Long ago on independence square (date, landfill, time)

[dmouse]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Wow, totally forgotten about Sidney's One of those names very unlikely to trigger on its own, but the mention brings it back . . . barely. Last week I couldn't remember where Raytown Beach and then Raytown Swim Club were located until friends set me straight

I will look up locations for Sidney's and Smaks around town. We've talked about the one on US 24 near the HST Library, but don't recall that one either.

Nuway was the one with the loose meat hamburger, correct? Gosh, those were awesome. I remember Mom and I stopping there on our way to Dad's bowling league on Friday PM at Pla-Mor.

Who remembers Pla-Mor?

P-M had something like 70 lanes and some of them you had to negotiate corridors to get there. dmouse, did you ever strut your stuff there?

I believe some time in the late Sixties it was replaced by "Freedom Palace" In the Summer of 1970 I saw The Who in concert there. Weeknight, hot as Hades, electric (and thus the AC and musical equipment) went out. The Who was pissed

On second thought, it was Winstead's. That makes sense, on the way to Pla-Mor on Main and my recollection was near The Plaza But so are the loose meet burgers Winstead's had loose meat burgers too? Signed, Always Confused

I was never in the PlaMor. Strike and Spare was my main haunt for many years. I did sub a few times on teams at other lanes, but not often.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Sidney's was at Linwood and Gillham Road. There was also one at Brookside Boulevard/Ward Parkway and Main Street (where the Plaza Library later went up), and a non-drive-in location on Broadway just north of Valentine Road. There may have been one or two others.

Winstead's had one location: 101 East Brush Creek Boulevard, just outside the Country Club Plaza.

Nuway may have been at Linwood and Main.

Who here remembers Smaks?

There are at least three photos of Sidney's, two with the tall-hatted waiter figure that marked its restaurants, on Google Image I had to look that up to ring the bell

There were 4 in 1970 as MSE noted

Nuway was at 6348 Troost

11 Smaks locations 2 on Troost at 64th and 79th

3407 E 31st

5017 Independence Ave

601 E Linwood

5219 NE Chouteau

2 Downtown 1236 Main & 1111 Walnut

6215 Wornall 8619 Blue Ridge Extension (Cutoff)

[MRG Dallas]

The one SMAKS I recall was on US 40 12401 in 1961, at Crysler Now the site of Big Boy By 1963 it was gone

Raytown had one on 50 Hiway 1970

4 in Joco (3 OPK and Leawood) 1968

And eventually the aforementioned US 24 and Osage

No Sidney's or Winstead's in the suburbs

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

My list starts with Crysler Stadium
3&2 baseball fields around KC
Sugar Creek Swimming pool.
Cool Crest Golf
Mugs Up on 23rd
The Ox Bow on Lexington
Sterling Bowl
Granada or Englewood Theaters
Hawthorne's Restaurant on 40 Hiway (late night or early morning)
Gym at WCHS for Beartown dances
Gym at WCHS for basketball games
WCHS football stadium for games
Cruising in KC at Winstead's on Linwood and Main & NuWay at Linwood and Main

Until I was 14 in 1959, our farm was where I spent most of my days.

Many of your selections were my haunts as well. The Hawthorne was at 40 and Noland, correct? I didn't live too far from there, south of Noland at 51st thereabouts.

For the 1964 season, 3&2 Park (I think it's name) opened in south KC 4 connected diamonds. Not sure if 3&2 Stadium stuck around, probably not as I don't recall another game there. NE Athletic Fields, Blue Valley Park, Sugar Creek . . . did you ever play at Raytown Park? Before we moved is was mere blocks away.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

There are at least three photos of Sidney's, two with the tall-hatted waiter figure that marked its restaurants, on Google Image I had to look that up to ring the bell

There were 4 in 1970 as MSE noted

Nuway was at 6348 Troost

The time frame for me with Sidney's and NuWay's was 1961 to 1963. At that time. the locations for us to cruise through were in this order:

Sidney's - Linwood & Gillham (NW corner)
NuWay's - Main & Linwood (NE corner
Sidney's - 49th & Main (West side of street)

And, it is correct that there was a Sidney's Restaurant on Broadway across the street from the Valentine Shopping Center.

