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

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

City Council would find a way to block this.

Just make sure it's only accessible by bicycle; surrounded by crappy, overly expensive, publicly paid for art; has at least one redundant, expensive bridge to it; and council would have to go off camera so they could jerk each other off before they approve it.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Speaking of the south does anyone remember Southern Comfort at the Hospitality Inn on Macleod and Southland. Then it became Malarkey’s. Man I think I was there every weekend.

From the mid 1990s to the early 2000s this was called Mingles. I worked at the Jack Astor's on Macleod and Southland, while living in the apartments on Southland and Bonaventure behind the Walmart. One night, as we are walking home on a Sunday, my roommate and I decide to stop in. The place was dead but they had free pool and cheap drinks. The next Sunday his girlfriend came with us. Then a couple coworkers tagged along. Soon it got so busy they hired a DJ and the amount of staff working tripled. It was mostly Jack's staff, but there were a few friends and restaurant industry people there as well.



Mondays at Mingles were packed as long as I can remember. They played mostly hip hop and rap, and there weren't a lot of white people there. One night a few of us from Jack's went to go drinking there. They said wait in line. Then they let some regulars in. Then they said they could bump us for $20 each. We left and boycotted the place for months. They came over to us and apologized and we went back on Sundays.



I ended up leaving that Jack's for a bit. When I went back a year later we were going to start up the Mingles Sundays again, but it had shut down about two months before my return.


---------------
When the French Maid Speakeasy opened we went there all the time for Midnight Madness. After midnight it was $3 cover for guys and then all beer and highballs were $2 each for the rest of the night. They had free pool and video games, plus nude ladies dancing on the stage. There were nights when about 30 of us from Jack's would go there. But don't go there on a Sunday night.

Originally Posted by marsplasticeraser

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

Cowboys was 25 cent draft night every Thursday. My roommate and I went there almost every Thursday for about 3 straight years. We'd use the side entrance and go sit upstairs on the couches at the long table right near the top of the stairs. The servers would just fill our table with about 40-60 beers (the small cups) and we'd meet some very questionable people. When we first started going it was costing us each about $10-15. We stopped going when we realized that we were each spending $60-80. The servers were clearly ripping us off, but we were too drunk to notice. We were sure if we were each paying for the drinks, or they were charging us random amounts, or what.



After we stopped going to Cowboy's we just ended up going to BPs and splitting a team jug or two for $20.

[Fuzz]

Good for you for drinking that 25c draft. That stuff was awful.


The Taz had 25c highballs, but it didn't last long. Night Gallery had $2 doubles before 10. I think the old Highlander had some really cheap drinks, we used to wander over from Banff Trail occasionally. This was all late '90's.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Good for you for drinking that 25c draft. That stuff was awful.


The Taz had 25c highballs, but it didn't last long. Night Gallery had $2 doubles before 10. I think the old Highlander had some really cheap drinks, we used to wander over from Banff Trail occasionally. This was all late '90's.

I remember the factory at the highlander. Once we ended up there when the U of C was hosting some sort of business school games. All of the students from the other universities were all staying there. The hallways of that hotel descended into chaos Post Last call.

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by AndyM

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.

I miss Westbrook.. weird.. I know. That place is so special to me from being a kid going to Woolco for Toys to lunch spot when I went to Manning.. the arcade.. San Francisco, frozen yogurt. ect.

I hear it's gotten even more dumpy since the LRT line?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I miss Westbrook.. weird.. I know. That place is so special to me from being a kid going to Woolco for Toys to lunch spot when I went to Manning.. the arcade.. San Francisco, frozen yogurt. ect.

I hear it's gotten even more dumpy since the LRT line?

It's a dump pile. In the last ten years, I've seen robberies, fist fights, random attacks (inculding someone getting knocked out with a hockey stick sitting at a bus stop), drug deals, the people on all the drugs doing weird ####, and even a shooting / double attempted murder.

That said, once it's built out as a full TOD, and the Mexican owner of the mall decides to finally play nice with the City, it'll be a pretty sweet area. It has all the potential in the world to be something so much more.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I miss Westbrook.. weird.. I know. That place is so special to me from being a kid going to Woolco for Toys to lunch spot when I went to Manning.. the arcade.. San Francisco, frozen yogurt. ect.

Not weird at all. Without sounding super sappy, when something is part of your childhood, you'll always look back on it with fondness, and reminisce of a simpler time.

MusicWorld in Westbrook was special to me. San Francisco to an extent too, but the number of cassettes I bought at specifically MusicWorld with money I had earned from babysitting, washing cars etc, it was an indelible part of my journey to my love affair with music.

The name escapes me at the moment, but the store that sells board games and other random gadgets/novelty items is still open. It's been there as long as I can remember.

And apropos nothing, Stu Hart used to shop at the Westbrook Safeway. His grocery cart was always full of endless packages of Werther's Original.

