US here we come

Carousel horses at Recreation Park, Binghamton, New York. The carousel features in the Twilight Zone episode titled ‘Walking Distance’.

Sorry to be jumping around chronologically. We’re back in Canberra but I just sent off the following letter to the Press and Sun-Bulletin newspaper in Binghamton, Broome County, New York State.

We went to Binghamton because of my life-long dedication to the Twilight Zone television series. Its creator, Rod Serling, grew up there.

Anyway, on return to Australia, I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ to Binghamton, and figured the best way to thank an entire city is to write a letter to its local newspaper.

Here’s what I wrote:

“Dear Editor,

“My wife, Joan, and our two children, Joey (aged 14) and Hannah (12), and I visited New York City as tourists in May and, as part of our holiday, decided to have a few days upstate in Binghamton. The attraction was the fact that Binghamton is the hometown of the late Rod Serling, creator of the original Twilight Zone television series. I used to watch the Twilight Zone, as a youngster growing up in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1960s, and have followed it, as re-runs or in new versions, ever since. Serling was a genius and I feel a debt to him for sparking my youthful imagination in ways that helped the development of my critical mind and intellect.

“One of my favourite episodes, ‘Walking Distance’, was based on Serling’s childhood experiences at Recreation Park. Indeed, the carousel was recreated for the episode, which starred Gig Young as a middle-aged executive, alienated from his current situation, who yearns so strongly to ‘go home again’ that he actually does so, meeting his childhood self and parents – only to discover the hard truth that he belongs in the present because ‘there’s only one summer to a customer’!

“It was a thrill for my family and me to visit Rec Park and to see the carousel, not to mention the plaque to Serling in the nearby band shell. But that was only one of many Rod Serling sites that made our visit to Binghamton a highlight of our stay in New York.

“We remain very grateful to our new-found friend, Larry Kassan, the Director of the Rod Serling Video Festival at Binghamton City Schools, for his extreme generosity and kindness to us. He took us to Serling’s high school, Binghamton High, where we inspected the Helen Foley Theatre and art display, showed us the Serling historical marker on the school’s front lawn, and also took us to the downtown walk of fame, where Serling is again commemorated. Larry also took us to the Broome County Forum Theatre, where we were very impressed with the photo display and exhibition dedicated to Serling. Perhaps the most enchanting aspect of the visit was seeing the home on Bennett Avenue where Rod Serling grew up. I just stood there, taking in the ambience, trying to imagine the young Rodman running around the street, or making his way up to Rec Park.

“Thank you, Larry, for giving my family and me some wonderful special memories. And thank you ‘Binghamton’ for recognizing and commemorating one of the greats that your city spawned”.

Barry

The price of food continues to impress me as cheaper than in Australia, the quality is very good and the quantities are very big. We quickly learned that ‘small’ translates into ‘medium’ by Australian standards and medium, or ‘regular’ as they say here, means large. Loosen your belt-buckle if you order anything ‘large’ – it will be huge. Here are a couple of photos to prove the point: taken at a diner in Binghamton, where we had dessert with our friend Larry Kassan after attending the Shrine Circus at the Broome County Arena. Hannah is eating a ‘regular’ portion of lemon merangue pie while Joey is eating a chocolate eclair (probably four times the size of one in Australia). (Also note Joey’s gear – all purchased at Binghamton, save for the cap which is a Hollywood original). – Barry

We had two days in Binghamton, about three-and-a-half hours upstate from Manhattan by bus. Binghamton is not a tourist destination. Its appeal to me was that it's the place where Rod Serling, creator of the Twilight Zone television series and ... [Continue reading this entry]