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

[aviator7777]

The Phoenician Hotel when it opened was one of the Valleys most beloved and visited hotels. Owned by the Royal family of Kuwait, it set the standard for luxury in hospitality that few could come close to matching. Enjoyed many weekends there and watching the kids hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter holiday. If you have not seen it, stop by and have some cocktails and enjoy the grounds. Simply spectacular.

[aviator7777]

Racing at Phoenix International Raceway and Firebird Lake were always good places to spend some sunny afternoons. Nothing like the sound of Nascar and Indy cars or jet boats at full throttle.

[aviator7777]

One of our neighbors used to drive an ice cream truck in our neighborhood. His was the only one we could get red white and blue bomb pops, and watermelon flavored snow cones. On a hot day we would wait for him to stop by and allow us the chance to have 25 cent snow cones and/or bomb pops. Used to get snow cones at the public swimming pool also for a quarter. Summer is alomost here.

[aviator7777]

Remember stocking up at Smittys for a 4th of July weekend? Bar S hotdogs 1.00 a package, cans of Shasta cola and root beer 10 for a buck, Clover Club chips, yellow corn on the cob 8 for a buck and a big watermelon with seeds. A family of 5 could like like kings on $40.00 bucks those weekends and still have food leftover. Fireworks displays at ASU's baseball stadium, Maryvale, etc. The aroma of bbq chicken, hamburgers and ribs cooking over Kingston mesquite bricketts and realizing it doesnt get any better than this.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

Nice postcard of Sky Harbor I haven't seen before. The back says it cost $5 million to build.

Attachment 77087

When was that taken? Old DC-8s and -9s, but the kicker is the KC-97s with the radial engines at the 161st ramp on the south side... they got KC-135s in 1977. I remember seeing the old tankers from the upstairs observation deck of Terminal 2, and how they belched smoke at startup.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by aviator7777

Remember stocking up at Smittys for a 4th of July weekend? Bar S hotdogs 1.00 a package, cans of Shasta cola and root beer 10 for a buck, Clover Club chips, yellow corn on the cob 8 for a buck and a big watermelon with seeds. A family of 5 could like like kings on $40.00 bucks those weekends and still have food leftover. Fireworks displays at ASU's baseball stadium, Maryvale, etc. The aroma of bbq chicken, hamburgers and ribs cooking over Kingston mesquite bricketts and realizing it doesnt get any better than this.

Don't forget the parade of DPS and Air Evac helicopters (and Jerry Foster) going back and forth to and from the Salt and Verde rivers and Scottsdale Memorial and Mesa General.

Shasta black cherry rocked.

One thing I miss about summers in the Valley as a kid is how the soles of my feet would become leather-tough from running barefoot everywhere, even on hot asphalt streets, although the duration on the streets wasn't long. They'd look awful but we didn't care, although gravel yards weren't much fun when trying to catch cicadas off of palo verde trees. 1967 or 1968, don't remember which, was a great summer for cicadas.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by SluggoF16

Don't forget the parade of DPS and Air Evac helicopters (and Jerry Foster) going back and forth to and from the Salt and Verde rivers and Scottsdale Memorial and Mesa General.

Speaking of Jerry Foster. No doubt you people can tell where he is at.

[desertratz]

Originally Posted by SluggoF16

When was that taken? Old DC-8s and -9s, but the kicker is the KC-97s with the radial engines at the 161st ramp on the south side... they got KC-135s in 1977. I remember seeing the old tankers from the upstairs observation deck of Terminal 2, and how they belched smoke at startup.

The Air Guard also had a couple of C-97's besides the KC-97 tankers. I was stationed at Luke in the early 70's and worked in the weather center inside Base Ops. The Guard called us for their weather briefs and we soon found out that they flew the C-97's to either Hickam Field in Hawaii or to Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico once a month. They did this so everyone get in their over water airtime. We were always catching hops with these guys for the weekend. The one drawback to that was that we'd fly non-stop from Honolulu to Phoenix on what was probably the slowest aircraft in the military's inventory. At least we had the run of the entire aircraft.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by desertratz

The Air Guard also had a couple of C-97's besides the KC-97 tankers. I was stationed at Luke in the early 70's and worked in the weather center inside Base Ops. The Guard called us for their weather briefs and we soon found out that they flew the C-97's to either Hickam Field in Hawaii or to Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico once a month. They did this so everyone get in their over water airtime. We were always catching hops with these guys for the weekend. The one drawback to that was that we'd fly non-stop from Honolulu to Phoenix on what was probably the slowest aircraft in the military's inventory. At least we had the run of the entire aircraft.

At least you could get up and move around in a tanker. Longest leg I ever flew was Lajes, Azores to Seymour-Johnson, NC in an A-10. 9 hours airborne, almost 12 in the jet.

Used to see the KC-135A takeoff from Sky Harbor to the east in the morning when I was at ASU. Lots of black smoke from those dinosaur engines. When they went to E-models they got much cleaner.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

you people
Attachment 77098

roosevelt.....do you read Clay Thompson's Valley 101 in the Republic??.....he uses that phrase a lot.....

gee, looks like Central has up to seven lanes in that shot....is it down to about four or less now with the light-rail?....no, I'm not usually that cynical.....