Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Down the Shore
I spent a day “down the Jersey shore” this past weekend. We stayed in Ortley Beach at a house my brother and sister-in law rented for the week. We went down on Sunday and came home Monday night. Before we left we went to the boardwalk in Seaside Heights. I felt like I was in a time warp back to the 80’s. I can’t believe you can still get an airbrushed T-shirt (I thought they were gay back then- let alone now). I was walking around looking at all the people, who some would call freaks. I couldn’t help but think that I was one of those freaks back then with my long hair and earrings and what not. Of course the whole area was packed with the ever present “bennies”. All you see are a bunch of Tony’s and Joey’s walking shirtless showing off their muscles. One big change that is very noticeable is the water. It is so much cleaner than back then. You could actually look down and see your feet clearly. No trip to the shore would be complete for me without a cheese steak on the boardwalk. I remember getting a cheese steak sandwich with real steak piled high and dripping with melted cheddar cheese sauce. My mouth was watering as I waited for it, but what I got was a steak-um sandwich with two slices of white American cheese. What a disappointment. Oh well, at least I still have the memories.
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17 comments:
Bennies?? Where were you born and raised? Where did you vacation when you were a youngster?
"Where did you vacation when you were a youngster?"
If you had read what I wrote, it seems apparent that I vacationed down at the Jersey shore as a youngster. You must be a benny.
My point was, how can you refer to someone as a benny if you are not from down the shore. And if a benny is a North Jersey person that vacations down the shore, then yes i am proud to be a benny!
I have never referred to a person from North Jersey as a benny although some people do. To me a benny comes from New York. Staten Island mostly. I may not be from the shore but I now live close enough.
As for the cheese steak, as i remember, weren't they always steak-um type of steaks? The cheese should be melted chedder, but the steak-um is right
I remember getting real steak chopped up. I have nothing against steak-ums, in fact I love 'em. But I don't want to pay $7 for one when I can buy a box of 16 for $10 at the food store.
Did you try to shoot the over inflated basketball through the oval hoop or knock down the milk jugs that have weights on the bottom or throw darts at the under inflated ballons?
LOL. Funny you should mention that. All those games are now $3!! I did not play them but I did try the crane machine with the claws that do not close all the way and jerk so hard that if by some chance it did manage to grab something, it would be knocked loose. I wanted to play some games to win an AC/DC or Motley Crue mirror with the colored foil in the background. Remember them?
Funny. I went to a casino night last month and we were joking that the money wheel had no Led Zepplin mirror
I guess all the Led Zeppelin mirrors are at Seaside. I was disappointed. The whole time down at Seaside, I did not see one shirt that said, “Good girls go to heaven…bad girls go to Seaside 08”.
Having speant a great deal of time at the Shore in my late teens and early to mid 20's, I have heard 2 definitions of 'benny' frequently. Both are acronyms.
1. Bums Exiting Newark and New York
2. Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York
Well, since I am originally from Jersey City, I do not belong to either definition, whew. I also know of another, "shoobie".
From Wikipedia…. The term "shoobie" originated in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and it allegedly derives from the habit among tourists of bringing everything they needed in a shoe box. Items can include a towel, suntan lotion, and food. The term "shoobie" may also derive from the fact that tourists are more likely to wear their shoes on the beach. Homeowners (whether year-round or seasonal) often walk to the beach barefoot or remove their shoes immediately upon reaching the sand.
@scott Looking at your definitions I can't help but wonder if there is an official plural spelling. Is it "bennies" or "Bennys"? I have seen it both ways.
Shoobie originated in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's????? Doesn't it have to be one or the other. Once it is originated, that's it. It can't be originated again.
Why you break my chops, eh? I didn't write it, I merely copyed and pasted. You go away now. :-)
Hey benny, did you buy a puka shell necklace? :o)
Are your hermit crabs still alive?
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