I grew up as a NW varsity rat and still live nearby. I remember:
*going downtown on the bus with my gran to pick up Bon Ton meat pies when they were on the corner of 8ave and 1street...before it was a pedestrian mall
*when they used to decorate the overhead power lines for the buses with wreaths and lights at Christmas time
*the downtown Bay used to have all kinds of neat motorized Christmas displays in the window cases
*the old Carling Brewery used to put up a pretty neat Nativity display on 9ave SE in Inglewood
*there used to be a neat used bookstore in Kensington where the Timothy's is - Hot Wax record was across the street....
*the Science Center was called the Planetarium!
*the old Stampede Rodeo Granstand was wooden and a death trap!!
*people would watch the fireworks from Scotsman Hill....wait a minute...we still do!!
*Brentwood Mall wasn't covered and you could drive in between the shops down the middle...weird
*The Ponderosa across from Churchill High was rumoured to serve kangaroo meat....
*we used to get the best pizza in town from The Matador in varsity....wait a minute....we still can!!
*i sucked back my first beer while watching the ladies undress at Franky and Johny's and Peepers at The North Centre Inn (AKA The Beakin!) on 16th and Centre. Ah yes - Freakin' at the Beakin!
*Boodlum and Tropicana were the head shops of choice for illicit smoking paraphenalia
*the reak of the feedlots near Ramsay (my grans neighborhood) was overwhelming
*Woodwards foodfloor in MarketMall had a cool candy store and there was a Yammy Taco stand by where the RadioShack still stands....who shops at RadioShack anyway?!?
So much more but what a cool thread!!!
edit - and those insane The Brick commercials narrated by Micheal Bell!!!