Newark Nj Roots Hometowns Pt 2
By now many of you know I mostly grew up in Maplewood Nj, but when I wasn’t in Maplewood I was in Newark and Kearny. Today we talk about Newark…
First and foremost as much as I love the Sopranos, they really didn’t capture the essence of early Newark. Not to mention if you were Italian/Sicilian you were more than likely from The North Ward closer to Park ave or Bloomfield ave and poultry shops like the one he sold to Jamba Juice were longgggg gone by the late 80s. Now when Tony took AJ to go see the old neighborhood and he saw his first crack hoe that was accurate.
My grandparents came from Sicily and Ireland from the late 1800s to early 1900s. And if you were looking for work Newark Nj was the place to go a fast-growing city with plenty of jobs available but not as easy to get as you think. You would see help wanted Irish, Italian, Polish, German, etc… need not apply now in the 60s and 70s it may not have said it in the ad but when you got there and you were the same ethnicity as the boss or hiring manager yea you were getting that job no matter what.
Now true to fashion eventually my Grand parents overcame this and lived their lives made homes and a living. My Irish Grandfather eventually working for PSE&G and my Sicilian Grandfather Working for RCA. And their kids met my parents my Dad the Irishman and my mom the Sicilian and eventually my sister came along in 1965 and me in 1971.
As far back as I can remember in the late 70s 1976 to be exact I was either at my Uncle Dons Exxon Gas Station on Park Ave or his house on 6th street. My dad worked around the corner at Kaslander Lumber on 5th street. My other uncle live at 280 N 11th street.
My Uncle Rick Worked at the Hess gas station across from my uncle Don’s on park ave. And my Uncle Mike had a used car lot on the corner of Clay st and Broadway (Now an advanced auto parts).
My Uncle Rick and Cousin Joey took me everywhere, from Tony’s Hot Dogs, Calandra’s Bakery. To Dickie Dees and Ting-a-lings lemon ice. Then there was the legend of the White Lady Tree in Branch Brook Park not to mention the awesome Cherry Blossoms as well. Since we were always in Newark either to see family members or on errands, they always took me on a tour of the old neighborhood
Every time a Frankie Valli song would come on the radio, my dad, uncle, or cousin would turn it up and say you know who this is? It’s Frankie Valli and he’s from Newark. I don’t care what Clint Eastwoods movie says or insulates Frankie Valli is from Newark that’s it. Clint Eastwood is not from Newark or even New Jersey as far as I am concerned his movie means stugots.
Nickey Newark…
Now speaking of Jersey Boys the movie, one of the very few things they got right was the mannerism’s of Tommy Divito (Played by Vincent Piazza) Many internet humps were saying “He’s acting like he’s from New York” and no you are wrong. What many people do not know many people from Newark in the 50s and 60s moved to New York.
A Nicky Newarker is a knock around guy, a guy to go to when someone is bothering you. A guy you see when you need something done. When something falls off a truck 10 times outta 10 a Nicky Newarker was there to catch it.
They were street guys in Guinea Ts ( Now called Tank Tops or Wife Beaters) gold chains and said ” Oh yea I got tree of those” ( If you said three you were not from the ave) Nicky Newarkers had their own accents, mannerism’s and way’s of doing things. Not all were connected but they knew who was and wasn’t many were regular guys with 9 to 5 jobs but again they were tough guys took no shit.
My Teenage Years…
In the early 80s almost every weekend my cousin Joey always took me to this one arcade on Bloomfield ave. Then to this one diner that has been long gone by summer ave I just can’t remember the name right now but I lived for those weekends.
But in 1984 I had to spend a year in South Florida and I hated it with a passion. It wasn’t all bad but for the most part, it wasn’t home it was soooo awkward for me for a 13/14-year-old. So when 1985 hit I could not wait to get home, one whole year without a dirty water dog from Tony’s or an Italian Hot Dog or Sausage and Peppers from Dickie Dee I was losing it.
But when I got back it was different, Newark was always bad but was getting worse. You started hearing about this new drug called crack, you really didn’t hear about it until 1986 but trust me it started around 1985.
My Uncle Don Sold his gas station in 1980 and passed away in 1982, My Uncle Mike had a few issues before dying of Colon Cancer in late ’85. I was still going to my Uncle Joe’s on 11th street but after 3 consecutive break-ins, he was talking about selling his house by the early 90s.
I was going to Avenue P to watch the street races, there really wasn’t much street racing on Bloomfield Ave or Rt 21 anymore. In 1987 or ’88 I can’t remember there was a really bad accident on Bloomfield ave due to street racing. So the police stepped up their patrols for a while. But you could still find me and other family members there for the food.
To me, Newark will always have a place in my heart, it’s my family’s lineage it’s where I learned a lot about life. It’s where my grandfather saw me hiding behind a tree at my uncle joes house when I was 10 years old because I didn’t want the big kids to see me. And then he asks why was I hiding? I said because I was afraid to get picked on. Then he says to me he didn’t want to see that ever again because that shows fear and he doesn’t ever want me to show fear ever again I face whatever is in front of me.
And from that day on I never did that again and the rest is history….
Newark has its own history… Language even Mannerisms. All I gotta do is listen to the way a person talks I can tell if they really are from Newark of not.
It’s a Jersey thing and we don’t care if you understand or not lol…
