Friday, July 08, 2005

You can consider yourself a Miami native if...

As we all know most people that live in Miami actually came from somewhere else. So there aren't a lot of true "natives" among us. But some of us have been here a long time, in my case 28 years. And a lot has changed in that time. I thought it would be fun to highlight some things I remember from my first days in Miami. So in a "sort of" tribute to Jeff Foxworthy...

You can consider yourself a Miami Native if you remember:

  • When Kendall Drive was “the road to nowhere”
  • When I-95 didn’t reach all the way down here (without interruption)
  • When “Miami’s Best Pizza” was the original “Little Caesar’s”
  • When Les Violins was a hot spot
  • The Copacabana Supper Club
  • When the people on South Beach were older than the buildings
  • James McDuffie and Neville Johnson
  • Johnnie Jones and gold plumbing
  • D’Pizza of UM
  • Lou Saban
  • WCIX
  • Big Wilson
  • K-102, I-95, and the original Zeta 4
  • A time when Frank Forte and Don Noe weren’t on channel 10
  • Glen Rinker & Ralph Renick
  • When trains ran parallel to U.S. 1 (at ground level)
  • When the 836 toll was 10 cents
  • The Miami Marlins and the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees
  • When FIU was a “Senior College” and the school’s nickname was the “Sun Blazers”
  • The Miami News
  • Miami Rowing Club
  • Gator Kicks on Tamiami Trail
  • K-land
  • The Miami Toros and The Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
  • Flipper in the open end-zone at the Orange Bowl
  • When there was a grocery store in Dadeland Mall
  • When Crown Liquors got shot up
  • Cocaine Cowboys
  • The Mariel Boatlift
  • Tent City
  • Packer Pontiac
  • Hurricane David and that masking tape that’s still on all your windows
  • When Ana Azcuy married “Kid Curry”
  • When “Footy’s” name was “Athlete’s Foot”
  • Heiny Wine “The wine that made Medley, Medley”
  • Grand Union
  • When the Norway was the largest cruise ship in the world
  • When the 94th Aero Squadron had good food
  • When the Rusty Pelican burned down
  • The Tropicaire Drive in Theater
  • Miami Dade Junior College
  • When there was a Burdines at the Mayfair mall
  • Centrust
  • The Lemon Twist
  • The Monk’s Inn
  • The French Connection
  • Monty Trainer’s Village Inn
  • El Cid
  • The Mutiny
  • Ensign Bitters
  • The Limelight
  • Lums
  • Jordan Marsh
  • When SunTrust was Sun Bank
  • Peaches Records and Tapes
  • The Dadeland Twin Theater, The Riviera Theater, and Plitt Gables Theater
  • Super Skating Centers and Tropical Skating Center
  • Air Florida and Eastern Airlines
  • Indy car races at Tamiami Park
  • When Shorty’s burned down
  • When the Rickenbacker was a drawbridge
  • When La Carreta only had one location
  • Biscayne Dog Track
  • Campus Life Haunted House
  • When the Mark IV was the best ride at the youth fair
  • The Skipper Chuck Show and the Sunday Funnies
  • Miami Marine Stadium and Hydroplane races
  • Hugo the whale
  • Velvet Creme
  • Planet Ocean
  • Luskin’s High Fidelity
  • Club OZ
  • When the Mall of the Americas was Midway Mall
  • Lindsley Lumber
  • A.J. Duhe
  • Victoria and Abbey Hospitals
  • Malibu Grand Prix and Castle Park
  • Chicken Unlimited
  • JByrons

6 comments:

Robert said...

I got a couple more for you Conductor:

- The Zayre store on NW 7th ST and 37th Ave.

- When 836 ended at the Palmetto.

- When A.D. Barnes Park was called Bird Drive Park.

Anonymous said...

lets not also forget scarmouche in the omnie

Marichu said...

When Carlo Arbolella Park was Robert King High Park.

Water skiing at the Airport lake without worring about aligators.

Ron Acosta Cabarcas said...

I didn't know Robert King High park's name had changed! When was this? Are talking about the same one by the railroad tracks on W Flagler?

Rene said...

When hanging out a Ferrari's pizza on Friday nights after skating at Tropical West Skating Rink and dancing to Disco at Le Bush inside the rink.

Rene said...

Parallel Bar at The Bakery Center, 25 cent drinks on Thursday nights at Fire and Ice, Mystics, Ziegfields and Gambits by the airport, 94th Aero Squadron disco, Club Z, Club Nu, Tuttles and Club Escapades at the Embassy Suites on LeJeune.