Ashikaga

Yes, I'm now 48 and there are many things that I did back in my younger days that I can't believe that I did. I'm also surprised that I'm still alive.

Well, Astroworld folded. It's only natural that other amusement parks would follow suit. As I said on this forum a week or two ago, I think that because of the Internet, DVDs, video games, etc., that people are having fun simply staying at home instead of going out to amusement parks, drive-in movie theatres, roller rinks, etc., the places that I went to as a kid for entertainment and recreation. All that we had at home back then was a black and white TV and a record player. That wasn't enough to keep us home even for half of the time on my dad's days off from work.

Today, you'll find only those 5-inch battery-operated black & white TVs that are part of a CD player. All are now color. And they are so cheap, it's better to go out and buy a new one when the break. Because of that, I don't think that there are any TV repair shops around anymore. And since garbage truck refuse to pick them up, that's why you see so many broken TV sets thrown in ditches along side the road.

The last time that I was near that car lot was back in 1981 while working at a temporary job in Houston. I remember going to a convenience store near it to buy some beer, but the clerk told me that they didn't sell it, and none of the other stores did, either. Was or is Pasadena dry?

Yes, I've seen it from the street. It is impressive.

I've seen Donaraki's in the Chronicle, but not Los Campos or Kelly's.

The late Rodney Dangerfield said: "I'm trying to take better care of myself. I take Viagra and I drink prune juice. Now I don't know if I'm coming or going."

Yes, I remember Delaware Punch. It was somewhat more syrupy than Hawaiian Punch. I also remember something similar made by Canada Dry called Tahitian Treat.

Yes, I've seen cars with a handicapped license plate pull into a handicapped parking space. But most of the people that I see get out of the cars appear to have absolutely nothing wrong with them.

I mistook this building for that Bank of the Southwest that used to be in downtown Houston. But with all of the mergers and name changes, there's no way of knowing what it's called now.

A nice old building. That's the first time I've seen cables used to support a roof.

Well, at least an effort was made to restore it. If it had been fully restored, do you think that it would have suceeded?

You taught me something new. My parents live in Orange. I live just down the road in Bridge City. It might have been First Baptist Church on West Green Avenue.

Best turned out like those other two chain stores that folded: Wilson's and Service Merchandise.

I just found this. Someone else on the Monterey House/El Chico topic said that he used to eat here. Maybe it was a chain.

Was this one of those old drug stores that had a soda fountain where you could eat a hot dog and drink a root beer float?

The History Channel had a segment on a hamburger restaurant chain called White Castle, known for its strict cleanliness. Were there ever any White Castles in Houston?

Are you saying that it's condemned and unoccupied? A lot of old hotels suffer that fate.

Yes, for some reason my mind is recalling big signs for Frito's, Borden's, and Nabisco.

Yes, I remember overhearing the radio playing there in Houston back in the early 1960s. Two car dealership commercial jingles are still in my head: Chuck Davis Chevrolet and Tommie Vaughn Ford. Last year Tommie Vaughn died at age 87.

Throughout the 1960s, black & white TVs were all that we had. It wasn't until 1971 when my parent's bought their first color TV. I remember the brand name was Curtis Mathis. I don't know if that brand is even made anymore. If we had bad reception with the black & white, my dad had to buy an antenna called "rabbit ears." I remember watching some fairly good shows in Houston back then. I was watching the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 when The Beatles made their first American appearance. When all of the girls started screaming, I heard my dad say: "That's silly! That's stupid!"

The car on that postcard looks like a 1930s/1940s model. The car says that the rooms are air conditioned. I didn't know that air conditioning existed back then.

I've seen some digital cameras that resemble this old one.

Is the Tennyson Hotel a ritzy joint that charges a minimum $200 a night like the Four Seasons Hotel?