Ashikaga

Didn't someone on this forum say that Houston was founded in 1838-39? If it was, then that was two years before John Neely Bryan was in what became Dallas in 1841.

I'm looking in World Book Encyclopedia right now. It says that his name was George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864). John Neely Bryan was the first settler in the Dallas area back in 1841.

Thanks, Gnu! I printed the pages about Brown and Todd and I'll show them to my dad.

That's what I meant. I was thinking that all of that trash combined with the industrial waste would have killed all of the fish and the turtles (now if it had killed all of the snakes, I wouldn't have had any problem with that).

I was going to say that that bridge might be good to fish off of, but there might not be any fish, being so close to a plant. Waste from industry might have killed all of the fish in that part of the bayou.

That reminds me of Cheech & Chong's "Big Bambu" album. "Unamerican Bandstand" hosted by Laid-Back Lenny. He said: "We now have the winner of the 'How many downers you can drop' contest". "The lead singer of the band couldn't make it because he stuck himself in the eye with a coke spoon".

Wasn't Big Boy the place whose french fries were "curled"?

Yes, an AMC 30-screen theatre would be perfect either next door or across the street from the Harris County Jail.

I'm surprised that rival cities like Houston and Dallas would name one of their downtown streets after the other. I'm not certain, but isn't there a Dallas Street in downtown Houston and a Houston Street in downtown Dallas?

I talked to my dad last weekend. He told me that the name of the place that he worked for when we lived in Greens Bayou was called Todd Shipbuilding. He said that we lived there when I was about a year old. I'm now 48. I don't think that that company would still be there after that many years.

How can people be "laid back" with loud, live music playing?

I think that Roy Rogers' Roast Beef Sandwich is similar to the kind that Arby's makes. The only Arby's in this area is one in Parkdale Mall in Beaumont.

Here's my theory. Years ago, there were no video games, Internet, cell phones, cable TV, VCRs/DVDs, etc. So for recreation, people had to go out to places like drive-in restaurants, drive-in movie theatres, roller rinks, etc. It's just a theory.

Q: What do you call a cow that doesn't have any legs? A: Ground beef.

Maybe there's something I'm missing, but I don't understand why buildings anywhere have to be so tall. I mean, I doubt that all of the rooms and offices in them are occupied. If they were, then a lot more than 3,000 people would have been killed in The World Trade Center and the surrounding buildings that were destroyed back on 9/11.

Are you saying that I spelled "vasectomy" wrong? That's no reason to "cut me off". LOL

Yes, I can vaguely remember the soda fountains at downtown places like Woolworth's and Walgreens. I can still see the crushed ice on the wet Coca-Cola glass and those upside-down cone-shaped thick glasses that they put ice cream in for a float. Yes, that with a patty-melt sandwich.

Sometimes those "greasy spoon" places serve some good stuff!

Thanks. I learn something new almost every day.

No, your reasoning sounds logical. There are reasons why businesses fold. It just so happens that drive-in theatres, roller rinks, and malt shops were the most popular recreational places for young people. They were en vogue when I was a teen, and also when my parents were. As a matter of fact, my dad met my mom in a roller rink. She's now 66 and he's 72. Naturally, the roller rink where they met no longer exists, just like the drive-in theatres that they took me with them to as a little kid.

Excellent work, TP! Yes, I live about 5 miles from the Der Wienerschnitzel in Orange. It's been a long time since I've been there. I distinctly remember going to one as a kid in Galveston back in 1960s. How can I forget it? My dad jumped all over me for spilling chili on my shirt. From then on I would always get a kraut dog whenever we would go there. I guess that one is closed since you don't have it on your list.

Is Taqueria a chain?

A few days ago I talked to a Mexican family who just moved over here from Houston. They said that the deli at Fiesta beats the ones at Wal-Mart and all of the other supermarkets hands down. Maybe their deli will keep them from folding.

To me, the best kind of hamburger is a greasy burger loaded with jalapeno peppers on both sides of the patty.

I guess that Monterey House went the same way that El Chico and Felix. Over here, the only El Chico in Parkdale Mall in Beaumont closed, and I think that Felix on Calder Avenue in the same city also left. The Monterey House on S. 11th Street is still open, but it's the only one in this area. According to what you have told me, the only ones now in Houston were re-named Monterey Tex-Mex Restaurants. And you make it sound as if Houston also no longer has any El Chico and Felix.