I kind of laugh about this thinking about it, but there were three things I remember that made me think a family was rich when I was a kid. A Color TV, a Cadillac, a Mink Coat and living at Turner Towers. Turner Towers was the ritzy apartment house with a doorman on Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn where I grew up in the 60s and 70s.
Then I got a job and spent most of my paycheck on a late model GTO -- Gas Tires and Oil, as the saying goes.
(Now you know how old I am.)
As my father always had to work hard long overtime hours to make ends meet, that really stood out to me, I was fascinated by that. I believe that moment likely planted an early seed in me that if a person worked hard, saved and invested wisely, that he could write a different path for his future, and retire at a reasonably young age.
Now looking back on it I don't know whether or not his father ever worked hard, or perhaps just inherited enough money to live off his investments, but I'm glad at twelve I took it as a possibility open to anyone if they put in the work.
My Mothers go to was Emily Post.
My Mothers go to was Emily Post.
Haha
I think I was 12 or 13 when one of my friends had a big birthday party, I am assuming it was for entering the teen years. It was the first time I had ever been to his home it was huge! And most of the party was held in the basement with a walkout patio. They had a two-lane bowling alley, arcade games, pool table, air hockey table, bar, and an inground pool off the patio.
I think my first thought was why the F==k have we been hanging out at my place all these years. But the next day or so we were all back at my place hanging out in the pool I didn’t care and neither did my friend.
Being a kid back then was fun and not a care in the world sadly a lot of kids these days don’t get to enjoy that.
in ground pool for sure
Cadillac, Mercedes and mink coats as mentioned
for me, color TV - I grew up with B&W only
nice shout-out to Turner Towers gidie - we had good friends who lived there back in the day (like 1995-2010, not my childhood)
Nice. I've never lived in an apartment and never ever want to.
Since I walked to school every day, the kids who got driven to school.
after two parents you could tell by their clothes, their house (if you saw it), their cars, their material things. But also people talk - grownups and kids hear things - like who owns their own business, or who is going on an airplane or who is buying a second home, etc.
to my mother's credit though I basically grew up in projects and I never once felt like we were poor, but looking back we obviously were and she worked so hard at multiple menial jobs to keep my siblings and I sheltered as much from it as possible. so I knew we weren't rich but "what made you think people were poor" would be a funny thread.