I am not from that area, but I worked in D.C. in late '50s, early '60s. Came from Western KY, and worked for the Navy Dept. So many memories of people and places. Shopping at Woodies, partying (we did a lot of that in those days) at The Place where Louie Dwells (which was beneath street level, very dark and there were red legs coming out of the wall...quite weird!! We ate the Watergate Restaurant which I guess later became the Watergate complex. Used to go to the old Willard Hotel and sit in those big red banquettes. My roommates and I used to go to dances at the officers club in Virginia (can't remember the name of the base now). I dated a little Marine who was stationed at Henderson Barracks. I lived in Arlington Towers and there was this quaint little diner where I used to eat a lot. There was a drugstore there I dearly loved too, right next door.

I remember when JFK was inaugurated, and the big blizzard that came the day before. I had to walk in spike heels 12 blocks to catch a bus in the snow. I didn't get home until after 1 a.m. and it was only five minutes across the bridge to Arlington. I decided the next day I would just stay home and watch it on t.v. (black and white) instead of going back out in that mess. What a day that was.

My apartment was across the road from the Iwo Jima memorial statue. They had small parades there. Also the Navy band would play concerts on Friday nights on a floating barge on the Potomac. I remember riding the bus for entertainment and it costs .15. You could transfer endless times.

I remember the old "W" Building, which was behind the old Munitions bldg. on 22nd and Constitution. I worked there, and it was very old and shaky then. I saw where all those buildings were torn down. I used to eat my lunch sometimes out by the reflection pool. Some may not know this, but the old prefab buildings on the other side were actually occupied by the CIA at the time. I had a girlfriend who worked there. She told me she was only allowed to tell people she "worked for the government" not anything else...

Well, that's about the extent of what I can recall at this time. It is fun reading and remembering those days.

Thanks.

Hi, Debi has done a wonderful with this web-site. We wrote of our memories and they were included on Page 15.

My wife and I were born in Washington, DC in the 1920's. We lived there until the early 50's when we were married and moved to College Park, Maryland.

Now we live in Maine but cherish the memories of growing up in DC. We lived two blocks from each other at the 5000 and 5200 blocks of 5th Street in Northwest DC. We have a genealogy web-page at lbandeddavis.com. Our e-mail is lester@lbandeddavis.com .

We would love to communicate with others who grew up in DC.

Lester B and Eleanor D Davis

As a child in Anacostia , I remember eating Taylor's ham? It came in a long roll. We sliced it and fried it in a skillet for sandwiches. I live in the Midwest now and no one here has ever heard of it. Just talking about it makes me wish for one of those yummy sandwiches again. I also remember Luigi's Pizza, (I think on M Street), when it was just a small mom and pop restaurant squeezed into a residential neighborhood with a wall lined with men's ties that Luigi cut from his clients. I've been going there for 60 years. I told my kids and grandkids that it was the best pizza anywhere. And, they agree! We still go there when we visit Washington. The real test of a Washingtonian, I was once told, is if you know what an "airee way" is-I doubt if that's an architectural term. Our row houses in Fairlawn Village in Anacostia were separated by a space called an "airee way." It was a great spot for a kid to hide and escape a parent trying to find you for some household chores. I often wonder if kids still use that term today.

Don't suppose there are any graduates of Benjamin G. Orr grade school around who remember Pop's candy store, Myers Grocery, or the high school hangout, The Hi-Ho Club.

I lived on 16th St. NE near Avondale. Use to go to Queens Chapel drive in as a kid. Went to Woodward school on 17th & G St. NW. At lunch we would walk up the Wash. Monument! Reindeer custard in Silver Spring, Polar Bear Custard on Ga. Ave NW. My father and his brothers and cousins owned Haje's Chicken in the Rough Restaurants in the 40's and 50's. DC was small & homey. It was an awsome place to grow up.

