July 26, 1934
My very dear ones.
Well, the main thing is that everything has finally arrived and I hope Doddo and Liss liked them.
Today I mailed you a book from the Fair and today I am enclosing 4 snapshots. On one of them I am wearing the yellow knit suit I bought at Hans K.
The others will give you a little idea what a nice workplace I have, altho I am sitting at home again since a few days since there was no work at all. Gus Bing, Uncle’s nephew, promised to call me as soon as they get some orders. He sends regards to Alex.
I received already my first paycheck of $12.85. All work is paid by check. Since I work so slowly the check was not very big. I think I told you that this is a factory of very elegant hats but piecework. I hope I learn to work faster so I can earn more money. Gus thinks I will but should continue to work as well as I do.
Actually this is a beautiful light clean large workroom. On arrival and leaving we punch a time clock. No work on Sat. or Sun.
RCA Radio - Introduced in 1934
In the afternoon they turn on the radio. At first I could not imagine from where the hollow voice was coming. Frequently we hear concerts.
We are interrupted by people who come in to sell sewing needles or to sharpen scissors. Every afternoon comes a man to sell ice cream, which was very welcome in that miserable heat we had until today.
Actually one can all over on street corners drink water from a fountain just like hoses. Actually they have faucets where the water goes up instead of running down. You cannot picture it. You bend down over it and the water goes right into your mouth. We even have one of these fountains with ice cold water in our workroom. It sure comes handy in that heat. I will try and take a photo once when somebody is drinking.
I cannot tell you how much ice cream and cold drinks I put into me this last week. Now I can understand how people can get a heat stroke.
On Sunday I had to go again to a German picnic. We had to wait for 1 hr for a bus and we almost fainted. It was 95 degrees in the shade. In this heat I cannot eat much and not sleep hardly at all.
1 night I went up on the roof with a folding chair, a pillow and a blanket. It was great up there and I slept well for 1½ hrs. Then I wanted to turn around and the chair collapsed under me. So I had to go back downstairs.
Most nights I would get up every so often and sit by the open window where there was at a least a little breeze once in a while. Last night I moved my bed so my head is right by the window.
Subway Cafe - "The longest Bar in the World"
One evening last week we went bumming. After work I went to the Fair where at 9:00 p.m. Opa and a niece picked me up. Then we met a friend of the niece who drove us with his car to the greatest bar in the world. That bar counter is so long you cannot see the end of it. And behind it a lot of mirrors to make it look even bigger. Just like in the movie
Wonder Bar with Al Jolson. Hope you can see that when it comes to you. Of course we did not sit at the bar but at a little table. It was again a nice evening and I did not get home until 2 a.m.
On Monday night Opa and I had dinner at that friend’s [restaurant] One of the nicest restaurants here on the south side. Then we went to see the movie The House of Rothschild. Excellent. On the way home we passed that friend’s restaurant again and his father called us in and the mother asked me to come to visit once in a while. Opa went home and I visited with them for about 3 more hours. I would not have been able to sleep anyhow it was so very hot. It was so comfortable to sit in their air conditioned restaurant.
Keeping Cool
All theatres and restaurants are air conditioned otherwise nobody would go there. After a little drive along the lake the son then drove me home. Lately some restaurants are putting tables and chairs on the sidewalks. I have been in 2 of those so called bier gardens. This is something very new here this year and if there is not a sign in front that it is people just do not know. All they drink here is: beer, soda, lemonade, whiskey, highballs etc.
Harry Ehrlich promised to get me a glass of wine at our next date in a week. He also wants to teach me to drive a car. In spite of the many cars on the street you hear much less horn blowing than at home.
A couple of days ago our young people’s group met and again I was driven home by 2 men and 3 girls. It is getting much easier for me to have a conversation now. Of course when 2 people talk together I cannot follow because they always talk too fast and when 3 ask me something at the same time I have no idea what they want.
Last Saturday I intended to spent some time alone at the Fair, but of course I ran into people I knew. First Opa with his whole big family 3 sons, 1 daughter, 1 son in law and 2 daughters in law only I was missing. So of course I joined them. I knew them all already except for the 2 daughters in law. Hans delivered me at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
I was home alone and Joe Hamburger, Uncle Alfred’s son came by to ask if I wanted to go swimming with him which I did of course. I had just cut out the back of my old bathing suit and wore it right away.
Sears Dresses on Sale 1934
Yesterday Aunt Henny took a day off. She is really working much too hard.
We went downtown in the afternoon and I bought myself another dress for 59¢. Nothing in front, nothing in back but still too much for this heat.
We then went to the concert at the Fair. My travel companions from Vienna I see every time I go there. The wife and friend work now in an exhibit called “Black Forest”. But since it costs admission I only sneaked in once with my pass. It is one of the busiest exhibits they show fancy ice skating. Very beautiful to watch especially when it is so hot outside.
Black Forest Village with Ice Skating Show.
I do not know if I can get a pass again for the month of August, so this pleasure will come to an end soon probably. 50¢ is too much to spend for
admission.
By the way in 1 of the exhibits is a statue of a big white dog, advertising of the “Voice of his Master”, he says something which I do not understand and moves his mechanical mouth. I recognized it from far away. Doddo, do you remember where we saw one like it? Was it at the big music show?
Yesterday we saw something terrific. 6 mechanical figures of American Presidents. They get up to make speeches into microphones and then sit down again. Fascinating how they work. That is about all I can tell you today.
Talking Presidents
What is the matter with our cousin Alice Wolff that she is in the hospital? Ilsa Liederman wrote a funny description of Lore Levy’s engagement.
It seems that some of my cards from the boat never arrived. So now I will go to the drugstore here in the building to eat my lunch being a cantaloupe a la mode, ½ of a melon like fruit with ice cream on top.
So until next time.
Love and Kisses,
Trudel
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