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I miss the Wine Press on West Gray and almost across the street Captian Johnny's- now the Pier one location.

But does anyone remember a burger place on Richmond or Alabama just west of Montrose that had a drive through window and a very psychedelic in style. Maybe mushroom was in the name?

If you know the name, please post.

Was this burger place shaped like a big barrel? I seem to remember one like that - don't remember the name. Don't know if it's still there...

Wow, Subdude, thanks for all the scans!! So has the Museum of Houston come calling yet? lol

The one from Michelangelos really cracked me up! I can only hope to be that groovy one day...

Was that Playland Park? There are a number of posts here about it.

I'm sorta thinking it was based on several posts about it here and other places. There's a thread about it on the Houston Area Postcard club site.

Someone said it was located at S. Main & Murworth - which would be inside the loop (currently).

Found a small news item about it on Historic Houston: "July 1951: A gang riot erupts near Playland Park and 36 youths are jailed."

For some reason I'm thinking of a racetrack that was further south on the Alt 90 section much closer to Stafford/Sugarland.

What was the name of the dirt track on South Main? I went there only once as a kid in the mid 70s and a car flipped over right in front of us. It was really cool! :-)

That site sat vacant for a very long time and I think was still there in the mid to late 80s.

Also, anyone know what the name of the motorcycle racing track that used to be at 59 & 610?

I have seen some web sites here and there dedicated to old auto racing sites in various locations around the country but never any for the Houston area. Now that would be awesome!

Me too! I loved playing Cetipede and Galaga! And kitty-corner to the arcade was "Roman Delight Pizza." The guys there would give cat-calls to all us girls going in to work at the Chik-fil-a in our lovely polyester double-knit uniforms.

Don't remember the Blue Marlin though - Humble might as well have been the other side of the world for me.

Wasn't the whole arcade/restaurant area called "Goodtime Charley's"? And I think the arcade was originally called "Wrongway Freeway".

Well, I haven't gotten to spending my Friday nights there, but I'll admit to quite a few Saturdays.

What I'm wondering is would they let you copy or scan any of the maps and photos? What they could do if they let you scan photos is every time you scan one they copy it to a database and put them online somewhere - that would reduce handling of the originals...

Ooh, I had forgotten about the block of sugar candy that came wrapped in a little paper bag under the tortilla chips!! haha!

Thanks!

We ate at the one next to Sharpstown mall all the time - I never had anything but Cheese Enchildas there.

Boy, their food really sux now...

Didn't that come on Sunday on Channel 39 (in the 70s)? I think someone already posted to that effect earlier. Anyways, there sure wasn't much to watch in Houston on Sunday mornings back then. That and wrestling with Paul Bosch!

If you've seen Terry Hershey Park in the Memorial Area, then that'll give you a good idea of what parts of the Cypress Creek Greenway Project will look like. It's a very nice park with elevation changes like Cypress Creek that are neat for hiking, mountain biking, etc. The neighborhoods (ie. Wilchester, Nottingham Forest, etc) that border the park are highly desireable with this being a great amenity for the residents.

They're (Cypress Creek Greenway Project & the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition) looking for the various neighborhood homeowner associations that border the creek to get involved.

I think the whole idea of this is good for Houston, a city that increasingly lacks continuous opens spaces for outdoor activities. It'd be a highly desireable asset to the neighborhoods that border and access the Greenway, as well as the residents of America's fattest city who might benefit from a 10-mile hike, jog, bike ride, or canoe trip. The side-benefit, would be an appreciation for what this area used to look like, with its towering trees and diverse wildlife -- perhaps even fostering a bit more pride in our landscape and a desire to conserve it.

Here's a release regarding the Kickerillo donation of the former HP Land which includes the "Sam Houston Oak". It will serve as one of the 'anchor' parks:

http://www.ccfcc.org/images/Look%20Upstream%20Sept05.pdf

This is a very big deal for long term Houston Area Quality of Life, I hope to see it actually become a reality.

Awesome, thanks for the link!

The slide he is referring to was first a "Superslide" where you used potatoe sacks, then the "Ski Mountain" might have been a couple of other things after that also, but eventually became an Ampitheater, then a Houston Garden center, then eventually became freeway space which it is now. There is a thread about it around here somewhere.

Somone had mentioned it in the "Tour de Telephone Road" thread:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=61581

The big hill was a motorcycle race track before it was a slide - this was early 70's. Don't remember any details about it - just remember going to see the motor cycles races as a kid.

IMO, this is one of the best things to happen to North Houston in decades.

Cypress Creek Greenway project proposes to connect a series of new and existing "hub" or "anchor" parks along Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek with linear parks or trail systems, hike & bike, and canoe boat ramps.

33 Miles of continuous parkland greenbelt and recreation a la the Barton Creek greenbelt or Terry Hershey park.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=532252&rfi=6

That sounds really cool. I wasn't able to read the article because the site wanted me to create an account and I really have enough accounts at various places. LOL

Anyways, it's a great idea - something that should be done with Buffalo Bayou as well. I wonder if the Cypress project is going down into the CyFair area? I noticed last year or maybe in 2004 that Harris county had planted trees on the stretch of Cypress Creek between Grant and Eldridge. Or, I assumed it was the county.

That article wasn't the first I've heard about this project but I thought it was mostly wishful thinking. Maybe there is something to it afterall. They need to hurry if they're going to do it, though. As you know the Cypress and Spring areas are growing leaps and bounds. I don't know about Spring but I have seen what looks like some apartment development along Cypress Creek at 290 & Barker Cypress. And of course a big parcel of property along or around the creek at 249 & Louetta, formerly owned by HP has been sold to a big developer. I believe a small parcel right along the creek was kept by HP. Not exactly sure...

I just found this thread about Sharpstown and thought I'd post a link to a post I made in the Historic Houston board: 

Sharpstown Park Golf Course at 6600 Harbor Town Drive.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=71649

I used to know this area intimately (lived at Bellaire & Waldo, I believe the address was 8200 Bellaire). I saw someone's comment that they'd have to drive around the area to help remember where everything was. Man, I feel the same way!

I do remember that just west of Sharpstown Country Club there was a grocery store (can't remember which one). That grocery store was at the back of the parking lot and at the front there was a gas station and a Dairy Queen (yum). In between the grocery store and the Country Club (or perhaps in front of it) there was just a field that ran along Bellaire right up to the edge of my apartments. Used to cut across that field all the time to go to the Dairy Queen and the grocery store. There was a litle trail that ran right across that field. Found a box turtle out there one time... (yes, I took it home).

Behind Sharpstown Mall, on the perimeter of the parking lot there was a Firestone and a Monterey House. Man, I used to think that Monterey House had the best food (but all I ever ate were the cheese enchiladas)!!

On Clairewood, behind the mall there was a small ice skating rink. Also on Clairewood & Fondred was (and still is I believe) the Walter Branch public library.

The block of Fondren between Bellaire and 59 had duplexes on one side and a fast food joints on the other. I believe the list included McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Wendy's. Do I have that right? There was also a tiny strip shopping center that had a record store and a Fish and Chips (Alfie's??). And tucked somewhere in there was a small bar that me and my little brother spent many a quarter on at the coin operated pool table. Yep, that's right, two small kids in a bar... wow those were the days.

Ooops, of course I meant this to go in the Sharpstown History thread! Perhaps the moderater can move it...