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Barb.Miami.1950
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 02:52 pm |
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| I was born in 1950 amd lived in Miami until moving with my parents to Orlando in 1959. I don't have accurate recollections of names and places since I was so young when I left the area. I'm now 56 and I think so often of driving back to see my old home. I lived at 4084 NW 4th street which I've been told is now called Litle Havana? For SO many years I've thought of an area where I believe my mom use to take me for pony rides and in my mind I've always thought it was a place called SALA PATTICA! This past week I was watching a crime show and the subject matter was about the killing of 4 women in the ALLAPATTAH area, years ago. I realized that Allapattah must be the real name for what I remembered as Sala Pattica! I almost think I remember going to a movie theatre there and the name REGEANT sounds familiar that I saw in another post. I remember my mother dropping myself and a girlfriend off in the area and letting us shop alone yet the crime program I saw spoke of how Allapattah is now so rundown with people sleeping on the sidewalks. I almost believe we shopped at a shoe store in Allapattah looking for DREADED saddle oxfords for back to school! I lived on NW 4th street in Miami and the name Flagler and Lejuene sound very familiar to me and I believe my street intersected one of them. I remember a zoo called Crandon Park? A swimming place called Venetian Pool? A few blocks from me there was a Dog racing track, I think. We use to drive south of 4th street on maybe Flagler and there would be an airport on the left as well as a place that bred fish in outdoor tanks? I remember going to a movie theater in an area called Coral Gables that was much more upscale than my NW 4th street area. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the Elementary school I attended. It was walking distance from my home and in my mind I want to remember it as Krandle or Kinloch? I know we use to go to a large Acquarium like a Sea World. I remember going to a theme park now and again and after reading your posts it must have been FUNLAND. I remember riding on a roller coaster with the word MOUSE in it and that was before I left in 59 at the age of 9. I apparently had never ridden it alone but finally did after my brother refused to go on it with me and it was the most terrifying ride I ever rode! I literally thought I was going to die! When you came to a corner it was as if the car was hanging over the edge and I must say it was the last time in my life I EVER rode a roller coaster. I've always had memories of another amusement park that I remember being called POLICEMAN'S PARK? It was much smaller than Funland and my brother suffered a broken leg after a seat above him on the Ferris wheel fell and landed on him as he was exiting his seat at the base. He was leaning forward to exit his seat and leaned back as we all screamed and the seat hit his leg. If he hadn't leaned back it would have surely hit his head or neck and he would have died. We drank those little tiny cokes and grape drinks in tiny bottles. McDonalds must have opened somewhere in the mid 50's as I remember it being such a treat to eat from there and see the arches! The Christmas parade in Miami was a REALLY big deal and I've always remembered how I stepped further out into the street as normally allowed and a float went by and a gorgeous woman dressed as a showgirl waved right at me! I couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. We had a banana tree and a coconut tree in our yard which was a big deal to me at the time! My mom worked the concession stand for a while for a place that was like a Jungle Land or Monkey Land. I remember monkeys in cages and turtles in ponds as well as the story of a person's finger being torn off when they put their hand too near a monkey's cage! After moving to Orlando in 1959 at the age of 9, I would go back with my parents in the early sixties as they would re-rent the house on 4th street. We stayed in a nearby motel and I imagine we made the trips to prepare it for the new occupants. I believe I was there for a day or two in maybe 1963 and I felt like I was an outsider. I couldn't speak the language at the check out counters in the stores. My last trip there was probably 64 or 65 as my parents must have finally sold the house on 4th street. They are both gone now having passed away in 66 and 73. My mother was 40 and my father was 48. At 56 I'm amazed I've outlived them both! Because I know I will be gone one day I've thought of going back to see the house on 4th street but I don't know if I can take it emotionally. I would be afraid to go alone but wouldn't want my daughters seeing me being so upset. My childhood was spent there and I'd want so badly to walk through the house I once lived in but would never ask the occupants if I could do so. The memories would kill me even just driving by. Thanks for letting me share! Please post if you know of the elementary school name that I can't remember or if you ever heard of Policeman's park. barbfrorl48@ webtv.net Last edited on Tue Jan 2nd, 2007 05:00 pm by bessnfloyd
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bessnfloyd
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 04:41 pm |
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For having left at 9 years old, you certainly remember well. You left Miami at about the same time we came to it. The Sala Pattica is very cute! I'm sure it was Allapattah, a Seminole word for alligator.
