home again?

(FYI, this old baby now resides in front of Jordan’s Lobster Farms, another great south shore landmark. You might also like to know that the carousel has been restored and you can take a ride on it at Museum Row in Garden City)

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under carry a camera, communities, family, museums, places of interest, signage

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July 24, 2008 · 8:44 pm

The Ring, John Mellencamp and the Back Seat of My Car

Good title, right? I am sure I will get lots of hits from old rock ‘n rollers on this one (sorry in advance to disappoint).

This story is the perfect illustration of my style of living that my parents like to call, ‘Doing it the Amy Way’. It is very Lucy and Ethel and many of these things are so ridiculous that they seem made up.

I assure you, sadly they are not. Here is a little shadenfruede to make you all feel grateful that neither you (nor your spouse) has done anything this lame.

A couple of weeks ago we had the good fortune of getting VIP seats to John Mellencamp at Jones Beach Theatre (thank you Frankie P). For those who do not know it, this is another Long Island gem. (who would have ever thought I would sing such praises for Long Island). We had a great night with dear friends.

Here is where the action starts. I was in the back seat (with Riki, not John Mellencamp) on the drive home and I had an itch under one of my rings. When I went to scratch, the friggin thing popped off my finger and was nowhere to be found. We looked everywhere.

Suddenly, I look down to the seatbelt clasp and noticed there is a little space around it. I was convinced that was where the ring went. I stuck my fingers down there, when we got home I even used a shish kabob skewer to hunt for it. Out came the flashlights and that damn ring was nowhere. Gary thought I was crazy. (I wish I could say this is the first time I have done this, but once before I had my friend and her very fancy upper east side sister-in-law ransacking the garbage after a bbq to find another ring. We found that one)

After much grumbling from Gary, I convinced him that the car had to go to the dealer to have the seat removed. That was after a short consideration by Riki and I to try to remove the seat ourselves. We figured two jewish girls could cause alot more damage to the seat than it would cost to have the dealer do it.

Here is a scan of the dealer’s receipt. This is just way too funny (and yes it cost me $236!!).

I am happy to say, I am now wearing the ring again and smile whenever I look down at the keyboard and see it sparkling.

Hey, come to think of it, for $236 they could have at least cleaned it!

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Filed under fashion, humor

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July 23, 2008 · 10:08 pm

So you wanna be a rock ‘n roll star…

My husband came home from work yesterday with an envelope that his father gave him. Inside were original copies of his birth announcement, his bar mitzvah invitation and this business card from his teenage band. (guess which one was most precious to him).

For those who are not locals and don’t get the pun, Long Island is bordered on the north by a body of water called, you guessed it, the Long Island Sound. (how clever). Why would a teenage band have biz cards, you ask. Well, if your father was a printer, you had biz cards. And that made you very cool!

Note the exchange in the phone numbers with the letters in them. If the font and colors did not date this sucker, that surely does!

Gary was the drummer (everyone always loves the drummer). He can’t seem to remember exactly who Eddie, Jay and Paul were, so if any of you happen to know these guys, give us a shout.

This got me to thinking that my saving of ‘stuff’ – a trait I inherited from my mom – is a good thing. There is nothing more enchanting than when a joyful piece of your past is dropped in your lap. A little part of your childhood that was long buried is brought back, bringing with it a flood of precious memories.

Ok, so I am a bit nostalgic today. That is not a bad thing.

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Filed under humor, rock 'n roll, teenagers

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July 11, 2008 · 11:00 pm

Not a Bad Place to Work

You guessed it… on the road again.

We are on tour every weekend this month.

See, all you people who thought it was cruel to send our kids away for the summer are starting to get jealous.

This weekend we are in Montauk with the in-laws. Again, another perfect spot on Long Island. It is called ‘The End’. You drive east from Manhattan and stop when you can’t go any further.

Now all of you people who have made fun of Long Island all these years for being all strip malls and housing devolopments can eat your words.

How amazing is this view? This is the backyard of a house my in-law sibs are renting.

Gary is pretty sure It doesn’t suck to wrap up the work week with a few calls from this spot.

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Filed under the new workplace, vacation

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