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

[The Yen Man]

Played a lot of side scrolling beat 'em up and fighting games during the 90's. Lots of Street Fighter 2, MK2, Final Fight, and Neo Geo games.

Best side scrolling beat 'em up was still the 6 player X-men game that had two screens.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by BlindMilwaukee

Can we have a poll for the age range of CP users? Would anyone else find that interesting?

Never identify yourself!!

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I thought Wizards Castle was Northland Mall or Market Mall?

All I know is that I was never allowed in because my conservative Christian parents believed to be hives of scum and villany.

And they were right.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Wizard's Castle was a chain of arcades in town. They were around before Laser Illusions. I think LI took over most of the WCs, but there were still a few stragglers. Complicating matter is that many malls had a WC in one part of the mall, and then it closed down, and then a LI popped up in a different part of the mall.

I’m pretty sure it was a WC at Sunridge on the upper level by the Foodcourt, but then recall - I could be wrong that it moved to the lower level.

My Mom worked at Birks, so I’d go there a lot.

Before Sunridge opened, I was never out of the one at Marlborough.

[Robbob]

Anyone remember the quarter jockey in Southcentre that was pulled right out of Grease?

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

It was on the 3rd floor above it.

Back then where Point Sushi is, was Zen a HK cafe restaurant. Hung out there for most of my years in university as our friend's mom owned it.

If I recall correctly and this was over 25 years ago LOL but it went from Chinese movie theatre to restaurant (turned to karaoke in the evening, which I'd go to with friends in my late teens) and then not sure after that.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Wizard's Castle was a chain of arcades in town. They were around before Laser Illusions. I think LI took over most of the WCs, but there were still a few stragglers. Complicating matter is that many malls had a WC in one part of the mall, and then it closed down, and then a LI popped up in a different part of the mall.

What was the arcade in Sunridge Mall in the NE? The arcade was at the end of the food court where they'd have the aluminum ash trays on the tables, near the washrooms.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The arcade at Southcentre was as safe as can be. Just a bunch of suburban kids playing vids. It was Southern Fun on 7th Ave where you had to be on your toes. Lots of uncertainty around who was there to play Galaga and who was there to buy/sell acid.

Can confirm. Went down there for both reasons. Did some orange microdot(was really,really good!)bought from there then went to see The Kentucky Fried Movie. Never laughed so hard… and that was just watching the curtain ‘move’ before the movie started.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The arcade at Southcentre was as safe as can be. Just a bunch of suburban kids playing vids. It was Southern Fun on 7th Ave where you had to be on your toes. Lots of uncertainty around who was there to play Galaga and who was there to buy/sell acid.

Apparently you've never played Galaga on acid
#whynotboth

I recall taking the #3 bus downtown just to go to Southern Fun. And I was way too young to be hanging out there. Scary place for sure. But they had the best line-up of pinballs in town.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Anyone remember the quarter jockey in Southcentre that was pulled right out of Grease?

He was awesome, or at least he looked awesome.

[Barnet Flame]

I’ve never played Galaga on acid.

But I did that thing where you #### around for 20 minutes with 2 of the enemies left so they no longer fire at you.

I imagine it is similar to an acid trip.

[iggy_oi]

Southern fun was hands down the best arcade in the city but the cinescape in eau Claire was pretty good too in the late 90s. Easy street in chinook had a decent selection on the lower level before closing down, I remember they resurrected the arcade portion for a year or 2 under a different name but with way fewer games.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It's not the lunchbox - it's where Vertigo now is.
A lot of the original bones of the two theatres are still there, now used for live productions.
I don't know why they replaced the windy staircase because that thing was awesome. But they re-purposed the bulk of the original theatres for Vertigo. Great use of space.

In between the theatres shutting down and Vertigo moving in, it was being used as a church for several years.

In the final days of the Palliser they had Friday and Saturday midnight showings of movies like Alien, Raiders, The Shining, etc. It was fantastic.

