When the Dade County Courthouse was the tallest building in Miami
SW 36th Ave. and 8th Street before the Versailles Restaurant was there (anyone remember what was?)
Window signs in stores on Flagler Street in downtown Miami that read: "Se habla Español aqui"
Making out at Sewer Beach
Miami Stadium, Orange Bowl, Frankie's Pizza and Arbetter's
When US1 was only two lanes
Pier 5 where you could buy fresh fish right off the boat
When the people on South Beach were older than the buildings
WCIX channel 6, or WAXY radio and Rick Shaw, or Zeta 4 Big Wilson
Ralph Renick
Howard Johnson's fried clams and ice cream
The Jackie Gleason show with the June Taylor dancers
Riddle Airlines
Medley Speedway
A & P grocery stores
Planes spraying for fruit flies
Bayfront Bandshell
The Miami News
When there was a grocery store in Dadeland Mall
Grand Union, Kwik Check, Ann Margeret grocery stores
When the Rusty Pelican burned down
The Tropicaire Drive-In and swap meet
The Ferris wheel atop Burdines downtown
Jordan Marsh
Riviera Theater and the Miracle Mile Theater
National Airlines, Air Florida and Eastern Airlines
Pan Am's airport at Dinner Key
When the Rickenbacker was a drawbridge (only 25 cents)
Getting stuck for hours at a time on the Rickenbacker!
The Skipper Chuck Show and the Sunday Funnies
M.T. Graves hosting the Saturday horror flick on Channel 7
Lindsley Lumber
Zayres
JByrons
Hot Shoppes Paley's Big Wheel
Crandon Park Zoo
Johnny and Mack by the railroad track
Sheehan Buick on 8th Street ... when it was called 8th Street
Gretner's Restaurant, The Flame, Sherrard's Dixie Belle Inn, The Depot
Black Angus Restaurant at 104th Street
Holsum Bakery's wonderful smell of bread baking on US1
When Dadeland was an open-air mall
When there was only a Gulf station on US 1 cross from Shorty's
When Tamiami airport was on the Tamiami Trail
A&W Drive in restaurants
Lums and their frozen schooners and wieners in beer
The Village Inn
The Playboy Clubs
Big Daddy's Lounges
Auto Inspection Stations
Robert's Western Wear and OK Feed Store
The English Pub and Jamaican Inn on Key Biscayne
Claude Pepper's picnics at Tropical Park
Tropical Park when it was a racetrack
South Miami Hospital when it was only one building.
When they built Baptist hospital
When everyone thought the turnpike extension was built too far out
When Coconut Grove was a hippie hangout
Sam and Carl's Deli in S Miami
Rock concerts at Miami Jai Alai stadium
Sunniland Pony Rides
Land Crabs on Old Cutler
The diving board and dock at Matheson Hammock pond
Barefoot Mailman at Dadeland
Bill Haast and the Serpentarium
Concerts at the Miami Marine Stadium
Sunday country dancing at Alabama Jack's
Tyler's Restaurant
Live & Let Live drug store
Engel's Drug Store in Grove
When South Beach meant Miami Beach below 5th Street
Food Fair
Pantry Pride
Piggly Wiggly
Florida license tags with letters indicating size of car
The Miami Springs Villas
Miami Seahawks pro football team
Red Cross Drugs in downtown Miami
King Arthur's Court in Miami Springs
Men's Grill at Burdines
Richard's Bargain Basement
The Round Table restaurant on US1 near UM
Royal Castle hamburgers @ 15 cents, root beer 5 cents
Jimmy's Hurricane drive-in on Bird
Black Caesar's Forge in South Dade
"Yes, We Have No Bananas"
Bus riding all over the county with paper transfers getting punched
The black beach on Virginia Key
Greynolds Park hill...the highest point in Dade County
Only two highways north: US 1 and 27
Cuban missile crisis; missile silos in ground all over South Dade
All rental cars had E license tags
Tags had number for county size: Dade 1, Liberty 67
Chalk Airlines and Goodyear Blimp base on Watson Island
Seasonal arrival of buzzard colonies atop Courthouse
Burdine's installing the state's first escalator
The caves at Venetian Pool
Absolutely nothing west of the airport until Doral
Orange Bowl: High School football Thursday nights, UM Friday nights
The par-54 night-lighted golf course on South Dixie Highway
The shoeshine boys downtown near Richard's Dept Store
The huge Christmas display at the Holsum Bakery on US1
The television set in the park across the street from Robert's Drug store on 8th Ave. and Flagler street
HistoryMiami.com: Vivid memories of Miami in the early 60s
How about "Green cross for Safety"
ReplyDeleteRegarding what was there before Versailles Restaurant it was an old large Flower Shop. I grew up two blocks from there and as there was a large Cemetery there were a few Flower Shops in the area.
ReplyDeleteVery cool post!
ReplyDeleteHot Shoppes (US1 and Bird Road) was a separate restaurant from Paley's Big Wheel (SW 32 Avenue just south of Coral Way). Also very much different in that the Big Wheel was GOOD! Also the theater on Miracle Mile (now a playhouse) was called the Miracle Theater, or just "The Miracle" to those of us that went there for movies, but not called "The Miracle Mile Theater."
ReplyDeleteHere's a few more: Standing on the observation decks that were on the roofs of the concourses at the airport and watching planes come and go.
