When I was little, I went on a trip to Savannah, GA with my girl scout troop. We found those and bought a bunch. My mother got mad at us because we were standing around outside with them, and she was afraid that someone would think that girl scouts were actually smoking, and it would be bad for our image.
I heard a similar story in Plymouth, Massachusetts. People suck.
If it’s the same stuff we have here, it’s pineapple - not pine fresh like a car deodoriser. Very, very sweet and highly yellow.
Pay phones.
They were everywhere. Street corners, bowling alleys, movie theatres, transit stations, restaurants, churches, hotel lobbies, malls–anyplace there were people, there were pay phones. A dime got you a local call, and each phone booth had a phone book.
Now? Thanks to cell phones, there are fewer pay phones than ever. And if you know the number, you have to come up with payment. Sure, they take credit cards, but I’m starting to see pay phones that won’t allow you to use coins any more. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to put a 35c local call on my credit card.
And a phone book–an important part of any phone booth–was pretty much a directory to the city. I’m going to 2500 Maple Street–but is that East Maple or West Maple? Is there a ____ nearby? (Fill in the blank with whatever specific business you need: McDonald’s, Chevy dealership, Bigbucks National Bank, etc.) The answers to these questions were in a nearby phone booth’s phone book.
Yes, cellphones are convenient, and many people have them. But if you’ve ever forgotten your cellphone somewhere and needed to make a call, you’re left with looking for a payphone. They still exist, but I find that they are nowhere near as plentiful (and thus, convenient) as they used to be.
Yep, the good ole days. I have some fond childhood memories of the milkman leaving fresh cold bottles (yes, bottles) of milk at the door, and Mom popping the top and pouring the cold goodness into my cheerios. And all the sugar I wanted 
Please, no mailman/milkman jokes…
Man, this makes me just want to cry. That was my childhood. Sometimes I’ll buy a bottle of milk or eggnog at the gourmet food store just for the nostalgia.
I’ll mention that I think kids don’t appreciate movies in the same way that we did. When you can get any classic movie from netflix, when any movie gets released on DVD 5 minutes after the theatrical release, or with 12,000 cable channels. Hrumph. If I wanted to watch Frankenstein meets the Wolfman I had to read the paper until I saw it listed at 2:00am on Friday night. Then I had to force myself to stay awake until it was on, I tell you, I felt that I had earned that movie.
When I was 9 years old my parents allowed me to go to football matches on my own.
The ground was a 15 minute walk. I would pay my 2 shillings (10p) and climb the steps to reach the top of a steep banked viewing area, standing only, no seats, known as the Spion Kop.
The ground would very often be full and getting back down the Kop inside the ground was almost impossible for a child. So a man in the Kop would lift me up and pass me to other men in front, and this procedure would continue with me being passed down the whole way until I reached a wall at pitch leve,l where I could sit behind the goal and watch the game in comfort with a first class view of the action.
Innocent times.
Bus and subway tokens. Perfect in every way. You always knew how many you had, you had some in your pockets, in your purse or wallet, in your desk drawer, you could give one to a friend.
Metrocards are the work of the devil. They rarely work (“Please swipe again. Please swipe again. Please swipe again. Please swipe again.”), you never know how many rides you have left, you only have one, so if you lose it, there goes $20.
Technology marches backwards (and they’re why I’m later to work today).
Oh, then that’s not as nasty to American tastes as I’d imagined. There is pineapple soda in America, usually store-brand. (Not to knock antipodiean tastes, but your description could just as easily fit diabetic’s urine.)
This proves my theory that we are in absolutely every way better off today. Fewer sweet little old ladies starving to death and fewer cheapwads scamming free groceries every week.
(unless this is really a "kids these days with their horrible behavior!) thread, in which case I humbly submit myself as evidence for the prosecution).
you mean the tokens are gone? What do tourists use? Granted the last time I was too busy and took cabs everywhere but dammit, I loved the tokens, they made cool souveniers.
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove]
Oh, then that’s not as nasty to American tastes as I’d imagined.
Speak for yourself…
For some reason, I find that stores (including chain stores) in Hispanic neighborhoods around here have the more unusual soda flavors (pineapple, guava, etc).
Tourists generally argue with bus drivers, who won’t take dollar bills, or try to figure out the Metrocards, which tend to make the turnstiles flash “Please swipe again. Please swipe again. Please swipe again. Please swipe again.”
God how I hate Metrocards.
Riding a bike without a helmet.
Saturday morning cartoons.
Remember when you could wake up at six and watch tv until noon? Then there were cheezy live-action shows so you could watch until almost four?
Now, it’s like one hour.
Real Radio Buttons. Those felt good to press, and wold often pop off if pressed too firmly. In fact switches and buttons rarely have as good a feel nowadays, too much lightweight plastics.
appliances that actually last. (small and large.) My grandmother had a frigidaire that she replaced in 1990 because she was redoing the kitchen. The kind where the freezer was a smaller box that had the metal icetray with the lever on it. It still worked fine and was about 30 years old. Since then there have been 3 refrigerators in the same kitchen. I’d been through THREE modern blenders until my mother gave me her old one. It was an osterizer that she bought with the money from her first job as a gift for my grandmother. It still works fine, so does my just-as-old waffle maker and toaster. Don’t even effing get me started on cuisinart.
Pssh. Young pup.
I come from the days when “installing” meant “inserting the disk/tape/cartridge and turning the computer on.” “Shutting down” meant “Flicking the switch.” “RAM upgrade” meant “Get out your soldering gun and download this guide from that BBS with a list of instructions and Radio Shack part numbers.” “Monitor” was called “Television.” Serial numbers were for hardware, and you only needed them when filling out your warranty card. And high speed modems? Yeah, most of us dreamed of 1200 baud.
Actually I love Metrocards. I remeber when They in Their brilliance decided to make bus fare 0.90 cents (formerly it had been 0.75), and every freaking store would refuse to give “change for the bus” unless you really begged and looked pitiful. Having 3 quarters, 1 dime and 1 nickel on you at all times was a pain in the ass. There was also no discount for weekly/monthly users as there is now, or tourist pass good for 3 days of unlimited rides. Just that stupid token 10 pak thingy. Oh yeah, and you needed special transfers between subways and buses (always earning a suspicious look from the bus driver), and sometimes they’d force you to pay twice (known as a 2-fare zone). Overall I’m all for Metrocard.
I read the nostalgia for this quite often here, and I am shocked that people don’t have access to this. In Denver/Boulder, there are all kinds of dairies that deliver fresh milk, etc. right to your door. In glass bottles. Cold.