cadetdonfan

Here's some info and a photo http://www.scarletdukes.com/st/tmhou_venues2.html The photo on the page shows the lie down audience seating where people could be stoned and watch the light shows. It was the centerpiece of Allen's Landing hippie area where there were plenty of poster/head shops. I liked to check out the blacklight poster displays and pick up some R. Crumb Zap Comix.

Despite being known for Italian food, I always remember the western motif in the frontier room. Light fixtures with cowboys and steerhorns etc. I also recall that in the 50's, we ordered pizza as an appetizer before the pasta came. Perhaps too radical for our family as the main course. They had a small take-out place near the Alabama theater as well.

The local McDonald's burger place kept the corporate Macs out of Houston for a good while. Burger King was in first and I believe that the strategy of the first McDonalds was to locate near the BK's. On similar note, I first saw KFC as a featured chicken item at Weldon's Cafeteria rather than a stand alone restaurant.

The tiles sound familiar in that I entered a Duncan Spinning Top contest at Playhouse in Meyerland and one of the tasks was to hit a colored tile with the top and keep it in the square.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. They really help jog the old gray cells. A bonus for me is that my childhood Meyerland house is shown in #4. Back in the days when there were "free-range" kids, I walked the 2 blocks to MP as primary after school entertainment. Did Playhouse toys have a clown logo?

There was an early Julius in the Village area on Kirby, I seem to recall. Was pretty exciting new flavor to me as a kid

I grew up in the late 50's/early 60's a couple of blocks from MP. As a kid there were plenty of attractions there. I remember an organ grinder and monkey making appearances in the courtyard and Easter chicks in rainbow colors for sale I believe at Woolworth. I also seem to recall them selling tiny alligators like the ones that will eventually end up in the sewer system Maddings Drug had a fine soda fountain with occasional promotions where you could draw prices out of a hat for a banana split (3-33 cents). Maddings was my favorite haunt to get all the 10 cent comics and baseball cards keeping a lookout for those 1962 Colt gems. Woolworth also had a snack bar. The pharmacy was on the front side of the store near the parking lot and the snack bar was in the back near the door to the courtyard. Both stools and booths. Playhouse toys used to hold Duncan yo-yo and spinning top competitions. I used to get clothes at Meyer Bros as well as Hardy Boy books from their book dept. Woolworth always had a dazzling Halloween section with all the vintage goodies that collectibles now. My mom shopped at Henke's. I recall Meyerland losing its appeal after the enclosed Sharpstown Mall with cool A/C and more stores opened up.