More Far Fetched?

[redietz]

I agree 100%. With $600 they were a certain kind of rich in their mind. And were too busy talking about how they were going to spend it. Add in the debate over what flavors were going in the Fanta machine they were gonna buy and a couple thugs following them was the least of their concerns. Right up there with using the money to pay bills or save it.

Why would anyone with a certain kind of rich in their mind buy Fanta and not malt liquor? When 13% of the population buys 28% of the malt liquor, I gotta go with malt liquor.

Note: Facts are not racist. I also happen to know that five US states (Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey) plus Chicago and Detroit account for 68% of all pierogies sold in the country. I love fried pierogies, as opposed to boiled, by the way. The Ukrainian church next to my friend's house made the best fried pierogies. I thought Boz would value the pierogie trivia.

Note: I am guilty of a certain kind of rich on occasion. During the pandemic, I bought a couple of pairs of Italian shoes to wear to Las Vegas but haven't yet done so. I am trying to impress the masses with my bourgeoisie obviousness.

It’s funny, when I was in the Harrisburg area, next to no restaurants sold Pierogies other than some Polish places in Steelton. How’s that for a Central PA reference? But when I opened further East toward Philadelphia they were on a few menus so I added them. But yea, I deep fried them and sold them with a side of sour cream. Not for me personally but we sold a lot of them over the years. Right up there with deep fried pickles in stuff I never thought would be popular but helped fund my early retirement.

However I was in a 98% white area so I never had to get creative with ways to cook bananas and offer grape soda. That said I did get a few requests occasionally for a Cheesesteak with salt, pepper, ketchup which they are known to desecrate them with.

I'm old fashioned with cheesesteaks. No mayo. Definitely no ketchup. That is a desecration. Steelton was actually a rugged place. Not as bad as Green Street in Harrisburg (headline said "To Live on Green Street is to Live in Fear"). But that had to do with our serial killer living across the street more than anything.

[The Boz]

Why would anyone with a certain kind of rich in their mind buy Fanta and not malt liquor? When 13% of the population buys 28% of the malt liquor, I gotta go with malt liquor.

Note: Facts are not racist. I also happen to know that five US states (Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey) plus Chicago and Detroit account for 68% of all pierogies sold in the country. I love fried pierogies, as opposed to boiled, by the way. The Ukrainian church next to my friend's house made the best fried pierogies. I thought Boz would value the pierogie trivia.

Note: I am guilty of a certain kind of rich on occasion. During the pandemic, I bought a couple of pairs of Italian shoes to wear to Las Vegas but haven't yet done so. I am trying to impress the masses with my bourgeoisie obviousness.

It’s funny, when I was in the Harrisburg area, next to no restaurants sold Pierogies other than some Polish places in Steelton. How’s that for a Central PA reference? But when I opened further East toward Philadelphia they were on a few menus so I added them. But yea, I deep fried them and sold them with a side of sour cream. Not for me personally but we sold a lot of them over the years. Right up there with deep fried pickles in stuff I never thought would be popular but helped fund my early retirement.

However I was in a 98% white area so I never had to get creative with ways to cook bananas and offer grape soda. That said I did get a few requests occasionally for a Cheesesteak with salt, pepper, ketchup which they are known to desecrate them with.

I'm old fashioned with cheesesteaks. No mayo. Definitely no ketchup. That is a desecration. Steelton was actually a rugged place. Not as bad as Green Street in Harrisburg (headline said "To Live on Green Street is to Live in Fear"). But that had to do with our serial killer living across the street more than anything.

Green St was between 2nd and 3rd I believe, near midtown. And ran uptown to the dark neighborhoods. I spent time there is my youth, my uncle ran a stand at the Broad St Market. And I had many a hot dog at Jimmy The Hot Dog King in the Uptown Plaza with my grandfather. He lived on the ‘hill off Derry St and I had my first job at 12 at a pizza place on the 1800 block of Derry.

Many black bars in that area including Otto’s Atmosphere & one name I can’t remember on 6th where they shot the owner on the pool table for like $100 in a robbery. 3rd St was where the hookers hung in the 70’s and 80’s. They tried the gentrification of that area in the early 2000’s with a movie theater, new housing and a few breweries but not sure how it turned out.

