How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Mesa: cushions, to sell)

[t.t.]

Yep...
I do remember that observation deck. My best friend came out with us to Az. in 1971 and we have the home movies of us on the deck. Sky Harbour was certainly not what it has grown up to be now. Used to have easy access to everything. Hm-m-m, not sure if I remember correctly, but didn't you used to get there off of 24th?
In 1975, I went out with a guy named Harry Uentin who lived in north central Phoenix. We drove all over town. For the first time in my life, I saw the "seedy" side of Van Buren. At 18, I had never seen a real live "hooker" before. Is it still that way uptown?
The last time I was uptown, I went to Cooper'stown and uptown was pretty dead. Not at all like it used to be.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by t.t.

Yep...
I do remember that observation deck. My best friend came out with us to Az. in 1971 and we have the home movies of us on the deck. Sky Harbour was certainly not what it has grown up to be now. Used to have easy access to everything. Hm-m-m, not sure if I remember correctly, but didn't you used to get there off of 24th?
In 1975, I went out with a guy named Harry Uentin who lived in north central Phoenix. We drove all over town. For the first time in my life, I saw the "seedy" side of Van Buren. At 18, I had never seen a real live "hooker" before. Is it still that way uptown?
The last time I was uptown, I went to Cooper'stown and uptown was pretty dead. Not at all like it used to be.

Van Buren, or Jackson, where Cooperstown is, is not "uptown", it's downtown. The motel row on Van Buren is not what it once was, they've cracked down on the prostitution quite a bit, but you'll still see someone walking down the sidewalk who you assume is not just out for a stroll.

"Downtown" around Cooperstown is lively only when there's an event or a game at US Airways Center or the D-backs are at home at Chase Field. That said, the area generally, east of Central, is WAY nicer, and has more people around, than 25 or more years ago.

[roosevelt]

Has anyone ever wondered why the street behind Park Central jags so much? I have an another old aerial photo of the Central Dairy. I believe that piece of land had all the barns and milk sheds on it and when the land was sold off the back to 7th Avenue they wanted to keep the buildings so 5th Avenue went around them. The land they sold off was used for apartments and homes but the dairy probably continued operating for a while longer.

[roosevelt]

[quote=roosevelt;16618616]Has anyone ever wondered why the street behind Park Central jags so much? I have an another old aerial photo of the Central Dairy. I believe that piece of land had all the barns and milk sheds on it and when the land was sold off the back to 7th Avenue they wanted to keep the buildings so 5th Avenue went around them. The land they sold off was used for apartments and homes but the dairy probably continued operating for a while longer.

I'm correcting myself, make that 3rd Avenue with the bow in it.

[t.t.]

Well.... I guess I stand corrected on the uptown/downtown issue. In the city I live in, it's all the same to us, except for Indianapolis. I lived in Indy for awhile, and I guess you're right, there is a difference. Not so much in our city. We are a suburb of Indy...about 20 mins. away. Our city is about 70,000. I guess downtown is the "not-so-hot" side of Phoenix??? You're right, Coop's place is on Jackson. When we were there in '05, he put on a free concert at his place. The best ribs I ever had.

[Donalumni]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

Hobo Joe's was at Los Arcos, they also had an upscale adjoining restaurant that served dinners but I can't remember what they called it. Pancho's was nice, real high ceilings well decorated. If you wanted more food you ran the little flag up on your table. Mabel Murphy's was a bar on Main street unless there was an earlier one.

If i remember right the upscale restaraunt you refer to at Los Arcos Mall was called Rob Roys. I believe it was down in the basement or something but the basement restaraunt I'm thinking of might be the Salt Cellar over by Big surf.

[Donalumni]

Originally Posted by observer53

Van Buren, or Jackson, where Cooperstown is, is not "uptown", it's downtown. The motel row on Van Buren is not what it once was, they've cracked down on the prostitution quite a bit, but you'll still see someone walking down the sidewalk who you assume is not just out for a stroll.

"Downtown" around Cooperstown is lively only when there's an event or a game at US Airways Center or the D-backs are at home at Chase Field. That said, the area generally, east of Central, is WAY nicer, and has more people around, than 25 or more years ago.

Just as a case in point, yes we call going to town as downtown in Phoenix but being married to an easterner (alas, no more), the easterners refer to going "downtown" as going "uptown" for some reason. Unless you're Petula Clark (sorry bad joke, remember the song)).

[observer53]

Originally Posted by t.t.

Well.... I guess I stand corrected on the uptown/downtown issue. In the city I live in, it's all the same to us, except for Indianapolis. I lived in Indy for awhile, and I guess you're right, there is a difference. Not so much in our city. We are a suburb of Indy...about 20 mins. away. Our city is about 70,000. I guess downtown is the "not-so-hot" side of Phoenix??? You're right, Coop's place is on Jackson. When we were there in '05, he put on a free concert at his place. The best ribs I ever had.

The terminology of downtown vs uptown in Phoenix is mostly a geographic distinction pr point of view. Downtown is a lot nicer and more active than it was 20 or 25 years ago, but it's still a different atmosphere than the "uptown" part of central Phoenix, or other areas of the city.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Donalumni

If i remember right the upscale restaraunt you refer to at Los Arcos Mall was called Rob Roys. I believe it was down in the basement or something but the basement restaraunt I'm thinking of might be the Salt Cellar over by Big surf.

Rob Roy was next to Hobo Joe's on the corner, later Red Robin?. Hobo Joe's did have an upscale restaurant that you could walk through to on the mall side, maybe called Colony Kitchen or Mr. Up like in California. Downstairs in Los Arcos was the movie theater maybe called Cinema II.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by observer53

The terminology of downtown vs uptown in Phoenix is mostly a geographic distinction pr point of view. Downtown is a lot nicer and more active than it was 20 or 25 years ago, but it's still a different atmosphere than the "uptown" part of central Phoenix, or other areas of the city.

Downtown in the 30's to 1950 would be from Washington to VanBuren; 2nd street to 2nd Avenue. That was the concentration. Cruising was up to the Polar Bar south of Thomas and back down to Washington on Central. Sometimes cruisers, if they were drunk enough, would go all the way over to about 29th Street and Thomas and meet at the Dirty Duck (Black Swan)