How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (apartment complex, homes)

[AZ Tracy]

The chocolate milk shakes at Bob's Big Boy on Main St. in Mesa...and the drive-in movie theaters.

[AZ Tracy]

Another good memory came to me....my family would often take a "Sunday drive" to see the Japanese flower gardens off of Baseline.

[amatrine]

Oh yeah, I remember when baseline was just all orange groves for the most part.


Ama

[Magnum Mike]

Apollo86 - I remember a lot of things about Metro Center, back when it opened in late 1973, and I remember there was nothing around it but empty fields, up until the early 1990's, when they started adding other shopping areas around it.

I know it was a fun place to spend time and cool off during the hot summer months, and I know I spent a considerable amount of time playing at the video arcade across the food court back in the late 1970's and 1980's. I've only gone to the skating rink once in 1975, and I took my high school sweetheart with me. I got embarrassed because I found out I wasn't much of a skater! . The next day I could barely walk because both of my ankles were SORE!

I also remember this one area of the mall called "The Alley", and they had a place where you could have your picture taken with an older camera, and the picture looked like it was made in the days of the old west, with a costume you picked to make the picture even more authentic. I do have a picture I had taken back in 1979 dressed as a civil war soldier. I'll have to scan it and post it on here.

I also remember the AMC movie theaters that were inside the mall right across from the food court, that was also a good place to spend a hot summer afternoon. The AMC movie theaters were closed and Harkins built an addition in that section of the mall in the mid 1990's.

[Magnum Mike]

I believe when it first opened, Metro Center was the largest indoor mall in the United States. I also know it was also the first multi-story mall in Arizona.

I found this image on the Malls of America website. If you look closely, you can see the original old tiles that were put in when the mall was first built, in my opinion, they were ugly! They were replaced in 1993 for the mall's 20th anniversary celebration when it was going through the rennovation. You can also see all of the empty dirt lots that were around the mall, and the round building at the top of the picture, which is now Souper Salad. I forgot what it was originally. You can also see I-17 in the top of the picture, and east of it was all just desert. Now it's all restaurants and hotels.

This picture must have been taken sometime between 1973 and 1976, before Golf 'n Stuff was built, which was also a big dirt lot on the top right side of the picture.

[Magnum Mike]

I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like the picture but my guess is Mods don't like us to post pictures with a copyright name on it, so I took care of the problem.

[HX_Guy]

Wow that's crazy how there are so many dirt fields around the mall, that place is fully built out now.

That crazy looking hat building is still around, it's a Souper Salad now. I've always wanted to go check it out and see how the inside looks since the outside is pretty unique.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Wow that's crazy how there are so many dirt fields around the mall, that place is fully built out now.

That crazy looking hat building is still around, it's a Souper Salad now. I've always wanted to go check it out and see how the inside looks since the outside is pretty unique.

That's usually the case HX_Guy, when a mall is built here, it doesn't take long before everything else gets built around it. That was also the case with Aroowhead Mall.

If you also look closely at the picture, you can see the median in I-17, which was dirt and oleanders! At that time it was that way starting just north of Dunlap

[apollo86]

Originally Posted by MichaelinWA

Commodore Condello's Salt River Navy Band - they rocked, at least according to the ears of this elementary school student.

i came along a little later than you i think,mid to late 70's,early 80's. but i vividly remember getting my ladmo bag .i actually have commodore condello and many others on wallace and ladmos greatest hits on cd.quite funny,i am in tacoma suburbs.

[apollo86]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

That's usually the case HX_Guy, when a mall is built here, it doesn't take long before everything else gets built around it. That was also the case with Aroowhead Mall.

If you also look closely at the picture, you can see the median in I-17, which was dirt and oleanders! At that time it was that way starting just north of Dunlap

that funny building was a bank first,then souper salad in the early 80's. yeah the alley was great... i saw many movies at that little movie theatre next to the food court,most notably revenge of the jedi,and rocky 2-yes im old! and blew many quarters playing pinball and asteroids at that tiny video arcade.i was quite peeved when they went to 50 cents a game in the early 80's (i was 13,that was a big financial hit for me) i remember when the batting cages first opened at golfnstuff,and promptly getting drilled on the hand by a 85 mph errant pitch.rumor has it the ice rink closed after a woman jumped and committed suicide. use to skate there to pink floyd music they played. amazingly enough spencers still has the exact same items they did in 1981!remember when goldwaters closed and diamonds opened and then closed and dilliards opened.who knows what it is now.havent been back in 10-15 years or so.im most sad about valley west mall closing,that was my teenage hangout mostly in the mid 80's.and the ever crappy glenfair bowling alley and $1.00 movie theatre in the early 80's on 59th and bethany ,i think... anyone know if its still there? does anyone remember starship fantasy video games at 35th and northern in the late 70's? or bag-a-telle video game arcade at valley west in the 80's? my teenage heyday was 79-88 then i moved away.