Another under-rated old theatre of the downtown was the Showcase Grande, which had stadium theatre in one of them, well before that style made a comeback. When it closed it was converted into a golf centre before The Grande moved in.

Here is a pic I snapped on third level of Palliser Square coming in from parkade doors. What on earth was ever on any of these levels? To get to the first level there are no stairs. If you get to that level there is stairs to the top level but that space has about 6ft of headroom? Why was it even built? Unless there was something on the level underneath it that needed the height, or they built over something at was ther but absolutely ghastly useage of space...but it had to be used for something at some point to have stairs put there.

Only thing I can think of was that this area was mostly enclosed at one point and it was for Hotel or VIA luggage storage, but it doesn't look setup for that either, for workers to navigate into and walk around that area.

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It was quite something in its day. A huge ballroom and also an aquarium on the grounds. It was one of the real gathering places for Calgary.

For a long time the ballroom was in there still, and I would have loved to have gotten access to see it. My understanding is that almost everything from those days is now gone.

It was a Carling Brewery as well. Had a Chinese Gardens in the back, and across the street, where WCC now is, a beer store where you bought by the flats on rollers. This is mid 80s when my Grandparents still lived in Ramsay.


Just a heads up, if you have or get a free Calgary Public Library account, the Calgary Herald digital archives are available online to find all sorts of things.
Searchable, I.found stuff my parents sold in the classifieds in the mid 80s. Look at old newspapers of Calgary Edmonton hockey rivalries. Found a picture of our house when it was listed in 1975 also in classifieds.

But because it's behind that wall, you can't link the pages directly from there.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by BlindMilwaukee

Can we have a poll for the age range of CP users? Would anyone else find that interesting?

See the poll in the link

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/poll.p...lts&pollid=918

[Regular_John]

I wouldn’t even say 17th ave has changed for the worst, the glut of retail/restaurant chains is to be expected, but I mostly miss being the target demographic age for hanging out there and popping into random shops without feeling like an old dude.

I still miss buying non-descript drip coffee from the cute girls at Bad Ass Coffee with my pocket change, now it’s either Tim Hortons or some (far less cute) kid telling me a 3 minute origin story about the mocha he just charged me $11 for. Just leave me to read FFWD in peace so I can see who’s playing at Mac Hall this weekend.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by browna

Here is a pic I snapped on third level of Palliser Square coming in from parkade doors. What on earth was ever on any of these levels? To get to the first level there are no stairs. If you get to that level there is stairs to the top level but that space has about 6ft of headroom? Why was it even built? Unless there was something on the level underneath it that needed the height, or they built over something at was ther but absolutely ghastly useage of space...but it had to be used for something at some point to have stairs put there.

Only thing I can think of was that this area was mostly enclosed at one point and it was for Hotel or VIA luggage storage, but it doesn't look setup for that either, for workers to navigate into and walk around that area.

I worked at Palliser One for years and the interior architecture of that area always baffled me. It's like someone just drywalled over layers and layers of 1970s brutalism.

Maybe it was some sort of fountain/garden area? Most of the 70s/80s style buildings in Calgary had those garden/fountains in it. The angular shape makes me think it had plants?

Most of all that lost architecture is getting ripped out now because it's too costly to maintain plants and fountains.

Sun Life Plaza (ripped out and renovated by Aspen to become the Ampersand)


EnCana Place (also ripped out and renovated by Aspen to become the Edison)

[Manhattanboy]

Arcadia in SouthCentre was awesome. I played Atari football with my bro for hours.

Then went to Zumburger in the food court.

[SportsJunky]

Zumburger! I remember that place. What a dimly lit food court.

[BlindMilwaukee]

Originally Posted by Dion

See the poll in the link

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/poll.p...lts&pollid=918

Initially I saw this poll and thought it was birth year and said to myself "What? Scorp is not 12 or younger."

I'd be in that same grouping though.

[Ugly Kid Joe]

I went by Chinook and Hobby West on MacLeod and 50th on the weekend. Didn't know it was gone. I used to go there and Little Generals in Willow Park all the time.