RhinoVP

I'll add a few..

Skatin Place (Murphy Rd. in Stafford)

Space Invaders. This was the first place I ever saw this game, and remember how complicated the game seemed at the time.

Safeway (Wilcrest & W. Belfort)

Pheonix & Star Castle

7-11 (Hickory Downs & Clay)

Stargate. Wish I had all the rolls of quaters I put in that game, back now!

Corner food store (W. Belfort)

Joust , Popeye & Donkey Kong Jr.

Barney's (W. Belfort) Next door to Corner food store.

Ten Yard Fight & Combat

This was also the only place I ever saw a coin opperated (Video) Strip Poker game. We were too young to be in here, but nobody seemed to mind.

Too bad this thread isn't - "Arcades of the 80's"

Could go on about that forever.

token,

Has your Wiki page been deleted? I've tried to view it several times, but don't get anything but a missing page message.

Now about the park on 45 - If the place your remembering had pony rides, then it wasn't Malibu~Watercoaster. Cosmic made a good point, that it may have very well been a place like Pepermint park or something there like. I kinda remember one up there, but where has long been forgoten.

The million dollar question is: there was a small amusement place along I-45, near Airtex / Kuykendahl (I think where all those restaurants now are (Zio's, etc.), near the Ethan Allen and furniture stores) Anyway, this place had batting cages, peddle boats and a bright big top tent / canopy on the structure that was always clearly visible from the freeway. It remained defunt for quite a few years after it shut down. Does anyone remember the name of that one?

That may have been Celebration Station, but I seem to remember it being at Rankin & 45. I'm not exactly sure when that opened or when it closed though.

The other park on 45 was Malibu~Watercoaster, which was the same general area, but about twenty years earlier. I have some great memories from both the Watercoaster and the Games People Play on 1960.

Regards,

Rhino

The Luby's is still there, and now there is a Pappadeux restaurant in the same parking lot that use to be a DENIS seafood place. How its changed. There is also a new phoenicia foods store there. I use to go there around 1997-2000. I remember watching Mortal Kombat Annihilation there. So Lately I have been going there and just standing in front of the box office, the numbers are still there and the doors still have letters on them. You can see spiderwebs from the outside that are on the inside of the doors. I think now its a storage place because I saw some people walking in there so I walked in there too for about 20 seconds and saw the big screen and lots of building materials there. Maybe next time Ill bribe the guy so he can let me all the way in.

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This would have been Windchime cinema back in the 80's. (??)

If it's where I'm thinking of, it was at the corner of Synott in the shoping center. I remember going on a couple of dates there.

There never was a bowling alley in the Galleria.

Pumapayam,

There actualy was a bowling alley in the Galleria, back in the mid to late 70's. My father who was a comercial loan officer for Bank of the Southwest at the time, made several trips there (with me in tow) to watch the construction of it.

The sad thing about it was, it stayed in operation almost as long as it took to build. It closed within just a few months, after a large number of complaints from neighboring mall tenants. However the idea didn't really take off anyway.

BTW - This wasn't so much of a bowling alley, as it was a bar that had a bowling alley in it.

Anyone consider the impact Continental Airlines has made on this area?

I wonder if this is that store that featured rows and rows of really neat Wax candles ???

I do recall always seeing a candle shop that had really cool candles made to look like ice cream, ala Banana splits, Soda fountains, sundaes. They seemed very realistic from a distance and I think had scents of that specific flavor of ice cream.

I also think they featured inscents?

Another Houston Mall mystery question! 1st winner gets a banana split! Yumm!

Yeah Vert, your right that would have been the place. I remember the Wicks n' Sticks at Westwood mall back in the 70's which also had candles either carved or moulded like dragons and castles among other things. I couldn't imagine someone buying one of these, and then ever lighting it. They were not cheap!

It was no Yankee Candle Company, for sure!

Now if anyone else remembers Westwood...there was another store there (I think) called Pickwick records. They had so much stuff in this store! In the 70's they had records, black light posters, lava lamps, tie dyed clothing, you name it.

