What are the iconic places of your youth?

[Rain Man]

The mall thread got me thinking about the places that are pivotal to our memories of self. What are the iconic places of your childhood or youth?

For the purposes of this thread, let's NOT count our homes or schools since we pretty much had to be there. But anything else is open game, whether it's a restaurant or a vacant field or a parking lot or a street corner or maybe even a friend's house.

Only count iconic places that impacted you at age 18 or younger. No college stuff or army stuff or anything unless you were Doogie Howser.

For me, the iconic places were:

1. The steakhouse where I worked from age 17 to 23, though we'll only count the first couple of years. I spent a whole lot of time there, and made a lot of friends across different social cliques. Good times were had after our closing shift.

Today, it's still the same restaurant, though they've changed color schemes and business model.

2. The strip-mall pizza place where my friends and I would go for dinner during epic gaming sessions. I played my first video game there - Space Invaders.

Today, it appears to be some kind of clothing store.

3. The vacant lot where my friends and I played football. I have no idea who owned the lot, but it was well maintained. No one ever chased us off while we were playing.

Today, there are two houses on the lot.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Was she a lesbian at the time or a self hating hetero?

Probably both. Gave a killer BJ, but you had to be hung like a Pringles can to really satisfy her.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

You're the Millard South punk I kicked the hell out of back in 1989?
Should of never put your hands on my lil sister.

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

You Leo Allison by any chance?

No, and I went to Burke.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by BeaverEater

Escaped?

Ralston wasn't that bad. I actually grew up in Mockingbird Hills just west of there, not in the actual town. Still live only a few miles away. I think it's a great area.

I guess I was too young while there to appreciate Ralston's better qualities. I vaguely recall a long walk to Keystone Drug to get candy. Kind of seemed like a teen hangout at the time.
My other memories are from going back in high school after meeting some Ralston girls. There was a dump of a movie theater called the Park 4 I think.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by DanT

great post...as I was driving home, I thougt of Municipal. Saw lots og Big 8 and NAIA basketball there, as well as Tiny Archibald and the Kings. Also saw lots of college track and Golden Gloves boxing there and ate lots of pancakes at an annual fundraising event put on by a service organization like the Rotary Club or Jaycees or something.

[oldman]

I thought of a few more places of my misspent 18-21 years.
The Vanguard Coffee House, 43rd and Main (my 1st intro to "Mary"), One Block West - the original, Lakeside Ballroom, now the site of the defunct Woodlands, Koya's Kastle, about 89th and Pflumm, the Yuk Up/Down, about 9th and Iowa in Lawrence, and the Red Dog Inn (now Liberty Hall) in Lawrence.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

No, and I went to Burke.

Rob Ivy, Tim Dineen, Richy Baldwin, GiGi Grabal
Paula Frisch. Few people I know.from Burke

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I guess I was too young while there to appreciate Ralston's better qualities. I vaguely recall a long walk to Keystone Drug to get candy. Kind of seemed like a teen hangout at the time.
My other memories are from going back in high school after meeting some Ralston girls. There was a dump of a movie theater called the Park 4 I think.

Yep, we went to Keystone Drug all the time as kids, but I don't recall anyone actually hanging out there. We'd get pop and candy there and go hang out at the Mockingbird Elementary playground across the street. And yes Park 4 was a dump. It's been closed for a long time but I believe the building is still there.

[LiveSteam]

I seen my first titty at the Park 4.

[scho63]

I have a feeling I'm not the only one with this memory......

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by scho63

I have a feeling I'm not the only one with this memory......

You used to beat off to THAT?

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

The spillway @ Clinton Lake that feeds the Wakarusa River outside of Lawrence. We used to ride our bicycles out to it to catch Crawdads and fish all day long during the summers.

That was my summer home away from home.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by raypec85

9) Hours and hours riding bikes with friends on the county line between Cass and Jackson.

What part? I rode the section from 71HWY to Kelley Road ENDLESSLY.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit

The spillway @ Clinton Lake that feeds the Wakarusa River outside of Lawrence. We used to ride our bicycles out to it to catch Crawdads and fish all day long during the summers.

That was my summer home away from home.

heh, that was a long ride. We used to live on Atchison Ave. I'd bike into town to go to Aladdins all the time, or the movies. Other times we'd ride out toward the lake, but usually not all the way there.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by loochy

the deals found there now are nowhere near what you used to be able to find.

what's it called now? Cargo Largo?

That's what I was saying. You can find some low prices on some things, but not crazy cheap like in the old days. I buy a lot of weird food in there. Brands from the east and west coast. They also get BBQ sauces from all over that I like to try. Got Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce from Cincy, some Jack Miller's cajun BBQ sauce from Louisiana, Dinosaur Sauce from Upstate NY, Johnny Harris BBQ Sauce from Savannah, GA, and some funky BBQ sauce from Hawaii.

They're not better than KC of course, just different.

[Nzoner]

Reading through this also reminded me of our local St Joseph head shop Fox's famous Emporium,used to buy Tiger Records there for $3.85 and all my Levi's and smoking necessities.