Yes we have crime here, but I don't think much more than most big cites. Just recently in the past year it's been much worse, but usually is when the economy is on a downslide. Basically most of Allapattah is a fairly safe place during day and early evening hours. The rest of the time- well, we have four dobermans with big teeth.
The area you lived is a little west of Little Havana. I'm not sure it's called anything, maybe so. Just north is Grapeland Heights. I'm sure you'd see so many changes they would erase most of your good memories.
Yes, there was a Regeant Theater, and my daughter and friends would get dropped off alone, perfectly safe there, many Saturdays. There were several shoe stores there, an excellent men's clothing store, a Jackson Byrons department store, and many other shopping places that were worthwhile. I suppose many people might think it's run down, there have been many changes. Another view is that, not for the first time, it's on the way up again. Many, many new buildings, small and large aparment buildings and complexes and condos have been built. We still have a huge produce and wholesale food area, warehouse section, and the medical and court area which is huge, around Jackson Hospital, with even a branch of Miami Dade Jr. College, the medical campus, the jails, etc. There's also many, many homes for elderly and handicapped.
You lived right around the corner, so as to speak, from LeJeuene (42 Ave north to south) and Flagler St., the dividing line from the bay to the Everglades between the north and south sides of Dade County. You would have attended Kinloch Park Elementary School at 4275 NW 1st St, which is still there. You'd be proud of this school - it's one of the higher rated ones in the county.
Venetian Pool is also still there, a true luxury spa at one time and still beautiful and unusual. It's into Coral Gables, and would have been about a mile south of you. See various beautiful photos at http://www.venetianpool.com/Gallery/Gallery.html
I remember Crandon Park Zoo very well. They whole zoo has been fantastically enlarged, and is really a world class zoo, but is in a less dangerous area in terms of hurricanes, with room for expansion, way down in the SouthWest near the old Richmond Air Base. We took our kids there on several occasions, and my oldest daughter worked there at 12 and 13 years old as a volunteer guide at the petting zoo and assisting the vet. They had a famous mini train, on which sightseers could see most of the zoo and a lot of Crandon Park.
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/postcards/3.shtml
There was indeed, and still is, an airport just up LeJeune; also a fish farm. Also just to the west of you, on Flagler, was a huge hydoponic outfit that grew tomatoes.
The aquarium is The Seaquarium on the causway, on the way to Crandon Park. It was very badly damaged by hurricanes, Andrew, and then the last two summers, but was due for a renovation anyway and is up and running. A friend whose father and uncle trained the first dolphins there coaxed me to Miami, even found me a job. My husband's brother and two friends worked there, and between them they all set us up a blind date, and here we still are.
http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/content/view/63/90/
We never went to Funland, indeed, I'm not sure but what it was gone by the time we came here. In fact, we've been unable to find a picture of it. The first Burger King started in Allapattah, and McDonalds followed. We used to eat little square burgers at the White Castle in the heart of Allapattah.
Neither have I ever been to the Flagler Dog Track, actually located at NW 37 Ave and 7th Street. It's still there, and offers casino betting, flea markets and circus acts as well.
http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/nets/pages/Flagler/Your%20community.asp
There is indeed a Policeman's park just the other side of the river from Allapattah. It's run by the Miami Police Benevolent Association, and is located at 2300 N.W. 14th Street.
http://miamipba.org/childrenspark.html
Your mother probably worked at Monkey Jungle at 14805 Southwest 216th St. Actually I don't know if it was there at that time, it may have been closer in. See http://www.monkeyjungle.com/about.htm This too has been stressed by hurricanes but is still hanging in there.
Keep your memories, they're good ones. Let's hear from you again. Last edited on Tue Jan 2nd, 2007 05:56 pm by bessnfloyd
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Bess W.
