Black Angus on US1 and 104th. I still have a glass from there :)
Dime stores. None in particular, just dime stores in general...or "5 and dimes".
South Beach??? It was always just Miami Beach to me growing up!
I remember when they built the 878 fly-over that goes from the Don Shula to US1. I rode my bike on it. That extension separated my neighborhood from the one next door. There used to be a horse and a guinea hen farm at the end of my street. We'd walk down there all the time when I was little. Then they buit the 878. No more horse. No more guinea hens.
Do you remember the time before cable? Every house had an antenna on the roof (I still do!). The channels down here were 2 (pbs), 4 (cbs), 6 (wcix-local), 7 (nbc) and 10 (abc).
Every weekend on channel 6 they showed "Creature Features"...sometimes "Creature Feature-Double Feature"...old horror movies in B&W. I loved them!
The McDuffie Riots?
Skipper Chuck!!! (I was on it once) I watched him every morning on channel 6 while I ate my cereal before school. Peace, Love and Happiness!
Royal Castles? (There still is one on 27th Ave., close to downtown. It even looks like it still has the original paint job)
I tend to group my memories into "BA" or "AA"...Before Andrew or After Andrew. I wonder if anyone else does that? I see pictures I took of Old Cutler and say "Hey, that was Before Andrew. Look at the trees". Or others, "That was After Andrew. There aren't any trees."
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tamiami Airport
Tamiami Airport used to be the end of the world. Boystown was right next door. Now it's called Camp Matecumbe and is owned by the Park & Rec Dept. Houses are built all around, warehouses and even a HUGE new Lexus dealership. It makes me sick. The agricultural fields are becoming fewer and fewer. Ugly cookie cutter houses. YUCK!
That's why I love driving around Coral Gables and older neighborhoods. The houses are all different! No stupid "homeowners associations" either. Real yards, too. I don't understand why any sane person would want to move into one of these new subdivisions. I just don't get it.
I miss Kermit Week's museum that used to be at the airport. He had a Fokker triplane that I was so in love with! Andrew did a number on theplace, though. Now he has Fantasy of Flight in Polk City. It's very, very nice and I highly recommend seeing it.
I learned to drive at Tamiami. My son now practices at Tropical Park. Tropical used to be a racetrack. I can barely remember that. But I do. There was a drive-in across the street on Bird. I went there a couple times in high school. Drive-ins are so fun. Oh, but they stand in the way of progress, right? Tear 'em all down and put up another strip mall. God knows we don't have enough of those!
That's why I love driving around Coral Gables and older neighborhoods. The houses are all different! No stupid "homeowners associations" either. Real yards, too. I don't understand why any sane person would want to move into one of these new subdivisions. I just don't get it.
I miss Kermit Week's museum that used to be at the airport. He had a Fokker triplane that I was so in love with! Andrew did a number on theplace, though. Now he has Fantasy of Flight in Polk City. It's very, very nice and I highly recommend seeing it.
I learned to drive at Tamiami. My son now practices at Tropical Park. Tropical used to be a racetrack. I can barely remember that. But I do. There was a drive-in across the street on Bird. I went there a couple times in high school. Drive-ins are so fun. Oh, but they stand in the way of progress, right? Tear 'em all down and put up another strip mall. God knows we don't have enough of those!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Key Biscayne
Remember Crandon Park Zoo? I used to beg my parents to take me there! Of course, the Seaquarium is still there. I used to know we were getting close when I'd see the shark in the cage as you approach the tollbooth. I think they changed it to dolphins or something now. Wusses...
My parents had friends who lived on Key Biscayne, and I remember to get to their house, we'd drive by Richard Nixon's place. It had a helipad out back...big white house. I've tried recently to find it again, but whoever owns it now must've done some major remodeling because I can't find it. When/if I do, I'll post the address here for anyone interested.
Further down from Crandon, at the end of the island, is Cape Florida. Hurricane Andrew did a number on that place! It used to be lined with big old Australian pines. Not native, but pretty, and the wind sounds cool blowing through their needles. They are all gone now, and though in it's more natural state, Cape Florida just isn't the same. Little shade, and very crowded! The lighthouse has been repainted back to it's original color - white. When I was growing up, it was natural red brick. You can still see what remains of Stiltsville when you look across the Bay...
