Tucson of the 60s,70s and 80s (school, live in)

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by ZonyPony

The only "pre-American" life I ever had was before I was born...

I know. That's what makes your life easy and content.

[ZonyPony]

Hey, Stone Man... You said you lived over by the DeAnza Drive-In. Did you ever go when it was the Cactus Drive-In - at all?

Also, wasn't there a Royal Cue over near where you lived off of 22nd st and Alvernon (SE corner area), where a lot of people went and played pool?

What about Johnie's Restaurant when it was still at the SW corner of 22nd and Alvernon? All of us (high school riff raff) used to cruise up and down Speedway every Friday and Saturday night, and that was one of our stops.

They had great burgers (Fat Boy Burger), and the drink I loved was the "Frosted Coke", which was really a milkshake that tasted like Coca Cola! We were outraged when the Fat Boy went up to .45 cents! I believe it was either a quarter or .30 cents up until then!

The movie, American Graffiti, reminds me a lot of the crazy things we used to do!

[Stonemasonry]

Originally Posted by ZonyPony

Hey, Stone Man... You said you lived over by the DeAnza Drive-In. Did you ever go when it was the Cactus Drive-In - at all?

Also, wasn't there a Royal Cue over near where you lived off of 22nd st and Alvernon (SE corner area), where a lot of people went and played pool?

What about Johnie's Restaurant when it was still at the SW corner of 22nd and Alvernon? All of us (high school riff raff) used to cruise up and down Speedway every Friday and Saturday night, and that was one of our stops.

They had great burgers (Fat Boy Burger), and the drink I loved was the "Frosted Coke", which was really a milkshake that tasted like Coca Cola! We were outraged when the Fat Boy went up to .45 cents! I believe it was either a quarter or .30 cents up until then!

The movie, American Graffiti, reminds me a lot of the crazy things we used to do!

Haha thats funny, I used to go to Johnnies for breakfast every weekend with my pops and I still remember I would order what the called the FAST DRAW, every time, it was two eggs, taters and toast. That old man owned that place for years and years, lots of fond memories there. And of course I do remember the Cactus drive in and the Royal Cue.

Do you rmember the old skating rink that was on Swan and 22nd all those years back then? For the live of me I cant remember the name of it now but that was the coolest place in the world back in the day!

One of the most impressionable memories I have of growing up in that area was hearing that LION from the Randolph Park (now called Reid park) Zoo, every morning roaring and roaring and roaring for hours until they fed him. You could hear him throughout that entire area every morning!

And who could forget cruising Speedway every Friday and Saturday night, good times those were! Id give anything to go back to such an innocent and easy life, how the hell we passed the time back then without cell phones, 240 channels of cable TV, ATM machines, home video game systems and the INTERNET is beyond me, but we sure did and I dont recall a single moment of being bored!

Heck I remember when everything EAST of KOLB was nothing but desert, in fact we used to ride our mini bikes right where that Home Depot on east Broadway is and that was the Tucson wilderness back then.

And who can remember when ELCON mall was a HOTEL (and a damned nice one I must say!)

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by Stonemasonry

Haha thats funny, I used to go to Johnnies for breakfast every weekend with my pops and I still remember I would order what the called the FAST DRAW, every time, it was two eggs, taters and toast. That old man owned that place for years and years, lots of fond memories there. And of course I do remember the Cactus drive in and the Royal Cue.

Do you rmember the old skating rink that was on Swan and 22nd all those years back then? For the live of me I cant remember the name of it now but that was the coolest place in the world back in the day!

One of the most impressionable memories I have of growing up in that area was hearing that LION from the Randolph Park (now called Reid park) Zoo, every morning roaring and roaring and roaring for hours until they fed him. You could hear him throughout that entire area every morning!

And who could forget cruising Speedway every Friday and Saturday night, good times those were! Id give anything to go back to such an innocent and easy life, how the hell we passed the time back then without cell phones, 240 channels of cable TV, ATM machines, home video game systems and the INTERNET is beyond me, but we sure did and I dont recall a single moment of being bored!

Heck I remember when everything EAST of KOLB was nothing but desert, in fact we used to ride our mini bikes right where that Home Depot on east Broadway is and that was the Tucson wilderness back then.

And who can remember when ELCON mall was a HOTEL (and a damned nice one I must say!)

Great stuff, Stone Man! Hey, you're remembering the Sunset Rollerama, aren't you? Yep, that was a great place to go and skate, plus so many good Tucson bands played there as well: The Ramblers, the Shakedowns, the Cardigans, etc, etc. Excellent dance venue! I'll never forget their cherry cokes... AND - their chocolate cokes!

There were also other great get-togethers, like the Battle of the Bands at the Ramada Inn (at St Mary's and the Freeway), and the Clash of the Combos on base at DM! I remember KTKT Color Radio 99, and their best DJ's, Frank Kalil and Jerry Stowe!