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Barb.Miami.1950
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 06:30 pm |
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| Oh Bess, you have so made me cry today! Thank you SO much for your wonderful reply to my attempt at remembering my life in Miami. I really did have my Elementary School name correct when I guessed Kinloch!!!! I loved all the links you sent so I could see places I remembered. Venetian Gardens looked so much like I remembered it! Does it still allow people to come and swim? And I knew there had to be a Policeman's park!!! I have photos of myself as well as my brother sitting on a bench right along side what I remember as being the snack bar which is where we bought our little bottles of coke and grape drinks. I can't believe it is still there! And the ferris wheel it mentions as being in need of renovating is probably the same one that broke my brother's leg! After I posted earlier I remembered that the Sea World type of park was called the Seaquarium. If I remember correctly, there was a pool enclosure out front of the entrance that must have held dolphins (could be wrong about that though). The old postcards on the Crandon Park site were WONDERFUL! I never remembered that you could actually access the beach there but I remember having picnics right by palm trees on the sand so it might have been right there. I remember eating the little square Castle hamburgers too but I thought they were called Royal Castles instead of White. Upon arriving in Orlando in 1959 I found Royal Castles and Crystals. I think Royal Castles sold for .15 and Crystals were .10 here. I know my brother and I attended a huge Baptist church kindergarten not far from my house on NW 4th street. I remember it being HUGE and WHITE and do have my brother's kindergarten group graduation photo of them standing on the steps. Wonder if it is still there? As far as FUNLAND goes, it must have been around for quite some time as I have photos taken at an amusement park when I was maybe a year old. Just a few family shots on rides with my brother and mother. Based on the images in the background of the shots it appears to be a large amusement park and definitely not Policeman's Park. And since I distinctly remember riding that Mouse roller coaster by myself I'd have to guess I was at least 8-9 then or I wouldn't have even attempted to ride it alone. Since I left Miami at age 9 and I have photos of me at a large amusement park looking about 1 year old (that could have been taken at FUNLAND), it must have been around for some time and I'm surprised to hear you never saw it. And of course I could be wrong in thinking any of my experiences were in a park that was actually FUNLAND. There could have been other parks with rides. Monkey Jungle might be where my mother worked. I have a photo or 2 of her in the snack shack and I'll have to see if there is any kind of name in the background. Thank you again for all the effort you made on my behalf. Although I'll be crying off and on all day I appreciate the fact that you have supplied me with proof that I do have some clear memories of my childhood and although you "can't go home again", I went back to Miami in my heart today! Barb
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bessnfloyd
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 06:40 pm |
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More than one person has caught me out on that lapse in memory. It was a Royal Castle. The White Castle was maybe at 27th Ave and NW 7th, Flager or so. The kids used to always beg to have a Royal Castle burger when we went to Allapattah.
PLEASE PLEASE try to scan and email the pictures you have for our records. If it's not Funland, one of our readers will identify it for you, I'm sure!
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Bess W.
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Barb.Miami.1950
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 07:55 pm |
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| Will do as soon as possible but it might be a while since I only have WEB TV and there isn't any scanning possible with this thing. I'll search for my pictures and try to get my daughter to scan with her PC. Thanks again! Barb
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Jewell
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Posted: Sat Aug 12th, 2006 04:43 am |
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Dear Barb, I enjoyed your memories of Allapattah and Miami in general. I came to Miami in 1940 right after the 79th Street Causeway was built. It was an empty stretch of crushed coral and shells dredged up from the Bay with a layer of asphalt down the center. We lived in Little River but used to go to Allapattah to the Live and Let Live Drugstore and I think the Thom McCann shoe store was also located there. They had an innovative machine that you would put your foot into and it showed if the shoe fit properly. I think it showed the skeleton of your foot if I remember correctly. We went to the Rosetta theater in Little River and next door there was a Royal Castle, where we were forbidden to eat. Few places were enclosed or air conditioned and Royal Castle was notorious for the amount of flies it attracted. They only hired ex-servicemen men at that time, and they were a scary assortment of large, tattooed men who looked like they had just come ashore. They often had sailor hats and white T-shirts with rolled up sleeves where they kept their cigarettes. Men at that time never dressed like that. My brother LOVED Royal Castle burgers and we would always stop and get some and a five cent frosted mug of birch beer. We used to called my brother "Wimpy" after a character in Popeye who loved burgers. I have been looking for a 1940's photo of Royal Castle if anyone has one I'd love to have it. The later version of Royal Castle was very different. Too sanitized and they began hiring women.
I seem to remember Edison Theater as being open air. Does anyone know if that is true? It looked like a conventional theater on the outside but had no roof when you went inside. This was not like the Olympia theater that had a painted roof and lights on the ceiling to simulate stars, this was actually roofless, I think.
