My old home next to the Fox Theater
It is nice to see that the old neighborhood is really improved, as I can see my old home in this picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/berkie/3608883307/) that berkie took when she went to see Rent over the weekend at the Fox theater.
The set of doors on the left side used to be the garage door to a three story parking garage that my family lived in 30-35 years ago. They filled in the street in front of the place and expanded the park, which back when I lived there was just a place that grass grew and people would stand in while waiting to meet up with others in their party before and after going to the Fox theater.
The jazz club next store was there then as well, so I went to bed each night listening to the music coming through the wall.
Back then it was not the type of place you wanted to be at night unless the Fox had a show going on, as the Fox brought in around a dozen cops. And during the day it wasn't really any nicer, but there were always lots of people around.
I remember my sister and I walking out the backdoor and going to the Burger King for lunch almost every day for an entire summer as Mom was at work, and her boyfriend was out there somewhere doing something.
I should mention that while the building was enclosed, it wasn't heated or air conditioned. My sister and I shared a pop-up camper on the second floor, while our mom and her boyfriend slept in a 25' camping trailer on the first floor. Then at some point they closed off one of the back wings on the second floor with plastic walls (The left wing had the door to the stairs in it, the middle section was a car elevator with the stairs behind it, and the right was the living quarters), installed a bathroom on the second floor (before there was only one on the first floor).
We shared the place with dozens of old cars, and a couple of cats, one of which hung himself (They put him on a rope so they could have the garage door open on a really hot day) and then was given mouth-to-mouth by the boyfriend (He was a medic in 'Nam). After that the cat went insane and started stalking and attacking us from under cars. After about a month of that he disappeared.... It is the only time I have had a pet no longer living with me and didn't miss him.
One of the old cars was either Truman's or one of the Roosevelt's Rolls-Royce. It was very very nice. I remember we took it to a car show once. My sister and I got really dirty playing in the mud. We got yelled at by the boyfriend, and then had to ride back mostly nude in the wicker seats that folded out of the back of the front seat. Yes, there was enough room in the back for a second set of seats. They built them big back then.
The set of doors on the left side used to be the garage door to a three story parking garage that my family lived in 30-35 years ago. They filled in the street in front of the place and expanded the park, which back when I lived there was just a place that grass grew and people would stand in while waiting to meet up with others in their party before and after going to the Fox theater.
The jazz club next store was there then as well, so I went to bed each night listening to the music coming through the wall.
Back then it was not the type of place you wanted to be at night unless the Fox had a show going on, as the Fox brought in around a dozen cops. And during the day it wasn't really any nicer, but there were always lots of people around.
I remember my sister and I walking out the backdoor and going to the Burger King for lunch almost every day for an entire summer as Mom was at work, and her boyfriend was out there somewhere doing something.
I should mention that while the building was enclosed, it wasn't heated or air conditioned. My sister and I shared a pop-up camper on the second floor, while our mom and her boyfriend slept in a 25' camping trailer on the first floor. Then at some point they closed off one of the back wings on the second floor with plastic walls (The left wing had the door to the stairs in it, the middle section was a car elevator with the stairs behind it, and the right was the living quarters), installed a bathroom on the second floor (before there was only one on the first floor).
We shared the place with dozens of old cars, and a couple of cats, one of which hung himself (They put him on a rope so they could have the garage door open on a really hot day) and then was given mouth-to-mouth by the boyfriend (He was a medic in 'Nam). After that the cat went insane and started stalking and attacking us from under cars. After about a month of that he disappeared.... It is the only time I have had a pet no longer living with me and didn't miss him.
One of the old cars was either Truman's or one of the Roosevelt's Rolls-Royce. It was very very nice. I remember we took it to a car show once. My sister and I got really dirty playing in the mud. We got yelled at by the boyfriend, and then had to ride back mostly nude in the wicker seats that folded out of the back of the front seat. Yes, there was enough room in the back for a second set of seats. They built them big back then.