Heights2Bastrop

Before the Pierce Elevated was built, we would go out Pierce Street to get to the Gulf Freeway. Every time we passed St. Joseph, Daddy would tell me that

I remember Swiss Chalet fonduly!

How about

I think that was SACHMO!

You may be right. Besides, I didn't think "Darling" sounded like his last name.

If memory serves me, wasn

I remember the very first one of his phone books when it came out. It was a drawing of downtown, and it was very nicely done. Then word got out that there was something peculiar about the drawing. Somewhere on it was a cat and her kittens crossing the street. You had to look long and hard to find it.

The next year's Yellow Pages had about 5 whimsies, including another cat and kittens scenario. More stuff was added each year until the whole damned drawing was loaded with oddities like spacemen and steers in the streets. It kinda lost its charm when that happened.

Cinema West sponsored a baseball team (or was it softball) that was always at the top of the standings. A couple of guys I was in Reagan with played on the team. But, as far as the kind of movies they ran, well, I, uh - that is I don't seem to remember what, uh - you know, maybe I don't remember Cinema West after all.

Hey, TBird. You didn't play for them, did you?

beckwheat, how about Spanish Village on Alameda, or Christie

TBird, I thought the same thing, only my memories of the Playland Park racetrack are from a very young age. As a kid, things usually seem much bigger that they actually were. In this case, it was just the opposite. The track in the photos appears much larger than what I remember Playland being.

so yes, it was a pun

I thought maybe you were just being a scatbrain - uh, I mean, a scatterbrain!

Just being a little fecesious Niche. It's a slow day.

"Fecesious"! I love it! I know quite a few people who are fecesious.

TJones, are you a good punster, or a bad speller?

Wow! Great photos, Mark. Burl sounds like quite a fellow. And thanks for the clip of Billy Wade. That must have been right before he died. I mentioned in a previous thread that I remember Billy from Playland days, even more so than Foyt. Billy

The Richmond location was the one I frequented as well, but I can

Not taking sides here, and not trying to get involved since I don

I'm just taking the logical next step from what you said, H2B. You ruled out historic preservation on the account of it being selfish, and memories not requiring physical buildings. How is the situation with the Alamo any different? Or is there only one building in all of Texas worthy of being preserved?

Excuse me? Ruling out

So were the residents of San Antonio "selfish" for making laws that would protect the Alamo from demolition? Couldn't they have just enjoyed the memories without the physical reminder?

I have heard some stupid comments on here, but that one really takes the cake.

however, by your rationale, i should easily sell my grandmother's handcarved piano that i have no place for. i love this piano. it doesn't play well. it doesn't go with my other furnishings. perhaps i should just let it go, commit it to memory,

bachanon, that is not my rationale in any sense. The reason is that, unlike the theater, the piano is yours. It has been in your family, it (I assume) has been passed down to you, and now you can do with it as you please.

I cannot agree with this statement. I have lived most of my 47 years in the same home. My kids went to the same Elementary School that I attended. It means a great deal to them. A few years back they tore the school down to build a bigger and better school. I agree the new school is nice, but even my kids say they wish they had not torn down "our school". When demo began it was my sons that wanted to go get some bricks, which we did...one for each of us.

River Oaks Theater has that same "our theater" feeling for myself. My mom and I went there often and we spent many a day shopping in RO Shopping Center. I lost my mother over 20 years ago and cherish each memory I have. Just 2 weekends ago I was at the RO Shopping center and remembered about the little dress shop "Buttonwood Tree" that we loved to go to, and was saddened that it was no longer there. But the shopping center and theatre are there and it means a lot to me that they are. And that I can still go there.

Martha, I was simply offering a different perspective on the River Oaks Theater situation. I actually agree with your sentiments, especially regarding schools and theaters. I was horrified when I heard Reagan was to be torn down, and blissfully relieved when I heard that was not the case. However, had it been razed, I would have been heartbroken, but it would have done nothing to diminish my memories of the old school.

As to your feelings for

I was very reluctant to move away from The Heights since I was born there and lived there for all but 4 of my (then) 56 years. I was raised on 14th near Beall, and lived in Timbergrove for the last 20 years in Houston.

There was no direction I could go from my house that there wasn

What a great find!

I only went there once, and that was to see Doug Kershaw. He was so strung out on coke that his eyes reminded me of Marty Feldman. He would start every song normal enough, but would always end up in some wild adlibbing that was actually painful to listen to.

The highlight of the night was when he got into it with one of the guitarists who he booted off the stage. Kershaw was one of my idols growing up, but that ended that night.

The reason I didn

I remember going to Kiddieland park some time in the early 50s. I was very small and don't remember much about it. It might have been on the Katy freeway - which was highway 90 then. I have tried searching Google, but can't find any mention of it anywhere.

Alpha, I thought I was the only one who remembered that place! Like you, I remember very little about it as I was very young. I went there with a birthday group with a kid from school, so I had to have been at least 5 (1953). All I really remember about the place was that there was a fire truck that ran around the fenced park, and kids were riding on the top of it. It was a huge fire truck, but I was seeing through a small kid's eyes. However, I didn't get to ride it for some reason.

I remember the place being way out Hwy 90 (I-10), and would guess it was between Bingle and, at the farthest, Gessner.

As kids, my sister and I used to make our own version of S

There was a Tinsley