Gone but not forgotten in Jacksonville! (Midway: dollar movie, vacation, Walmart)

[steppen]

Originally Posted by msmeerkat

Then some of you probably knew Totsie, a waitress there for over 40 years. Would like some shared memories of her.

I worked at Patti's 1973 through 1975, did you work there also? Yes, I remember Totsie, she always worked the front dining room. She was a very sweet lady and she sure did have a lot of call customers. She would tell us girls about how it was back in her day. lol She really could move, she would leave us standing in her dust. There was also another waitress there named Joyce who worked there for a long time, pretty lady with a tan year round, she worked the back dining room mostly. She was the one that trained me. Mrs. Morgan was the cashier and Mr. Patti's daughter would work in the take out on weekends.

There's so many things and people that I remember from there, I could write a book.

Mr. Pelegrino who I believe was Mr. Patti's cousin. I was friends with Pat and Carol Patti, I have a picture of their son PJ feeding my son who was a baby at the time.

Some times I would leave my car there all night when I was going out with friends after work (Opel Kadette-silver) and when I would come to work the next day my car would be in front of the take out door thanks to the guys in the kitchen. They would pick it up and move it. lol

Then there was the cooks, 2 in particular that had been there awhile, I can see their faces but I can't remember their names now. Rosa the salad prep was a crazy lady, some of the things she said would break us up, most couldn't be repeated in mixed company according to Totsie. Some of the other waitress I remember there were Jackie whose daughter would babysit for me sometimes, BJ, Kathy, Beverly, Sharon, Linda, Ola, Rose and others.

By the way does anyone know if there are still any stores that are in the shopping center that was at University and Arlington Expressway that was next to the old Thunderbird? There used to be a theater and Waldz restaurant was there also. Anyone know what happened to those people who owned Waldz? 2 sisters Ellie and Marilyn and their husbands Stu and Eddie? There was also a son that ran the bakery. I also worked here and Tony's Italian Restaurant down the street on University and also Angelo's Italian Restaurant which was owned by the same people Andy and Nadine.

[steppen]

Originally Posted by jimbo13

i worked at patti's for about a year back in i think 1989-90... totsie was oooold and could barely walk around the resturaunt all night long. she was a legend, though. i had fun working there and looked forward to my employee meal of chicken parm and pasta every shift. the sunday buffet was fun to work. there was one couple that came in EVERY sunday and the wife would pile up plate after plate after plate, and disappear into the ladies room a couple times to purge. it was disgusting, but the owners never called her out for it.

When I worked there, we had fried chicken or spaghetti on Sundays, the other days spaghetti... It was fun working there I agree.

[Parkerclassof72]

Originally Posted by steppen

By the way does anyone know if there are still any stores that are in the shopping center that was at University and Arlington Expressway that was next to the old Thunderbird? There used to be a theater and Waldz restaurant was there also. Anyone know what happened to those people who owned Waldz? 2 sisters Ellie and Marilyn and their husbands Stu and Eddie? There was also a son that ran the bakery. I also worked here and Tony's Italian Restaurant down the street on University and also Angelo's Italian Restaurant which was owned by the same people Andy and Nadine.

The bldg Patti's was in is still there, it's now several small offices.

The shopping ctr you remember is Town and Country. It's still there, but much has changed since the ' 70's. It's half empty, and the theater is now a club called Plush. There have been 2 shootouts in the parking lot that started with disputes in the club.

Tony's was our (Parker students) Fri night hangout after football games in the '70's. The strip it was in is still there, but Tony's is long gone.

Angelo's burned down, late 80's I think. It was rebuilt, and remained one of the best restaurants in Arlington until the original owner finally retired just a couple years ago. Someone opened it with the same name, didn't last. Now it's called Pauly's. Not bad, but it's not nearly what Angelo's was.

Since you obviously lived and/or grew up in Arlington, read thru this entire thread when you have time. Lots of great memories of Arlington and other areas of Jax.

[Laurenwastaen]

I grew up in Orange Park in the 70s and 80s. I lived in Bellair, went to W.E. Cherry, OPMS, and OPHS. I went to Orange Park Beauty Academy and also FCCJ. I also lived in Mandarin around 74 to 75 and in Hilliard from 81 - 83.

Originally Posted by word of mouse

As a media producer of the super rabbit and the chicken man, I must remind you that the chicken man ended up owning a beautiful condo penthouse in Cabo San Lucas Mexico and real estate holdings in Buckhead in Atlanta. They both were fun loving guys having a good time making a living. Not a bad testimonial for the day to day grind of making a business work.

My brothers and I loved those commercials and so did all the neighborhood kids. One day I was home while my brothers were playing hide-and-seek with some friends a few houses over. Apparently my dad had arranged for Dolph and his crew to come coat our house in some sort of white sprayed-on cement that had ground glass in it for a finishing touch. I got an eyefull of Dolph in my yard and once it sunk in, I ran as fast as I could down to the house where my brothers were. I shouted over the fence to them that Dolph was AT OUR HOUSE. They didn't believe me at first but I eventually convinced them to come look. Pretty soon about a dozen kids from the neighborhood were watching Dolph. Dolph was really a huge jerk to us. We weren't bothering him but we wanted to at least come say hi. It was really disheartening because he was a celebrity to us with his creative and wacky commercials.

