rgb001
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Posts posted by rgb001
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To Mark Barnes -
WOW!! I found this site this morning (was looking up info on Kitirik - I was on the show once), and I am also just blown away by your photos and info - same for jakdad and the others.
Let me put in some of my memories. I was born in Houston in 1951, lived there until 1960. We lived in "South Park" on Malmedy. At that time the 610 loop was a sand and gravel roadbed, and everybody used to gather at the end of the block at sundown in order to watch both screens of the King Center drive-in (the Road Runner cartoons were the best, of course).
57Tbird has the details about the track exactly as I remember them. My dad was a huge racing fan, and we went to Playland every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, without fail. We went into the pits, Billy Wade was my hero, and one night I got to sit in AJ's car, wearing his helmet, after he'd won the final race (was it 36 cars?). On another occasion, at one of the demolition derbys, five cars crashed into each other, all in a straight line. After a few seconds they exploded into a line of flames across the car roofs, and the driver of the car in the middle (a black '40 Ford) dove out of the "passenger" window. I remember being amazed that he, a very big man, had managed to fit through that tiny window. I also remember the loudspeakers playing all those Sousa "Marching" songs.
As for the crash in '59, on that night we were running late. Usually we got there before the first heat, and we would have been standing at the concession stand when that car tore through the fence. Dad heard it reported on the radio, and we immediately dropped to the floor and said a prayer of thanks for our deliverance. The next time we went to the track, we looked at B&W photos of the car after it had come to rest in the parking lot.
I never rode the big coaster, but I do remember one ride: I think it was called "The Rocket." It was a big slanted green platform on which a long, curved, tube-like silver "train" would go around the slanted platform, clock-wise, at high speed. The cars were open, and tilted slightly toward the left. The centrifugal force gave you the sensation that you were being thrown out of the car. The reason I remember it so vividly is because I freaked out on the ride, and screamed bloody murder so loudly that they stopped the ride to let me off! Hey, I was only 7 or 8, gimme a break
On a lighter note, I remember another ride with cars that looked like airplanes. As the ride went in a circle, you could turn your car upside-down, go up and down, etc. That was my favorite.
Anyway, thank you so much for posting these photos. Such wonderful memories.
Historic Houston Restaurants
in Historic Houston
Posted
Hi everybody -
It took me two days to read through all these posts, bringing back such wonderful memories. I was born at St. Joseph's in 1951, lived in Houston until 1960, came back "home" a few times, last visit was in 1977. You are only the second person who has mentioned "Mexico City" on S. Main. I remember their steamed tortillas kept warm between two hot white plates. My parents were married at South Main Baptist. Mom was a Houston native, graduated from San Jacinto High (Magna cum Laude, Captain of the Pep Squad), and she had lots of friends who were "well-off" - people like Glenn McCarthy, William O. Bartle (Brewster-Bartle Drilling), and other tycoon types.
Anyway, we ate out quite often. Bill Williams, Gaido's (didn't they have some giant sailfish mounted on the walls?), One's-A-Meal, Prince's (those poppy seed buns!), and, of course, James' Coney Island (we always took our dogs upstairs, sat on the school chairs). We also went to Spanish Village many times, my personal favorite (I have a "society page" clipping of my parents at Spanish Village, will upload it soon).
One restaurant not mentioned yet was the China Clipper, downtown (think it was near James'Coney Island). Everytime I see a picture of one of those old PanAm seaplanes, I remember that restaurant.
But I've been saving the best for last. One night my mom's best friend took us to the Green Parrott. It was a special occasion, so we were all dressed up. Since I absolutely LOVED fried chicken, my parents figured this would be a perfect evening. But evidently things didn't go as planned (I was only 4 or 5, and they told me this story many years later). It seems that when the waiter asked what I wanted for dinner, I said, "Pancakes!" When he tried to explain that they didn't have pancakes on the menu, I got upset and insisted I wanted pancakes! Then the lady who owned the Parrott (somebody mentioned her name in an earlier post - "Miss Vera") came to the table and asked what the problem was. When they told her, she said, "If the young man wants pancakes, he shall have pancakes." Then, while our orders were being prepared, she went down the street to some store, bought a box of Aunt Jemima mix and a bottle of "Bud" syrup (does anybody else remember that Anheuser-Busch used to make pancake syrup?), came back to the restaurant and fixed me those pancakes herself!
My parents were mortified, but grateful.
Thanks so much for all of these great postings!