Trev gives his kids a tour of the old neighborhood

As John Lennon once sang, "There are places I remember" but for me there was nothing like growing up in Union City.

We once counted 50 kids all living within a five-block range all within five years of each other, and we all played together like family. Sometimes a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.

On Sunday, I got to pass that along to my sons Lennon and Albert. My two best friends from back home — Joe Laneza and North Hudson Fire Capt. Robbo Pisani, who became a firemen on the advice of my Dad — met us for a "walking tour of Union City."

We went to the house I grew up in and the owner was kind enough to let us come in and walk around. Then we walked the entire five-block neighborhood where they got to see the places where all the people in the stories I tell them, actually lived.

Next up was 17th Street Park, which was the center of our universe where we played basketball, punchball, football etc. It's now called "Jerry's Park" after Jerry Spadaccini, the man who looked after us and treated us like family. We all took a picture around his plaque.

The trip culminated with a stop at the 16th Street firehouse where my father Albert worked for 30 years and retired in 1982. His picture still hangs on the kitchen wall. I remember going to see him when he worked on Sundays to get a meatball from the big pot of gravy that marked football day. Once again, the sauce was simmering. I could almost hear the old voices of his squad.

Later, his grandsons got behind the wheel of a fire engine like he did all those years ago. I'm sure he was smiling down. I spent the day smiling.

My boys have a bunch of friends their age who live on our block and I tell them these friendships may last a lifetime. When they see Joe and Robbo and the memories we continue to make, it brings it home for them. It means so much to me to be able to bring them home and so much more that they were actually interested.

Steve Trevelise is on the air from Monday-Thursday, 7 to 11 p.m. Tweet him @realstevetrev or @nj1015.