Before Bucks County looked like it does today, it was farmland. Steve Zettler author of Leave the Kid Alone, remembers exactly what that looked like. He spent his childhood running through the Washington Crossing Inn while his parents worked around the clock. The people who actually raised him were the kitchen staff, the waitresses, and the bartenders. Their stories shaped him in ways no classroom ever could.

On this episode of Bucks Co Living, we talked about that childhood, a Vietnam homecoming that still stings, and the year his father tried to ambush George Washington.

Curious about this episode? Here's a quick preview of our conversation before you dive into the full story:

How Five Strangers in a Bucks County Kitchen Raised Steve Zettler, Author of Leave the Kid Alone

In the first five minutes, Steve shared something memorable. The title of his book, "Leave the Kid Alone," suggests bullying, but it’s about being literally left alone as his parents ran an inn. Steve Zettler grew up above the family restaurant at Washington Crossing Inn, raised by the kitchen staff, not his parents. 

I relate, having grown up in restaurants myself. Steve's upbringing involved three waitresses, three bartenders, and a groundskeeper named Dave Reading, with one bartender also working at the Trenton electric chair. This book feels like oral history rather than a promo. Check out his website for more of his work.

Watch the full episode here:

Why Five Kitchen Workers Shaped Steve Zettler More Than School Ever Did

Most of the men in that kitchen were World War I, World War II, and Korean War veterans. The job came with room and board, and Steve's great-aunt Bertha, who ran the inn, refused to let any of them drink on the premises. For a lot of these men, that made the job something close to their own private recovery program.

"So, um, but the fact that my parents didn't raise me, I was raised by five kitchen help, three waitresses, and three bartenders. And that's, those were my, and Dave Reading, who was an African American guy who worked the grounds and cut the grass and whatnot. These were the people who raised me. And then that's all my life lessons came from them. And these were the days, and I think this maybe still goes on in the Catskills, but the kitchen help was a room and board job. And these men, at the time, there were World War I veterans, World War II veterans, Korean War veterans."

That quote is the whole memoir in miniature. It's also a reminder that the character of a place doesn't come from its architecture. It comes from who worked inside it. Steve Zettler Marine Corps veteran and author of Leave the Kid Alone, didn't just witness that atmosphere as a kid. He absorbed it, and it's part of why he ended up enlisting himself a decade later.

By the time Steve left for the Marine Corps in 1967, he'd already spent a decade learning from men who'd survived Iwo Jima, D-Day, and Korea. He didn't understand what that meant at the time. He understands it now.

The Farmland That Became the Bucks County We Sell Today

Here's the part that matters most if you're one of my clients. Steve described the corridor between Washington Crossing and New Hope, the same stretch I show buyers today, as nothing but farms. Not mostly farms. Nothing but farms.

"Well, I, when I go out there, I guess what I miss the most is the landscape that has now been developed. And I think the development out there has been very tasteful, so I don't really have an issue with that. That's the way of the world; that's what's going to happen. But it really was, you know, farms mostly between Washington Crossing and New Hope. It was nothing but farms. And one good friend of mine, who was my best friend when I was that age, she read the book and loved it, but she said, I had no idea this is what you did when you went home, because she lived on a farm. And she said, I assumed all of my friends went home, and their mother made them dinner, and they did their homework and went to bed."

That line about assuming everyone's childhood looked normal is the same thing I hear from clients moving here now. People assume the river towns have always looked polished and settled. They haven't. If you want to see what the built-out version of this corridor actually offers today, the same river towns Steve is describing now show up on the communities page I keep for buyers weighing a move here.

A Lesson From Author Steve Zettler's Father That Still Works in Any Business

Steve's dad ran the inn with one habit that's aged better than almost anything else in this conversation. He'd walk into a competitor's kitchen unannounced, just to see what they were doing differently.

"My dad was big on checking out the competition, and he would just get up unannounced and walk right into their kitchen and just see what they were doing. And he used to say, you can always learn something just by walking in unexpectedly. And I've done that myself as an adult. I remember my stepson's twenty-first birthday; the service was unbelievably slow, and it was his birthday, and I just, you know, picked this up from my dad. I just got up and walked into the kitchen and started talking to the chef. It was clear to me, having grown up in the business, that the chef and the waiter were having an argument, and so the chef was going to make the waiter pay by not getting his food out in an expeditious manner."

That's a real estate lesson too, honestly. Half of doing this job well is walking into a situation and reading what's actually happening instead of what someone's telling you is happening.

What a 1968 Homecoming From Vietnam Actually Looked Like

The heaviest part of our conversation had nothing to do with the inn. Steve enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1967 and was in Vietnam within six months of boot camp. He stayed seventeen months, four longer than a standard tour, because he didn't want to leave his platoon shorthanded.

"When I landed, it was in December of 1968. I landed at Travis Air Force Base outside of San Francisco, and they took us into the San Francisco airport. I had a ticket to Philadelphia, a military standby ticket, which you of course have to wear your uniform to take advantage of. And I handed it to the woman at the TWA counter, and she looked at it and tossed it back on the counter, and it slid across the counter and fell off the counter at my feet. And she said to me, it's Christmas, and an awful lot of people are paying full fare, so you're just going to have to wait your turn, fella. That was the first thing someone said to me."

Historians disagree on how common that kind of reception actually was. A well-documented Harris Poll from 1971 found most Vietnam veterans described their reception from friends and family as friendly, but Steve's account of that airport counter is his own memory, not a statistic, and it landed hard in the room.

Steve came home to a father who already suspected he wouldn't take over the family inn. His dad had served in the Navy in the Pacific and had watched enough Marines come home changed to see it coming before Steve did.

Want to hear my entire conversation with Steve Zettler about growing up above the Washington Crossing Inn, the veterans who raised him, and what Bucks County looked like before the farmland disappeared? Listen to our podcast episode.

FAQ Section

Who is Steve Zettler?

Steve Zettler is an American author, actor, and Marine Corps combat veteran. He's written multiple novels, including the international thrillers collected on his site, and co-authored the bestselling Nero Blanc Mystery series with his wife. His acting resume includes credits on The Wire and Cold Case, and his latest release is the memoir behind this episode.

What is Leave the Kid Alone about?

Steve Zettler's memoir Leave the Kid Alone covers his childhood at the Washington Crossing Inn in 1950s Bucks County, where kitchen staff, not his parents, did most of the raising. Publishers Weekly's BookLife gave it a strong notice as an editor's pick.

Why does George Washington's crossing keep coming up in this episode?

Steve grew up a short walk from the site of the actual 1776 crossing, and every February the inn staff dressed in colonial costumes for the local reenactment. One year his father and his friends dressed as Hessians and staged a mock ambush with real buckshot. Nobody was hurt. The same reenactment still runs every winter at the historic park that now occupies the site.

Where can I find Steve Zettler's books and updates?

All of his books are listed on his site, and he posts regularly on his author Instagram and Facebook. His LinkedIn profile also covers his acting and writing background in more detail.

Apply to Be a Podcast Guest on Bucks Co Living

If you live in Bucks County, or you're the kind of person who remembers where the old farms used to be before anyone else noticed they were gone, I want to hear your story. Steve Zettler author of Leave the Kid Alone proves that the history sitting under this county is worth telling, and if you've got a story like that, or you're a local business owner, agent, or community figure with real insight into what makes this area what it is, apply to be a podcast guest.

You can also catch more conversations like this one in the full Bucks Co Living podcast catalog, or follow along between episodes on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.