I remember when MetroCenter was built, I lived on a farm (cows, chickens, horses, the works) directly across the 17 and watched the construction out our back door!
K
Just wondering if any other natives thought this list is obviously written by someone under 30 as there are so many other better examples.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/06/top_10_ways_to_identify_a_phoenix_native.php
My list would include things like this:
1. know who Wallace & Ladmo are as well watched them AND STILL want a Ladmo bag today
2. went to concerts at the Coliseum
3. went to ASU football games on Saturdays cuz there was nothing else to do in town
4. would go to the Japanese Flower gardens on Baseline to get flowers
5. drove around Phoenix and there were NO freeways
6. and when drove from one town to another there was only open space or fields between cities
7. the high schools in Phoenix truly reflected the area they were in - South Mountain, North, East, West.
So other natives (true natives - born & raised here) what would you add to this list?
How about
1. Cruse central or golf and stuff (when it was called that)
2. Legend City
3. Went shooting at 35th ave and union Hills because it was so far out of town.
From the Zone, but grew up in the East Valley, hence:
1. Shooting/Rabbit hunting off Bell Road;
2. Big Surf;
3. Tarzan movies on Saturday morning (channel 3) w/Pat McMahon (aka Captain Super);
4. Running from lawn to lawn (because of hot sidewalks) on the way to the neighborhood community pool (at which we swam all day -- no "sun screen").
5. Swimming at Oak Creek Canyon (without having to pay for parking or wait in line!);
6. Camping on the Rim (again with without having to pay for parking or wait in line!);
7. Dinner at Green Gables (where the kids got a really cool metal toy knight on a horse--I still have two of them);
8. Lunch at the Big Apple (when the waitresses wore real holstered guns);
9. Bar-B-Queing Javalina in the backyard and having the non-natives call the police because of some foul stench;
.
.
.
10. Regretting not having ever managed to spend time with Sedona Weaver!
1. Cruse central or golf and stuff (when it was called that)
2. Legend City
3. Went shooting at 35th ave and union Hills because it was so far out of town.
When they first built Chris Town mall it was a big deal because it was all indoors AND air conditioned.
Then when they said they were building Metro Center...we all asked WHY? there is nothing out there.
I remember when MetroCenter was built, I lived on a farm (cows, chickens, horses, the works) directly across the 17 and watched the construction out our back door!
K
los Arcos mall
Partying in the river bottom that is now Tempe town lake and never being hassled by the cops.
Four wheeling in what is now DC ranch and Silverleaf.
Parking the truck in the river at Castle rock and the Salt river. Now all parking lots.
Hookers on Van Buren LOL.
Downtown Phoenix didn't have a skyline.
They used to have Formula 1 races in downtown Phoenix.....
which brings up the old under pass that went under the City of Phoenix Convention center.
PIR used to only seat 65,000 peeps and was actually a good time instead of a complete fuster cluck
People were not so fucking uptight and in a hurry about everything.
Shopping at Goldwater's
Chistown Mall sand sculptures
Scottsdale Fashion Square being an open air, high end mall
Bullock's being split between Camelview and Fashion Square with golf cart rides between.
Calling Alaskan Bush Company ABCO so that you could tell your parents you were going to ABCO and they thought you meant the grocery store.
Firebird's Baseball
Movie at Cinema Capri (the original) and Kachina
Watching Alice because it took place in Phoenix and mentioned stuff like Camelback Mountain.
Compton Terrace
Rawhide (original) being in the middle of nowhere.
-- Modified on 6/29/2014 9:49:52 PM
1) When tubing meant you had to set up a ride back to the top of the Salt River or hitchhike (hopefully a car was going up river).
2) Boon docking at Pima & Shea, where we drank beer and road motorcycles in the middle of the desert.
3) When there was a Scottsdale High School.
4) Cruising Main in Mesa or Metro Center.
5) When Fountain Hills, was a novelty and people thought how is that ever going to make it way out there?
6) I seem to remember the Monsoons were better and it rained really hard after the dust storm. The thunder and lightning shows were awesome.
7) No pollution and you could see the Superstitions from Downtown.
Yes, the monsoons were way better...lots more rain, much more exciting thunderstorms!
K
The only one from above is Earnhardt that's still around
Jack Ross and Acquanetta and of course the theme song They always call him Mr. Touch down.
