Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Houston: safety, swimming pool)

[delsuburban1]

Originally Posted by MLeahy

Yeah, Bonanza was GREAT...How about "The Sizzler!" They always used to have that big steer on wheels out front. We used to go to the one on Bandera @ 410.

There used to be a great hot dog place down town, "Coney Island Hot Dogs."
It was on S. St. Mary's Street, one or two blocks off Houston Street. Ever try that place? They had the best hot dogs in town!!

You know, I think there were two big steers (one at Bandera and the other at Military Dr.)...I am almost positive that they moved one of them right off of Hwy 46 between 281 and 35!

[MLeahy]

Originally Posted by delsuburban1

You know, I think there were two big steers (one at Bandera and the other at Military Dr.)...I am almost positive that they moved one of them right off of Hwy 46 between 281 and 35!

I think it is still there on Military Dr. in front of some Mexican restaurant.

[delsuburban1]

You know, I think you are right. I believe the Sizzler on Military was converted into some kind of medical facility???

[tcs]

We always took our dates to the Sizzler when we were in High School. There was one on Nacagdoches. It is still hard to spell after all these years. After that it was out to San Pedro Drive In!!!!

[MLeahy]

Originally Posted by tcs

We always took our dates to the Sizzler when we were in High School. There was one on Nacagdoches. It is still hard to spell after all these years. After that it was out to San Pedro Drive In!!!!

I used to take my dates to the one on Bandera Rd. then go to the Northwest Six Theatre. Funny.....

[gingerale]

I really miss Tommy Wilson's Barbeque that was on 281 about 6 miles north of 1604. It had the best atmospohere, and a great deal with the "pigout". Tommy closed that location (which then became a Casey's and closed again) and opened up on wetmore. he then closed the Wetmore location and moved to Oklahoma. I think Blue cactus cafe is in the wetmore lcoation now. The original location on 281 sits vacant now. What a shame, its was a beuatiful spot for barbeque.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by MLeahy

Yeah, Bonanza was GREAT...How about "The Sizzler!" They always had that big steer on wheels out front. We used to go to the one on Bandera @ 410.

There used to be a great hot dog place downtown, "Coney Island Hot Dogs."
It was on S. St. Mary's Street, one or two blocks off Houston Street. Ever try that place? They had the best hot dogs in town!! For some reason they moved to Broadway near Brackenridge Park in the late 80's but ended up closing within two years. Sad...

Forgot about Sizzler, they still have them in California saw a few of them on my trip last week. Also Coney Island hot dogs on broadway was awesome but it was gone so quickly.

[Snowglobe]

I remember dates that included Northwest 10 (I think it was 10 screens in the early 80's) and the Mama's restaurant right next to the theaters on I-10. I know there are still Mama's Cafes around town, but that was my favorite location. We always ordered the fried mushrooms appetizer!

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by Snowglobe

I remember dates that included Northwest 10 (I think it was 10 screens in the early 80's) and the Mama's restaurant right next to the theaters on I-10. I know there are still Mama's Cafes around town, but that was my favorite location. We always ordered the fried mushrooms appetizer!

I think the Mama's on Callaghan was the best one, went their many times.

[tjdsatx]

Originally Posted by Memories Galore

The Pizza place that used to be on Goliad Rd. (near where the old drive in used to be) was Shakey's Pizza. I had been in there several times, but my older brothers and sisters went more than me.

I don't remember the old drive in, although my parents and my older brothers and sisters remember it. I just remember it being a Shoppers World before it became the builder's warehouse that is there now.

Do you remember the old Whopper Burger? It is now La Chinita restaurant. I remember going there to get Burgers.

I still remember the smell of going into Handy Dan. When I was younger, I used to hate going into that place. Funny how you can not want to be somewhere when you're younger but you still have memories of it.

I haven't thought about the old Brookside Bank in years, but I remember going there and being able to see ourselves on the monitors in the drive thru lanes!

You were right about the drug store at Pecan Valley and Dollarhide being a Sommers before Eckerd bought them out.
Oh, does anyone remember Frank's Burger stand on W.W. White Rd?

Originally Posted by Dementia_Impaled

I don't remember KFC/Taco Smell being DQ; must have been before we moved here. Lessee..

Where the check cashing/cig store is used to be an Exxon. Donut Hut was across the street in the tiny place built onto Fina. The chinese restaurant next door to them was a G.W. Junior's. I want to say the convenience store in the strip center next to the dry cleaner's/laundromat was a Stop-N-Go. There was once a car wash behind it. The game room that was across from the Exxon was called The Electric Armadillo. In that strip center was, from left to right facing: White's then Western Auto, something else, Deluxe then Mega Mart then the Big Lots that moved toward Military. I remember the Lone Star very vividly; we'd hang out there while our parents bowled.

Down PV where La Fiesta is was once Handy Andy, an Eckerd's, and a Mr. Ghatti's that ten of my friends and myself were once asked to leave because we had cleaned out the buffet. Rocky's Taco was much smaller and had TV's at each table. The Beer Box has pretty much stayed the same. Where the Texaco is was a little league baseball field.

The other strip center held Piggly Wiggly then Family Thrift now a dollar store, the barber shop that's been there forever (great shoe shines!), the Green Stamp store then a chinese restaurant then a dollar store, Winn's then something then a Family Dollar and now the thrift. There was an actual car lot across from that once, then sold mobile homes.

The Whataburger had those HUGE, HIIIIGH counters and the great 5 cent coffee cups. Where the First Mate/Neptune's was a snow cone place set up for a while, though can't remember if it was before or after the boat was demo'd. Where the car lot is now next to the thrift is where Neptune's was before the move across the street in the former attorney's building. Can't remember the name of the attorney...Church's has been there as long as I can remember.