Rickenbacker Causeway was built when I was young teenager and the thing to do would be to ride your bike across the causeway. It was an exhausting ride. The toll across Rickenbacker was very expensive, a quarter as I seem to remember, but I think bike riders paid a dime. I'm not a hundred percent sure if that is accurate. Viscaya had not been made into a museum and Mercy Hospital had not been built. We used to go along the bay and peer over at Viscaya, the John Deering Estate as we knew it, and wish that we had the courage of Nancy Drew and could find a way to sneak across the barrier into this forsaken, weed covered estate. My husband used to fish along that area when he and I were first dating. Later we would fish from the Third Bridge going over to Crandon and in January we would look forward to the shrimp run. We would net them by the garbage can. Third Bridge had a wicked current and sharks were very common through the cut. As a young teenager I used to spend every weekend at Crandon Park. It was the favorite place for beach parties before it actually became an official beach. Later when it had hot dog stands and regular parking we went on school picnics and family picnics. I used to walk to the light house all the time before it became Bill Baggs Park. In fact, I remember the reporter, Bill Baggs, for whom the park is named. Spent a lot of time at the Seaquarium and would love to watch the research boats head out with the University of Miami divers.
The elephant that lived at the zoo had come from our neighborhood. Her name was Dixie and my kids actually thought she was their personal elephant since we used to go to the neighbors and feed and pet her before she was transfered over to Crandon Park. We used to ride the small train that went around the zoo. I spent many years in Miami. My children went every weekend to Venetian Pool in Coral Gables. I would drop them off and then go to the library. We used to go to Policeman's Park. We also liked to go and watch the planes land. There were pony rides and we went strawberry picking along with many other kinds of picking out along Krome Avenue. There was a great place called Burr's Farm that made the best fresh strawberry shakes with strawberries right from his own strawberry field. The circus used to set up their tents on the land that Sears now sits on. We used to go out to water my girlfriends father's mango grove just past where Dadeland now sits.
I loved downtown Miami and held my first job at Woolworth's when I was fifteen and a half. I later worked at McCrory's and my goal was to make enough money so I could afford to shop at Burdines, the place where the upperclass shopped at. I could only afford Lynn's.
I knew a girl who lived out Eighth Street (The Trail) and about 82nd Avenue and I felt sorry for her because she lived in the Everglades. We lived for a time on southwest 17th Avenue near Flagler and we walked all the time into downtown Miami. Calle Ocho, was still Eighth Street and we went to the Tower Theater. It was a nice area and had not yet become a depressed neighborhood, which happened later and made it an affordable area for the newly arriving Cubans to move into.
Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, Tropical and Gulfstream Racetrack, were common places to go. We used to play ball at West Flagler Park, adjacent to the dog track. My father worked at Dinner Key when it was the airport for the air Clipper ships that came in from South America and Havana. The large globe that was at Dinner Key was many years later moved to the Museum of Science. Later 36th Street became the airport and was called Miami International when it was just a small little airstrip. We used to go out on the tarmac and meet the passengers as they got off the planes.
I have so many memories of Miami. I left in 1982. My children grew up there and it held many wonderful memories. Too many to continue. I would love to see some really old photos of Miami if anyone has any. Mine are of family and not of places. I do have one of Musa Isle which I will attach if I can figure out how to do it.
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sharonie
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Posted: Tue Sep 5th, 2006 09:01 pm |
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| Hi I don't recall an elelmentary school but the Junior High as Kinloch, maybe there was an elementary school under Kinloch., I also went there. Your Mom worked at Monkey Jungle, still in operation, lost alot of the animals in Hurricane Andrew. Venetian Pool is still there but does not use the spring water as before, it is piped in. Flagler Dogtrack still exists, it is on the corner of NW 7 Street, and 37 Avenue. There is a huge flea market there on weekends. When I grew up I went to Auburndale Elementary, Kinloch Jr. High and Miami Senior High. If you remember the drive -in theatre on LeJeune, that is now a Marriott, in that same area, I remeber a goat farm, and a hydroponic tomato farm. I could ride my bike to the airport and watch them tow the planes across LeJuene from the east side to the actual airport. Where I currently live is on the site of the old Viking Seaplane base, where we would go to watch the fireworks on July 4. You would not want to deal with Allapata now, really crime ridden and poor. But all of Miami was safe back then, rode my bike anywhere, no problems, we didn't even lock our front door. I grew up on SW 34 aveneu and SW 7 street, my Dad who is 92 still lives there in the same house. (with no A/C!!), when I was around 5 they paved 34 avenue it was a dirt road until then... nice chatting keep the memeories up.....Sharon
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bessnfloyd
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Posted: Tue Sep 5th, 2006 10:44 pm |
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As a current Allapattan, I take issue with the poor and crime ridden. It's true that some parts, especially the north-east part, of Allapattah is really poor and crime ridden in many parts, but criminals get pretty short shrift in the rest of Allapattah. Keep in mind it includes the enormous Government Center/Hospital complex with multiple hospitals, clinics, courts and other government buildings, Dr.'s offices, the University of Miami medical center (teaching and treatment) and Miami-Dade Medical College and the Veteran's hospital. Also Mahi Temple and other such institutions. It also features, as it did years ago, the huge produce and wholesale food center, and a new communications-microwave-fiber-optic center for multiple companies.