Hi, I enjoyed reading about the many memories of DC residents long since moved away. Mine are as follows: I was born in 1955 at Georgetown Hospital on a hot August 4 night. My mom had me prematurely because as she put it the heat was unbearable. My earliest memories are of living over top of Scherr's Liquor Store at 4235 9th Street, N. W., Washington. W lived there from 1958 til 1962 when we moved to 434 Longfellow Street, N. W. We attended St. Gabriel's church and school, my brother and I, and I went on to attend St. Anthony's High School on Lawrence Street, N. E. until I decided I wasn't going to college right away and attended Burdick Vocational High School in DC which was quite a culture shock from the sheltered life I had led in Catholic Schools. Mr. Werth and Ms. Worthy were quite different from the nuns from which I had learned so much in my early years. I remember Father McCaffrey, Monsignor Miltenberger and Sister Rose Esther, Ms. Oliotta, Sister James Patrick (one of the meanest nuns ever) and Sister Emma Therese who I saw in 1982 when I went back for a visit during my friend's wedding.

I too remember sitting at the counter at the drug stores drinking Cherry Smash sodas. One of the best memories I had was frequenting the Howard Theatre. We would start out with $2.00 and that would cover our transportation downtown to T Street and back home plus entry into the theatre where we saw the likes of The Temptations, Smokey and The Miracles, Jr. Walker and The All Stars, James Brown and so many more and we still had $1.00 to spend on an all day huge Mr. Good Bar or other all day candies. The good old days indeed!

I remember being taught by my mother how to catch the 14th street bus or the 7th street bus to go shopping at nine years old BY MYSELF! I also remember not going anymore after the dreaded day when Dr. Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Activist, was shot and killed and riots broke out downtown to the point of it being no longer a pleasant place to go since most of the stores were burned down and totally useless and unrecognizable. I met so many friends in my years. One I still keep in touch with who I've known now 45 years. God has been good to me and I too would love to meet with any old timers from DC from the 50 and 60's

. KMS

What a wonderful site! I was born and raised in DC and grew up in the 70's. I now live in Waldorf, MD. I lived right near the corner of Chillum Place and Kennedy Street N.E. in the Riggs Park section of DC. From our front window, you could see the red line trains pass by in the distance at the For Totten subway station. Out the back door, you could see the light towers that illuminated the football field at Jesse LaSalle Elementary School, where I spent a very happy childhood. Some of my memories of living in DC are as follows:

Stopping whatever we were doing during the summer days when the ice cream truck came through. There were two kinds of ice cream trucks: the one that sold all of the junk food, sodas and popsicles - characterized by the "jing jing jing"; and the seldom-seem Soft Serve truck that had the understated "ching.........ching.........ching". The Charles Chips truck driving through the neighborhood selling tin cans of potato chips, pretzels, cookies and other snacks. Catching the subway to RFK Stadium with my father to watch the Redskins play. My brother Mike and I would alternate home games since we only had two seats. These days, season tickets are like gold! The subway cars would be so packed with sports fans that you really didn't need to hold onto the poles; the press of humanity kept you in place. Watching Captain 20 on WDCA TV (Channel 20). I still recall the jingle: "Channel twenty...the great entertainer!" We also watched Captain Chesapeake on WBFF from Baltimore, MD.

Playing football, baseball, kickball and dodge ball in the alley behind our house. We were confined to the space between two telephone poles in the alley, but that proved to be ample playing space. In my young mind, I thought the full extent of the whole world existed between those poles. I can remember chasing after a runaway kickball that took me across Kennedy Street and down and around the alley. It was like seeing a whole new world! We weren't allowed to cross the street. I have plenty more memories of growing up in DC. Some of them can be read at my blog:

.

milton.

Hello Debi,

What a great idea you had to open the site for us all to go down memeory lane. I am 55 years old and grew up in Camp Springs, Md. which as you know is only a few miles outside of D.C. My grand parents lived in D.C. on Texas Ave., right around the corner from the Mighty Moe on Pa. Ave.

