So in the early eighties I was in college and had the typical "helmet hair' held over from high school. I secured a summer intern job in Greenwich, CT with a financial firm. In the early eighties, Greenwich still had very traditional oriented barbershops on Greenwich Avenue catering to the older finance men. The younger crowd was going to stylists but there was still enough who wanted the traditional haircuts to keep the shops in business.

I was drawn to barbershops. I didn't fully understand or accept it but I knew I really liked watching and wanting a regular barbershop haircut. As I was away from home, and away from my college friends, I really wanted to try one of these shops.

The first week of the internship, I just spent every lunch hour walking the avenue and checking out each shop. On Saturday, I had determined to get a haircut at one of them. One shop had a single barber and partly due to my fear of being "found out" I opted for the single chair shop.

I went into the shop and he was just finishing a man in the chair. It was a blur. I don't recall what haircut the man got. When I got in the chair I asked for a "traditional" haircut. I didn't know any terms at the time. Only that I liked the "regular" haircuts.

Again, the time in the chair is a blur. But I recall my surprise when the barber combed pomade through my bangs and combed them up.

The barber showed me in the mirror and I quickly said "yes". As I hustled back to my car I can recall the feeling of the cut. I recall feeling that pomade in the front (which I had never worn before but I always thought about).

When I got to my car and looked in the rear view mirror I realized how shockingly short it seemed to me. I hadn't had my hair cut that short since the start of junior high school.

I now know that I had a short Ivy League haircut which was probably very 'standard" for the older barber to give a college kid... in the 60's!

When I arrived at the home I was staying in for the summer, who was my mentor at work, he just said.. "Oh, you'll impress the boss with that haircut!" (The boss had been traveling the first week.)

My hair was cut so short and it wasn't "used" to being short. It stuck up all over the top instead of laying down as the barber intended. I went to the drug store and purchase "Vitalis" which was the only thing I could think that would help the hair to lay down. It did help but the scent has stuck with me all these years.

Throughout the summer, I didn't get another haircut but I had "the itch". I determined to get another haircut before returning to college but wanted to get it cut more like I was going to wear it at school.

I found another barbershop that looked more like a stylist and wasn't on Greenwich Ave. I went in the shop and sat in the barber chair and advised him just a trim and leave it touching the ear.

As I'm in the chair, another barber came out from the back who was just visiting with this shop barber. He immediately said to me "I cut your hair didn't I??" Honestly, I didn't recognize him but figured he was the barber from the beginning of the summer.

I just said, "I guess so." My "new" barber said, "He cut it too short, didn't he?" I just said "yes" and my new barber proceeded to razz the other barber that he needs to learn how guys like their hair cut now.

New guy barber did a pretty good job of trimming it up so it looked good but not too short and would grow out well.

I do occasionally long for that authentic Ivy League crew cut from the early eighties. And I do wish I could "re-live" that experience to really enjoy the hair falling as the barber got a little aggressive for me.

Looking today at Google maps, those traditional barbershops on Greenwich Avenue are all gone. Replaced by boutiques or banks. Time marches on.