The Hamptons -

At Western Electric Co., the women outnumber the men by 2 to 1.  The girls often formed groups of 6-8 friends and they would rent a summer house in the Hamptons on Long Island or on the Jersey Shore.   One night I mentioned this to my group of friends at our local hangout, the “spoon.” I told them the girls seemed to be having a blast while we were hanging around looking for a softball game.  One guy said he knew a group of girls who rented a house in the Hamptons and that they only used it on weekends.  Three of us took our vacations at the same time and rented the house from the girls for a week.  We had a great time.  When the girls showed up on Friday night, we talked them into letting us stay through the weekend.  

My friends and I spent most of Saturday telling every girl on the beach that there was going to be a cookout at our house that night and everyone was invited - BYOB.  My logic was that the more girls who came, the more guys that would show up – that would make our girls at the house very happy!  About 150 people showed up!  Wow, what a blast.  The girls at the house thought we were the greatest thing since sliced bread.  They spent most weekends looking to meet guys –now they had almost 100 guys at their house to choose from.  The girls called us during the week and said most of the girls had found boyfriends and would be spending most weekends with them.  That meant there were open bedrooms at the house and we could stay there any time. 

We took advantage of the offer and were there almost every weekend.  We brought food and beer and had lots of parties.  We’d ask any guys who showed up at the parties for a dollar or two for a beer run. We always had lots of money left over from these “collections” so we gave it to the girls as a Thank You for letting us stay there.  We also spent a few weekends at the Jersey Shore, but we liked the Hamptons better. 

In January, I called a meeting of my friends and asked who was interested in renting a house of our own.  I also told them that we had met some really great guys in the Hamptons who lived and worked in NYC.  A lot of them also wanted to go in on a house.  In a week, I had 15 guys.  I made an appointment with a real estate agent and two of us went scouting.  We decided to look for something old and cheap until we were sure if the other guys would like spending the summer at the beach.  We could also upgrade to a bigger and better house the following year.  We rented a 5 bedroom, 2 bath garage that had been renovated to accommodate a large group of renters.  It would only cost about $100 per person for the whole summer.  We had a great time so, the next year, we found a bigger and newer house right on Peconic Bay with a dock.  It would cost us each $250.  We had all the money collected within 2 weeks.   Today, you would be lucky to find a motel room in that area for 1 night for $250.

I had been working at Western Electric a little over 2 years when I told my Mom I really didn’t like working behind a desk.  I wanted more action – somewhere I could go outside when it was nice and inside when it was cold.  My mother told me she had read that the city needed lots more policemen.  They would be giving a test every month – why don’t I try?  Here we go again!

When I told the guys at the “spoon” that I was going to take the test, one of the others said he was too.  The test was being held in a high school in Chinatown and we had to be there by 7:30 AM.  We found out that 5,000 men were taking that test and that every month similar numbers would show up.   I figured we didn’t stand much of a chance, but we took it anyway.  We both passed!  We were told to report to the Athletic Club in lower Manhattan.  

This place was 4-5 stories high, very old, and really big.  The first floor was a huge gym with weight and workout rooms.  There was a ¼ mile banked running track on the second floor overlooking the gym.  This was the agility part of the exam and we were there all day.  We both passed that part, too!  The next part was the medical exam.  We had to report to a medical clinic in the Bronx (at least that was close to home.)  Again, we were there all day.  The police department wanted the cream of the crop and had loads of guys wanting the jobs.  They told us that the civil service list would be published in the Police newsletter in about 2-3 weeks.  We got the paper and both of us were in the top 100; not bad out of 5,000.  I was told to report to Bailey Avenue Police Precinct in the Bronx for an interview and then I would report to the Police Academy.  It was now June and I was in on the Hampton House.  I asked for my name to be moved back on the list – they agreed.  In the meantime, my Mom told me that the Fire Department was having an exam and she made me apply! 

The day of the exam arrived and she had to wake me up and kick me out of the house to take the test.  I kept saying “Who wants to be a Fireman?  It sounds dangerous to me!”  There were 586 who took the exam.  By the time the agility and medical parts were done, the list was published.  I came out #8.  I figured I was a shoe-in at #8, so I quit my job at Western Electric and put off the Police Department three times more that summer, waiting for the call to come from the Fire Department.  I spent the whole summer in the Hamptons waiting.  After Labor Day, the Hamptons dies, the weather turns cold, wet and damp, and there’s no one around. I figured I’d better go home and make some money. 

 I took a job driving a taxi cab.  Most of my passengers were junior executives who would ask me what a young guy was doing driving a cab.  I would tell them I was waiting to go onto the Fire Department and I needed to make money.  They would wish me luck and give me a great tip!  I made a lot of money that fall and winter.  I didn’t hear from the Fire Department until February.  I was told to report to the Fire Academy on February 26.  So would begin a new chapter in my life.