I remember those days in the late 50's early 60's going downtown shopping with my Mom and Grandmother. We loved to go to Morton's and further into D.C. to the Hecht Company. My favorite day was to go to the Little Tavern on Pa. Ave. not to far from Morton's for those yummy little burgersI loved it when Mom would make a trip to Stevenson's Bakery with the checkered board tile building. I loved their Tea cookies. They would melt in your mouth! I like many, also loved to go window shopping especially at Christmas. All the mechanical puppets were displayed in such a way as to tell a story. Nothing like D.C. at Christmas tiime in the 50's and 60's. Going into D.C. for the annual fireworks show was awesome. My great-grandmother lived in another part of D.C. I can't exactly remember where, but I do remember that very big Curtis Brothers Furniture Chair across the street. There was also a deli that had the best hot dogs in the world. I remember also the many field trips our schools took to the Smithsonian Museum . We had the best time. Went to the medical museum one time when I was small with my Mom. Don't remember being so thrilled about seeing all that anatomy in jars! Remeber the movie theaters with balconies? Ticket prices were 25cents and the food was so cheap. Have fond memories of Woolworth and People and Rexall drug store soda fountains. That is when Coke tasted soooooooooooo good. I remember the Super Cheif drive inn on Indian Head Hwy just over the D.C. line., also there was a drive in off Central Ave. which had wooden fences up so you could not see the X-rated flicks playing. Marshall Hall and Glen Echo were the neatest places.There was a monster roller coaster there at Glen Echo which scared the daylights out of me. Does anyone remember the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City? fun place to go when you are about 5 years old. How about the 51 club and the Quanset hut just over the D.C. line around Naylor Road and Branch ave. The old Hi-Boy donuts and the G.E.M. club department store. I went up into the Washington Monument one time and I knew I was on top of the world. at 7 years old what else would you think!

In the 60's we hung out at Iverson Mall a lot. Jr. Hot shoppes was the best. So much food for so little money. Oh those were the days. Tastee Freeze in Morningside gave us a great frozen dairy treat on a hot summer night. I remember when McDonald's opened up across from Andrews A.F. B. in Camp Springs. Now that was a life changing event! To find out that Willard Scott was Ronald was so neat. My aunts were in the era of poodle skirts, every color of the rainbow net petti shirts, ballarina slippers, neck scarves, front button sweaters worn backwards, big hair! Well I say a thing about the big hair. I am a teen of the 60's. . Anyone remember mulligan shoes, black stockings, ban-lon shirts, plaids, leathers, chucks, dickies, being a Block or a Collegient!. I could not choose. I had friends on both sides....how about the guys with the rolled up tee's with the cigarettes in the roll of the sleeve and a cigarette tucked behind the ear! Leather jackets, motorcycles... How about that 67 mustang. what a car that was to ride around in in the 60's.

So much to remember. How much fun it has been. Thanks

Gloria

DEAR DEBI

I FOUND YOUR SITE YESTERDAY (10 -10 -08) WHILE LOOKING UP FOR ANYTHING ABOUT THE OLD KING COLE ROOM ON CONN. AVE. IT SENT ME TO YOUR 2ND PAGE AND READ OF ONE OF YOUR CONTRIBUTORS MENTIONING IT. HE SAID THERE WAS A SINGER BUT HE COULDN'T REMEMBER HER NAME. HER NAME WAS JEAN DOWLING AND SHE SANG SONGS LIKE DOROTHY SHAY. JEAN MARRIED A FRIEND OF MINE AND UNFORTUNATELY SHE PASSED AWAY AT A YOUNG AGE. SHE WAS FAMOUS FOR MANY YEAR AS THE VOICE OF SMITH'S MOVING AND STORAGE. "DON'T MAKE A MOVE MY DARLING WITHOUT CALLING SMITH'S". HOW MANY REMEMBER THAT? I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT HOW MANY PEOPLE REMEMBER ALFRED'S RESTAURANT AT 1724 CONN. AVE,NW. MY AUNT -KATHRYN BLOCK- AND MOTHER -HELEN POWDRELL- OWNED AND RAN THIS PLACE FOR ABOUT 25 YEARS. IT WAS A GREAT PLACE FOR SPORT CELEBRATIES SUCH AS CASEY STENGEL AND SAMMY BAUGH FROM SPORTS, BUD EISENHOWER -IKE'S NEPHEW - JOHN WAYNE AND HIS SON PAT. WHEN IT FINALLY CLOSED IN THE LATE 60'S DON HEARN WHO WROTE "TIPS ON TABLES" SAID DAMON RUNYON WOULD HAVE LOVED ALFRED'S.

