It's been eight years ... since I've been back there and I'll probably never go again. But if you saw The Sopranos last evening on HBO, you got about a five-second glimpse of the New Jersey town in which I lived until I was seventeen. The motel that the fat, gay mob guy checked into, The Maple Shade Motel, actually exists, on Route 73, about a mile away from Exit 4 on the NJ Turnpike. The exterior shot was the sign that stood there for years (I'm sure interiors are shot on a sound stage). And, yes, I understand that this means less than nothing to anyone except me.
Having witnessed much of your misspent youth, I can say you're usually right, most of the time. However, I think you're wrong about the Maple Shade Motel on The Sopranos the other night. Although I live in Florida now, I return to South Jersey on occasion and can say with certainty that all of those old motels, with the exception of the renamed "Travelers,"are long gone.
Your old buddy,
Bob
Posted by: Bob Weidel | Thursday, May 11, 2006 at 22:02