PrintSugar Rush: The Retro Ice Cream Man Cometh
Humor me, won'tcha?
The ice cream man almost always serves as an icy blast from days long past. Especially so if he's rocking an early-model Ford and dressed in retro mid-century togs, as Jay here is, right down to the belt-situated coin changer.
I encountered Jay yesterday in Manhattan on 53rd Street yesterday, just east of the Museum of Modern Art, where a small crowd of looky-loos had slowed down to admire the customized vintage Ford pickup from which he's selling the usual array of ice cream treats. The truck, he said, had been customized for ice cream conveyance long ago and had been recently salvaged from a fleet of retired Good Humor trucks. Though he originally cited 1942 as the model year, a little research tells me it's likely a 1961 or '62.
Jay and the truck's owner plan to salvage more vintage Good Humor trucks from the same fleet and have them prowling the streets of Manhattan this summer, though there's no word yet on what the trucks' stamping grounds will be. This particular one, Jay said, had only been out on ice patrol for four days as of yesterday, and it was just too soon to tell where the hot vending spots would lie. One thing, he hopes, is that the ice cream business will offer more profit than his previous venture—street-fair Italian sausage vending.
Besides its vintage look, one thing that sets this Good Humor truck apart from other trucks, he said, is that all the treats are kept in a cold box in the vehicle's side. That way, there's no hiding a less-than-tidy operation from the public. And this blogger will tell you that the jingling bells mounted above the truck's windshield are a welcome change from the annoying Mister Softee tune that blares from rivals.
Another thing that sets the truck apart is the fact that it sells Creamsicles, which, in this blogger's observation, are a rare find in other ice cream trucks.
Vintage Good Humor Truck
Address: Variable, of course. Try finding it on 53rd between Fifth and Sixth avenues
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15 Comments:
Oh, tell me there are chocolate eclairs and my brother's favorite toasted almond!
annien at 6:11PM on 05/12/08
I guess the only disadvantage of having the "treats kept in a cold box in the vehicle's side" is that now the Good Humor Man is down on the same level as his customers. Somehow it does not seem right. He should be looming above, All-Powerful and difficult to hand your money up to.
Plus what's the idea with parking the truck? Tradition demands it always be moving so that you have to chase after it, screaming "Stop! Stop! Wait!" desperately at the top of your lungs.
Karen Resta at 6:21PM on 05/12/08
Is he flexing in that one picture??? Maybe my eyes are seeing things. (No, it's not wishful thinking!)
@Karen, the ice cream patrons in the upper floors of Manhattan's buildings probably appreciate that he parks his truck. But yeah, the scene you described was definitely part of the charm of the ice cream man's arrival on the block. That, and seeing the kid next door drop his half-eaten ice cream bar on the ant-ridden sidewalk, pick it back up and proceed to devour it after the truck had departed the neighborhood. :)
MelsDiner at 6:46PM on 05/12/08
@MelsDiner: When he saw me taking pix, he started to pose!
Adam Kuban at 6:55PM on 05/12/08
MelsDiner - I still think he should keep moving. It would add to the charm of the city as well. :)
Adam - Doesn't everybody start to pose whenever you arrive?
Karen Resta at 7:06PM on 05/12/08
That ice cream truck is so classy! I even hear strains of Jonathan Richman's "Ice Cream Man" song if I look at a picture long enough.
Any word on whether they've replaced the engine? I bet the original is a gas hog, especially with the refrigeration system it has to power.
butterface at 1:45AM on 05/13/08
@butterface: He did mention that they had to replace the engine; the body was in good shape, though, he said. I was on the verge of asking what type of engine they put in but got sidetracked by some other bits of conversation. I think the original is some sort of V8, so it's probably a gas hog, but he wasn't running the motor when I visited. Somehow I doubt they converted it to biodiesel or the like. I'm guessing they just picked up an old original motor and overhauled it; it's be the least hassle.
Adam Kuban at 2:21AM on 05/13/08
His change belt is just awesome. Even with the posing...he's like the Las Vegas of Ice Cream.
fritesandfries at 10:02AM on 05/13/08
Oh crap.
I saw the man being towed.
AllenW at 1:38AM on 05/14/08
Noooooo!
Adam Kuban at 1:39AM on 05/14/08
I loved the sound of the opening of the cold box. My fave is also the chocolate eclairs, so i hope after he gets his truck out of the pound he'll have them. Don't you think the smell of the gas was part of the charm? ;-)
When I was 3 (I'm 51 now so this was so shocking that I remember it) my great grandmother was babysitting me....bought a vanilla fudge cup from the ice cream man and then told me I could have it after my nap. When I woke up it was gone! I hope she liked it.
joannabar at 10:22AM on 05/14/08
Holy awesome of awesomeness! Fetch me a Toasted Almond ASAP! No, make that two!
missbhavens at 4:18PM on 05/14/08
The early 60's Ford Pickups used the 292 cid V8 engine. It wasn't too bad on gas.
srhcb at 11:29PM on 05/14/08
Next, Bungalow Bar?
Stushi at 12:47PM on 05/15/08
great pics. I work at a gallery in Chelsea and the gallery hired this guy to serve ice cream for the last opening. It was a big hit and several people have been asking me how to get in touch with them. Here's the number they gave me: 646-423-6860....
try a toasted almond. (I ate two that night.)
ottos at 12:21PM on 05/28/08