Nostalgia (Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, Pasadena: Home Depot, movies, elementary school)

[Westward]

Yes, wrestling, that's the place! Was it Valley Gardens?

I think these new sky-writers need a lesson in spelling, (wink wink). All I see these days is a jumble of lines, lol. Remember how bad the air smelled in the summer evenings in the 60's, we wanted so much to get rid of the air pollution, but now they spread it across the skies on purpose.

Anyone remember Piggly Wiggly's with their wood shavings floor? Or A&W drive-ins?

Those were great days when you could wander anywhere in the valley by foot and not worry about which n'hood you were in.

What was the name of that drink bar at Laurel Plaza with the tropical drinks? "Blue Surprise" or something like that was my favorite.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by Westward

Yes, wrestling, that's the place! Was it Valley Gardens?

I think these new sky-writers need a lesson in spelling, (wink wink). All I see these days is a jumble of lines, lol. Remember how bad the air smelled in the summer evenings in the 60's, we wanted so much to get rid of the air pollution, but now they spread it across the skies on purpose.

Anyone remember Piggly Wiggly's with their wood shavings floor? Or A&W drive-ins?

Those were great days when you could wander anywhere in the valley by foot and not worry about which n'hood you were in.

What was the name of that drink bar at Laurel Plaza with the tropical drinks? "Blue Surprise" or something like that was my favorite.

I think you're correct with Valley Gardens. I forgot about the A&W drive-ins. There were a couple left into the 90s, but the ones I remember were in Fillmore and Fresno, not the L.A. area. They are long gone now, though. There are a few A&W restaurants that have sprung up recently, in connection with other YUM franchises (KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut/Long John Silver's).

The only tropical drink place I remember in Laurel Plaza was the old Orange Julius kiosk outside the Ice Capades. The Blue Surprise may have been there before my time.

[cynwldkat]

Good old "Route 66!"!!

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by cynwldkat

Good old "Route 66!"!!

Well, there was also Route 99 (later bypassed by I-5 in SoCal). Portions further north still exist, though they are mostly freeway now.

[cynwldkat]

Oh, you are right! I do see Route 99 every so often when we go places. I forgot that one!!

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by cynwldkat

Oh, you are right! I do see Route 99 every so often when we go places. I forgot that one!!

Highway 99 is what I believe used to be the Golden State Highway, from which we get the Golden State Freeway portion of I-5 (from East L.A. to the 5/99 split south of Bakersfield). North of the split, the 99 is still called the Golden State Highway or Freeway.

There was also US Route 6, that was at one time (1938 to 1964) the longest highway in the United States, stretching from Provincetown (Cape Cod), MA. to Long Beach, CA. Here's a link to some good info about it:

http://www.gbcnet.com/ushighways/US6/US6.html

Since 1964, the portion of US 6 between Long Beach, CA. and Bishop, CA. has since been designated differently (110/5/14/395), so US 6 officially ends in Bishop. It could make a fun road trip.

[JustPassinThru]

"Does anyone remember Jungleland in Thousand Oaks? I grew up in Ventura County (born in the 40's), and our parents would take us to Jungleland fairly often. We loved that "theme" park. It had great wild animal exhibits and fantastic shows. Lions were always my favorite. It was large enough to entertain anyone, yet not so large that you couldn't see everything in just one afternoon."
I remember that whenever it rained heavily the park flooded and they were hard pressed to get the animals out of their cages to safety.

How about this one? Ralph Helfer's Africa USA? Was located in the mountains near Fillmore. Ralph promoted his training method as "affection training". While in jr college nearby I applied for a job as a lion trainer there. That's when I learned that the affection part came into play after you got the animal's attention. Decided against going through with it, but it may have been a missed opportunity (Vegas?).

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by JustPassinThru

"Does anyone remember Jungleland in Thousand Oaks? I grew up in Ventura County (born in the 40's), and our parents would take us to Jungleland fairly often. We loved that "theme" park. It had great wild animal exhibits and fantastic shows. Lions were always my favorite. It was large enough to entertain anyone, yet not so large that you couldn't see everything in just one afternoon."
I remember that whenever it rained heavily the park flooded and they were hard pressed to get the animals out of their cages to safety.

How about this one? Ralph Helfer's Africa USA? Was located in the mountains near Fillmore. Ralph promoted his training method as "affection training". While in jr college nearby I applied for a job as a lion trainer there. That's when I learned that the affection part came into play after you got the animal's attention. Decided against going through with it, but it may have been a missed opportunity (Vegas?).

I don't remember either of these, but I do remember that there was a wild animal sanctuary near Canyon Country along Soledad Canyon Road. I don't know what became of it, though.

[cynwldkat]

Could you be talking about the wildlife waystation in Little Tujunga Cyn.? If so, it's still there. They have been having some problems with the state about several little things but enough to cause some problems for them. It is a wonderful place to visit and volunteer. They have done a great job with their rescue of exotic animals. I donated my time there for a bit of time and it was a great experience and in a beautiful area.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by jdavid93225

I am not sure about Winchell's Donuts. The ones I remember have since changed hands and become something else, but it seems like I've seen one or two around in my travels, but I don't remember where.

Winchell's still exists, although they have fewer locations than they used to.
There's still one on National and Westwood, amongst others.