How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Mesa: zip codes, airplane)

[LocoAZnative]

Originally Posted by azfrybaby

Well it might have been just a hamburger stand to some but it was one of the biggest hangouts of the 50s and 60s. and a whole lot of young people now grown have a lot of great memories at that burger stand. Bob's Big Boy at Central and Thomas went down too. Another icon gone, another burger stand gone. Life moves on as it should. It's bittersweet. Nice to see the new jewels but sad to say goodby to the old treasures.

AZfry you may want to quote the post you are talking about so it makes sense, and not post 10 different posts back to back.

[azdr0710]

thanks, azfry, for your comments....you have a lot of excellent memories.....

Cudia City/Shiprock - I don't know the connection, but will try to research it....have barely even heard of Cudia City....I'm 46 and have been in Az since age 12....

many weeks ago, I posted, along with some others, about Shiprock.....was a FLW-inspired home near N 32 St S of Lincoln (way before 32 went thru to Lincoln)....it burned (in the late 40s or 50s??) and a couple stone walls remained for years....in the late 70s a movie ("Love and Bullets, Charlie" with Charles Bronson) was filmed there....a small replica of the McCune Mansion was built around the ruins for the movie filming and they blew it up one evening....hundreds of cars lined Lincoln to watch the explosion....was pretty impressive

[azdr0710]

just reminded myself of Cudia City by googling it:
a movie set at 40th and Camelback built in the 40s/50s and burned in 1967....

http://kcaclives.blogspot.com/2007/01/26-men-and-phoenixs-cudia-city-studios.htm (broken link)

some good info at the link and a couple Cudia City pictures taken near Camelback Mt and Pinnacle Peak....the website itself is for memories of old KCAC, evidently a precursor to KDKB

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by azfrybaby

Well it might have been just a hamburger stand to some but it was one of the biggest hangouts of the 50s and 60s. and a whole lot of young people now grown have a lot of great memories at that burger stand. Bob's Big Boy at Central and Thomas went down too. Another icon gone, another burger stand gone. Life moves on as it should. It's bittersweet. Nice to see the new jewels but sad to say goodby to the old treasures.

Yes, much more than a hamburger joint, the Phoenix McDonald's was the 2nd one built in America and the very first with the golden arches architecture; I think it was historical. That is my buddy's 50 Ford in the first photo and you can see the water tower of the Indian school behind the sign on the second photo. I remember first going to the place in 1953, the large steel counter, the smiling face of the teenage girl, the stacks of hamburgers behind her all wrapped up in yellow paper. You had to go left for french fries and then left again for a milkshake. Each one was sold separately.

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[AZB3D2]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

Bush ate at the Tee Pee Mexican Restaurant, east of 41st Street. My aunt and uncle ate there a lot some 25 years ago and I could always smell their breath as soon as they walked in the door. The Tee Pee was known for spicy hot food.

Thank you for the name, it's on my list of priority restaurants to revisit as soon as I get back. Another one is the German restaurant just east of 48th street on Indian School Road.

TO AZ MIKE - Great reminders of places I remember well also. Except the AJ Bayless Museum, though I know the Art Supply store very well.

A few weeks ago my son and his fiancee were discussing their wedding plans to be held at a "beautiful outdoor garden" on Baseline, where many hold their weddings they said, and my mind flashed to the abundant gardens on Baseline, but I couldn't remember the name of them. What I had remembered was The Japanese Flower Gardens - but you say they are gone now? I wonder if the new establishment for weddings and such is what use to be those gardens.

Great site for Legend City >> Link <<. I grew up just north of McDowell on 64th street. 4th of July we always sat on our house roof and watched the fireworks from Legend City. (when young heat is no problem I suppose.)

