Signs
By calcynic
@calcynic (433)
United States
August 20, 2008 2:30pm CST
A major peeve:
While visiting the East Coast a few weeks ago, I dropped in on our family's old resort in S. Jersey...Avalon. The first thing you see after emerging from under the boardwalk at 21st St. is a rather large sign starting with the word NO in huge block letters. Next to the word NO is a litany of verboten activities...NO ball playing, NO pets, NO walking in the dunes,NO loud music, NO loitering under the boardwalk, NO alcoholic beverages (there's a liqu0r store 20 yards from the boardwalk), NO frisbees (that's nuts)...there's more, but I can't remember them all. Seems like a good time, in the borough gov't's eyes is a few thousand people sitting quietly with their hands folded, like good little boys and girls.
Here in the BayArea its pretty bad...parks and playgrounds with NO rollerskating, NO skateboards, NO radios...ad nauseum.
Why don't they save space and materials and put up a 2 word sign that says "NO FUN!!"I know that people abuse the privileges at times, but why is it a preconceived notion that we are ALL a bunch of destructive morons? I'm not going to accept the fact that everybody has to pay for the abuses of a few idiots...that worked in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, but not much after that.
I like the verse in "This Land is My Land" where Woody Guthrie is exasperated with all the KEEP OFF and NO Trespassing signs that when he came upon a blank one, he sang, "This sign was made for you and me!"
2 people like this
4 responses
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
20 Aug 08
There are certainly a few coincidences and similarities in the two of us nic (please forgive my shortening of your user name... feel free to do the same back to me, hehehhe, somebody once referred to me as 'the alphabet!).
You mention the Bay Area. To my recollection that can be anywhere from Oakland to Marin County to San Francisco itself. What area do you live in?? I think my favorite area around there is San Rafael. I used to spend a lot of time in Big Sur though, and that is my favorite place of all on the west coast.
And it is interesting that you mention 'Avalon', as that is my name!
I love your sense of humor! I am so glad to be up here in the boondocks where there are no forbidding signs to look at... there aren't even any leash laws around here, the library doesn't require me to have a library card and the librarian even recognizes my voice on the phone! I haven't seen a 'everything under the sun is forbidden' sign in years! Very FUNNY post!!!
2 people like this
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
20 Aug 08
Hehehe, where I live if I travel 15 minutes into the nearest teeny weeny town there is a flashing yellow light at the intersection of 2 highways, and it is the only traffic lite in 3 counties! My ex-boyfriend from L.A. calls me sometimes and one time he asked "What are you doing up there?" I enthusiastically said "Making dirt!" He couldn't believe it. I LOVE my compost piles and my garden!!!
I bet you will enjoy Trinity County... not that I know anything about it, but I always liked Mendocino.
1 person likes this
@calcynic (433)
• United States
20 Aug 08
Was the place in San Rafael the Ritter House? That's where we conducted our business...mail, showers, clothing, food, med clinic.
Cool pic...I'm surprised you didn't have a ton of problems over by Quentin. The cops there are usually hard a$ses, due to the proximity of the prison. It's the only place in the whole area where you'll go to jail for hitchhiking.
One terrific place in San Rafael was the DePaul dining room on B Street. GOOD food...brunch and dinner 24/7.
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
20 Aug 08
It is too bad that others have to suffer for what some do....because they don't use common sense....Like the guy yesterday that got hurt after being warned to take shelter because of the hurricane then he goes out on the water....gets slammed back to the shore and into a building....It does affect everyone when someone can't figure out how to use their common sense!
2 people like this
@olivemai (4738)
• United States
20 Aug 08
It was made for the insurance companies!
They rule the states, not the government as we are made to believe.
What was that I used to hear? Money walks and bs talks! something like that anyway.
Now how many people did that offend?
America, home of the often offended and ignorant people!
America, home of the often offended and ignorant people!
@Xdrowninghavocx (3117)
• United States
20 Aug 08
I live in Jersey. And I can honestly say there are lots of signs like these. And not to mention other bad signs that could lead you miles away from were you need to go. Which is one of the reasons why people don't like coming here. I guess I'm kind of used to seeing all of these signs. There are a few outside of some malls that should be kind of obvious, lol.
1 person likes this
@calcynic (433)
• United States
20 Aug 08
Yeah...Jersey's road signs can be very misleading. If I hadn't spent my youth coming over to Jersey from Philly, we would never have been able to get from Avalon to Burlington County, then across the Burlington Bristol Bridge to Philly. The jughandles for left turners are not clearly noted and you're past them before you even know they're there. They still have those crazy traffic circles that will send a stranger round and round in circles til he spits up. But, the Pine Barrens and the beautiful coastline, along with the Kttitany Ridge up by the Delaware Water Gap are beautiful, must see places. Damn any sign that begins with "NO"