Allapattah is to a higher degree blue collar than some neighborhoods, but not exclusively by any means. The reason it is so "poor" is that when they do the census, they include every person in the huge elderly complexes, assisted living, nursing homes, hospitals and rehabilitation with long-term care, the juvenile hall, the Miami Jail, the temporary Federal prison, and several missions that care for the homeless. If they excluded all these people, we'd be only slightly below normal income, and most of that because of recently arrived immigrants.
Also, compared to any inner city area, we do not overall have that high a crime rate. When crimes are reported, very frequently they have not occured in Allapattah at all, but outside of it. If one doesn't mind living in the inner city, and especially if one has a rural or semi rural background, Allapattah is still a great place.
As far as safety, I don't that exists very many places any more. Even in the suburbs, it's dangerous to let your kids walk to school, or to go out walking or running late at night.
Probably a lot of the poor impressions, taking all this into consideration, is that the area is for the larger part Hispanic and therefore Spanish speaking, and if one doesn't speak Spanish, it does tend to make a person feel they are in a strange place; since I speak fluent Spanish, as do my grown children, we don't have this handicap.
We live in one of the "nicer" parts of Allapattah. In 1960, only about every sixth home had a telephone; every other family had one car. Most people had one older black and white TV with outdoor antenna or rabbit ears. Now most homes have at least one land line, or perhaps 3 or 4 cell phones, one to 3 color TVs, with a fairly high rate of huge plasma or projection TV's, and most families have from one to three cars... or more! Most have cable or dish, and quite a few have computers, sometimes two or three in the same home. Nostalgia is great, but I wouldn't want to go back to 1960!
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Bess W.
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Jo, Native Miamian
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Posted: Wed Sep 13th, 2006 02:34 am |
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Just as a side note, Burrs is still in business and still has the best strawberries on the planet! I grew up in Opa-Locka (1953-1969) and finished high school in Kendall (Southwest High). When I got married (1986) we moved south to Cutler Ridge, so I'm very familiar with Burrs!
I'm enjoying the recollections of Old Miami, although I don't know much about Allapattah. I'm sure every kid that grew up in Miami during the 50's & 60's remembers Crandon Park Zoo. Admission was free, no charge for parking, so for a quarter to cross the Causeway, you could have a wonderful day!
Monkey Jungle is still in business, but Orchid Jungle is gone and Parrot Jungle moved to Watson Island (from Red Road in South Miami).
My 1st job was at the Miami Serpentarium. Anyone remember The Serp?
Jo
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Jewell
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Posted: Sat Oct 14th, 2006 04:11 am |
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I remember driving down US1 heading south with my children and passing the Serpentarium. I had never thought much about it except that it was interesting and the big Cobra outside was fun to see. My son was only about two and as we drove by I pointed it out and he almost had a heart attack! He leapt into my arms and held on for dear life screaming and crying and it took a long time to calm him down. I felt awful about it and realized that for a little child I guess it looked too real and WAAAY too big. God knows what nightmares that gave him. I felt pretty guilty about that for a long time. We went when he was older and watched them milk the snake venom and see the huge alligator that had lost his tail.
I lived on 37th Avenue and SW 3rd Street for quite a few years. My best friend lived on 4th and 35th. We played three man ball at West Flagler Dog Track every summer. They used to have a beauty contest at the end of summer and she was Queen one year. I went to Catholic school but my husband went to Miami High and so did a lot of his friends. I think he graduated the year Bob Graham graduated.
We used to go to the Trail Theater and later on we went to the Miracle. There were several theaters in the Gables and we went to all of them. There used to be a Mr. Spudnut that made the most amazing doughnuts from potato flour, hence the name. They were very expensive at the time. J. Baldi was THE beauty parlor to go to and have your hair done if you were going to a prom. Pilkington Studios was the photographer for high school photos.