Down by Floyd's, I can't recall what the warehouse-type building across the street was before (was a drive-in once!!); a pizza place occupied the small building now housing a church by the Firestone that's also been there forever. Highland Pharmacy was either right next to Floyd's or on the property of the former Albertson's. On that place was the bingo center, a La Feria, a neighborhood newspaper (the Reporter offices??), and some other things.

On either Eureka or Archimedes was Taco Hut, with the then-nifty light-wrapped trees, and I believe Drury's Gun Shop next door. El Tipico was THE place to eat mexican food around then. Where Bill Miller's sits now was a tiny liquor store. The now bank/Walgreen's was Brooksfield National Bank. Audie & Joyce's was one of the few salons.

Going the other direction down Goliad from Pecan Valley, there is of course the skating rink (look out weekend cause, here I come..sorry, couldn't resist). Past the houses, the mini strip center (recall when this was built), and the former home of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local, there's Snoga's which used to be a lumber/hardware store (name escapes me), the excellent mexican restaurant that used to be a carpet store with a bar with a garage door for the front, and in front of that used to be a gas station.

Grove Park apartments have always been there, just much smaller. Across the street where PK is used to be a Buttercrust Discount store. The chinese restaurant was a fantastic Jim's Frontier. The uniform shop two buildings behind it was a restaurant. Where the brand-new shopping strip is...well...long, long ago there was a field then the HEB and not much else. HEB built a newer store on the same lot a bit over, and KMart bought the old building and remodeled it. HEB decided it must have a much larger store, and proceeded to move across the street to the former lot of Handy Dan home center (the tree in our backyard came from here *sniffles*). Behind and stretching for quite a ways to its right was Indian Hills mobile home community - had its own clubhouse & pool.

The convenience store up S. New Braunfels by Connell was one of the last 7-11s in San Antonio. Supplied my nice little side business reselling candy at school, with a healthy markup, of course The mexican restaurant on SE Military across from DQ used to be The Flame. Had the best family fish order, and killer burgers. The last time we ate there after the change, it still had the bank of mirrors in the entrance that makes you look like the Rockettes if you stand just a certain way

Okay Dementia, moeowo, catriona, and Memories Galore...I know you posted/replied to this thread awhile back. But I happened upon this forum just today (not quite sure what we were talking about at work that made me Google something that brought up this website, started scanning the topics, and found this one).....just had to reply/share so forgive me for being late on this one. I'm a native southeast-sider (currently live in the Converse/NE area) but my mom still lives in Highland Hills, and I still go to the doctor, optometrist, and barber (on Pecan Valley and Goliad that you mentioned) on that side of town....so it still is home to a large extent. It sounds like you all may still live there full-time (or spend a good deal of time there too), so this may be old stuff, but here are some of my recollections of the old neighborhood, along with some current stuff that I'm aware of:

I vaguely remember the DQ on Goliad and PV. The center across PV with the White's/Western Auto also had a country nightclub in the early 80's called Horsing Around (I think), and the Deluxe/Mega was a Piggly Wiggly in my earliest memory, then another grocery store that was owned by the Burkes someone mentioned in a reply (my sister worked for the Burkes in the late 70's - early 80's at their offices which are now Tommy Adkisson's law office on Southcross....above where Subway (and what was then Baskin Robbins) is now. They had a couple of stores and the name escapes me now. As far as I know the Burkes still own both strip centers at PV and Goliad....along with a LOT of other SE side properties/land....they also owned the property where Indian Hills was (where the Target/Ross/HD, etc.) are, and I'm sure they made a ton off of that sale!

Do you all remember the Sommers/Eckerd (on PV and Dollarhide) having an opening between it and the Handy Andy so you could walk from one store to the next without stepping outside? Part of the old car/mobile home lot on Goliad now has a brand new Auto Zone. That old Whataburger with the high a-frame should never have closed. The Neptunes is still good food...can't remember the attorney housed there either. Church's has been there forever....don't forget about H&R and the other bar on the corner w/ Hot Wells (still a gray building?).

Wow, I don't recall Dury's Gun Shop being on the corner by Taco Hut (can't say that isn't correct though)....I do remember that building being a Butter Krust day-old store. Dury's was on Southcross east of Gevers (next to Motor Mart) as long as I can remember before they moved next to the fire station on Hot Wells and 37....the old (new) Taco Hut - boy did they mess up a good thing moving there!

I remember the Shakey's on Goliad across from Floyd's. My brother and I were doing some work at our mom's a few weeks ago and went by Floyd's and panicked because it looked closed.....found out the owner (the wife) passed away...glad to see it reopened. Remember the Shopper's World was two stores under one - half groceries and half clothing, general merchandise, etc.? Kind of like Wal Mart Supercenters/HEB Plus.....I guess the country wasn't ready for that concept in the 70's. Globe on SE Military and Flores was the same concept (where K-Mart and Chuck E. Cheese (?) was/is. Speaking of not being ready for the concept: remember the Sonic on Goliad next to the Valero - not even sure what it is now? Didn't make it then - now they're everywhere!

Snoga's current location was Flowers Lumber Company...I'm pretty sure Snoga's was at SE Military/Fairlawn before that, and the restaurant/carpet store was the Ice Pik.

Up Goliad north of Southcross, remember that little HEB at Goliad/Gevers/Fair that's now a Dollar General and auto parts store....then it was HEB's photo plant? Po Folks on the NW corner of that intersection? All those other businesses in the strip center on the SW corner of that intersection that have come and gone over the years (where the Produce Outlet was)? They are fixing that center up pretty nice.

Wow, I've got to go meet some friends so I really need to go! Thanks for the memories, and would love to hear from some of you sometime (and anyone else who recalls the SE side). We'll have to cover the other streets sometimes...not to mention McCreless Mall! Later!!