I had this conversation recently with friends over numerous cocktails, so I thought I'd transform it into a thread here..... Post your age and your earliest memories of the great city of Houston Texas. I'll start..... I'm 47, and here is what I remember: --Cattle grazing where the Galleria shopping mall stands today --The weird route you used to have to take to get to Galveston before Loop 610 was built (South Post Oak-Alameda-Telephone Road, etc.) --Peppermint Park on South Main, where all the little kids had their birthday parties --Gaido's on South Main with the big ceramic shrimp wearing a cowboy hat and holding two six-shooters --How Willowbend used to dead-end at Hillcroft in my neighborhood OK....bring it!!!
I'm 26. First memories of Houston still remain Candy Cane Lane during Christmas time. My parents used to take me when I was maybe 6 or 7 to see all the houses decorated with lights and candy canes. I don't know if that street still exists, but maybe I'll check it out when I come back to Houston one day. I actually don't know which part of town Candy Cane Lane existed, but I remember we had to drive a little bit.
25. Didn't grow up here, but I remember trips to Astroworld & the Dome very vividly as early as age 5.
Age 54 Peppermint Park-- had some birthdays there Candlestick Park -- off Ella Blvd (?) I used to live on Thornton Drive in Oak Forest and we used to play at that park all the time Barbacue Inn-- that was a place my family dined out... for fried catfish of course Brannan's (?) -- a curb market before they all went the way of the chain Chuckwagon -- nothing like a 6-YO boy sticking your face down a bag full of hamburgers loaded with mustard and pickles (again before chain dominance) Louis Cutrer -- met him once as a 5YO boy San Jacinto Inn (okay so it's not Houston) Delmar Fieldhouse (one of my friends used to tell us that his sister sat on the roof and that is why it sagged) UH Cougar basketball -- my dad took us to see a number of games with The Big E, Ken Spain and down through the years when they moved into Hofheinz Pavilion in the Dwight Davis era Houston Oiler football at Jeppesen Stadium-- we watched the Oilers-Chargers in a downpour Houston Oiler football at Rice Stadium -- saw Pete Beathard's mid-season Oiler debut at QB The smell of Fall and the crispy air
October 26, 1978. When I moved here. I just turned 11. I remember it being hot and it hasn't disappointed since.
Did not grow up in Houston, but I do remember travelling there quite frequently as a kid. 35 yrs old. Crystal Pistol - I remember seeing this place and wondering what wonders I could witness when I turned 18. Shamrock Hotel - Not sure if that place is still around, but I did stay there several times. Nino's - To my young palate, this was the ultimate in Italian cuisine.
I remember the Oilers being awesome and Earl Campbell was a monster. I played on the Inwood Dad's Club Oilers. Quite honestly the worst football team in the history of "An Histories".
Excellent...keep 'em coming. Giddy, that was far-out. It reminded me of a couple of others... Cellar Door - my first Texas BBQ experience Going down to the Marriot-Astrodome when the SF Giants were in town to play the Astros. That was the hotel off Braeswood where all the visiting teams used to stay. My Aunt was in town and she was a big Giants fan.
I laos remember the Bad News Bears movie and it being in the Astrodome. Betta watch out sucka. Cus I feel. goooood.
I am 33, and I remember being in the City of Houston on vacation from Mexico when they used to let you climb the train at the ZOO (no fence like now). - I also remember WATCHING the Rockets on TV while still in Mexico through a Rio Grande Valley station. Others with memorable mention include experiencing Alicia that's what she said in 1983 and I remember being here to watch the Paolo Rossi spectacle that was Spain '82 World Cup on "S.I.N." TV (the artist formerly known as Univision) during the summers.
I moved here from Louisiana in 2000 just before I turned 14. All I really remember is horrible traffic. That and the Borders bookstore on Gessner and Westheimer because it meant I was almost home from school. I'm fairly confident, however, that I may have made an Astroworld trip when I was younger, but my memory is so terrible that I couldn't say for sure.
