Gone But Not Forgotten In Miami (Coral Gables, Westchester: lawyer, dangerous, financed)

[Cocoricoco]

You used to be able to drive down Bird Road and see the neon signs and mid-century suburban retail everywhere. Even remember the old Mc Donalds and the Royal Castles! Lately I have been wondering if it is possible to re-create the same environment in a smaller town. I have always wondered why those of us who like the past, and have been harassed by big government do not just pack up and move to a small Florida town. We could take our businesses with us and encourage our employees to move. After all, dystopian experiments like "celebration" exist, and this would be even better.

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I remember driving down Bird Road some 40 years ago and seeing a LOT of "Comidas para llevar por libras". Most of the stores were brand new. Bird Road was never very commercial until it became the new Calle Ocho some 40 to 45 years ago.

[ednsandy]

In my earlier post of Kendale Lakes mall, I accidently said Sentinel Drugs - meant Sentry Drugs. Also remember Aspen Drugs, Anthony's Pizza owned by Charles Collarusso's family, Cozzoli's Pizza, Heritage House for my school clothes, spending my lunch money before school on candy at the Top Banana behind the mall, Barton's Candy, waiting all night in the Kendale Lakes Mall for Spec's to open to buy concert tickets, hanging out at "Kendale Lakes Beach", Hidden Lake, watching countless movies at the Kendale Lakes Mall and Shops of Kendall, hanging out at Don Carters, Fiesta Taco for lunch, my beloved Dalt's, Chuck Wagon on Sunset and 117th for breakfast before school. There used to be an old red barn right by the Kendale Lakes Country Club and now close to here (in Orlando area) we have a building that looks just like in the middle of nowhere. Funny how you remember such small details of your youth. Wonder if my kids will remember little things like that when they are adults. We moved to Kendale Lakes in 1973, last stop light was all the way on Kendall Drive and 107th! Nothing but U-Pick 'Em strawberry and tomato fields. Kendale Lakes has changed so drastically, but it sure was a super place to grow up!

[Felix C]

Remember when Miller Drive had a canal bisecting east from west bound traffic?

[Awsi Dooger]

Originally Posted by Felix C

Remember when Miller Drive had a canal bisecting east from west bound traffic?

Yep. Circa 10 years old my friend was riding on the back of my banana seat bike and the brakes suddenly went out while we were crossing from the Publix side to the Sentry Drugs side. The ground was not level on the crossover sections. It dipped downward several feet in the center. So we gained downhill momentum on the bike and were moving very fast toward the westbound traffic, with plenty of approaching cars and no apparent method to stop. It was scary as heck. Luckily, both of us sensed the same solution, to extend our right arm around the pole of the Yield sign at right once we reached it. We fell off the bike, which flew nose up and to the right, over the guard rail and onto the slope but not into the canal. Easily retrieved. We were scuffed up but otherwise okay.

That canal was removed in the very early '70s, if I had to estimate. You always heard stories of local high school kids jumping it in their cars from the street leading alongside Blue Lakes Elementary School, but I never believed them.

The crossover sections were perhaps 10 yards wide and semi-frequent. There was one in front of Publix, where the current traffic light is situated, and another in front of the grocery store -- Gardner's Market (?) -- now an AutoZone. That's in the area between 92nd and 97th avenues. I don't remember the specifics elsewhere.

BTW, they are finally doing some major work on the facade of the small shopping mall on the north side of Miller Road in that area. I think I expressed dismay in a post a couple of years ago that nothing had been done to that mall in 30+ years and it had become run down. I'm not sure if there will be a signature store in the new version.

[meshnut]

Originally Posted by valicky

Nope - not College Park Pizza. It's another sports bar now. LA Grill or something like that. It's actually pretty good.

I remember going to eat at College Park Pizza. When you walked in there were regular seating on the right side but my family would always go into the left, through the "saloon" doors and into the game room/bar area (it was so dark in there). The TV was right behind the bar. Man I missed that place!

[meshnut]

Originally Posted by k1ngmob

I almost got run over by that tram.
I remember Lionel Play World,
Luria's
Jefferson's at Midway mall
zayre's (that old indoor mall on coral way just closed down)
tropicare flea market (dad used to take me every sunday- afterward, at the food store next to it I'd get an icee & trading cards!)
Best (on us1)
Don Carter (playing street fighter at 12 midnight- loved that place)
bakery center (lots of dates there)
Marsbar in town & country was the best!
kitchen club!
the industry

what else????

I used to go to tropicare flea market on Sundays with my family as well!! I got an E.T. shirt and a Miami Vice t-shirt. I also got a pair of sunglasses (the mirror-lens ones with the leathery pieces on the side to cut off sun glare).

[Awsi Dooger]

That small shopping mall on Miller between 92nd and 97th is called Miller Heights Plaza. This link has a depiction of what the new facade will look like, once completed:

9373-9459 SW 56th St, Miami, FL, 33165 - Strip Center Property for Lease on LoopNet.com

[meshnut]

I still miss the old malls!

[Coralsex]

When I was a kid, I loved driving northbound on Collins towards the Arch de Fontainebleu mural

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

That small shopping mall on Miller between 92nd and 97th is called Miller Heights Plaza. This link has a depiction of what the new facade will look like, once completed:

9373-9459 SW 56th St, Miami, FL, 33165 - Strip Center Property for Lease on LoopNet.com

All that money to make it look uglier than it was. Oh well, it is 50% vacant now since they raised the rent.