SOME OF YOUR CONTRIBUTORS MENTIONED YOU SHOULD HAVE A SORT OF REUNION FOR US OLDTIMERS. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. THANKING YOU FOR WHAT YOU STARTED.

BILL POWDRELL

my god father lived in ss he was a lawyer then moved to oc has since passed away but they had a great old house in silver spring name was palmer,lou and wife had adopted a son then she got preg.and had a daughter but my mother worked at the old t3 bldg downtown forever do you remember the t3 bldg by the govt.they were on the part now which has the vet.name war mer. govt put them up and thats why they were called t 3 s temp.bldg get it t3 she did as all the young woman did came from somewere else to work for the govt she was from buffelo ny lived on 16th st in one of the apts just for woman who worked for the govt and there were a ton of them.but im showing my age here .anything else you need me to add.i have really alot of memories of dc it sure has changed tho i still think its the best and the most attractive city in the us it does have it problems but its still the best in the nation.

Your website is just awsome. I had forgotten some of the places that your readers have mentioned. I grew up in south arlington. I lived down near the Navy Annex from 1948 to 1954 where we used to go sledding on the navy annex hill and also watch the fireworks. There was a restaurant at the end of the street called Links. they had the best french fries. I think the place is still there but dont know if the name is the same. We learned how to roller skate on the gas station lot when it was closed. When i was 12 i moved up on South Walter reed drive near columbia pike. We hung out at peoples drug store and the bowling alley. Also at Brenners Bakery and the Broiler. We had a teen club on walter reed drive that everyone went to and we danced every day after school and on friday and saturday nights. We had bands play and we had a football team that played against other arlington county rec centers. It was a small building but we had a great time. I see see alot of the kids that went there and they still live in the area. We have alot of fun talking about the past. I have s small menu from topps Drive in that i got someplace years ago. It would be nice to be able to have one of the sirloiners now. We went to the hot shoppes in alexandria after going to the roller rink in alexandria on saturday nights. Also went on the milt grant show about once a month and met alot of singers. What fun we had. Not having a car in those days we did alot of walking and riding our bikes. We didnt have the crime that we have now so it was safe to be out on the streets late at night. No worries at all. Just whether we would graduate from high school. Hope other readers will have some good memories of those days and write in. Your website is just awsome. I had forgotten some of the places that your readers have mentioned. I grew up in south arlington. I lived down near the Navy Annex from 1948 to 1954 where we used to go sledding on the navy annex hill and also watch the fireworks. There was a restaurant at the end of the street called Links. they had the best french fries. I think the place is still there but dont know if the name is the same. We learned how to roller skate on the gas station lot when it was closed

. When i was 12 i moved up on South Walter reed drive near columbia pike. We hung out at peoples drug store and the bowling alley. Also at Brenners Bakery and the Broiler. We had a teen club on walter reed drive that everyone went to and we danced every day after school and on friday and saturday nights. We had bands play and we had a football team that played against other arlington county rec centers. It was a small building but we had a great time. I see see alot of the kids that went there and they still live in the area. We have alot of fun talking about the past. I have s small menu from topps Drive in that i got someplace years ago. It would be nice to be able to have one of the sirloiners now. We went to the hot shoppes in alexandria after going to the roller rink in alexandria on saturday nights. Also went on the milt grant show about once a month and met alot of singers. What fun we had. Not having a car in those days we did alot of walking and riding our bikes. We didnt have the crime that we have now so it was safe to be out on the streets late at night. No worries at all. Just whether we would graduate from high school. Hope other readers will have some good memories of those days and write in.