I lived in many areas of Miami at many different times of my life. I remember Miami when it was still a small city. We hadn't reached a million residents yet and when they finally did they made a big hoopla over it. Little River was the first place we lived, and we went often to Allapattah. Then we lived on 17th Avenue, then 37, later I moved to Edison, Hialeah, for a short time, then to the southwest area near Westwood Lake and later near Dadeland. We used to drive our cars at top speed on Kendall, "the road to nowhere" because it was empty but perfect for speeding.
I remember I loved Old Cutler Road and we used to crush the land crabs when they would cross the road from one side to the other. When they were widening 27th avenue from a small two lane road we stopped one night in the middle of the road and danced on the new asphalt while the car radio blared. My daughter rode her horse on the turnpike while it was first being built and I remember coming across Julia Tuttle Causeway from St. Francis Hospital with my new baby and there were no cars on the road. We saw some relatives on the way to visit me in the hospital and we stopped on the causeway and showed them the baby and chatted on this empty strip of road. They put a shiny new silver dollar in her fist for good luck and then followed us home on 29th Avenue and 12th street.
I can't imagine any road in Miami now where you could stop and dance, or chat, or ride a horse. Growth is inevitable, but there is something to be said for those long gone, small town places. The long, lonely stretch of beaches and knowing the shopkeepers and store owners. I could walk from one end of downtown to the other and run into a dozen people I knew, if not by name, at least by where they worked.
Even Dadeland, when it first opened, and was not yet enclosed, but was an open air mall, still seemed to be small and friendly. Everyone laughed at the foolishness of building a group of stores way at the end of US1. Who would want to shop there? I'm not sure if Mall was yet a part of our vocabulary.
Westwood Lake was really the last straw! When my friend bought her house for ...was it eight thousand dollars?... I thought she was nuts for buying so far out in the "boondocks." Mackle dredged land from a rockpit and filled in the swamp and then called the rock pit a lake! If you bought on the "lake" you paid 12 thousand, I think. Someone told me those homes are going for a million. Who knew?
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Jeff in Atlanta
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Posted: Sun Dec 3rd, 2006 01:26 am |
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I stumbled upon your fascinating website while doing research for a forth coming novel. My mother relocated to Miami from Long Island in 1943 after losing her first husband in WWII. Being still young and pretty, she was hired as a secretary for BOAC and later, as the war ended, for Merrill-Stevens. This is where she met my father, a dashing naval lieutenant who survived the war but not the "battle demons" which intensified his drinking. They were married in 1948, and I was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital in May 1950. In September 1951,while returning from the hospital with me (from a bout of whooping cough) she found a desertion letter written on a blue utility envelope. That would be the last correspondence from my father as he never sent us a penny. My mother was devastated but not beatened. She quickly found an inexspensive apartment above a mom-and-pop store (1111 NW 8th Ave). A few years later I was enrolled in Allapattah Baptist Church, a monolithic stucture with a registered congregation in the thousands. I remember going with my mom to Live and Let Live drugstore to pay some bills (circa 1958) and passing by the Regent Theater with a poster advertising "The Blob". Several years later, the husband of one of my mother's friends gave me a 2-year memebership to the Allapattah YMCA where I learned to swim. If I recall, the "Y" was a bit run-down by then but I didn't care, it was free! The Miami-Jackson swim team use to practice there and often gave the kids pointers. I was a rather precocious, latch-key kid and quickly familiarized myself with bus schedules and walking routes. I can honestly say that if Flagler St (from the courthouse to Bayfront Park) was my "Times Square" then Allapattah was my "Mayberry", a bit of Americana tucked away in a rapidly changing, metropolitan area. The grade school I attended (Highland Park Elementary) was in a very poor district (11th St and NW 7th Ave) and absorbed many of the Cuban refugee children. I had the SAME teacher for the 4th, 5th and 6th grades ! She was a Rosie O'Donnell clone ( in every respect ) but taught me a love of learning and a quest for higher education.