Nice! Minder Binders. I once had sex on the roof of that place while watching people play volleyball out back. Forgot all about that
Phoenix Gazette
Madhouse on McDowell, which included the desert city six, coke a cola cager club, and coupons in the paper for tickets
$30 a month during the summer to play Encanto, maryvale or Papago
The pink sidewalk from wrigley's mansion to squaw peak
Irrigation football
Air raid sirens test at every school at noon on Saturday
Phoenix giants games for $1
Phoenix roadrunners hockey
Frank Kush
Jim Brock
Dodgers games every night on KOY
Bell road was a dirt road
The Greek festival on Maryland
Dewey Hopper
-- Modified on 6/19/2014 6:29:37 PM
Yes, I'm a native. Wow have we seen changes galore right? I moved
into the same house I'm still in now back when Metro center was just built.
Then we cruised it which was never as good as when we cruised Central!
I'm not sure all the change has been good but it is the one thing you can
always count on, change. Good, bad or indifferent. I can't wait for retirement
to get out of the valley and see how the rest of the world lives!!! The harley,
the motorhome and me. Oh yeah!!!
Not a native but moved here the first time B4 most of our Ladies were born!! I do remember watching an old Dick Van Dyke show where he filmed in Carefree and lived on Lincoln Drive!! I have just been able to find DVDs of a TV series where the detective brothers had their office in a new PV resort and has some great old scenes of Phoenix.
Thomas Mall, the bar overlooking the ice rink at Tower Plaza, Mr Lucky's, only ONE terminal at Sky Harbor, Gilbert and Chandler were all orange groves, no houses up high on Camelback or Mummy Mountains, having to have two vehicles to go tubing, movie theaters at Shea and 32nd St ... and the Janitor's Closet at ChrisTown ..
That was a big deal. Our whole family went. It was air conditioned and huge. And you got your luggage inside...wow have things changed.
There still is the ice rink and bar on Thomas. When they torn down the mall they left it and it is still operates today.
I remember Bell Road only being Arabian Horse ranches. And other horse ranches along Pima road as well.
Everyone sharing their memories has been wonderful.
Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Sombrero Theater at Indian School and 7th (St or Ave, I can't remember!). I also remember the theater getting picketed by nuns when Monty Python's Life of Brian came out and it was the only place in town you could see it.
And not only fresh flowers on Baseline, but still warm from the sun tomatos, and driving out toward AJ and Queen Creek to pick our own grapes and peaches for a quarter a pound.
Growth is good, but some of the things we've lost kinda suck 
K
-- Modified on 6/20/2014 9:17:15 AM
The knight that used to direct car where to park at Green Gables, also their goofy golf coarse. Also Ship Rock where 32 St is now. No trouble finding parking at Echo canyon park at Camelback to go climbing, usually only one or two other cars. Dicks gym and swim on 20th St. Use to watch the guys do high diving through the door of my class room. Jumped on their trampoline Sunday mornings while waiting for the newspapers to arrive so we could deliver them. Use to be able to get a ride any where in town by hitch hiking.
-- Modified on 6/20/2014 9:14:29 AM
1) Scottsdale and Shea was a dirt road
2) Shea Plaza Cinema on Saturdays watching Godzilla/Monster movies
3) The World Beyond on channel 5 at 10:30 a.m.
4) Reata Pass and the filming of Raising Arizona
5) Desert Parties out at the Scottsdale water hole
6) The floods every year
7) The Crystal Pistol (before Chuckbox and Oregano's) were cowboys still rode up on horses and wore their six shooters
8) and don't forget we all played outside
Hell yeah the water hole. We once had a live band out there.
Born in Phoenix & mi familia is spread out in AZ. I love driving in the desert! I do not enjoy river rafting. Shooting is my ATF & the right to carry a gun is #1! Riding bikes & ATV's is #2. I have 2 bikes at home now in Phoenix, but hate the summer heat even with a pool in the back yard, so I am in CA during these months. Drive in movies in the back of the truck is awesome. Hiking is always fun too!
Those are those frosted glasses that you would get when you filled up at Blakely Gas stations.
And what about Arizona rooms...aka screened in porches. And sleeping outside at night because it was cooler than in the house.
And last night on the Travel Channel they did a story about Mystery Castle. Our family knew Mary Lou and I thought that place was haunted. It didn't even have running water and electricity until I believe the 60's.
God I hated having to give those out and most people wanted more than they coming