How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Scottsdale: bracket, moved)

[mighty moose]

Originally Posted by David Wendell

The old home movie clips from Nelson's pool were great! Thank You! I wonder if it is completely gone these days; I need to go by and see. I knew one of the family members from work.

When my wife and I were married at St Catherines (1968) in South Phoenix they would not allow any pictures/movies to be made during the ceremony. We have lots of good pictures before and after. About ten years later we found a friend's brother had taken 8mm movies before and after. I had the images put on CD and now DVD. It was a great surprise and a real treasure now.

Nelson's pool was on the corner of 19th Ave and Turney, two blocks south of Campbell. I know because I grew up on 18th Ave and Roma, a block away. A stone's throw from our house. It was later filled in and gone for good. It's now just another apartment complex.

The water was always very cold, but at the time it was open (late sixties, early seventies) the price of admission was a little high. Yes, it was also right next to the canal bank - but I have no confirmation if they used water from it either while it was a pool or while it was a fishing hole (see below).

Oddly enough, just after it closed as a pool but before they filled in the hole, they tried another venture there. A place to drop your fishing line in and haul away fish that you used to pay for by the pound. Something rings in my ear it may have been called "Hunt's Fish"

Does anyone besides me remember the fishing place that went in there for a short while ?

[JoeC]

Couple more fondly-remembered places that are no more:

The Alley Cat at Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza. Liked to sit out on the patio at night (they had olive trees growing through some of the tables); when the lawn sprinklers would fire up, the temp would drop 10 degrees. Since replaced by The Blue Moose sports bar. Haven't been yet; hope they kept the kick-back-and-relax atmosphere.

Backstage (same place). Light rock & jazz bands on Saturday nights. Lavosh pizza. Another casual joint; they somehow managed to capture the dark, moody atmosphere I like. Replaced by AZ/88, which (from their site) looks glossy, bright, and WAY upscale. Maybe too young for my tastes.

Spent many nights with friends at both of the original joints (one of the owners of The Alley Cat was a close friend of my father's; me and my friends were well taken care of... ).

Disappointed that they're both gone.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by David Wendell

A great picture of TOYS. Wonderful neon. I cannot say that I remember it but I didn't learn to appreciate Chinese food until I was married a few years.

We used to go to Sing High on Madison and about 3rd St. in downrown Phoenix. I bet they are still there. We used to also visit one on 15th Ave & Van Buren until my someone took my Father-In law's new pickup truck from the parking lot.

Sing High IS still there, as is the one at 15th and Van Buren (the Golden Dragon).

[JoeC]

Does anyone remember the jewish deli in old town Scottsdale? If I remember correctly, it was a couple-three doors north of the pink ice-cream parlour (was that Farrells?). Family who owned it was from NY. Made "hot water" bagels on the premises - way better than anything else you could get in the valley at the time. Always had several varieties of lox (and they always had nova lox), and they'd serve the lox with half a block of Phily (yum!). Their hot pastrami was amazing.

They could compete with any deli I've been to out here. Hope they're still there - but somehow I doubt it.

[JoeC]

I think it was Bowman's... and the ice cream shop was The Sugar Bowl.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by JoeC

I think it was Bowman's... and the ice cream shop was The Sugar Bowl.

good work JoeC.....you answered your own question in three minutes!....thanks for your contributions so far....good stuff.....Sugar Bowl hasn't been mentioned lately here in the thread....is it too new??!! (1958)

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

good work JoeC.....you answered your own question in three minutes!....thanks for your contributions so far....good stuff.....Sugar Bowl hasn't been mentioned lately here in the thread....is it too new??!! (1958)

Thanks! Google maps drive-by supplied The Sugar Bowl, and web crawling (and a moment when my brain decided to do what it was designed for) got me Bowman's.
I REALLY liked that deli.

[AZtrails]

Originally Posted by JoeC

Thanks! Google maps drive-by supplied The Sugar Bowl, and web crawling (and a moment when my brain decided to do what it was designed for) got me Bowman's.
I REALLY liked that deli.

Bowman's was 2 blocks south of Sugar Bowl. Iimmediately across from Sugar Bowl was the original Stan's Deli, which had a long counter and at most 6 booths. We used to eat at both, but much preferred Stan's. Unfortunately, there was a grease fire some years after Stan's sons took over, following which the building was torn down and replaced by the current structure.

I remember having breakfast at Stan's and dropping off the car at the gas station across Main Street. By the time we finished, the station had filled the tank, checked everything else, and moved the car into a parking spot. Hard to imagine now!

Speaking of restaurants, remember when the Safari coffee shop was the only 24 hour place in Scottsdale? I used to love their Swedish pancakes, as was *much* too young to understand why ladies were sitting by themselves at the counter.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by AZtrails

...Speaking of restaurants, remember when the Safari coffee shop was the only 24 hour place in Scottsdale? I used to love their Swedish pancakes, as was *much* too young to understand why ladies were sitting by themselves at the counter.

YES!
If I remember correctly, the Denny's at Scottsdale & Shea was open 24/7, also - but you couldn't get Swedish pancakes there...

Ate at The Brown Derby every now and then. Food was OK. Crown was definitely above my age bracket (although I'm pretty close to fitting in now...).

[JoeC]

OK - this is a question I can't dig up an answer for:
What was the funky round restaurant on the SW corner of Camelback & Scottsdale Rd, on the canal bank? I think it changed hands several times. I thought the building was ugly as all hell, but it was in a great location.