Episode 4 – The Ice Cream Man

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There used to be a time when you had to get creative to get your hands on some ice cream. None of this tweet at the Good Humor truck and it comes to your neighborhood nonsense.

In this episode of the Sobadcast, we get into that summertime groove as we discuss the excitement, anticipation, panic and fear of trying to race down the ice cream truck as it jingle-jangled its way through our suburban youth. From climbing trees to triangulate where the truck’s music was coming from, to booking it barefoot down hot asphalt streets, fresh from the pool with a dollar in hand, nothing else mattered but the satisfaction of seeing the ice cream man (or woman) slow down and extend the stop sign off the side of the truck.

We meet some interesting characters along the way. Vinnie the Pied Piper who was Bruce Lee-level masterful with the speed of his change belt and remembering every Little Leaguer’s favorite ice cream, to the totally not creepy Mister Softee driver that roamed our neighborhoods and became a staple of our summer youth.

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Some people will do anything to get Mr. Softee to stop.

For our fourth sprinkle-laden episode, we try to recall that single-minded focus to not only catch the ice cream truck, but begging our parents for a simple dollar with which to buy our soft-serve, jimmy cones, toasted almond bars, bomb pops, Marino’s Italian Ices, and yes even black market cherry bombs. But never that Chinese fortune gum. Screw that.


What was your favorite ice cream selection? Who was your favorite ice cream man (or woman)? Let us know on Twitter, where we hand out bomb pops every Tuesday at 6.

Episode 3 – Arcades

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Nothing caused sensory overload quite like an early 80s arcade. The sights, sounds, smells, beeps, bloops and knife fights (real or imagined) kept our 12-year-old selves humming along better than six bowls of Cap’n Crunch ever could.

Growing up in suburban Long Island, arcades and video games occupied a very real part of our lives. From standalone arcades like TimeOut! in the nearby Smith Haven Mall, to walls of flashing lights at local roller skating rink, Studio 25, or just a single standalone game at summer hotels and pizza parlors, we grew up amongst a weird world of strange games and stranger gamers.

Arcades may have come and gone, but judging by establishments like Williamsburg’s Barcade, they won’t soon be forgotten. Sorry hipsters, we were into it before it was cool.

80s-arcadeOn this, our third episode, we plunk our hard-earned quarters into the podcast to discuss arcades, the Star Wars cantina of adolescent adventure.

Special thanks to Andy Hofle for providing the arcade sounds we used at the end of this episode.


Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, where we’ll even let you have next game.