You cruised the “Rusty Nail” Bar on the east side.

It suffered right along with everybody else during the 30's Depression.  It took World War II to put Bridgeport on the map as a thriving industrial city.  Work for everybody!! You can't even imagine what that meant for so many.

You knew Sheepy when he ran his hippy jeans store on Capitol Avenue.

 Seaside Park on Long Island Sound, was the best place to swim, sun, and meet boys.  From the West Side of Bridgeport, where I lived,  was a 5 cent row boat ride from 'Hunktown' short for the Hungarian neighborhood.

Another shortcut was a wooded area next to Sikorsky Aircraft - but no one took it - a guy was known to come out and expose himself every time girls would walk by.

After a weekend the beaches at Seaside park would be loaded with 'condoms' and we'd scream every time we saw one floating in the water.

Pleasure Beach and the Ritz Ballroom had teenagers, including me, jitterbugging to the best swing bands in America.

On New Years Midnight - neighbors would come out and bang on pots and pans to welcome the New Year.

Halloween for us was Trick the neighbors you didn't like with doorbell ringing, and soap writing - the treat was when we'd hide and watch them come out of their doors yelling.

Bridgeport University was THE college in the area and a lot of World War II GI's went there free, on the GI Bill - including me.

The East side and West side gangs were always feuding - but there were no guns handy, just fists - and guess what?  Nobody got killed.

During World War II If we saw a young guy without a uniform, we called him a 'draft dodger.

For Catholics, the Priests and Nuns reigned supreme, and for anyone, like me, it meant going to church every day during Lent, keeping our legs crossed when a Priest walked into our classroom, no tight sweaters, no makeup.

The best gift any kid could have then was a pair of roller skates.

There was no TV, no air conditioning, no central heating,  no Disney World, but there were movies - double features, and newsreels - the only entertainment available whenever we could find five cents to buy a ticket, with a few cents left over for penny candy - was the ultimate in pleasure.

No wonder why so many old timers are movie buffs to this day.

You bought shoes at Phil’s on East Main Street.

You rode the roller coaster at Savin Rock.

You went to the bazaars at Pleasure Beach.

Your family would make a special trip to see the Christmas lights on East Main Street the day after Thanksgiving.

If you were from the East Side your arch-rivals in just about everything  were the kids from the North End, and to North End and East Side kids,  the South and West ends didn't even exist.

Dancing waters behind King Cole Supermarket.

You didn’t have to pay to get into Beardsley Park or Seaside Park.

You hung out at the Bath house in Seaside Park.

You drank Apple Wine.

You got to Park Avenue real early in the morning the day of the Barnum  Festival Parade to set up your folding chairs.

Kennedy Stadium was like the Super Dome and the Harding/Central football  game was like the Super Bowl!

You knew how to sneak into the Parade of Champions without paying.

You remember the concerts down Seaside Park “Three Dog Night”.

You remember the Turkey Farm on the top of Reservoir Avenue.

You remember Camp Oman on the top of Reservoir Avenue.

You hiked and hung out at the quarries.

The best pin-ball joint was the Crystal Palace.

You listened to Walt Devanis on WICC, especially on snow days, praying  they closed the schools.

You walked to school and didn’t take buses.

You went to your neighborhood school.

You hung around the Spindle Top.

You remember the “boat” in Bridgeport Harbor Downtown.

You took either the CR&L or the Gray Line Bus to Seaside during the  summer!

You know who EZZO is.

You have special memories of events that took place @ St. Mary's by the sea, that you share with only a select few.

On a clear day, looking south from Main St. (around St. Vincent"s) you get a great view of LI Sound.

You know where the "Hollow" is. (My mother claimed to have been "Belle of the Hollow" in '50. Nobody ever challenged it.)

You learned to *!#@&%$ at Ninety Acres Park!

Charlie the Bum...wow, haven't heard about him for about 30 years! I actually say him once, but don't remember the old Buckle shop.

Dewhurst made the best ice cream sundaes anywhere or "Briarwoods" dairy, across from Beardsley Park and Beechmont Dairy too.