Signs on the Palmetto Expressway "NO TRUCKS"
Parallel parking on North Kendall drive west of Galloway Road.
Lunch at Jimmy's Hurricane and Gables-Miami High football games!
ReplyDeleteI remember Miami in '69...my parents never had to take the keys out of our car.
ReplyDeleteHow about Alex Gibson, Holsum Bakery
ReplyDeleteOutdoor roller skating in Hialeah. Huge Santa downtown Burdines WQAM vs WFUN. Trout fishing in front of Viscaya
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't JByrons until just before the chain disappeared. The original name was Jackson Byrons
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember these?
ReplyDelete"Pic'n'Chiken" (sp?) at the bifurcation of Biscayne Blvd and NE 6th Ave? Building the 163rd St shopping center? Dirty Dick's grocery store around No. Miami Ave and NE 167th St? The "Uncle Dan Show," broadcast on one of the very first UHF stations in the 50s? (I was on it with my Cub Scout Pack.) North Miami Jr. High, built ca. 1955? Arthur Godfrey broadcasting from the Kenilworth Hotel? Maule lake? The seafood restaurant at the end of pier on the north side of Haulover Cut? The Boulevard Drive In Theater and the Caracol coils? Crabs crossing US1 at NE 163rd? (Never mind Old Cutler. LOL) When I-95 was built? The North Miami Beach Hotel? Interama? The red and white busses in North Miami Beach? Burdines' overhead covered walkway that crossed Flagler St? NE 125th St. being THE commercial center of north Dade? J. D. Ball Ford on NW 7th Ave? Cecial Holland Ford at the corner of NE 163rd and Dixie Highway? Marcella's Pizza on Dixie in North Miami? Miami Airport terminal on N.W. 36th St? I could go on... Sadly, all of these things are gone except in our memories. (Except I-95, of course; THAT will last as long as there are rush hour traffic jams. LOL!!)
OOPS! Here are a few more that popped up in my foggy brain: Satchel Paige pitching for the Miami Marlins at Miami Stadium. The MacArthur Dairy plant (NE 2nd Ave, I think) where you could get fresh milk shakes and ice cream floats. Fun Fair on NW 27th Ave. The Dupont Plaza. Graded gravel roads in Everglades Natl. Park. An all-day trip to Floyd L. Wray's Flamingo Gardens... I suppose I could go on for hours (as old people usually do), but I guess it's time to quit and just ponder over the memories of what used to be.
ReplyDeleteDressel's Dairy on Milam Dairy Road. The drive-in about where the Marriott is near the airport and Kelly's Drive-in hamburgers.
ReplyDeleteRemember when ENGLISH was spoken every place,and you didn,t have to press 1 for ENGLISH.
ReplyDeleteAlso, remember Benny Babcock pool?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memories:
Delete1. George's subs on 8th st. and 47th ave.
2. Uncle Tom's on 8th street when it was still the real Uncle Toms (not what it is now).
What about Billie's Drive-In just at the bridge on 79th street, or Pecker's Point, the make-out place, or Zorita and her snakes....or the Thursday night dances at the Bayfront Park Auditorium, or the Mau-Mau Lounge in Miami Springs, or the 71st Beach dances on Sunday afternoon.....or the Peppermint Lounge on the 79th Street Causeway, or the original 5th Street Gym where all the boxer's of the era used to rain, or Drag Racing at the Gunnery Range....or Miami's version of American Bandstand at a Tv station who's building - still there - was across the Street from Norman Braman's lot on Biscayne Blvd...before that they used to have the show out by the old TV antenna's on off of 441....
ReplyDeleteI have a complete post on Zorita right here
DeleteThe day Zorita and her snakes slowed traffic to a crawl
Dade &Regent theaters,live & let live drug store, Moores cafeteria Royal Castle(n.w. 17 ave. & 36 st.) TV in the window at Firestone store, Bill Ross's ,Tylers restaurant, dances at the Armory on 7th ave. dances at Bayfront park, drags at Ameila Earhart, M.T. Graves, when it was safe to go downtown, little river, north miami, NMB & other places at night. What a great place we grew up in & so sad its gone.
ReplyDeleteDoes Any one remember when Hot Shoppes opened at US 1 and Bird Rd
ReplyDeleteBig Dave doing his all night movie show with food stains on his t- shirt from eating free pizza.
ReplyDeleteDriving to the keys with my grandfather for grunt físhing on the bridges at night.
Swimming at Haulover beach.
Going to Madie Ives Elementary School in 1961.
7-elevens with open fronts and no air conditioning.
Orange Bowl Parades on Biscayne Boulevard.
The first Burger King on 36 Street and people would drive from miles around just to go there.
arnie warren was bowling for dollars
ReplyDeleteWhen Dade County Jr. College was Opa Locka Air Force Base and during the Cuban missile crisis while now DC Jr College, airplanes landing every 15 minutes, Troops camping out. Hialeah speedway, Joe Guthrie's Auto Repair at 40th and 2nd ave. Miami jai Lai! Rusty Calley was an Engineer at the FEC railroad, Public pools everywhere. Morningside Park, Moore Park, Paradise Farms at 40th and 7th AVE and Miami News station next door. Ali living at 46th and 16th ave.
ReplyDelete