As for Steelton, they had a joint high school with Highspire (Steel-High School) that won a few state basketball championships. I believe the best player I remember was Rod Brooken who starred at Pitt and played for the Celtics. But yea, it was definitely a rough area. And when the Bethlehem Steel plants closed there wasn’t much left for a town built upon the industry.

Good memories of the area but if I never go back again I’ll be fine.

[redietz]

That's an excellent recall, Boz. Everything correct as best I remember. My daily two-mile jog/run took me over the bridge to City Island, which was in the middle of the river. The minor league baseball team played in the little stadium there. I'd run over the bridge, hoping no trap doors were open, and circle the island, and head home. The other run was on the concrete walkways they built along the river. White cement -- hard on the legs. What was even harder on that run was avoiding the big-ass rats living under the walkways, many with three legs and lots of tumors, which we always attributed to Three Mile Island leaking into the river way back when. They never did get that river cleaned up and safe. After constantly zig-zagging to avoid the mean three-legged, tumor-laden rats, the rest of the run was a breeze.

I do remember Steelton-Highspire. They were a hoops powerhouse. Went to many high school state playoff games at the Farmshow Arena.

[The Boz]

That's an excellent recall, Boz. Everything correct as best I remember. My daily two-mile jog/run took me over the bridge to City Island, which was in the middle of the river. The minor league baseball team played in the little stadium there. I'd run over the bridge, hoping no trap doors were open, and circle the island, and head home. The other run was on the concrete walkways they built along the river. White cement -- hard on the legs. What was even harder on that run was avoiding the big-ass rats living under the walkways, many with three legs and lots of tumors, which we always attributed to Three Mile Island leaking into the river way back when. They never did get that river cleaned up and safe. After constantly zig-zagging to avoid the mean three-legged, tumor-laden rats, the rest of the run was a breeze.

I do remember Steelton-Highspire. They were a hoops powerhouse. Went to many high school state playoff games at the Farmshow Arena.

City Island has an “interesting” history. There was a beach at the north end in the 60’s but by the 80’s was known as a gay meeting place with the Patriot News doing stories on it as an expose. Complete with underwear pics hanging in trees on the front page. Mayor Steve Reed, himself gay and probably a visitor sought to turn around the reputation of a city dying of white flight. He created a rule requiring all new city hires, including police to reside in the city, which only hurt hiring. And he secured funds to built a stadium on city island a get a minor league team there, the Senators. The city actually owned the team. I remember Cliff Floyd and Matt Stairs playing there. And they built attractions around it to get local workers to walk out for lunch. The biggest plan was to build a Kahunaville on the Island like the one in Vegas but it fell through.

It worked out for the city, unlike the Civil War museum that Mayor Reed got taken by scammers selling him relics and saw him as an easy mark. I believe he was Mayor for decades and passed a few years ago. I believe he had ownership in the gay bars in town like Stallions and the Neptune. I remember the names because they were the subject of public stories as well during the AIDS crisis because of reported open lewd acts going on in the bars.

The bridge that led to city island was the Walnut St bridge and was open for cars until it was considered unsafe to drive on after Hurricane Agnes in 72. By then the Market St and Wade bridges were open as replacements. Then in the 90’s a flood took out part of it on the Lemoyne side. But the side from Harrisburg to City Island was fine for walking as you said.

No one gives a shit about this stuff here except you and I but it’s interesting memories for me. And I’m doing it while trying not to get too pissed watching the Phillies. They just made it 4-3 after falling behind 4-0 early on a grand slam by the Yankees.

[redietz]

There was serious "white flight" as you say from the east section of Harrisburg. One of the weird things: I was a member of both the downtown and suburban YMCA's. The suburban was right across the river. The downtown was a mess; they played hoops like we were in prison. The suburban Y was 90% white and people played like reasonable human beings.

The block I lived on (1010 Green) was mostly older ethnic white folks, but it was maybe the only block on Green Street with more whites than not. You go two blocks and it was 90% black.

[monet]

Somebody fire up a poll. What is more farfetched?

1) Singer owned a Newell he never photographed outside of a dealership/repair shop.
2) A professional blackjack player pretended he died so nobody would rob him.
3) MDawg won 50 out of 52 reported baccarat sessions.
4) Anybody with more than 22 functioning neurons believes any of the three above.
5) redietz shoots Singer.
6) mickeycrimm sucks cock.
7) Boz is a Dirty Rat Fink Bastard.
8) kewlJ is a male prostitute

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