Friendly's Fun

In honor of the over 80 degree weather we had here yesterday, I decided to write about the ice cream restaurant that I grew up going to as a kid - Friendly's.

The east coasters out there will sort of get this one... not sure who else will.

Growing up on Long Island in the mid70s and 80s, we lived a pretty good life.  My childhood was filled with dance classes, Girl Scouts, soccer games, birthday parties, holidays, vacations, summer camp and so much more!  My mom was class mother and Girl Scout leader.  My dad was my soccer coach and visited my elementary school to teach us how to dissect a frog (he was a science teacher).  We ate dinner together every night around the table and my mom cooked that dinner.  We hardly ever ate out.  Wednesday nights, pizza at the local pizza store was on special so we used to get that as a treat.  Often during the summer, we also got a Carvel treat - because you know Wednesdays were Sundaes at Carvel!  At some point, my brother and I grew a little older and my mom went back to work and we became latch key kids... we had a key, but she wrote us notes in our lunch bags (the brown paper bags) and yes, she made us our lunches all the time. She also prepared our snacks and they were ready for us when we got home - also with a note...  Looking back, it was not a perfect childhood by any stretch of the imagination but it was good.  I am lucky that I have parents who love me and have supported me (sometimes despite themselves) in everything that I have done (and I was not an easy kid to raise!).   I spent years working out my all my parental angst in therapy and will continue to do so for years to come - but I know I was a pretty lucky kid.

How lucky?

Lucky enough that after every big moment in my life (and plenty of others) we always went to celebrate at Friendly's!  Dance Recitals, Soccer Games, School Concerts, New Haircuts, Good Grades, Graduations, Milestones... we went to Friendly's.  With friends, with grandparents, with each other... we always went to Friendly's.  Sometimes we even went - just because- for breakfast on the weekends...

(BTW, I know I have this crazy thing with memories and food... it is on the list of things to work out in therapy, but that list is very long...)

So it only makes sense that this summer when Vera and I went to pick up Jonah from Nana Camp, we would go to Friendly's!  Jonah had already been once during the week during Nana Camp.

So we went.  It was sort of chaotic.  We missed breakfast and had to order lunch...  no one ate the ice cream that came with the kids' lunches... well I think GG ate Jonah's smiley sundae... I don't normally take my kids to restaurants these days... I just can't really deal with it.  We made an exception and it was sort of OK... especially since there was basically no one else in the place.  It wasn't the Friendly's I used to go to as a kid as that one has closed down (sniff, sniff) but it was a Friendly's.

And we got some pictures to document the occasion.  Four generations at Friendly's - now that is something to celebrate.

Thank you mom and dad for taking me to Friendly's all the those years.  I remember it!  Everything from the huge Reese's Pieces Sundae we were never allowed to get to the smiley pancakes and the watermelon roll we used to bring home for our BBQs during the summer - it was good stuff!

Thank you Friendly's for being that spot I will always remember fondly and tell my kids about!

Thank you universe for giving me the opportunity to take my 3 and 1 year old to a place that meant so much to me as kid and to be able to do so with my mom and my grandmother.

I am a grateful girl who loves food and the memories she has of the smells, tastes, and treats of oh so many years ago!

YUM!