Things you don't see in Huntsville anymore (Athens: construction, elementary school)

[cornutt]

BTW, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Zesto...

[Dirt Grinder]

How about the Dwarf Restaurant, Miracle City - and I doubt anyone else will remember buying tamales from Yarborough's in the mill district off Triana Blvd.

[hey teach]

Wasn't there a Woolworth's with a lunch counter in the Heart of H'ville

[hey teach]

I also remember Shakey's Pizza on south parkway.

[cornutt]

Originally Posted by hey teach

Wasn't there a Woolworth's with a lunch counter in the Heart of H'ville

There was. Had lunch there with my mom many times. They made great milkshakes. It was actually in an adjacent space, with a doorway connecting it to the store.

Walgreens had a restraunt too, again with a doorway connecting it to the store. Walgreens had all of these molded fiberglass booths. Very '60s! I liked their french fries.

[cornutt]

Originally Posted by hey teach

I also remember Shakey's Pizza on south parkway.

Me too. The other day, I was trying to remember exactly where it was. I'm pretty sure it was on the east side and south of Drake Avenue. Maybe about where the Red Fed is now. We lived in Lakewood and it seemed like a long drive back then.

The interior was kind of medieval: very dark with a big fireplace, and rough-cut tables and benches. There was a player piano that they played songs on, and a slide projector projected the lyrics on the wall, and they encouraged patrons to sing. There were big windows separating the seating area from the kitchen, with benches in front of them were the kids stood and watched the pizza being made. They hand-tossed the crusts. It was about the only pizza place in town then.

Here's another one for you: Lum's Hot Dogs. It was on Jordan Lane between 565 and University, about where the Burger King is now. When Lum's first opened, they used to steam their hot dogs in beer, and the sign out front advertised as much. Well, of course, the state had a conniption fit about that. Eventually they were allowed to keep cooking the dogs in beer since they had a license, but they had to cover over the portion of the sign that said so. (For the same reason, when Steak and Ale first opened in Huntsville, they operated under the name "Jolly Ox" because they weren't allowed to have a sign with the word "ale" on it.)

[Dirt Grinder]

Charles Chips delivering those wonderful potato chips to your door - YUM!!! G.C. Murphy's and the "Super Slide" at Parkway City. Mugs Up Rootbeer on the Parkway. Sertoma Playland and the miniature train circling the first lagoon at Brahan Springs Park. Alfie's Fish and Chips. Albertson's. London Transit. Yogi Bear's Honey-Fried chicken. Dipper Dan's Ice Cream.

[deesonic]

Originally Posted by cornutt

BTW, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Zesto...

My mom worked at Zesto's when she was a teenager in the 60s, just after her family moved here from California.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by Dirt Grinder

...Mugs Up Rootbeer on the Parkway...

Really? We had a Mugs Up in Decatur...I had no idea it was a chain. Of course, probably a very small chain!

[Reactionary]

Dirt Grinder - one of my first jobs was at Alfies Fish and Chips (~Checkers on Governors), I used to crank up the juke box after closing and play KISS while mopping. They closed soon after I started working there.

London Transit! That men's clothing store was so cool - and it was in a prime location (on a corner at the center of the Mall by the fountain), plus they always had cute girls working there. IIRC they had part of a red double-decker London bus for their displays. I remember buying a three piece 'Brittania' brand denim suit from them in the late 70s.

cornutt - I also used to work at the Walgreens at the Mall, and would eat / take breaks at the lunch counter (loved the Reubens).

Night golfing at the Piedmont Par Three course (~Wings on Airport Road).

'Parking' on Bankhead Parkway (back side of the mountain).

The Carriage Inn at University and Jordan used to have one of the better nightclub / restaurants in town (worked as bus boy) - they had a blues singer there to whom I enjoyed listening. The singer was lowered to the stage on a red velvet swing that dropped from the ceiling. They had what may have been the only lobster tank in town. They served liquor in miniatures. I remember the guy who played Mannix (Mike Connors) stayed there one time and got sloshed. I also remember driving home one night about 2am (speeding - ~70mph on Pratt) and getting pulled over in Five Points by about 6 cops. I had not only spilled a drink on my uniform earlier but I had my 'collection' of miniatures all over the floorboard - they laughed and let me go...