Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Houston: homes, neighborhoods)

[googie2525]

irnag, yeah Cool Crest shuts down every Winter, usually reopens around March or April (on owner Ms. Metzger's whim really, she seems to close early quite often if it's too slow and she gets sleepy and wants to hit the hay - etc., so Friday and Saturday in the summer is the best bet). They cut down the ol' banana trees so they wont freeze in the winter, so it's not too scenic, but once summer hits, that place looks like a tropical rain forest. Albeit with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin pumped outta those ancient speakers hidden in the trees somewhere. That place is immaculate though, AND the huge green sign has been refurbished (that pic was a few year sold). I LOVE that place!

[AnthonySA]

1. Major League Soccer... hehehe
2. Idiots who opposed PGA for "environmental" reasons..

[Paka]

How about "Bongo Joe" downtown, and the "6 bottle cap" Pepsi movies at the Aztec theater and the "99 cent God Father of Soul James Brown concerts???

Woooo-----PLEASE tell me someone else is old enough to remember those!!!!!!

[940]

I remember Bongo Joe but can't say that I ever did the "6 bottle cap" Pepsi movies at the Aztec.

I remember the old Army Arsenal downtown which eventually became the headquarters for HEB grocery. I remember when San Antonio had Piggly Wiggly grocery stores also. I remember when Wonderland Mall had a Rhodes department store which eventually became a Liberty House department store. Liberty House didn't last long in SA but they were in Hawaii up until just a couple of years ago.

[googie2525]

From Wikipedia:

Bongo Joe
Genre: Miscellaneous
Biography
While some may think of him only as a novelty, Bongo Joe (aka George Coleman) had a long, illustrious career, especially for a self-taught street musician who played mainly for free. Born George Coleman in Haines City, FL, on November 28, 1923, he had a rough life from the beginning. His father died before he was born and his mother passed away when he was seven, leaving siblings and neighbors to look after him. Upon graduation from high school, Coleman began a 30-year musical career that found him playing 15 years on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston and another 15 in San Antonio, occasionally traveling anywhere between. Coleman had played with numerous musicians, including Sammy Davis Jr. and Dizzy Gillespie, and played for Muhammad Ali, President John F. Kennedy in Fort Worth (the night before he was assassinated), and Gerald Ford during his 1976 presidential campaign. He also played private exclusive parties at homes and country clubs. While he was a proficient piano player, Coleman preferred percussion because it was easier to play on the streets, hence the moniker Bongo Joe. He rode a motorbike, towing his equipment: 55-gallon oil drums, mallets made of hammer handles, and a small public-address system. No matter where he was, Bongo Joe was a disciplined performer playing practically every night without fail. Coleman died on December 19, 1999, due to diabetes and kidney disease. Only one album by Bongo Joe was recorded and released by Arhoolie Records in 1968. It remains in print over 30 years later. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide

You can still buy his record (ahem, cd), at:
http://www.arhoolie.com/titles/1040.shtml (broken link)

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f379/ede2525/1040.gif (broken link)

I remember seeing him in high school, man, he was good at those bongos...I wish we had some local oddballs downtown with actual entertainment value these days, instead of these creepo pushy panhandlers.

[texasborn]

Boy... have I gotten hooked on this site/thread. This is the next best thing to being (home) in SA. Been gone 30+ years!

And for those of you lucky enough to still been there and have reminders of the area of "then and now", my memories may not be as clear. But, ... those movie houses! I DO remember them. I remember the MAJESTIC Theatre (it was truly majestic and mystical-I lost a transistor radio there while watching John Wayne's CHISUM; (westerns on THAT screen were captivating!) and the the TEXAS Theatre (saw TO SIR WITH LOVE there). And, the LAUREL Theatre was right across from my JR HIGH (not middle school) Mark Twain and the OLMOS Theatre, and the WOODLAWN Theatre (the SAND PEBBLES). I saw the musical CHICAGO at the MAJESTIC (and took my spouse) when I was in town for business a while ago. So glad to see it was not torn down. I wasn't the same (but, then, it never is, is it?) but glad to see it none the same.

And back to DOWNTOWN SA, does anyone remember FROST BROS Dept Store? I recall there was a magnificent Chistmas display there during this time of year. I remember when going DOWNTOWN was really something. Does anyone recall the Rexall Drugstore on the corner across from the Post Office and the Alamo (circa mid-60's)? Twirling on those seats at the soda fountain (cherry coke please with extra cherry, sir). Walgreens will NEVER compare to Rexall.

And, just briefly, re Playland Park, I DO remember it. I'm old enoungh to remember it before it became delapidated. And, does anyone remember the park right outside of Brackenridge Park? (I LOVED THAT TRAIN!) They had Shetland Ponies there. I remember getting tossed off one (can Shetlands buck? The San Antonio ZOO, Brackenridge Park, that Train and the Small (?) Park. All remain except the Park, right?

[teach22244]

Hot Wells!!! I used to really like going there as a kid. Does anyone else remember the stinky, milky water? It was kind of scary and exciting because you couldn't see the bottom like other pools.

[googie2525]

teach22244, you might find this insteresting:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f379/ede2525/hotwells.jpg (broken link)

Lifshutz (well, senior anyway, who recently died - sonny-boy runs the operation now) basically kick-started the Blue Star area, so who knows?

Oh yeah, there's a really cool (and pretty obscure) book on silent movie making in San Antonio waaaaaayyyyyyy back in the day, the Star Film Ranch, headquarted around the Hot Wells (I did a college paper on this segment of the Hot Wells history years ago, very, very interseting book): "The Star Film Ranch: Texas' First Picture Show" by Frank T. Thompson (btw, it's OOP, but you can still find it on eBay or Amazon used quite easily)

[irnag]

Texasborn, remember the day the Brackenridge train got robbed? Oh the rampant crime in SA. Also, does anyone know if Dibbles Hobby Store still exists? It was near Jefferson High School if I remember correctly. Also is Randy's Rodeo still there? I think that was Bamdera and Hillcrest.

[940]

Randy's Rodeo is still there off Bandera and Hillcrest, however it's now called Randy's Ballroom, I believe. Not sure when it stopped including "Rodeo" in its name. I'm too young to have gone but I remember my older sister and her friends wanting to go there in the late 70's to see the old English punk band The Sex Pistols in one of their very few US appearances at that time.