Does anyone remember Slippery Dip in the 70s and 80s? I think some kid might have drowned and they had to close it but I never knew for sure. It was a waterslide/waterpark I believe was on Beach Blvd. I think there also might have been another similar attraction where the waterslides were fiberglass but Slippery Dip was concrete and you had to go down the four slides with a blue mat.

[Parkerclassof72]

Originally Posted by Laurenwastaen

My brothers and I loved those commercials and so did all the neighborhood kids. One day I was home while my brothers were playing hide-and-seek with some friends a few houses over. Apparently my dad had arranged for Dolph and his crew to come coat our house in some sort of white sprayed-on cement that had ground glass in it for a finishing touch. I got an eyefull of Dolph in my yard and once it sunk in, I ran as fast as I could down to the house where my brothers were. I shouted over the fence to them that Dolph was AT OUR HOUSE. They didn't believe me at first but I eventually convinced them to come look. Pretty soon about a dozen kids from the neighborhood were watching Dolph. Dolph was really a huge jerk to us. We weren't bothering him but we wanted to at least come say hi. It was really disheartening because he was a celebrity to us with his creative and wacky commercials.

Great story Lauren.

[convextech]

I remember Slippery Dip. Wasn't that over there on Beach near (or was once) where the big orange T-Rex is now?

[Laurenwastaen]

Originally Posted by convextech

I remember Slippery Dip. Wasn't that over there on Beach near (or was once) where the big orange T-Rex is now?

I think it was on Beach Blvd. I haven't been in that area since the 80s. There was a pool, some trampolines, three "big" waterslides and a smaller one. The slides were built into the hill and you would go up the stairs to reach the top and then pick which slide you were going to go down. You had to have your blue mat in order to go down a slide. Someone else remembers the T-Rex and Slippery Dip and it is mentioned in the comments for this picture:

T-Rex on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/omatix/2663638898/ - broken link)

I remember there was also a big Orange T-Rex on Blanding Blvd, not too far from The Bargain House of Fleas, although on the other side of the road.

[jetsfan16]

Jacksonville has grown so much even since the late 90's, when I first remember it, and with all the tall buildings, the Jaguars emerging, and the Fuller-Warren Bridge getting replaced, it has changed a lot since then.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by jetsfan16

Jacksonville has grown so much even since the late 90's, when I first remember it, and with all the tall buildings, the Jaguars emerging, and the Fuller-Warren Bridge getting replaced, it has changed a lot since then.

Late 90s? You should see how much it's changed since the late 70s! You would almost not recognize it...

Cheers! M2

[chefduck]

This is really going back- Does anyone remember back in the early 60's there was a restaurant on the corner of San Juan & Blanding Blvd. called The Entree ?? There is a phone place there now. Also was a Winn Dixie where Barnett's Framing is now. My mom used to buy groceries there (loaf of bread was 25 cents) and bring home 3-4 paper bags full and it was $20 ! Across the street where there is a motorcycle store now there was a House of Bargains that had a myna bird out front in a cage that talked to you when you came by. Next to the House of Bargains there was a dime store I think called Stewarts. There was also a Easterling's Pharmacy and a Lakeshore Bakery about a block down. I remember going to Easterlings and buying a vanilla or cherry coke for like a dime at the counter in those paper cups with a point that sat in a metal holder....
I remember the Lakeshore Theatre down at the end of Timothy Lane off of Blanding. My best friend's dad owned it and I thought that was so cool. We used to go to the movies there for free. Dates used to sit in the back of the theatre and "make out" as we used to call it.
There used to be a place called The Forum next to Roosevelt Mall . It was like a restaurant/lounge. It had these big white columns out front. Seems like it was where Stein Mart is now. Anyway I think it changed to a place called "The Scene" in the 60's. Seems real cornball to me now thinking about it. Back then it seemed real "hip".
I remember a lot of the stores in Roosevelt Mall. I remember Woolworths where you could buy those little turtles and goldfish. I also remember when the "Twist" came out with Chubby Checker. My sister and I & a couple of our friends got to do the Twist in the window of Woolworths to the record and everybody got to see us when they walked by. We thought that was really something. I remember Furchgotts, Purcells, Rosenblums, Iveys, Anthony's Beauty Shop (changed later to Shear Pleasure), Underwoods, Liggett Rexall Drugstore (my sister used to work there)then it changed to Eckerds, Noahs Ark Toy Store, Morrisons Cafeteria, Patti's Restaurant, of course the pond in the middle of the Mall where there were swans and it had a black wrought iron fence around it.
Someone earlier mentioned the Shrimp Boat on San Juan. I remember that. It was wedged right in next to the bank kind of near Blanding. Denny Moran owned it before he opened Denny Moran's on Cedar Creek. That was a nice restaurant back then. They used to come to your table to mix your salad. I know it is hard to believe but I remember that there was a Surf Shop on Herschel St. kind of where Hungry Howie's is now. I think it was called Millers Surf Shop.
Well I could go on and on but I will try to write more later. I love this forum and remembering the good ole days.