A few days after completing elementary school (June 1962) we moved to the Miami Housing Project in Little River. I quickly got a paper route delivering the Miami News in the afternoon and looking forward to attending Miami-Edison Junior High in the fall. I can remember my mom shopping at Shell's City which was the forerunner of all megastores today. It was multi-level and sold everything from groceries to appliances with its own bakery and barbershop thrown in for good measure. I remember Northside Shopping Center and going to Funland Amusement Park which my mom thought rather "seedy" but I was in heaven! I can recall that Jumbo's had the best take-out fried,shrimp dinners and Haldeman's the best hamburger platters. The Little River Rexall drugstore had their great 1-cent sales and the best mango ice-cream cones on the planet. But by far, my fondest memory of Little River was the Rosetta Theatre, an oasis nestled off of 79th St and NE 2nd Ave. Every week, with few exceptions, I would rush home from church, inhale Sunday dinner,change clothes and make my pilgrimage to that Art Deco shrine. For the nominal price of 25 cents, one could see 2 second-run features plus numerous trailers and cartoons. In all truth, I must have seen every Technicolor movie known to man including each Doris Day/Rock Hudson film (who knew?) to Atlantis the Lost Continent and El Cid. That beautiful, tattered cinema saved my sanity on more than one occaision by showing me that a better life was possible. Three years later, at the start of 11th grade at Miami-Edison, I was working 6 days a week after school at the Food Fair in the shopping center at 79th and Biscayne Blvd (near Wolfie's). By the beginning of Senior year, I had stashed away enough money away to move my mom out of the Housing Project and into a beautiful duplex off 115th St and Biscayne in the Shores. This was no small feat for a 17 year old kid, as it took 3 city buses just to complete 12th grade! But by the grace of God I did it, earning a full scholarship to Florida State University in the process.
In 1975, while married and completing my MBA, I moved my mother up to Tallahassee into a new three bedroom home of her own. My wife and I moved to Atlanta for better job opportunities after completing our respective degrees. Ultimately, after her several strokes, we moved my mom to Atlanta where she lived with us until she passed at 88 in September 1999. Her last request was to be cremated and to have her ashes spread into Biscayne Bay. We placed her ashes in a beautiful marble vase with the knowledge that we would make that trip to South Florida in the foreseeable future.
Finally we found the time to honor our commitment in November 2005, having waited patiently for three hurricanes to pass. We were advised to stay on the Miami Beach side as Miami was still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Wilma. Since I had not been in Miami in over 30 years, I had the foresight to bring an old photo album just to make comparisons. The first few days of our vacation were spent trying to find a suitable fishing vessel to take us into the Bay. Where were the Cuban fishing boats moored off Biscayne pier? Gone! For that matter,where was the Miami Public Library? History! By sheer luck, we found a fishing boat at Baker's Haulover that took us to one of the most scenic spots of Bisayne Bay near Star Island. We all wept as the ashes were spread , knowing my mom had finally returned to Miami. A few days later,we decided to search out out some of my old haunts. The first shock came in visiting the run-down apartment I knew as home for 11 years above the store in Highland Park. The whole building was gone and in its place was one of the Monorail stations. The entire block where Highland Park Elementary stood now housed 2 lime-green apartment buildings. Moving north into the Little River area, our previous apartment in the housing project was unscathed (go figure), while at my mother's last residence in Miami Shores had every window blown out from the force of the hurricane.
In retrospect, I choose to remember the great memories of Miami from the ridiculous to the sublime.From Crandon Park Zoo and Rickenbacker Causeway to the iconic Goodyear Blimp tethered at Dinner Key. From the classically modernist Bacardi Building to the gaudily lit Castaways Hotel. From local celebrities like Chuck Zink and Charlie Baxter (aka Skipper Chuck and M.T. Graves respectfully) to bagging groceries for Dom Deluise and Frank Sinatra Jr. at Food Fair! From Circus-in-the- Sky on top of 6-story Burdine's every Chistmas season to the cherished Orange Bowl Parade every New Years Eve. Lastly, I remember the quote on the side of the old Mayfair Hotel downtown : "As you go through life my son whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole." Thank-you for giving me the space to ramble, its been wonderfully cathartic. - Jeff Last edited on Fri Jan 26th, 2007 07:15 am by Jeff in Atlanta
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Jo
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Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007 11:23 pm |
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The huge white Baptist Church -- was it Flagler Street Baptist Church??? (Lots of steps and pillars)
It had a basement, which seemed so cool in the hot summer. I went to Auburndale Elementary, Shenandoah Jr. High, Miami Sr.
