Remembering downtown Ft. Worth (Fort Worth, Henderson: buy, movie theaters, restaurant) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Ketabcha · 12-03-2009, 11:50 AM

Back in the late 60s we would go downtown and park in the Leonard's parking lot, ride the subway and shop.

I loved the Leonard's basement. I could always find some great bargains. We'd stroll down to Edison's and find some more great deals. Monnig's had a restaurant with an old-timey counter where we would have tuna sandwiches. There were hooks under the counter where we could hang our purses. Monnig's vanilla shakes were the best in town.

The place I loved the best was a little hamburger joint. It had no seating that I can recall. I don't think customers went it at all. It was on a corner and had two open windows, one on each street at the corner. We'd order the hamburgers at the windows. They cost 25 cents. I remember that the onions were cooked on the grill with lots of butter and mustard. The fragrance raced up and down the street.

To this day I still consider those burgers to be the best I have ever eaten.

Does anyone else remember them?

catman · 12-03-2009, 01:50 PM

I don't remember the hamburger joint, but I surely do have fond memories of Leonard's "ToyLand" in their basement in the Christmas season! I miss the subway (and the big parking lot!).

Ketabcha · 12-03-2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catman

I don't remember the hamburger joint, but I surely do have fond memories of Leonard's "ToyLand" in their basement in the Christmas season! I miss the subway (and the big parking lot!).

I miss the subway, too. The parking lot was great. Through the years I always used it when I was on jury duty. I was called for jury duty in October and was amazed at the lack of parking. I ended up parking on the roof of the parking garage next to the county courts building. Cost me $15 for the day but I didn't mind....except there was no elevator. LOL. Boy, I am really spoiled.

catman · 12-05-2009, 10:39 PM

Yeah, I used the fondly remembered parking lot for jury duty too. When I have to do it now, I just park at one of the 10-hour meters west of the public library down near Henderson, on 2nd Street or somewhere near there. I don't see why the city shouldn't make it easy for people called for jury duty to park. I've heard bad things about cars being broken into where they run the shuttle from, at the LaGrave Field parking lot. Besides, that's just too durn far away.

oldschool70's · 05-29-2012, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ketabcha

Back in the late 60s we would go downtown and park in the Leonard's parking lot, ride the subway and shop.

I loved the Leonard's basement. I could always find some great bargains. We'd stroll down to Edison's and find some more great deals. Monnig's had a restaurant with an old-timey counter where we would have tuna sandwiches. There were hooks under the counter where we could hang our purses. Monnig's vanilla shakes were the best in town.

The place I loved the best was a little hamburger joint. It had no seating that I can recall. I don't think customers went it at all. It was on a corner and had two open windows, one on each street at the corner. We'd order the hamburgers at the windows. They cost 25 cents. I remember that the onions were cooked on the grill with lots of butter and mustard. The fragrance raced up and down the street.

To this day I still consider those burgers to be the best I have ever eaten.

Does anyone else remember them?

Yes, I do. It was called Famous Hamburgers. I loved that place. We would come out of Leonards, cross the street and go in Stripling's, walk straight thru; come out the back side of Stripling's and cross the street to get to famous. Famous also had Fish Sanwiches. Fried fish on a bun with onions and mustard. It was good also but the burgers were the best.

Another place that had wonderfull burgers was on Miller avenue, 1 block south of berry street. It was called Whopper burger.

dallasboi · 05-29-2012, 07:34 PM

So tell me more about the subway...where did it take you?...What happen to it?...Whats in its place now....This is very interesting to me does anyone have pictures??

Pontificator · 05-30-2012, 06:22 AM

Ahhh......wish I could have seen this! Photos, anyone?

legalsea · 05-30-2012, 06:37 AM

Funny that I do not recall Famous Burgers. I went to another place (I think called Burger and Shake, not related to the national franchise) on 7th street.

Ah! 7th street was golden back then! Three movie theaters (the Worth, the Hollywood, and, further east on 7th, the Palace), and also a great 'joke shop' where youngsters like me could buy fake vomit, x-rays glasses, magic tricks, etc.

Also, the Piccadilly cafeteria,

One of the greatest websites ever:

Fort Worth...The Way We Were

One can spend hours looking at the way it was.

txtoal · 05-30-2012, 08:51 AM

I remember the subway in the 80's. We used to go ice skating at the Tandy Center. Since I was little at the time, it was such a big deal to me. I sure wish they hadn't closed it down.

moore.carolyn · 03-10-2016, 08:13 AM

You can visit the M&O Restaurant/Hamburgers at Weisenberger and Carroll Street in the shadows of Montgomery Ward Plaza to see the Leonard's Museum. It's free and the restaurant is an added bonus of good hamburgers, etc. Polly Leonard who owns the museum still has one of the subway cars and still trying to find a place to display it for everyone to enjoy. Her collection of Leonard's memorabilia is amazing and will bring back a lot of happy memories.