You can never go back to a childhood memory and have it be as fond as you remember it.
I took my sister back to a place we had wonderful childhood memories. She turned 50 the other day, and we decided to take in a concert and re-visit Hampton Beach New Hampshire. The Opening act was an old friend from High school (Bruce Marshall) and the head-liner was Joe Cocker, these great musicians put on a wonderful show.
Bruce Marshall. 
Joe Cocker.
The Hampton Beach Casino was crowded and smaller than I remember, the Beach shops and Arcades were Seedier than I recalled from my childhood. And the Hotel rooms were not nearly as fun or as big as I recall from my youth.
We had a great time, the ocean was where I remembered it to be, but the fried dough was only fair the corn dogs greasy and the board walk dirtier than the eyes of my childhood recalled.
Maybe I have out grown Skeet-ball, bumper cars and Tee Shirt tourist traps? Maybe my parent saw this place for what it was when we were little and didn’t let on because we seemed to be having fun, and were oblivious to the carnival atmosphere these ocean front board walks were in reality.
Maybe when I was small every trip away from home was exciting, new, bright and shiny an adventure to be savored and the good times stored away as a great memory.
I am well traveled, but each time I leave home I can’t wait to be home in my own little sanctuary. I understand what attracts me to Real Estate as a profession there is nothing more important than that feeling…of Home.
Happy 50ith Sandi, I hope you enjoyed the show…the next adventure will be at my house, the rooms are clean and it’s as big as you remembered it to be.
And the view is much nicer- your little brother & Realtor!!
Your-White Mountain New Hampshire real Estate Expert
steve@alpinelakes.com toll free 800-926-5653 /cell 603-381-7898
MLS search and Realtor web site: www.alpinelakes.com
My outside Blog: www.steveswhitemountainblog.com
Lincoln NH & Local interest site: www.localism.com/nh/lincoln
I have vivid memories that carry me from childhood. I am the oldest of 4, and now we are 3. What a great way to revisit exciting memories and celebrate a sibling's birthday. Each time I get to celebrate with my brother and sister is special. Cheers
Claude... I think what comes out of this attempt to rekindle old memories is, that it's better to create new ones - the old ones can't be duplicated they end up pale by attempting to do so.
I remember Hampton Beach as a kid as well Steve. I actually still head up to York Beach ME quite a bit and pass Hampton:)
Growing up on the boardwalks in NJ and living in Boise, ID for the past 15 yrs, I can relate. I was just home (NJ) for a family reunion this summer with my 17 yr old and visited several places of my youth. Yes, the actual visit pales in comparison to the actual youthful days spent at the boardwalk, but ... it was a part of my life as a young girl that I wanted my daughter to know about, and one that she was intrigued to learn. So though those memories should be left untouched and untainted in some ways, it does help the next generation appreciate some of what your youth was about. At least for me. And yes, it was extremely good to get home to the mountains of Idaho.
Thanks for the photos....they are terrific!
Kris
Happy Birthday Sandi!
Steve, the good ol days and our childhood memories go hand in hand. Both are better in our minds than they were in reality. (Most of the time) ;-)
Steve, I went back to where I grew up a couple of years ago, and everything also felt smaller then what I remembered. It was nice to see the old neighborhood but it was just not the same.
By the way Joe Cocker was one of my favorites, he had a great sound.
Steve, your post was so sweet. I agree with you, memories from childhood are awesome, and when you try to relive it, most times it'll be disappointing. Happy Bday to your sis. You are a wonderful brother
Fried dough and corn dogs???? Hope you walked lots after that. And I'm glad the ocean was still there for you lol.
Steve, I'm so glad you posted this to the Road Trips group. This is exactly what I was hoping to see in the posts there. And that young lady Xinh in the comment above has just been featured there along with you for her amazing post on her trip to Europe.
I hope everyone here goes over and has a look and also reads your other great mountain posts.
Bill...We have gone to Kennebunkport in Maine annually that is much nicer and classy, but a Corn-Dog and a round of Skeet ball has to rate every few years.
Kris... Love your story, I have a 16 year old son who finds these trips odd but the memories will be his later in life.
George...The smallness is always an odd side affect of revisiting places of our youth, it's still fun to go back all be it a bit disappointing at times.
It is never quite the same rooms are smaller and we are bigger. We go back the small town we grew up in and can not believe it is still surviving.
Terry... That's why we need to update our homes every so often. Buy Real Estate everyone...Please!!!!
I just can't go the Casino...there really isn't an act I would pay to see there. I think the sound is terrible, the seating is crowded and it's very dirty. It feels like a fire trap to me. You want to know how I really feel? LOL!
There is a rock in the yard of the house I grew up in. As kids, we played on it, climbed it and thought it was a mountain. The reality is...it's quite small. The hill next to the house, we used to slide down in the winter...to see it now, you just laugh, it's really only an incline.
Sharon...My wife said the same thing about the fire trap...go figure. I have revisited a tree-fort years later and had the same feelings, it's so small now.
Steve...
Well Happy 50th to your sister. Turning 50 is a huge deal. Huge :)
25 years ago I traveled back to where I grew up and was so disappointed to see the old homestead turned into a subdivision. The stream was gone and all the pine trees were gone. We can never go back simply because everyone else moves forward :)
Love the photos of Hampton Beach. Haven't been there in more years that I can calculate this early in the morning. What I do remember about Hampton is sitting in a police station waiting to be released. My friends and I were protesting the Power Plant :)
TLW...ROAR!
TLW... I saw your poster at the Seasbrook city limits with written orders to detain. Yeah, it's tough to go back and see all the things you looked up to as a kid look different when you look down as an adult.
Steve - isn't that interesting that our memories are never the same as we recall. None the less, I hope your sister had a great 50th and enjoyed the entertainment.
Thanks Sharon, we don't get to see each other that often I think she did have a good time and I know I did.
Ya Ski-ball was big in Your Beach as well. They have a big arcade called the Fun-O-Rama!
Bill... These places bring back ghosts of carnivals past...I think I got a tattoo at Fun-O-Rama.. Steve
Steve ~ What a heart filled post. Very sweet to share your memories with you sister. You created a new one and appreciated the old. Things always look smaller. I guess because we were?
Monique...We all find ourselves looking up when we're small, and that is the perspective we should remember...as we grow older and begin to look down we notice the things aren't so shiny and new. I guess the eyes of a child are where memories should remain. Thanks for the nice comment. Steve.