Old Calgary stuff you miss...(The Nostalgia thread)

[Misterpants]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I think I remember of at least hearing of this band, but there is no evidence of them online. Not even at the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society, and they know an awful lot from the old days.

This thread is 4th in google search results for "King Rat Calgary" or whatever I put in.

Could it have "King of the Rats" or something?

Man, looked there too which is why I doubted myself. They must have been expunged from all internet record. I do know when I looked back in 2012 I found the video online. It was a bunch of rockabilly's in black and white with old cars. I wonder if that dude knows how Calgary famous he is. You could probably talk to almost every dude who grew up in the NW who was 35-45 and they would know that guy.

[ricosuave]

Buuuuump!

Saw this on reddit, had to share...

https://youtube.com/channel/UC4ThSAa...?query=calgary

[Hack&Lube]

I still really miss the old Devonian Gardens. I swore I recorded a walk-through video on a 2006 era digital camera but I have no idea where the files are.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Wow that brings back memories, I remember in the late 80's when there were peeler bars all up and down Macleod trail. I remember spending I think my 17th birthday at the one just off of 38th and Macleod and they had a live music bar next door (Franky and Johnny's I think).

While Mitzee was before my time, we had the legendary Candy Shaw and there was a stripper that bought a live tiger on the stage.

I also remember that one of the female managers from Stampede Wrestling was one of the talents.

Rock City ??

IN the basement of what used to be the Trap and Gill before they moved...

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Rock City ??

IN the basement of what used to be the Trap and Gill before they moved...

Actually I think it was called Peepers, I think Rock City was a block north.

Stripper culture was huge in the 80's in Calgary. you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a strip club.

I still remember being in an absolute brawl outside of Rock City, I had to call my Dad to come and bail me out after that one, talk about awkward conversations on the way home. Not about being at a peeler club and being underaged, my old man probably at a deep down level completely respected that. But he wanted to know how I did in the fight since I was a mess.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Siege Perilous! The owner shut it down after a flood.

We saw him working as an usher at the Esso Plaza theatres a few months later.

Good god... comic book shops, record shops, arcades, downtown theatres...it sounds like downtown was a way more interesting place in the 80s.

I am too young to ever remember theatres at Esso Plaza but I thought there were theatres at Bankers Hall as well?

Stephen Avenue is just a decrepid mess of empty vacancies now with restaurant after restaurant posting notices that they couldn't come to a lease agreement with the landlord about a rent $ that made sense. The rents are just way too high to have anything interesting down there.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Good god... comic book shops, record shops, arcades, downtown theatres...it sounds like downtown was a way more interesting place in the 80s.

I am too young to ever remember theatres at Esso Plaza but I thought there were theatres at Bankers Hall as well?

Stephen Avenue is just a decrepid mess of empty vacancies now with restaurant after restaurant posting notices that they couldn't come to a lease agreement with the landlord about a rent $ that made sense. The rents are just way too high to have anything interesting down there.

Down town Calgary was a lot more fun and a lot less lose in the 80's. I remember the theatres right below the Calgary Tower, and standing outside and shivering in the winter, what made it funny was that the street in front of the tower was the main hooker stroll in Calgary for a long time, so dad's would be holding their kids hands and eyeing these woman.

I still remember Electric Avenue at its height, it was the place to go. The best celebration for the Flames was long before the Red Mile, when 10's of thousands gathered there to watch Lanny Scoring in the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, and the spontaneous party when the bars emptied and people flooded the avenue.

On the East side of Downtown there was the King Eddy, which back then was this fantastic rustic Blue's bar and they had tremendous live acts, and Sunday's were jam nights where people would show up with their instruments and just play.

At some point, Downtown Calgary though just became too corporate and pretty much shut down at 7:00 at night. They tried to bump it back up with places like the Palace, but it never worked.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Down town Calgary was a lot more fun and a lot less lose in the 80's. I remember the theatres right below the Calgary Tower, and standing outside and shivering in the winter, what made it funny was that the street in front of the tower was the main hooker stroll in Calgary for a long time, so dad's would be holding their kids hands and eyeing these woman.

I still remember Electric Avenue at its height, it was the place to go. The best celebration for the Flames was long before the Red Mile, when 10's of thousands gathered there to watch Lanny Scoring in the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, and the spontaneous party when the bars emptied and people flooded the avenue.

On the East side of Downtown there was the King Eddy, which back then was this fantastic rustic Blue's bar and they had tremendous live acts, and Sunday's were jam nights where people would show up with their instruments and just play.

At some point, Downtown Calgary though just became too corporate and pretty much shut down at 7:00 at night. They tried to bump it back up with places like the Palace, but it never worked.

I remember it quite differently.

Downtown in the 80s was dead after 5 pm, except for 11th Ave. Not so many people lived downtown as do now - there are way more entertainment options downtown now. Calgary was also very square back then - tiny arts scene, maybe one sushi restaurant, one gay bar.

Way more people were on the Red Mile in 2004 than Electric Avenue in 1989 - 10 X more. I was there for both.

The Kind Eddy is back at the NMC. There are numerous jam nights around Calgary now.

I would agree there were more strip clubs back then.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I still really miss the old Devonian Gardens. I swore I recorded a walk-through video on a 2006 era digital camera but I have no idea where the files are.

Devonian Gardens is gone? That’s a shame.

[DownhillGoat]

It's still there but way different after the renos.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

It's still there but way ******* after the renos.

Fixed.

[Jiri Hrdina]

The oddest thing about the old Devonian Gardens was the skating rink they had up there. I can't even figure out how they had that in there but recall skating on it as a kid.
My daughter loves the new playground but overall they completely removed what made the Gardens cool back in the day.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Fixed.

Lol, fair.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Wild GM

The oddest thing about the old Devonian Gardens was the skating rink they had up there. I can't even figure out how they had that in there but recall skating on it as a kid.
My daughter loves the new playground but overall they completely removed what made the Gardens cool back in the day.

It was a pond with hanging gardens in the summertime and it froze in the winter since the ceiling was open to the outdoors with just some mesh. Some of my earliest pictures are as a kid skating there. That area was kind of my refuge from the bustle when I first started working downtown.

I can't believe they replaced all this with such a stale mall-like thing. Also I think this area is part of Simons now.


Now it's all tiles and feels like a barebones shopping mall with trees in round planters.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

img]http://cdn.mallmaverick.com/system/site_images/photos/000/009/188/original/Devonian_Gardens.jpg?1431470437[/img]

I think I was married a few steps from where this picture was taken. It was a very nice wedding venue for us. Was choked at the notion that we were charged $100 for taking pictures simply because I was wearing a tuxedo and my wife an ivory gown but I guess they needed to get their claws in us because wedding.

[Ozy_Flame]

Last show I saw at Esso Plaza was Biodome!

[Gundo]

I miss that sketchy archade that was on the old c-train line. There was a wild little pawn shop there as well.

[Flash Walken]

Choose life, choose a job, choose CJ Rock Wear"

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Gundo

I miss that sketchy archade that was on the old c-train line. There was a wild little pawn shop there as well.

Amazing selection of pin in that old arcade!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I still really miss the old Devonian Gardens. I swore I recorded a walk-through video on a 2006 era digital camera but I have no idea where the files are.

This. Wow is the New Devonian Gardens a wild 'swing and a miss.'

How do you screw up Devonian Gardens? I dont know but they found a way.