A trip down memory lane to the beach

A couple of weeks ago, Howie and I were riding north on Route 2. I turned to  him and said, “Look at the traffic and businesses on this road. I can remember when this road was the end of the earth in Rhode Island. This was the road we took to the beach.”

Here is what I remember about a drive to the beach. First, there was no Interstate 95. I remember my dad driving on the viaduct at Point and Eddy streets. I could see the Sunbeam baking company building as we reached the top of the viaduct. The smell of fresh-baked bread was awesome.

From there, we traveled on either Allens Avenue or Eddy Street. There were lots of businesses and homes to look at and a ton of signs to read.

I was only 8 years old, or younger, so I do not remember the entire route. Somehow we were on Reservoir Avenue. As we approached the Rhode Island Training School (often called  “the bad boys’ school”), excitement mounted: We were getting closer to the beach.

From there on, there was not much to look at, just trees and a few businesses. For me, the next exciting thing to see were the two rotaries. Those rotaries told me we were getting really close to the water.

And then, all of a sudden, there it was – the ocean! It was so beautiful and the waves were just wonderful.

As we walked from the car to the beach, the heat from the sand came up through our shoes, but who cared – we were at the beach.

Who can forget getting a little sand in your sandwich?  After lunch, we had to rest for an hour, so as not to get cramps and drown.  As an adult, I realized that this was not true. However, as a parent, I told my boys the same thing: after all, a mother needs a little time to enjoy the sights on the beach without watching the water to make sure her children are safe.

MAY-RONNY ZEIDMAN is executive director of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence.