Vacation Traditions

In my last post, I wrote about some of the vacation destinations we visited when I was a child. Some of the places we visited yearly while on our vacation are worth a mention as well. I have no idea how big the Poconos is, but we always seemed to be close to a few of the same places.

No matter where we went, the first thing we did was hit the grocery store. Only an Italian family would be sure to buy food, since you never know when someone might need a little something to nosh. This was no ordinary trip to the grocery store. First of all, we all went together. All 5 of us. Most trips to the grocery store were done by my mother, alone, in the evening, so she didn't have to take us kids. When I was a little older she would take me, and we had the best mother-daughter time. But I digress...that must be a separate post. We would hit the supermarket for things such as breakfast cereal, snacks, soda, and other things we might die without. One especially wonderful thing was that my mother would let us get those multi-packs of the mini-cereal boxes. Oh yeah, I am talking Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, Sugar Pops...pure sugar heaven. We were allowed this luxury only on vacation. Sure there were those mini-boxes of Total and Product 19 they shoved into the pack, but if you were wily, you could get a sugar cereal and leave your younger brothers in the dust.

The next thing we did was go to a small store called Jamesway. I'm guessing at the name. It was like a tiny Wal-Mart, before that huge retailer put all the small guys out of business. We'd get some sand toys, beach chairs, and maybe a badminton set. Depended on what we could find from the prior year's trip.


We spent most of our days at either lakes or pools, whichever was closest. We also went to touristy places such as the Stroudsberg Railroad and Dutch Wonderland, a small amusement park. I think we went to a petting zoo once, and my father had a fit because they put bumper stickers on all the cars in the parking lot. He was NOT pleased. My brain has not retained many other tourist sights, but I do remember going out to eat. You must understand that we did not eat out a lot when I was a kid. The Ponderosa was a big trip for us. However, on vacation, we ate out EVERY night.

Here are a few restaurants we never missed:

The Pioneer Diner. This place was shaped like something...perhaps a railroad car, or now that I think about it, maybe a covered wagon? In any event, this eatery was a highlight. The food was horrible; my mother nearly died when one of us was served chicken parmigiana with KETCHUP and mozzarella on top. But, they had lots of kid-friendly, fried, cheap fare, and so we went.

The Little Brown Jug. We happened upon this place by accident, if memory serves me. We originally entered a fancier place, and my father harrumphed about the prices and marched us all out of there. We went across the street to the Little Brown Jug, a casual Italian eatery. They had red-and-white checkerboard tablecloths, and the price must have been right because we went back every year. I think the food was pretty good. I also think that it was near the souvenir shop we visited each year. It was a pretty big shop, with all the requisite tacky items, such as decorative spoons, little leather purses and bracelets, small toys, and tee-shirts that said "Someone went to the Poconos and all they got me was this lousy tee-shirt." Har har har. I seem to remember that the store had a Native American theme; perhaps "Poconos" is Native American for "crappy souvenirs". However, no matter how crappy they were, we moaned and groaned if we couldn't get anything. We always did get something, though, even if it was small.


Bradleys. This was a family-style place and I recall that it was delicious. They had turkey and roast chicken, and maybe even prime rib. They brought vegetables and other sides, such as stuffing, out on platters and you passed it around the table. And they brought plenty of it. This was a big night, since I think it was a little pricier than the other places.


Now I mention Bradley's last since it is associated with a famous incident that to this day is part of Salamo-Pantaleno folklore. One summer, when I was about 15, Con Edison's union workers went on strike. Management, of which my Dad was a part, worked non-stop, reading meters, fixing lines, and doing any job usually done by the union workers. This left him unable to take our family vacation to Timber Trails. I am still not sure how or why my mother agreed to this, but she took us kids there for the week, along with her parents (Belle and Ray Salamo), and my Aunt Paula, Uncle Arthur and cousin Christian, who was about 18 months at the time. My grandfather's personality merits a post of its own, but suffice it to say he could be grumpy and disagreeable, and once he liked something, he stuck with it. And he loved Bradley's, likely because he could eat all he wanted and felt he got his money's worth. On the Thursday morning of our week together (our 6th day of vacation), we were sitting around the breakfast table, deciding where to eat dinner. (This is another Italian trait; always plan your next meal, as you're eating your current meal.) We had already been to Bradley's twice, at Grandpa's urging, and he kept saying he wanted to go again. My Aunt Paula was thumbing thru the local guide, looking for a new place to eat. She suggested a few places, all of which my grandfather pooh-poohed. He kept insisting he wanted Bradley's. Finally, my poor Aunt made one last suggestion, which Grandpa growled at, and my Aunt, in desperation, hurled the guide book across the table at my Grandfather and shouted "WELL YOU FIND A PLACE TO EAT THEN!". Things got very quiet. I don't remember where we ate that night, but I don't think it was Bradleys.

Epilogue. Just for fun, I googled Timber Trails and looked at some of the real estate. It looks as though it has become quite the vacation destination, complete with golf, tennis, club house, pools, and a whole array of annoying organized activities (e.g., Valentines Dance, Breakfast with Santa, Casino Night, etc. I hate organized activities.) One house was on Leatherstocking Lane and another was on Conestoga Trail. A huge bell went off in my head, as I recall riding my bike on those very roads (see prior post). WOW! I think Bradleys burned down, and I found no listing for Little Brown Jug; however, the Pioneer Diner seems to still be there! Perhaps we'll visit this summer and order the Chicken parm, just for fun.