Anyone remember the super tall cowboy display that was on Scottsdale Road, and the giant horse? The upper torso and head of the cowboy went to Las Vegas, but the pants my daughter and I found about 10 yrs ago behind a house near Los Olivos (?) and a parking garage near Scottsdale Civic Center. We were leaving the parking garage by way of the alley behind the restaurant, she was about 12 yrs old, I had stopped the car to look both ways before turning into the side street/alley, looked forward and saw the rusted metal, giant size cowboy pants [lower torso](at least 8-12 feet high) in the backyard of a house converted to a business. My daughter was so astounded by the pants that she jumped out of the car, ran over, wrapped her arms around them and said she wanted to take them home. She said they were the coolest thing she'd ever seen. I laughed and told her no way! Then I told her to write to the City and see if they would let her have them. I think she did. The pants were there for about 2 years then disappeared. Along with the giant cowboy, giant horse, I also remember a tall wooden carved Indian.

I wish some of those markers of Old Scottsdale were still there, or put back.

[AZB3D2]

Originally Posted by Turbota

Someone mentioned "cruising Central" .... We used to cruise Central Avenue always between the McDonalds and the Library. Back and forth. back and forth. My dad bought a brand new 1965 Impala SS with the new 396 engine that was first offered in 1965 as a replacement for the 409 ... He had the car for only 3 days before I wrecked it on Central. Don't remember him ever letting me drive that car again!

Anyway, it was great reading all these posts here about Phoenix ... Sure brings back the memories!

Ron,
Bacolod City, Philippines

In the early 70's we were still crusing Central to the Library, though I can't remember where we started from, but I do recall the McDonalds. We also cruized Main Street in Mesa. In Scottsdale we'd do our wild stuff on the curvy Galvin Parkway near Papago Buttes & the Zoo. Climb "Hole-in-the-rock" at night. We'd end up at the Jack-in-the-box on McDowell Rd near 73rd Street (?).

I remember my grandparents talking about toppling outhouses and stealing watermellons - LOL We all have our youthful, adventuresome memories!

[jimmybeverage]

I was born at St. Joe's in 1970. They gave pics of your mom in a wheel chair with you in her arms, in a little St Joe's card.


I remember...

The "Bidolphland" sign on the I-17 freeway, south of Thomas Road and how it looked like the "Disneyland" sign in Anaheim.

Visiting Hazel, the gorilla, at the Phoenix Zoo.

I too was a frequent visitor to both Big Surf and Legend City.

I remember gathering around the TV in 1978 to watch "Fire in the Sky" about a comet that destroys Downtown Phoenix.

Maryvale Mall started as an open air mall, they enclosed it in the late 70s.

I remember when Westridge Mall opened, they too had "The Alley".

"That ain't no bull."

The bar under Christown Mall, the Janitor's Closet. The entrance was right by Orange Julius. I was way to young to go in, but I was always so tempted to just go down those stairs and peek in.

The square slices of pizza at Pizza D'Amore at both Christown and Metrocenter.

I saw "Corvette Summer", "Roller Boogie", "Thank God Its Friday", "Close Encounters" and many others at the UA theater at Christown.

Thinking Phoenix was BIG TIME because the TV Show "Alice" was set here.

Shopping at Skaggs, Thrifty, u-Totem, Yellow Front, Sprouse Rietz, Revco, AJ Bayless.

The band shell at Encanto Park was in front of a grassy, tiered hill. We used to roll down that hill, getting grass stains everywhere.

I read another post about drinking out of the hose, shoot, I used to drink out of the evap cooler hose, it was much colder water. Ah, the fearlessness of youth!

Cruising Metrocenter, Central Avenue, south Central Avenue had the lowriders.

Niel Frisby's church at Tatum and Shea.

Teen nighclubs from '85 - '89 I visited were Tommy's, After the Gold Rush, Confettis, Devil House...and of course Planet Earth in Scottsdale.

The costumed waitstaff at Bobby McGee's.

Miner Binder in Tempe, there was this genie head that scared the crap out of me!

[azdr0710]

those are excellent, jimmybeverage......

[Arizona1]

The only real things I can remember is from the 1970s traveling through with north to south being I-17. A cramped inadiquate freeway that everyone else was trying to use at the same time at the wrong time of day. I remember if you wanted to go to Los Angeles, there was this two lane from downtown with lots of stop and go all the way beyond Buckeye. If you wanted Kingman, then again there was alot of stop and go cramped road with alot of commercial trucks wanting destinations too.

[billyincaneyville]

I had completely forgot about Hazel the gorilla. Thanks for refreshing my memory!