interesting

[cterrebonne]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/29/porch.cave/index.html

i wonder if these guys were legal???

[Blue_Runner]

Those guys must be dumb as a box of rocks. It says the dad-gummed house was abandoned. Why not just go inside?? Idiots.

[willy]

Plainfield is the town that bordered the town I worked in for almost thirty years, Scotch Plains. Probably 60% or better of our major crimes eminated from the residents of that town.
Believe it or not it was called the Queen City for decades, had good light industry, major stores and some of the most beautiful homes in this country. In the riots of this country around 1968 mobs of lawless scum trashed burned and killed for days on end.
The result, the majority of people who built the city and employed the people moved out, Irish, many Italians, Germans etc, that had created the Queen City.
Fast forward to now it is a sewer, the beautiful homes are still there in the main but look like they have not been maintained for decades, except for some in the city center area that have been bought by wealthy gays and have been turned into a cartoonish kaliedascope of colors as they often do. The high school is patrolled by armed guards and they handle gang issues and weapons along with drug dealing on a daily basis.
along with the junior highs.
The huge regional hospital where three of my kids were born is now closed due to the fact it could not afford to be the emergency/daily doctor for free it has been for decades any more. The number of spanish and blacks are huge and their elected officials are typical corrupt Jersey style democrats, the numbers on welfare and the amount of money that has been poured into that city from the federal governmant and the state is staggering.
Another one of the great inner-city success stories of New Jersey along with Irvington, East orange, Newark, Trenton, Camden and several others.
Names which I am sure many of you recognize from the switching off between number one and always in the top ten for murder, rape, robbery etc. in our country.
What a shame to have grown up here and watch this happen.

[RWilson2526]

Holy crap, My first house was in Plainfield. I lived there for almost 10 years. It was on the other side of the proverbial "tracks" but still.....glad I dont live there anymore

[willy]

So did my wife Wilson, and many of my close friends. I grew up in Scotch Plains from age six on. Not far off of Sleepy Hollow Rd. if you remember that.

[RWilson2526]

Willy ...a perfect summation....those gay guys used to have some great parties though. The street I lived on had 20 houses on it, 9 of them were gay couples. Made good neighbors really but it was a little surreal at times

[willy]

I guess surreal will work, I would probably use a different term if pressed. At least they cleaned up the properties and had some pride. You did real good getting out of there.

[RWilson2526]

Originally Posted by willy

So did my wife Wilson, and many of my close friends. I grew up in Scotch Plains from age six on. Not far off of Sleepy Hollow Rd. if you remember that.

Sure, I know the area well.. My cousins inlaws live on Clarks Ln ..We lived on Dixie Lane ( between Leland and Woodland) which I think technically was called the "Netherwood" area but we used to like to call it the Sleepy Hollow section because it had a better sound to it! before my dad got transfered to Florida I grew up in Berkely Heights up across the mountain from you. Got tons of relatives up there some that are in law enforcement up there too, maybe you even know them (DelDuca's)

While living in Plainfield I worked in Roselle so that South Ave corridor is pretty familiar. Two favorite places to eat are Mezzogiorno in downtown Scotch Plains (hope its still there) and the Chippery for fish and chips, that place will never go away. I remember my dad taking me there when we were kids and I just had some the other day.

[willy]

Ah memories, I believe Mezzajiorno is gone though, not 100 % on that though, I try not to go back to the area as much as I can.

[cterrebonne]

willy and rwilson that is a shame to hear that.