tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post1217733826329516941..comments2024-03-29T09:51:06.888-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/29/24: The Joys of Summer #4: Family vacationNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-60684765149039013762019-07-16T15:02:36.803-05:002019-07-16T15:02:36.803-05:00Tommy Bartlett had an interesting life. Got into r...Tommy Bartlett had an interesting life. Got into radio in his teens, staff announcer at WBBM, pilot, flight instructor during WWII, and then back into radio, where he interviewed passengers at Chicago's extremely busy railroad terminals. The show was called "Welcome Travelers"...and it was one of the first radio programs I remember listening to as a kid.<br /><br />Tommy Bartlett not only popularized water skiing as a sport, he helped established the Wisconsin Dells as a tourist and vacation destination. But my parents had zero interest in the Dells. My sister and I were never taken there. We went to the beachfromt resorts in South Haven instead. Maybe they felt uncomfortable because (in their eyes) it might not have been Jewish enough for their "Skokie" tastes and West Side backgrounds. Too much bologna and mayonnaise up there. <br /><br />And when I reached adulthood, of course I wanted to no part of suburban culture. So I've never experienced the Dells, or the "Midwestern, middle-class, bourgeois hell" of the Thrill Show. I've bypassed it many times on road trips to Minnesota. Ya, sure, you damn betcha! It all sounded so tacky..but maybe it's just tacky enough to be retro-spiffy and cool. Could it be that I've been missing something all these years?Grizz 65https://www.blogger.com/profile/02892702223228764894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-26001429416244453162019-07-14T14:04:43.062-05:002019-07-14T14:04:43.062-05:00I’ve successfully avoided even thinking about goin...I’ve successfully avoided even thinking about going to Wisconsin Dells, but I love the three sturdy forks and realize that I might have missed out on something valuable.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-39654972309914819342019-07-14T09:20:03.234-05:002019-07-14T09:20:03.234-05:00Reading this has given me a renewed appreciation o...Reading this has given me a renewed appreciation of the Wisconsin Dells. Been there many times, and kind of took it for granted.<br />Yes indeed; it’s much more than a kids’ water park/play area. <br />SandyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14070366627628604352noreply@blogger.com