One of the things I remember buying there was a beer can lamp. I know somebody else has to remember these. They sold them in all different colors, beer or soda cans, and they had this sort of flickering fillament in them that looked like a flame when you pluged it in. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world as a kid, but you can't find these anywhere now. Lava lamps, sure... but not those.

We always called them "Goat roper's", "Stoner's" , "Jock's" , "Prep's , "Punk's" and "Nerd's". Then there was the ROTC guys....

I do however remember KIKK, form back in the time KIKK and KILT were the two country stations. You also had rock stations KLOL, KSRR and KRBE (KRBE was awsome back in the day). I remember 79Q on the am dial too, before the fm 93Q.

I'm pretty sure this photo is Fairview and Taft.

Fairview and Taft would be the Hyde Park Supermarket, has been since at least the early to mid 70's.

I can't place the store though...remember going in it, just can't remember where it was.

Looks more like Sunny's Food Store at Tuam and Baldwin St

Yep, that's it!

Would anybody by chance have any information about a Sunset Theater on McGowen? This would have been from sometime in the 40's. A picture would be great.

I am not refering to the Sunset drive in, which seems to be the only result I can get for "Sunset theater".

Thanks,

Rhino

I remember Monterey House well, but aren't there still some of those around? I thought they just changed names to Monterey's TexMex cafe. I guess though, that those could be closed too now.

Wasn't it Monterey House that had the chili con queso puff's, or am I thinking of Los Tios?

BTW- welcome to the board slmintx

Does anybody else remember the traffic problems this train caused, especialy at Gessner and I-10. I used to work in this area, and it never seemed to fail that everyday around 5:30 some slow moving freight train would roll by and just screw everything up!

I remember having to detour all the way back through the neighborhoods to beltway 8, just to get on I-10 west. I would be after 7:00 most days geting home.

As far as the city converting this to some type of light rail - I don't think there was room for that. I-10 had to be expanded, there was no way around it! That....and the MKT right of way wasn't realy wide enough for commuter stations. There would have also been a problem with access to those stations, because people would have needed to cross what was an often very busy Old Katy Rd. just to get to them.

Now out near Fry and Mason, this would have been a bit of a different story. They could have set up some type of Park and ride operation, but then again they already had the HOV lanes. So.....ehhh. It's gone now.

good one...I wonder if that is/was a private road or not?

Best I can tell, yes it was.

I found that road on many old maps, but never a name on it.

Does anyboby know if KHOU ever did a follow up report on this?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U...029259495555472

Maybe 2008 N. Eldridge Parkway.

I'm putting this in the historic section becauase though this building is still standing...there's no activity there....and as far as I know, hasn't for years.

In high school we used to drive by this thing to figure out what it is.

It's near the Alief area....it's off Dairy Ashford south of Westheimer, but before you get to Elsik/Hastings cross-street (name of that street is escaping me).

Anyone know what I'm talking about?? Any history on it if you do??

Here's a link to a picture I found by googling: http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x277/ma.../GoldGlobe2.jpg

I had to go pull the vending machine out of this place, some time after it closed. (would have been year 2000"ish")

The place was infested with rat's, and not much to look at inside. I had to get the rats out of the machine before I could load it on the truck!

How bad can one persons memory be?

I found out earlier today from my mother, that most of the drive-in memories I have were actualy the Sharpstown drive-in?!?

Even though we lived right around the corner from both of these, back in the early 70's.

Anyone remember a Sharpstown drive-in?

BTW- HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

There was also one at Holmes Road @ S. Main/Hiram Clarke. It is now a motorhome park.

Another DOOOOHH!!

I thought that was the one we were talking about?!?!

I didn't realize there were two, so close together. They were just a couple of blocks apart.

RhinoVP,

Did you ever make it to the Showboat drive in movie? I know it was pretty cold the Friday after you posted this reply. If you have, please share your experience with us and in particular how your kids liked (or didn't like) it.

We never went out there. The kids thought the whole idea just sounded stupid, and wanted nothing to do with it!

Sit in the car........ Watch a movie.........IN THE CAR!

We have theaters now you know!

The wife and I are going to one day, but it won't be with the kids.

Just a thought.....

Could this have possibly been an early attempt at aquaculture?