Tom Thumb was from the Port

Fitzwilly's

Jeckel and Hide

Mark 5 ( across from the North End Jail on North Ave.)

Casco in the West End

Junior's

Ponzi's

Bert's Place

A & P

First National

Dewhurst Dairy

Sunshine Market

Tops

How about  St. Margaret's Bazaar

And one of my favorites "The point" at Seaside.

You encountered “Mr. Piggy or Mr. Nasty” in the woods behind Wilbur Cross, Beardsley Terrace and Samuel Johnson Schools.

You’ve heard of Whiskey Hill.

Anyone remember Dewhurst dairy and waiting for the pond to freeze to go skate?

Or in back of Sacred Heart to bring the toboggan /sled and scream all the way down!

Or how about the foot long hot dogs at Jackie's?

Pacelli's for bread and Ann's Bakery for cakes.

5 Corners

Parkwood

How about Nancy Lin bakery and  Joan's luncheonette, also the Stay Awhile Tavern that my father never went in, only uncle Johnny. And one more, John the shoemaker.

Also you’re a true Bridgeporter if you know when and where Piccollo was shot.

FROM DENVER/FLORIDA/MINNESOTA

How about the swimming area at Beardsley Park pond, where now rt 25 is. I also remember N.Y. channel 5 doing the TV coverage of the 4th of July parade, which I believe was connected with the Barnum Festival  How about the "Arnolds" of the day, BRIARWOOD? or the roller skating at the "Mosque" on State St.  I remember cruise nights downtown on Thursdays, when the stores were open  till 9 PM. To drive from one end of Main St to the other took forever.  The wife worked at H.L.Greene downtown, walked home at night to the east  side next to the Ukrainian National Home.

There's one other landmark for who ever went to gym and needed shorts, socks, trunks all white. At least we did at Tech. And that was Artic Sports shop remember?

 Speaking of "Wonderland of Ice,"  did you know when the contest to name it was going on, that Kolbe's own Donnie Boudreau won?   Funny, I haven't thought about him in years and we are related--my grandmother was his great aunt or something. He was also first cousins with Sandy Arsenault (the perennial office holder and captain of the girls' cheerleading squad?)

Being an Eastsider, we ate pizza at Paul's on East Main Street.

You know what a real Frisbie is.

You know who Charlie the Bum was.

You hung around at the Crystal Palace downtown after school.

You knew that "toy heaven" was Blinn's.

You knew that C.R. & L. meant cold, rattley and late.

In addition, you frantically switched back and forth between WICC and WNAB to see who would give the school closings first.

You remember ice cream sodas at the pharmacy corner of Capitol & Madison Avenues.

Few thoughts come to mind... The 4th of July parade always started at Seaside and ended at JFK stadium. (I think it actually occurred ON the 4th of July, too!)

Friday nights-Bridgeports own Bridgeport Jet games at JFK Stadium!

Pharmacies that delivered and the door to door Fuller Brush Man (Who was that Handy Dandy man!)

Dr.Thomas Birney (Pediatrician) from Chalmers Avenue making house calls! (Just recently passed on at 91.)

High Masses at St. Augustine's Cathedral with Bishop Curtis

D'Andrea's Religious Goods Store on Norman Street

The Kingsmen Pub

Contys

A spanking brand new Archbishop Sheehan Center

Levitts

H.L. Greens

The Arcade

The 2nd floor connecting bridge over State Street from Lafayette Plaza to Gimbels. Watching fireworks from Pleasure Beach! Loved that rickety ol' bridge. A free Beardsley Park Zoo.

I also remember ice cream sundaes from Beechmont Dairy, penny candy from Vasil's Grocery, and going to the soda factory to buy wooden cases of bottled soda like cream, lemon-lime, black cherry.

I enjoyed "surefire ways" - I'm sure it will inspire us to come up with other ways to define a Bridgeporter. Mine is to refer to Subway as Pete's Subs - it started out in the late 60's - somewhwere on Main St I believe, although my brother Al may remember more exactly. My husband, a Minnesota native, claims that all true Bridgeporters have a "numbers system" for picking out their lottery numbers. I'm looking forward to the next installment.  Charlet (Radziwilko) Allen  Minnesota

You bought records at EKs on East Main, and you knew what the initials 'EK' stood for

Friends warned you about going to a movie at the Strand theatre, 'scratch back house'

Going to the Klein Memorial Auditorium was like a 'big time' event.