Definitely remember the Royal Castle hamburgers, and the rides at Policeman's Park and Funland (The Wild Mouse) How about the pony rides and the little bowling alley where they actually had "pin boys" on s.w. eighth st. near 30th ave.
Thanks for posting such wonderful Miami Memories.
Jo
(another ex- Miamian, born Coral Gables General Hospital, 1947
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TAPitts
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Posted: Tue Jan 30th, 2007 01:46 am |
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| Does anyone recall a place that sold ice cream and other things for sundaes? I vaguely remember a small building that you drove up to the window and got your ice cream. I will always remember the cow on top of the building. My younger brother and I would argue over who saw the cow first. I wish I could remember the name of the place. It always brings back good memories for me when I think of it.
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bessnfloyd
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Posted: Tue Jan 30th, 2007 02:43 am |
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| Farm Store, probably, on NW 17th Ave at 30-somthing. That's the only place I recall that had a cow. It was black and white, and our kids loved it too. While we shopped at Kwik Chek or AG on 27th Ave. most of the time, if we ran out of milk late at night we'd get it at Farm Store. The Hispanics call it "La Vaquita" (the little cow).
____________________
Bess W.
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Jo
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Posted: Fri Feb 16th, 2007 03:56 pm |
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Hi There,
I just can't help but wonder if the big Baptist Church near your home was the Flagler Street Baptist Church on Flagler St.
I went there in the early fifties - my mother taught a kindergarten class.
I still remember two of the kids names from my class -- Nicky Schroeder and Ricky Painter. I remember all the children's classes marching into the main church auditorium while "Onward Christian Soldiers" was played on the piano.
I have wished for years that I had a photo of my kindergarten class lined up on the steps for their graduation photo. (ours got lost during a move to Hollywood, FL in 1963.)
Your recollections of Miami are very vivid.
I also remember Policeman's Park -- used to spend ten cents to ride on the "swing" ride.
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Dario
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Posted: Sun Mar 11th, 2007 10:50 pm |
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| Hi Jewell: I was born in St Francis Hospital in 1950. I remember it was Dr. Purdue that delivered all of us in those years at St Francis. I also remember driving on Ingraham Highway in Coconut Grove over hundreds of crabs crossing the road during a storm. Miami sure was a different place back then!
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Sue
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Posted: Fri Mar 30th, 2007 10:43 pm |
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I remember the Serpentarium, I believe Haus was the owner. I loved to pass the Snake on Dixie Highway. I was born 1953 Coral Gables and moved north of Orlando 1985. Still miss home, it has changed though.
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MiamiNative1977
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Posted: Sat Mar 31st, 2007 05:04 pm |
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Hello everyone. I was reading your posts on your recollections of Miami, and had to register for this forum. Your posts brought back so many memories! Thanks so much for sharing all of them!
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DUKE
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Posted: Sat Apr 7th, 2007 11:48 pm |
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| On n.w. 27th. ave and around 36th street there was a dairy queen there but it hav a swirly cone and we use to go there and hang out on the hoods of our cars than cruise to the pizza palace set up some drag races and head out to crome avenue or mastersfield and race it was a blast back than didnt need any money every time i see american graffiti thats about how it was in miami. i went to melrose elementry,then off to robert E lee i was born n.w. 24th street in a shack 1952.The best place and time to live in miami the crime was hardly any we never locked are car or house. The first Burger king i remember was on 36th street behind melrose i use to sneak there for lunch with my quarterand dime and buy a hamburger fry and a coke .35 I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME THOSE WERE THE DAYS!! DUKE
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DUKE
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Posted: Sun Apr 8th, 2007 12:06 am |
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You grew up about the same time as my brother and I. He was born nov. 1949 and also went to miami jackson and was on a swim team there our last name is duke. local hang outs were the pool hall on 36 st. and 27 ave. my friend last name Miller A.K.A. leprecan played pool there born 1950 Hustler. also dairy queen on 27th ave big hangout. pizza palace, 27th ave. Drive Inn, fun land park. 79th street. midnight drags krome ave. Master fields. Paul Smith use to work at a gas station on 27th ave he's a pro drag racer he built a anglia english ford with a 427 in it use to run it at miami speed way and on the road a real monster.Any of this familiar. I myself went to melrose elementry than later Robert E. Lee than dropped out. Our family has lived in miami since 1850's use to be beautiful place i dont have anything to say much about it anymore if i did it wouldnt be good even though most of my family still live there.
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