Upland Street first house I would say we lived in around all our family in Southwest Philly. , Row home.
Saybrook Ave..Huge row home with lots of space....to get lost. haha. Nanny and Pop's house. The central spot. Wiffle ball capital of the world. House of Cheese access. Avenue access. , All the great thanksgivings we had there. So many people together. Drinking, smoking, laughing, having such a blast. Such good food and prayers and just caring and loving about one another. Tons of hours on the porch playing Nintendo. Tons of wiffle ball games in the fire house alley facing the houses. Homers for days. hahahah
Edgehill Rd, Small row home. Mom and Pop Pop's house in Darby. It was such a cozy place. Mom Mom was such a great host and Pop Pop just chilled. So many xmas eve's, watching Santa drive down the street, fire truck blaring and all the kids so happy that Santa was there. Fireman throwing candies and lots of treats for kids. Blue collar. Americana. The creaky steps to the basement where he would whittle away on his tool bench and fix or create or just spend time.....When Mom Mom passed there was something definitely missing. I spent 4 years getting to know Pop Pop and boy did we have such a close bond. He was one of a kind. Sucha great man who truly cared about people. It hurt me to leave that place, but life was changing.....
Grant Rd., The central station, the meeting point, where it kinda all grew from. I was 5 or so when we moved to Grant Rd. It was three of us. That house, man, it grew quick. That house, held so many snapshots of a life of a growing family....developing. Two parents......raising 5 kids. I wish I had the time and detail to write about all of it. The days when I was just one kid in that house were few....then little sister came...then another...another....another. Boundaries were drawn quickly. Routines figured out even quicker. I was 5 years older than my next sibling...I got the routine down before they were even here. One boy in one room. Four girls in one room. Parents.....parenting. Mom in the center of the upstairs walkway.....getting ready for work. Dad sleeping for night work. Two people breaking speed limits for living life. Both of my parents are gone now. Mom in 2019. Dad in 2025. My wish for them, as parents, would've been to stop and realize what was going on in that house.....we were always moving so fast. I wish both of them just stopped and we all just sat or stood in one room and talked. I would've loved to hear about their lives growing up more than I knew. I would've loved to hear about their dreams as they grew up in Philly and Darby. I would've loved to have heard their dreams for their children. I wish we all just got in the car together....drove to some park like Valley Forge, packed a lunch like Mom did so many times, grabbed some sodas and pizza or tacos like Dad did so many times....and spent quiet times.....as a family. We missed out on that. We were always a family....but we needed to stop. We need to hit the brakes and appreciate what was really happening......in our time.....1977-1987...1987-1997....1997-2007...2007-2017.....2019. We never stopped moving. And maybe that's how it is for most families. I digress. As we moved Dad out to Lisa's, started to pack stuff up, it hits you. It hits you that 42 years of growth as a family happened there. Yes we had fights, yes we screamed, yes I was threatened with a knife, yes she fought back. All that stuff happens in real life. I won't lie. Mom did such a great job being a Mom. She was Wonderwoman. Dad, he worked so much.....we never expected to see him much during the day. Me, I babysat a lot. hahaha. In between my practices for various sports, I babysat. My main wish today.....let's slow down. Let's really try and just slow down. Let's hug, let's talk, let's realize how special these moments are. Even the bad ones. We learn. I get sad today. I realize my childhood home is forever gone and no longer mine. 42 years is a long time. It went by so fast. Maybe I even sped it up....so many sports, working, studying, traveling. When I started traveling a lot for work, I would always get a magnet for my mom and dad's fridge from the city I was in. Newport, Chicago, San Diego, Cancun, Normal, San Fran, Dothan, Pensacola. They loved them all. I remember one time coming back from Detroit and I stopped by and it was just the 3 of us....like it was in 1984.....I gave my dad a Detroit Red Wings t-shirt and mom a magnet. For some reason that always sticks out for me. They were so thankful. Kids moved out, moved on, Dad kept working, mom left Super Fresh, picked up side jobs. I felt they were afraid of being alone and mostly I wish that I could've told them I would've spent time with them at the house any time and just talk, talk about all those years......we didn't have time to talk. It makes me sad.
Miner St. A nice classic house we stayed in for 2 years. My first adult relationship. My first apt with someone else. Boy, I def got wild in that place. We played music, learned about life, cried, learned about death. A special place....I have since revisited.
Umbria. I spent 15 years on Umbria. I had a small studio in a historical place where tons of people came by. My sisters, my grandfather, my mom, girlfriends. Man, so many memories from that tiny spot. Such a small place. 500/month. Brick walls. Old kitchen. In an old box house. I still remember so many fond memories from that place. It has since been knocked down and with it, maybe my memories as well. It was the last place I think my mom and pop pop hung out together. I will never forget that picture. I cant really go into all the details....but a few special people came into my apts in Umbria. I also really just was the guy in the city. I always got home safe. Mom loved my apt, but hated it at the same time. She was like "you can do so much better" That made me sad....cause I kinda knew for a while I should't have been there. It got dirty and both landlords just treated me like shit. I never understood that. I lived in that studio for 10 years and the other place for 5. Thanfully it was so cheap, I will retire some day. I remember Mom would park on the side street. Marchianos loved me and my family. They came to my mom and dad's funerals. I am always thankful for that....and their super bowl parties and them inviting me to everything. I still go to Hilltown Tavern and I am thankful for my friends Sean and Timmy. I dont know what I would do without them.
Dixon St. My first experience with a New England home. I mean. It screamed New England. Those streets. They could be so cold. They would howl. The wind would push you when you'd walk. It was my first dip into New England with a special girl. I really didn't know what I was in for when I came up to Newport, but it opened my eyes so much. It opened my eyes up to a chance. It was the perfect fit for me. I was away from everything that could pull me towards darkness and gave someone a chance. I gave something a chance to change me and boy did it ever. The mansions, Bowen's wharf, Black Pearl (that nice couple that bought me my first bowl of chowdah! so grateful for nice strangers), Lobstah Rolls, Cliff Walk, the ocean telling me, "trust me Bob, I won't hurt you", Red Parrot, Brick Alley (Mom and Kathy loved the blueberry beer), Gas Lamp Grille.....My first Samuel Adams.....I felt almost I should've been born there. Amazing by all accounts. I got to spend time there with a special person and I am forever grateful for Rhode Island and her. It actually opened me up to what was possible for a guy from 988 Grant Rd. Things changed...I said to my mom, I gotta get you up to Newport RI. And with her dad dying, she took a chance, like I did. She loved every part of Newport. Every part of it. I had never seen her so happy. A year later, we brought her best friend, her sister. Her sister didn't believe that she would like Rhody more than the "Jersey Shore"....I bobbed and waved through NYC, CT, into RI and we plopped our asses down in Middletown and then that night walked on Thames St and went to the Oyster House. I never saw two women so in awe. I will have to find a picture. As sisters, it was almost as if they were meant to be there. I have since visited Newport since both of their passings. I miss them.
Providence Rd...The current residence. Peace.