The Nutmeg Bowl was played at Hedges Stadium and after the game kids would ask the players leaving the field for their chin strap.

If you were a male HS athlete in the late '60s, you and your teammates would have discussions like, "how old do you think Horace Geer really is?"

Why did Little Casino, Hallet Street, slice their pizza that way?

Cold Cuts from Shelton Arms

There was quicksand in the 'swamps' by Park City Little League and GE.

Every spring would have the Little leaguers out with their coin cans collecting

You know who Sal Caggianello was

Some of you guys got free sneaks thru the Boy's Club

Soccer has exploded over the last 20 or so years, but did you know that some of us were playing way back in the early '60s - kid's league-Bridgeport Machines (English kids), Zion Lutheran (Germans), Bridgeport Ukrainians (duh), Middle Street Boy's Club (Americans)

You may have seen Haystacks Calhoun driving thru town

You played sandlot football on the Boston Green

The carnival at St John the Baptist every year

You rummaged around the back of the pencil factory on Maple Street for all the pencils you could find

Rocco's Polish Pizza

Was WABC or WMCA the cooler radio station?

You couldn't get channel 8 on your TV w/o a lot of snow

You remember when the city said the garbagemen would no longer collect
from the 55 gal barrels everyone used.

You took newspaper to the junkyard for cash, especially if there was a newspaper strike somewhere, like NYC, and they were paying a buck for a hundred pounds-we're in the money!!

You knew these people from Brookside Avenue: Diane Pavacich, Lorraine Groholy & Laura Wisniewski. The Columbian Squires from Our Lady of Good Council.  Henry Pucci, Steve Passaro, Gary Rodgerson, etc.Fairchild Wheeler Park (The Quarries). The old gang is still together!!!  “Whiskey Hill & The Brookside Gang” from the 60’s meets every July in Bridgeport!! Contacts:  laurawis@worldnet.net  and  gmrodgerson@msn.com  

You know what a Cenral High Stepper is. 

You know Kevin Nealon hails from Lake Forest.

You remember "Mr. McLevy" from the Green downtown next to People's Bank.

From Carmine Pasacreta, in Norwalk, Ct:

If You bought converse canvas sneakers at Arctic Sports Shop on the corner of Pembroke St. and Arctic St.

If you had your first mini bar pizza at Rocco’s Pizzeria on the corner of Pembroke St. and Arctic St.

If you would sneak down to the Candelite Drive in on River St. on A Friday night to watch rated R movies through the chain link fence.

If you went to Washington Park on a Saturday afternoon and listen to the live band on the band stand.

If you shopped at John’s Bargain Store down town.

On a hot summer night walk down East Main St. for a soft ice cream ( which we called custered) at the Dairy Queen.

For candy and gum go to either Riccio’s on East Main St. or Norman’s on Pembroke St.

If Riding your bike you could cut through Adzima’s funeral Parlor parking lot to get from Arctic St. to St. John the Palmesi Church.

Hang out in front of Rocky Vaccola’s looking at the new Columbia stingray bikes with the banana seats and high sissy bar.

Go for a maple walnut ice cream cone at Brockhalls on Lindley St.

Have a burger at Jeff’s Patio.

On a boring hot summer day watch the concrete trucks come and go at the Silliman Plant on North Ave.

Tease the dogs at George’s junk yard.

If You had your first beer at the Kingsmen Pub.

If you and the guys would hang out at Seaside Park on a Friday night(Saturday night you were with your girl) and throw bottles at the rats from the dump.

If you shopped at Lucy’s market on East Main St.

If you bought bread at Fusco’s bakery on Berkshire Ave.

If you bought meats at Shelton Arms Provisions.

If you went to Barnum School.

If you went to Ann’s Bakery.

If you had your milk delivered from Borden’s milk.

If you bought your fresh cheeses from Roma Cheese.

If you had a Bleach man ( which we called the star water guy)deliver to your home.