Slezak remembers an aspect of Old Hoboken he'd probably rather forget:
MONDAY MORNING WASH DAY, and the daredevils who had the job of putting up the clotheslines, when one broke. Every block had one brave soul...and I was the chosen one for my block. My mom got me the job...THANKS MOM.
You carried a hammer and the line around your neck...and began your climb...hitting each spike to insure that it was safe to step on. It always seemed to be the one at the top that was broken. Most of the time and on a cold and windy day, freezing your hands till they were numb, as all the wives braving the cold on their fire escapes watched me as I made my climb...praying for me. I FELT LIKE A CIRCUS ACT WITH NO NET.
WASH DAY was when every one knew if you had a hole in your undies. IT WAS PUT OUT FOR ALL TO SEE. And you only got a dollar a climb. I SUPPOSE THEY DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE IN HOBOKEN, thanks to washers and dryers.
Now that you mention it, Slezak, I haven't seen any clotheslines in Hoboken since I moved here in December. Call it progress. Call it 21st Century technology. Call it the avoidance of child abuse. But you must have been a nimble lad in your day, putting up those clotheslines for the local housewives, and surviving to tell the tale some sixty years later. As usual, you paint a vivid picture of days gone by. At least you could drop by Abel's for an ice cream with your dollar.
1 comment:
They asked Bobby to climb the clothes pole because they figured he had nothing to loose! That long hair he had then would have acted like a parachute and he would have come down like a helicopter!!
That was a way for the mothers of all those young girls that Bobby dated to hope to get rid of him.
For a dollar it was the cheapest way!
Now don't get me wrong, Bobby is a great person, but the truth must be known.
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