I remember the SMAK's at 40 Hiway and Crysler. There was also one on 24 Hiway.

Hawthorne's was immediately east of the 40 Hiway Drive-In Theater.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Many of your selections were my haunts as well.

For the 1964 season, 3&2 Park (I think it's name) opened in south KC 4 connected diamonds. Not sure if 3&2 Stadium stuck around, probably not as I don't recall another game there. NE Athletic Fields, Blue Valley Park, Sugar Creek . . . did you ever play at Raytown Park? Before we moved is was mere blocks away.

My only year of play in the 3&2 League was 1961. At that time, the 3&2 Stadium was east of Cleveland on the southside of 50 Hiway. Other games were played at the fields below Montgomery Wards on St. John, Blue Valley Park, & Sugar Creek. I don't recall playing in Raytown.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

I don't recall the one on 31st, but I rarely drove that stretch of road. If in that part of town I favored Linwood, which seemed to move faster.

Was the spokes-seal named "Smacky"?

Quite possibly, and since Linwood Boulevard had four traffic lanes where 31st Street had only two, of course it moved faster. But once east of Troost, Linwood also had no businesses located along it, so if you wanted to grab a bite to eat, you went to a place like Smaks or OG's (Ollie Gates' BBQ joint on 31st just west of Indiana; he ran it before he took over the entire Gates family operation).

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

There are at least three photos of Sidney's, two with the tall-hatted waiter figure that marked its restaurants, on Google Image I had to look that up to ring the bell

There were 4 in 1970 as MSE noted

Nuway was at 6348 Troost

11 Smaks locations 2 on Troost at 64th and 79th

3407 E 31st

5017 Independence Ave

601 E Linwood

5219 NE Chouteau

2 Downtown 1236 Main & 1111 Walnut

6215 Wornall 8619 Blue Ridge Extension (Cutoff)

Calling Meyer Boulevard "64th Street" is like calling Broad Street where I live now "14th Street."

The boldfaced one is the one I was talking about. Seems there were even more Smaks locations based on a post downthread from yours. Company headquarters was on Van Brunt Boulevard Extension near 45th Street. ISTR Jack-in-the-Box acquired it sometime in the 1980s.

I don't remember Winstead's having loose meat burgers; they served nearly wafer-thin patties there. Of course, Calvin Trillin (another forever Kansas Citian who took up residence on the East Coast, like me; I actually have run into a good number of other members of this tribe) memorialized it in a Life magazine column where he proclaimed that it served the world's best hamburgers. That column, framed. hung just inside the vestibule on your way into the dining room.

Trillin also referred to Bryant's Barbecue at 1727 Brooklyn as (capital letters his) "THE SINGLE BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD" in another Life column. (Trillin now writes for The New Yorker.) That, in turn, prompted this riposte from the authors of "Real Barbecue," Greg Johnson and Vince Staten, who wrote the following in their section on Kansas City in their part-Baedeker of barbecue, part-recipe book and guide to seasonings, spices, sauces and tools:

"What other city has a restaurant that's been called the best in the world — and it isn't even the best in town?"

Oh, and while we're talking bowling, I bowled in a league at King Louie Plaza Lanes. My cousin got me out of the house for a surprise 16th birthday party by taking me out for a couple of lines at King Louie East.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Oh, and while we're talking bowling, I bowled in a league at King Louie Plaza Lanes. My cousin got me out of the house for a surprise 16th birthday party by taking me out for a couple of lines at King Louie East.

I have bowled a few times at King Louis, but it was the one on Metcalf around 89th.
That was the coolest bowling alley I have ever seen.

[Mad Anthonie]

boo!