How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Mesa: cabinet, cabin)

[observer53]

Back in 1961, it was a LOT cheaper.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by observer53

Back in 1961, it was a LOT cheaper.

Here is a late 50's menu from the Polar Bar. There were cheaper places to eat besides the Sugar Bowl. When I used to go to the Polar Bar, Central and Thomas, we guys would always have fun with the waitress by asking how the legs, breasts and thighs were.

[Desertspiritsteve]

Holy crap Roosevelt! Is that menu from about 1935? French fries for 20 cents? This makes the McDonald's dollar menu look like the country club.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Desertspiritsteve

Holy crap Roosevelt! Is that menu from about 1935? French fries for 20 cents? This makes the McDonald's dollar menu look like the country club.

No, it is the 1950's. Here is a 1930's menu from Newberry's in Phoenix. Look at the half block long counter, it was on the 1st Avenue side and ran from the alley to Washington Street. Also note waffle and coffee for 10¢.

[Bondurant]

This is a nice thread. Wish it had more pictures, though, of Phoenix then and now. My folks lived here for 6 months back in '78 or '79. They lived in an apartment on or around W Cactus. There was a DQ nearby and that was essentially the end of Phoenix at that time. We came out here in '05 and my dad was able to find the place they lived but said the area had changed so much.

[Desertspiritsteve]

I remember that lunch counter. I only went in that Newberry store a couple of times on my own. My mother never went in there. We did all of our shopping downtown for a long time. We caught the bus at 28th. St. and Osborn. When I was about 7 my mom got her own car, and sometime later Park Central opened. I remember once in Korrick's I got separated from my mom. I turned around and what I thought was my mother was a woman of a different color. As I recall, that was my first massive panic attack. I remember the grand opening of the Bayless store at 24th. and Thomas. They gave away little loaves of Sunbeam bread. You could save up the receipts and exchange them for cool stuff in the front of the store. I got a far-out little Studebaker model car! I think that kiosk disappeared and they switched to S&H Green Stamps. The little building that was Kroulick's Market still stands at 28th. St. and Thomas. The Black Swan (Dirty duck) has been gone for 50 years. Please forgive my rambling. Thanks for you great pictures and excellent contributions Roosevelt.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Desertspiritsteve

I remember that lunch counter. I only went in that Newberry store a couple of times on my own. My mother never went in there. We did all of our shopping downtown for a long time. We caught the bus at 28th. St. and Osborn. When I was about 7 my mom got her own car, and sometime later Park Central opened. I remember once in Korrick's I got separated from my mom. I turned around and what I thought was my mother was a woman of a different color. As I recall, that was my first massive panic attack. I remember the grand opening of the Bayless store at 24th. and Thomas. They gave away little loaves of Sunbeam bread. You could save up the receipts and exchange them for cool stuff in the front of the store. I got a far-out little Studebaker model car! I think that kiosk disappeared and they switched to S&H Green Stamps. The little building that was Kroulick's Market still stands at 28th. St. and Thomas. The Black Swan (Dirty duck) has been gone for 50 years. Please forgive my rambling. Thanks for you great pictures and excellent contributions Roosevelt.

I don't have a Bayless interior photo but I have a 1953 Phoenix Safeway photo, don't know which one it was. Nothing digital here. I knew someone who worked as a cashier for Bayless. They said the odd looking Bayless house way up on Central and Northern had an extension built on the south end and they trained cashiers in the room.

[deraffe]

i remember going to the Newberries at Tower Plaza as a little kid with my mom and getting grilled cheese sandwiches at the lunch counter. it must have been around 1974/1975.

[Desertspiritsteve]

The Safeway photo. Boy you can see that the cashier had to do a lot of work. Bend over and take items out of the cart. Weigh and read the scales. Bag the groceries. That was a tough job and used to pay pretty well. Now I'm going to have to hunt for the Safeway house at Central and Northern.

[izthplgn]

I can remeber going to cudia city in the late 50's. Mom was friends with a woman who worked there.My brothers and I saw the sound studio but we were more interested in swimming in the pool they had in the southwest corner of the property. It was close to the canal and I remember there were small toads in the pool. Sure wish there were some pictures.