It was June 1962 and I had just graduated from high school. It was July 4th weekend, and I was taking my younger sister down the shore. As high school kids, we always went to 5th Avenue in Bradley. I told my sister: “I do not want to go to Bradley. I want to go where the college boys are, so let’s go to Loch Arbor.”
It was my first time; I was nervous.
When we got to the beach, this gorgeous Italian- looking guy with black curly hair, dark skin and a black bathing suit tried to pick me up. I was wearing a black two-piece. I started asking some of the older guys I knew from hanging out at Syd’s what they knew about the guy. Turns out he was Morey Udine from Irvington, a 3rd year student at Rutgers law school. And he was JEWISH. I felt like Moses had parted the ocean.
I was 17 and he was 22, so I lied and told him I was 21. So much for young kids not knowing what they are doing. We got married when I was 19. Now 52 years later, we have 3 kids and 9 grandchildren and are still having a great time.
Bradley was always one of our favorite places (Syd’s, the LaReine Hotel, Ma Tischler’s, the boardwalk. etc.) I am actually writing this story from the beach in Boca, FLA.
Toby Stein Udine