I only have good memories of Newark. I
was born in 1953 and lived in Newark until the 80’s. My mother
told me that my father and her worked in Fischer’s Bakery,
but I have yet to find any information or photos of the one in Newark.
I lived most of my life with my grandparents and aunt, they were
the best. You can say they spoiled me. My grandmother brought me
a Patty Play Pal doll, it was almost as big as me. One day I was
in the kitchen and I left the doll sitting on the floor in the living
room. I heard my grandfather yell “Sandra get off the cold
floor”. My grandmother could not stop laughing. I remember
going to the candy store with a quarter and coming out with a little
brown bag full of candy.
My grandfather sometimes hung out in Lucky’s Tavern, across
the street from Hawthorne Avenue School. Sometimes I would go in
to get him. Most of the customers would pinch my cheek and give
me a dollar, those where the fun days.
I remember going downtown with my grandmother and always ending
the day with a hot dog and orange drink in the basement of Klein's
or Bamberger's. I can’t remember which one, but I can remember
how good they tasted. I used to walk all around Newark with my best
friend Ellen. We would walk on Clinton Ave and go into Watson Bagels
to get a hot fresh bagel for a nickel. You didn’t need any
butter or cream cheese on it, it was so good plain. After that we
would go to Valley Fair where they had a pet department.
One Easter I bought a dozen baby chicks for one dollar. I kept
them in a box and when they started to get bigger, I think, my grandfather
took them to a farm. My friend and I would ride our bikes to each
other’s house when she moved to Lehigh Ave which was near
Beth Israel Hospital. I was living in Newark when the riots broke
out. That was pretty scary. I miss Newark a lot, when you could
walk anywhere day or night, any neighborhood, without thinking twice
about it. Hope you enjoyed my Newark story.
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