GREASER,

I glad you started this thread! I started to bring the old one back up about a week ago, then decided not after considering the amount of flack anyone would recieve for doing so.

I think this does prove at least, that this formation wasn't made by a bunch of hippies in the 60's.

I've done all the research one can do from the internet, and the best guess I can make is that this used to be the location of the Bear Creek German Methodist church. Like I said though, thats only a guess.

Nothing else makes any sence.

Yet I have to wonder.....

Are we all looking at this the wrong way? Is this an "X" or a cross?

An X marking the spot of something burried for years. I'm not suggesting that there would be treasure there, but maybe a tank used as a dump by the corp durring constuction of the dam.

Regards,

Rhino

Enjoy.

http://www.historicaerials.com/

Hunter,

I know you've already recieved many thanks for this, but I've got to add mine to the list here. This site has answered so many questions I've had about a great many things, not only about Houston and the neighborhood I grew up in, but also several other areas of the country.

I do wish the functionality of the site were a little better, but all in all great site!

Thanks again,

Rhino

i stopped by games people play on 1960 today. i did not have my camera. the mini golf is still standing along with the fence that was around it. you can clearly see where all of the holes were. the bumper boat pool is still holding water. the steps to where the water slide stood are still there as is the pools you ended up in after the slide. the building that housed the game room is nothing but a concrete pad being used as a temporary skate park. i could make out the beginning of the go kart track but not much else. it is easy to get into. there is an animal hospital right next door you can park in and all of the fence is gone. there is not a no trespassing sign on the property. wear boots and long pants. it is real overgrown. in the back there is batting cages somewhere in the brush. you can see alot of it on google maps. it is on 1960 between walters road and kuykendial(spell). i could never spell that street. it will be on the south side of 1960 between a discount tire and an animal hospital. check it out before the property sells. it is houston history. my brother and i had quite a few birthday parties there. if i can remember next time i ride my motorcycle i will bring a camera.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...1&encType=1

tis will link to a birds eye view. check it out. i not very good a posting links.

If you zoom and rotate, you can still see the go kart track and batting cages too.

I remember about 10 years ago passing by there, and thinking how strange it was that it was still there. I'm amazed to see it's STILL there!

Lot's of good times there, wish we still had something like this now.

Regards,

Rhino

DOOHH!

I'm taking the kids to see Bolt Friday night, now! Not a one of them has any idea what a drive-in even is, this will be too cool.

Thanks for the tip.

How long has it been there?

Good memories here!

When I was little we lived in Townwood for a few years, and went here almost every weekend. It wasn't such a big deal back then, it was either there or Meyerland if you wanted to see a show. My parents not wanting to put up with a squirmy kid in a theater, normaly choose the drive-in.

As we were driving in, I would hide under a quilt in the back the old Ford station wagon we had. I never stayed well hidden, I know he saw me several times but never seemed to care.

The last movie I remember actually watching was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid, but know we went to see countless others. I was always too busy playing

with the neighbors kids, who we would often go to the show with.

BTW- There is still a drive-in open! It's just a few miles south of Dallas on I45, I've passed by it many times.

Regards,

Rhino

Now the real mystery is if anyone can name places they once stood?

I am almost certain we had one on Lawndale near 75th? near the old Tropicana Bowling Lanes it was next to where there once was a Kentucky Fried Chicken. This idea would never work now of course. You would have to sign a death waiver form before accepting the job.

I can name a few.

Fotomat -

In front of the Eckerd drugs/Safeway (now Foodarama)at West Belfort and Wilcrest.

In front of Gerlands on Eldridge and Jess Pirttle (SP)

In the Belaire Triangle parking lot.

In front of the old K-mart on South Main.

and there was one in front of whatever grocery store was at the corner of Bissonette and Leawood Dr. This has been a Bingo place for years now.

Fox Photo -

In front of what was Randall's and TG&Y at 59s and Murphy Rd.

I wonder how many people still have old family photo's from Fox Photo, with the little red fox on the border of the picture? I know I've got albums full of them!

There was a Fox Photo till about ten years ago at Fry Rd. and I 10. I think the Photomat's closed long before that.

Regards,

Rhino