Cruisin' Speedway (and some Broadway and 22nd St) was a whole different art form! Our particular age group of riff raff was involved in what now seems to have been a more fun and creative era - compared to today's technology-dependent riff raff!

[mrwumpus]

We moved to Tucson when I was a baby in the early 1970s so I grew up from ages 1-6 on East 33rd St. It holds some very precious (and painful) early memories for me. In no particular order they are:

1. The wonderland of undeveloped Sonoran desert behind my house.
2. Following my brother through the desert as he caught every imaginable reptile [see photo of holding a coachwhip snake, with me on the left]. There always seemed to be a snake loose in our house and my mother was always the one to discover them.
3. Eegees! Oh the cool, sweet relief of EeGees! I also have fond memories of walking to 7-11 and getting slurpees. And of Dairy Queen dips. Cold dessert in the desert is hard to beat at any age!
4. The monsoon weather, the lightning storms, the smell of wet creosote after rain, the brilliant sunsets.
5. Swimming and hiking in Sabino Canyon.
6. Trips to the Sonoran Desert Museum. I remember they used to let us play with the desert tortoises.
7. Running alone in the desert and tripping hands first into a group of jumping chollo cactus. Ouch!
8. Waking one morning to the sounds of bulldozers and my crying brother as developers destroyed the large expanse of desert behind our house. It was a total scorched earth development. I remember watching my father and brother racing to save bird's nests and rare cactus. In desperation some of us responded with eco-terrorism, which included putting scorpions in the seats of parked bulldozers in the evenings. My last vivid memory of that desert was wandering through the destruction and seeing a large, shiny black racer snake neatly chopped in half amid a pile of upturned cactus and bushes.

Very soon after that we moved to California because my father found a better job. I still love that desert and often daydreamed of moving back, but I don't think I could unless I could own and protect a nice size parcel of desert which of course is unaffordable to me.

Despite the painful ending I am forever grateful for the amazing memories and experiences of the natural wonders of that beautiful, living Sonoran desert. That to me was Tucson.

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by mrwumpus

We moved to Tucson when I was a baby in the early 1970s so I grew up from ages 1-6 on East 33rd St. from ages 1 - 6. It holds some very precious (and painful) early memories for me. In no particular order they are:

1. The wonderland of undeveloped Sonoran desert behind my house.
2. Following my brother through the desert as he caught every imaginable reptile [see photo of holding a coachwhip snake, with me on the left]. There always seemed to be a snake loose in our house and my mother was always the one to discover them.
3. Eegees! Oh the cool, sweet relief of EeGees! I also have fond memories of walking to 7-11 and getting slurpees. And of Dairy Queen dips. Cold dessert in the desert is hard to beat at any age!
4. The monsoon weather, the lightning storms, the smell of wet creosote after rain, the brilliant sunsets.
5. Swimming and hiking in Sabino Canyon.
6. Trips to the Sonoran Desert Museum. I remember they used to let us play with the desert tortoises.
7. Running alone in the desert and tripping hands first into a group of jumping chollo cactus. Ouch!
8. Waking one morning to the sounds of bulldozers and my crying brother as developers destroyed the large expanse of desert behind our house. It was a total scorched earth development. I remember watching my father and brother racing to save bird's nests and rare cactus. In desperation some of us responded with eco-terrorism, which included putting scorpions in the seats of parked bulldozers in the evenings. My last vivid memory of that desert was wandering through the destruction and seeing a large, shiny black racer snake neatly chopped in half amid a pile of upturned cactus and bushes.

Very soon after that we moved to California because my father found a better job. I still love that desert and often daydreamed of moving back, but I don't think I could unless I could own and protect a nice size parcel of desert which of course is unaffordable to me.

Despite the painful ending I am forever grateful for the amazing memories and experiences of the natural wonders of that beautiful, living Sonoran desert. That to me was Tucson.

Wow, great story, mrwumpus! What happened near your home has happened countless times all over Tucson thanx to uncaring and unleashed contractors and the greedy politicians who most likely allowed it for kickback purposes.

The good news? We still have an incredible amount of beautiful and untouched desert which can be seen and enjoyed out in the Saguaro National Parks around Tucson. Plus, we still have those wonderful Eegees, 7-11's and DQ's (open most of the winter)!

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by ZonyPony

Plus, we still have those wonderful Eegees, 7-11's and DQ's (open most of the winter)!

We sure do!

...you think that Circle K signs are the state tree.

PlanetMike Jokes Arizona

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

We sure do!

...you think that Circle K signs are the state tree.

Do not.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by ZonyPony

Do not.

No matter what you say, it's a fact - every corner... if it's not a gas station, it's a Walgreens... very stimulating! Everybody can easily live within 2 square miles as there's nothing different to find beyond them.

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

No matter what you say, it's a fact - every corner... if it's not a gas station, it's a Walgreens... very stimulating! Everybody can easily live within 2 square miles as there's nothing different to find beyond them.

Yeah, but when it rains, its beautiful...