1980's Houston (Pearland, Center, Post: condos, hotels, buying)

[77030]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dn9T5NUBQ

[jfre81]

I was rather young at the time, but I remember this Taco Cabana-like place called Two Pesos that had one of those tubes like you see at the bank drive-thru, that carried your food to your car. But it wasn't pneumatic - I think it was a tray running on some sort of track. And being like, five or six years old, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

As such, most of my memories were kid stuff. Malibu Grand Prix, Aladdin's Castle, the Supertrack place on the Gulf Freeway with Pac-Man on the sign by the feeder.

I saw the Dome when the big scoreboard was still there. Astroworld from around the time XLR-8 and Tidal Wave were new.

Also remember taking a METRO bus ride to get out to Buffalo Bayou for the fireworks show in 1986. Now that I think on it, that's probably the earliest thing I can remember going to in Houston that was outdoors.

[Mr. Football]

6400, Numbers

Waterworld, Fame City USA, Astroworld (Videocity)

The Goodyear Blimp base

Games People Play (for you FM 1960 folks)

Grandy's, Houlihan's, Fajitas a Sizzlin' Celebration, Strack Farms, JoJo's

97 Rock - Moby, 101 KLOL S&P, 93Q Q-Zoo with John Lander...Z-Rock

[hbcu]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I was rather young at the time, but I remember this Taco Cabana-like place called Two Pesos that had one of those tubes like you see at the bank drive-thru, that carried your food to your car. But it wasn't pneumatic - I think it was a tray running on some sort of track. And being like, five or six years old, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

As such, most of my memories were kid stuff. Malibu Grand Prix, Aladdin's Castle, the Supertrack place on the Gulf Freeway with Pac-Man on the sign by the feeder.

I saw the Dome when the big scoreboard was still there. Astroworld from around the time XLR-8 and Tidal Wave were new.

Also remember taking a METRO bus ride to get out to Buffalo Bayou for the fireworks show in 1986. Now that I think on it, that's probably the earliest thing I can remember going to in Houston that was outdoors.

Two pesos was much better than Taco Cabana as TC destroyed all the popular restaurants in areas they went in by buying them out.

Mountain Park of 59 and 610
Pistol Pete’s Pizza off Wilcrest
Fame City
Hannah Barberra Land (splashtown)
The amusement park on main where Kroger’s is now
Main Street with all those old motels

[KerrTown]

Shaprstown was a decent middle-class master planned community before the oil bust. The Mall was bustling enough that Foley's had to build additions to the store.

West Oaks was literally the edge of the city!

[tstone]

Originally Posted by hbcu

Pistol Pete’s Pizza off Wilcrest
Fame City

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by hbcu

Two pesos was much better than Taco Cabana as TC destroyed all the popular restaurants in areas they went in by buying them out.

Mountain Park of 59 and 610
Pistol Pete’s Pizza off Wilcrest
Fame City
Hannah Barberra Land (splashtown)
The amusement park on main where Kroger’s is now
Main Street with all those old motels

I worked at F.A.M.E. City its first summer of operation, in 1986, starting at $3.25 an hour (I think it went up to $3.35 that year per federal law). Given the state of the economy, I was awful glad to have any job.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Shaprstown was a decent middle-class master planned community before the oil bust. The Mall was bustling enough that Foley's had to build additions to the store.

West Oaks was literally the edge of the city!

It was a huge deal in the early 80s when Sharpstown added its 2nd floor (look, it's a "fancy" mall now!). Town & Country Mall (THREE floors, which never filled up) opened around 1983, and was already dead by 2000.

[hbcu]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

It was a huge deal in the early 80s when Sharpstown added its 2nd floor (look, it's a "fancy" mall now!). Town & Country Mall (THREE floors, which never filled up) opened around 1983, and was already dead by 2000.

I remember Westwood's renovation also with the 2 story carousel. I sure miss Coastal Cookies on that second floor, lol.

the first colony mall sign stood there for years so you thought it was an afterthought but there was another mall that was proposed off 288 and Almeda Genoa called Almeda Mall. That's basically the Pearland Town Center now but imagine if that mall ever came.

you had more cafeteria options also with Wyatt's and Albrittons (off 59)

ron's chicken (pre church's)

The Nabisco Plant off Almeda but who remembers Hughes Tools on the southside as when that closed it started the epidemic for drugs as people lost blue collar jobs

[turf3]

Oh gosh.

I was in college in Houston 1980-85.

The House of Pies on/near Westheimer. When Westheimer was the gay district.

Rice Village - Weingarten's supermarket, Dromgoole's typewriter shop, the Caribana!! Village theater (porno); what was the name of the little hole in the wall burger joint in the Village?

Houston Bicycle Co. - Joe Bentley. Loved that shop. Daniel Boone Cycles, too.

Kirby was the "drag" for us in those days. Jalapeno Tree; Felix Mexican Restaurant, Goode Company, Dolce & Freddo ice cream.

Remember Rockefeller's? I saw Phil Woods there; also Jaco Pastorius.

Angelo's Fisherman's Wharf on South Main. A couple of friends and I used to go there and just order up dozens and dozens of oysters. Can't remember the price but it was something outrageous like $4.99 a dozen. Never made it into Capn Benny's Half Shell.

Houston lost some great things since then: Astro World, the Shamrock Hotel - how could they tear it down? How could they?

Remember the Mecom fountain at the Main street traffic circle next to the Warwick Hotel? is it still there?

Concerts on the grass over in Herrmann park. Also the bike paths all along Braes Bayou.

Kay's on Bissonnet!! Anyone remember a place called "Steamboat Springs"? My band played there many times, sometimes we outnumbered the patrons. I remember us being a killer band but I suspect we weren't actually very good.

Interestingly, many of the chain restaurants that were popular in Houston in those days were actually started in Dallas (Chili's, Filling Station, Old San Francisco Steak House, etc.)

Riding a bike up into the Heights on Saturday morning to get cookies from the Mexican bakery.

***AND!!!***

SLIIIIIME IN THE ICE MACHINE!!!!!!

Oh man, the nostalgia.