[Jiri Hrdina]

The most Wetbrooky thing about Westbrook mall is the fact there is still a Smittys there

[browna]

Westbrook was on par with McLeod Mall, and a half step above Deer Valley Mall, the latter two long transformed. The obligatory Safeway or CoOp at one end, a discount store at the other, a national chain store (one or two of Shoppers, Saan,The Met, Radio Shack) somehow roped in by the developer, a post office, along with a couple independent ladies fashions stores, with the owners name as the name of the store, a food “court” with plastic Chinese food, and a sandwich place that was barebones and often ran out of white bread.Then some obscure independent store such as a sports card shop or a sword/knife shop, a sit down restaurant, a shoe shine place and hair salon...Tax time an H and R Block would roll into one of the vacant storefronts.

And yes, they all smell like the plastic wrap that the junky stores pull their goods out of after being shipped from China.

[FurnaceFace]

I’ve lived a few blocks away from Westbrook for 20 years now and there is nothing wrong with the mall. As Browna says, it’s a standard formula for a small mall. Anchor grocery and department store with a bunch of stuff in the middle. Now with a Marks and Sportchek and really bored people manning the mobile phone kiosks.

I agree there is a bit more transient vibe, mostly around the Ctrain stop (that poor library) but I’ve never been concerned about it or the area being significantly unsafe. It’s not like it suddenly became the area around Joe Louis Arena.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

---------------
When the French Maid Speakeasy opened we went there all the time for Midnight Madness. After midnight it was $3 cover for guys and then all beer and highballs were $2 each for the rest of the night. They had free pool and video games, plus nude ladies dancing on the stage. There were nights when about 30 of us from Jack's would go there. But don't go there on a Sunday night.

I remember buying a bunch of beer to go, a couple of times when they were closing for the evening

[Bill Bumface]

Does anyone remember the mall in Huntington Hills just north of 64ave as it winds up toward 14th St and Nose Hill?

It had a food for less that sold mostly just dented cans and I cant remember much else. Maybe a bowling alley? Spa Lady or whatever that women's only fitness chain was?

It got knocked down for the condos here: https://goo.gl/maps/KTTiEVKiaaH2

[FLAME ENVY]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Does anyone remember the mall in Huntington Hills just north of 64ave as it winds up toward 14th St and Nose Hill?

It had a food for less that sold mostly just dented cans and I cant remember much else. Maybe a bowling alley? Spa Lady or whatever that women's only fitness chain was?

It got knocked down for the condos here: https://goo.gl/maps/KTTiEVKiaaH2

Allwest was the food store. The bowling alley and dance studio were downstairs. Venice House restaurant was also originally in this development before moving to Thorncliffe (and eventually closing). There was also a hair salon and probably a few other businesses that I have missed.

[CofR]

Originally Posted by FLAME ENVY

Allwest was the food store. The bowling alley and dance studio were downstairs. Venice House restaurant was also originally in this development before moving to Thorncliffe (and eventually closing). There was also a hair salon and probably a few other businesses that I have missed.

Grew up in Thorncliffe, quite enjoyed eating at Venice House from what I can remember. My Mother still complains about them closing.

[FLAME ENVY]

Originally Posted by CofR

Grew up in Thorncliffe, quite enjoyed eating at Venice House from what I can remember. My Mother still complains about them closing.

They had great food, especially the pizza.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Driving to the airport today for my flight back to Vancouver was pleasantly surprised to see Calgary still has Domo.

Brought back memories of the old jump to the pump for you song.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Driving to the airport today for my flight back to Vancouver was pleasantly surprised to see Calgary still has Domo.

Brought back memories of the old jump to the pump for you song.

Talkin 'bout Domo (Domo)
Domo (Domo)
Jump to the pump for you

Very best price, great service too
We jump to the pump for you

Thanks for getting that stuck in my head. Now I'm remembering the kangaroo doing a flip and crashing.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by CofR

Grew up in Thorncliffe, quite enjoyed eating at Venice House from what I can remember. My Mother still complains about them closing.

Omg was that a chain? There was a Venice House in Regina.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by FLAME ENVY

Allwest was the food store. The bowling alley and dance studio were downstairs. Venice House restaurant was also originally in this development before moving to Thorncliffe (and eventually closing). There was also a hair salon and probably a few other businesses that I have missed.

There was also a Mac’s and later a Flicks video
But there were always just a ton of vacant stores
The hair salon was Adam and Eve...had my hair cut there many years

[CofR]

Originally Posted by DownhillGoat

Omg was that a chain? There was a Venice House in Regina.

Don't believe that it was a chain... Venice House in Thorncliffe had a pub attached to it named "Corky's"(at least I'm pretty sure that's what the name was, I'm too young to have ever been there). Venice House was in the spot that the Shopper's is in now along 4th ST, next to Corpus Christi Church. I remember the Shopper's used to be on the other side of 4th next to the Safeway, in the spot where the Safeway Liquor store now is.