I have only spent two weeks in Houston, when I was 5. My mother and I were getting ready to go over to Saudi Arabia to be with my Dad, who was working for Aramco. At the time there had been reports of kids being kidnapped in department stores. My Mom and I are shopping in a large department store and I notice that if you climb in the middle of clothes racks its like a tent. Plus no one was able to see you. As my Mom is shopping around I climb in the middle and start to hide. Then I hear my mom start to call my name "IVFL. . . . IVFL . . . . Then it gets Frantic. Soon she is pretty much screaming my name looking for me. When I crawl out she about tackles me and starts crying. . . . So yeah, thats my only memory of Houston. Nice huh.
I was born and grew up in Houston and my earliest memories are of the neighborhood near Rice where my family lived in a duplex the first few years of my life while my dad got his PHD at Rice. I'm not sure exactly where it was and I bet that duplex doesn't exist anymore. Some of my other childhood memories that other people might be familiar with are of going Herman Park, turtle hunting along Braes Bayou, and going to my first Rockets game with my dad at the Summit to watch the Calvin Murphy Rockets take on the Lakers with some young kid called Magic.
I’m 39 and was born and raised in Houston. I remember: - Peppermint Park. I had and went to lots of birthday parties there - Luv Ya Blue. Earl Campbell = God. I worshipped the ground he walked on. I wanted to be just like him - The Summit. My Dad used to take me to Rocket games back when Calvin and Rudy were playing. I remember the first year the Summit opened up. I still remember the song and video they used to play before the games. - Petting Zoo/Pony rides on Braeswood and Main? My Dad used to take me on Saturdays to get my haircut and then to ride the ponies right there across the street. - Antoines on Main. My Dad used to take me there after the pony ride to get an authentic po-boy and a coke. - Jaquet Park. This is the park on 610 West right between Fornace and Bissonett. I lived on Jaquet and we owned that park. - 290 used to end at 43rd. LOL. - Putt putt/go karts/game room/castle on 610 between I-10 and 290. That place was heaven for an 8 year old kid. I’m feeling very old and depressed right now. Thanks a lot, RMTex…
If you remember Houston before 610 was built, you're old Heck I can't remember Houston before Beltway 8 was built.
You're Welcome! And, thanks for reminding me of Antone's on South Main. That's where we used to stop before Astros games in the Dome. We would pick up Po Boys, Chips and Sodas, and bring them into the Dome and eat while we were watching batting practice. It still pisses me off that you cannot do that at most MLB ballparks.
Colt .45's baseball in Colt Stadium Oiler - Texan AFL championship game in 1962 (Abner Haynes screws up the coin toss in OT, but the Oilers still lost) Wee Wild West That spider looking sculpture outside the museum The "moving" billboard showing players like Al Spangler, Rusty Staub and Bob Aspromonte
I'm 36. I remember Peppermint Park, obviously. I think it was a requirement for birthdays to be there. I remember "The Vault" arcade in Baytown, as well as roller rinks. This is where you went for birthday parties if Peppermint Park wasn't available. I recall driving past Gilley's hundreds of times as a kid. Never went as an adult. I recall the "Luv Ya Blue" painted on one of the big Oil Tanks on 225. I recall Bellaire Blvd. having trolley tracks in the right hand lane. I recall Zappo's. Damn, I still miss that place. I recall Marvel McFey. Bah. That's all for now.
I'm 22, but have never lived in Houston. My dad is from Houston, and we would visit his family and go to games back when we lived in Austin. I remember going to the Astrodome and collecting Astros souvenir cups after the games that people left. I still have one of those cups. This was before baseball really kept my attention.
A few more I just thought of: - Visiting Santa on Bellaire and Rice. You could drive up, tell him what you wanted for Christmas, then he'd give you some candy and you'd drive away. Bellaire was always beautiful during Christmas. - Evergreen pool. Lots of summer days at that pool. - Dons Record Shop. That's where I walked to to get all my KISS albums.