My parents had friends who lived on Key Biscayne, and I remember to get to their house, we'd drive by Richard Nixon's place. It had a helipad out back...big white house. I've tried recently to find it again, but whoever owns it now must've done some major remodeling because I can't find it. When/if I do, I'll post the address here for anyone interested.
Further down from Crandon, at the end of the island, is Cape Florida. Hurricane Andrew did a number on that place! It used to be lined with big old Australian pines. Not native, but pretty, and the wind sounds cool blowing through their needles. They are all gone now, and though in it's more natural state, Cape Florida just isn't the same. Little shade, and very crowded! The lighthouse has been repainted back to it's original color - white. When I was growing up, it was natural red brick. You can still see what remains of Stiltsville when you look across the Bay...
Friday, March 16, 2007
What I'm remembering today
Today I thought about Gold Triangle and the Dadeland Twin movie theater on Kendall, across from the mall.
Gold Triangle was a cool store I used to love going to with my Dad. They had a big wooden "boat" in the middle that's where all the fishing stuff was. I used to climb up and pretend to steer the boat using this big wooden ship's wheel they had. I also remember buying my first Beatles album there...
The Dadeland Twin was right next to Gold Triangle. A big pink building with *gasp* only 2 screens! I remember standing in line for hours to see Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark there. Fun times. They tore down both buildings to put in a parking lot and a crappy CompUSA. If you look, there are still signs up in front of that parking lot that say "Theater Parking Only". Faded, but still there. I need to take a picture and post it here.
Of course, there are lots of other stores I remember that are no longer around: Richard's at Cutler Ridge Mall, Zayre's, Jefferson's, Grant's, Jackson Byrons (later JByrons, then just Byrons), Food Fair in South Miami, Grand Union, and now Eckerd's! And restaurants like Lums on Kendall and US1, Black Angus @ 104th and US1. The Hampshire Inn on Sunset.
Bowling Alleys are becoming a thing of the past in Miami. Western Sunset Bowl was a big hang out place for me and my friends. Don Carters on Kendall is now gone, recently torn down. The Bowl-O-Mat at the end of Galloway at US1. The only place left to bowl now is Bird Bowl and it is a crowded mess.
Anyone remember The Falls when it was first built? All the water and the restaurant built over the water? That place has changed alot, too. There used to be a gym there called Bogey's Barn that, for some reason, we took a field trip to at night when I was in high school.
Well, enough for now. I'll post more things as I remember them. Hope other find this site and add their posts, too!
Gold Triangle was a cool store I used to love going to with my Dad. They had a big wooden "boat" in the middle that's where all the fishing stuff was. I used to climb up and pretend to steer the boat using this big wooden ship's wheel they had. I also remember buying my first Beatles album there...
The Dadeland Twin was right next to Gold Triangle. A big pink building with *gasp* only 2 screens! I remember standing in line for hours to see Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark there. Fun times. They tore down both buildings to put in a parking lot and a crappy CompUSA. If you look, there are still signs up in front of that parking lot that say "Theater Parking Only". Faded, but still there. I need to take a picture and post it here.
Of course, there are lots of other stores I remember that are no longer around: Richard's at Cutler Ridge Mall, Zayre's, Jefferson's, Grant's, Jackson Byrons (later JByrons, then just Byrons), Food Fair in South Miami, Grand Union, and now Eckerd's! And restaurants like Lums on Kendall and US1, Black Angus @ 104th and US1. The Hampshire Inn on Sunset.
Bowling Alleys are becoming a thing of the past in Miami. Western Sunset Bowl was a big hang out place for me and my friends. Don Carters on Kendall is now gone, recently torn down. The Bowl-O-Mat at the end of Galloway at US1. The only place left to bowl now is Bird Bowl and it is a crowded mess.
Anyone remember The Falls when it was first built? All the water and the restaurant built over the water? That place has changed alot, too. There used to be a gym there called Bogey's Barn that, for some reason, we took a field trip to at night when I was in high school.
Well, enough for now. I'll post more things as I remember them. Hope other find this site and add their posts, too!
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