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

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Arcade at South Centre was awesome. Was called Arcadia. Next to the kiosks which included a gem called Zumburger.

The Southcentre arcade, downstairs by the pet store, was called Lazer Illusions.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Arcade at South Centre was awesome. Was called Arcadia. Next to the kiosks which included a gem called Zumburger.

Zumburgers were ridiculously cheap, even by the fast food standards of the day. I'm thinking they were more likely meatloaf patties with a lot of filler.

[Snuffleupagus]

I'm older now so I wouldn't go there now but Electric Ave was awesome and a big part of the identity of this city in the 80's/90's.

This city needs a "district"

[AC]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

The Southcentre arcade, downstairs by the pet store, was called Lazer Illusions.

And the pet store was Pet Haven!

I won a huge jackpot at an awesome coin flipper dinosaur themed machine with my dad as a kid.

It spat out tickets for honestly probably 15 minutes.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by AC

And the pet store was Pet Haven!



I won a huge jackpot at an awesome coin flipper dinosaur themed machine with my dad as a kid.



It spat out tickets for honestly probably 15 minutes.

I can't remember if it was this arcade, but I remember one of them had a bar style setup with a bunch of individual TV screens above the "bar" and you could rent a TV that had I think Sega genesis games.

I never did it, but I remember thinking how awesome of a setup that was. Just rent a console for 30 minutes and sit and chill playing it.

[browna]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

It does make me wonder how bad the economy in Calgary would have to get today to see bars almost giving away liquor to attract customers. Some places in those days even had free food over happy hour (wings, beef on a bun, etc.) just to get people in the door.

Not sure it had as much to do with economy as it did with supply.
Old enough just to catch the last few years at Electric Ave in the mid 90s. But even then it was down to 8 bars from the high point of closer to 20 a few years earlier. With that many bars, 8 never mind 20 in those 4 blocks, places needed a hook of cheap booze.
.
And yes, the independent nature of the establishments at the time also allowed that...though didnt provincial liquor laws also change as part of that?

Cowboys had 50c draft through the mid 2000s.
Republic had 75c high balls through the early 2000s.
Cheers with $5 triples on Sunday’s until around 2000.

When 1st ST started up, it was very quickly shut down by local residents and a more restrictive city hall to prevent another electric ave, and aforementioned government intervention.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by browna

Not sure it had as much to do with economy as it did with supply.
Old enough just to catch the last few years at Electric Ave in the mid 90s. But even then it was down to 8 bars from the high point of closer to 20 a few years earlier. With that many bars, 8 never mind 20 in those 4 blocks, places needed a hook of cheap booze.
.
And yes, the independent nature of the establishments at the time also allowed that...though didnt provincial liquor laws also change as part of that?

Cowboys had 50c draft through the mid 2000s.
Republic had 75c high balls through the early 2000s.
Cheers with $5 triples on Sunday’s until around 2000.

When 1st ST started up, it was very quickly shut down by local residents and a more restrictive city hall to prevent another electric ave, and aforementioned government intervention.

Oh man, 3 Cheers almost killed me. I was freshly 18, with some pals. It’s 9pm, and their doorman was standing on the sidewalk, vs at the door, which is a tad odd.

He was hustling patrons, and verbaaitim said to the group of us “free drinks until 10pm”

They were actually a penny, so naturally we all order triple rum and cokes.

[Shazam]

Yeah I think there's a legislated price floor on drinks now.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Yeah I think there's a legislated price floor on drinks now.

Yeah AGLC has forced a minimum for quite a while now.

[Bill Bumface]

I remember this after "Bladder Burst" was no longer legal.

[Thor]

Was it 3 Cheers that did the drink free until someone uses the bathroom? Or was it Coconut Joes?

That was always a disaster, place smelled like pee afterward.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Thor

Was it 3 Cheers that did the drink free until someone uses the bathroom? Or was it Coconut Joes?

That was always a disaster, place smelled like pee afterward.

Sounds like a skit from Bandito’s perhaps, possibly Coconut Joes as it was a Claudio group bar as well and they did just about anything to get a body in the door. Three Cheers was partly owned by Paul Reinhart and except for some after hours activity tended to stay a little more on the straight and narrow if there was such a thing back then.

[Thor]

Yeah must have been Coconut Joes

[Rhettzky]

Coconut Joe's had the bladder buster which was gross as most people were peeing into cups and in corners. So disgusting and followed by an hour long wait for the two urinals.

The fox had a set cover of $10 or $20 and you got penny or nickel drinks for 3 hours. Which was basically 3 hours spent standing in line waiting for another drink.

The embassy had buck beers on fridays until 9pm which always got out of hand. We would fill a table right before the cutoff and stumble out leaving a bunch of full ones behind.

Three cheers had some kind of a keg party that the details are pretty fuzzy on. I think it worked out to fifty bucks for 8 or 9 jugs of beer and there had to be five of you.

The den was probably my favorite as they had five dollar jugs on fridays or Saturdays in the old lounge with the picnic tables and carpeted dance floor.

[marsplasticeraser]

I recall 25c beers at cowboys and 90c highballs at the repub. Am I imagining these prices?

At the repub you’d get a triple for $3 incl the respectable 10% (30c) tip

Originally Posted by browna

Not sure it had as much to do with economy as it did with supply.

Cowboys had 50c draft through the mid 2000s.
Republic had 75c high balls through the early 2000s.
.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

I'm older now so I wouldn't go there now but Electric Ave was awesome and a big part of the identity of this city in the 80's/90's.

This city needs a "district"

I completely agree with this. This city needs something similar to the Gaslamp District in San Diego - square blocks of restaurants, bars, nightlife and entertainment. Having only 17th Ave, and couple hipster neighbohoods like Inglewood and Kensington is nice, but doesn't quite cut it IMO.

[Manhattanboy]

Anyone recall the predecessors to Republic?

I seem to recall Mirtz where they would serve drinks in fishbowls then the Area Club.

We used to also hang at the Bank. Gold cards got you in the back door. Man that was the place to meet the hot girls in Calgary.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Muta

I completely agree with this. This city needs something similar to the Gaslamp District in San Diego - square blocks of restaurants, bars, nightlife and entertainment. Having only 17th Ave, and couple hipster neighbohoods like Inglewood and Kensington is nice, but doesn't quite cut it IMO.

City Council would find a way to block this.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

City Council would find a way to block this.

Probably. The NIMBYers would also lose their #### on this one.

IMO, however, West Beltline between 17th Ave and 10th Ave - which is in DIRE need of a facelift - would be the ideal location for this. Close to Sunalta LRT station, bus routes, and a central location with lots of prime land and access to all quadrants.

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by Mango

I think might have been the arcade in Westbrook Mall. It was by the northern-most west entrance.

I can't imagine how many quarters I spent playing Galaga at that Westbrook arcade. They had one table top game, 1943 Kai, or at least some version of that game, that I could not play anywhere else.



That mall still smells the same way it did in the 80s.