Dianne Hickman

I was born in Washington DC at Sibley Hospital in 1952. I grew up in Mt. Rainier, MD and lived there most my adult life. I attended St. James, Mt. Rainier Jr. High and Northwestern Sr. High.

There weren't any shopping malls back when I was growing up. I remember going downtown with my mom and loving the streetcars. It was always fun going downtown. Our fun place to go was Marshall Hall and then Glen Echo. I have a question about the Giant located in Queenstown on Queens Chapel Rd., Hyattsville, MD. Does anyone know if it was a "Super Giant"? I have a friend who claims it was but I maintain that it was never a Super Giant only a Giant. If anyone has any information please let me know.

Thanks,
Kris Beach
kbeach111@comcast.net

i remember living in mederian park apts. across from same park,going to cook elem and to a day care house on eulicd st ,i remember the glenn echo park street car ride which i thought was going off the tracks because of the speed it used to get there and back i remember shopping on 14th st for buster brown shoes the best ever made twang you magic trangger froggie, i remember the ontairo theater and the movies on the weekend to see the serial movies each week i remember pulling a pipe out of a mans mouth standing a the island for the streetcaR and later finding out im working with the same man small world they say,i remember the rides to the zoo that wonderful place that takes you to another world what with all the different building and animals in each one.what a great place dc is for all its faults its still the best city in the usa to be living in or around ever.god bless dc.

kirkpatrick p baker

Thanks so much for all the wonderful memories. I was born in D.C. at Sibley, 1948. We lived for the most in Morningside, Md near Andrews Air Force base. We also lived on Avenue C in D.C. when I was younger and then on Davis Ave (not sure of town). My folks use to take us to the air force shows there; what a treat. I saw President Kennedy arriving one time, that was pretty neat. However, when the whole family went to see him light the Christmas tree I had come down with the mumps and couldn't go. I attended Morningside Elementary and Suitland Jr. High. My friend and I use to love to go swimming at the Suitland community pool; they would sell great sub-sandwiches for about 10 cents. On Friday nights my Dad (he worked for the FAA in downtown dc) he would always bring us a treat; Chinese food in those little white boxes. I remember some of the other places; Hot Shoppes, Dixie pig, White castle, & Eddie Leonard sandwich shops. On the 4th of July, Dad would pack us all up in the station wagon and we would lay down a blanket, have a picnic and watch the fireworks across the Potomac river. What fun that was. when I was younger I actually thought they were shooting the fireworks right out of the monument. We also got to go to the beach in the summer. I remember going to Mayo, Triton and North beach. Some of us got to go to Ocean City. When I had reached my teen years Friday nights were so much fun. I remember to the teen sock-hop and everyone clapped when i danced with my Dad. We were the best dancers on the floor. Other times we would catch the school bus from my elementary school and ride over to the Bladensburg skating rink. Some Fridays they would take us to meet the Ferry and then ride over to Marshall Hall- we had a blast. On Saturday mornings our folks would drop us off at the Coral Hills theater or sometimes we would go to the drive inn in Coral Hills. If we were lucky enough my friend, Julie and I got to go horseback riding over in Forestville, or maybe it was Forestville Rd. I really liked our little town of Morningside. We would go sledding down some of the hills; my aunt had given us a sled that had rudders and wheels- it could really fly. I got to go to Glen Echo when I was younger; but I think when I was a little older dad didn't want us going down there too much. Julie and I use to catch the bus from Morningside and go down town D. C. Then we would catch the streetcar. We would go shopping to 5 & 10 stores and Julie would try on every outfit in every dept store while I giggled and made faces in the mirror. Then of course we would go eat and then maybe stop by the bakery or ice cream shop. Speaking of ice cream, I certainly do remember the Pick Temple show- they use to advertise Heidi ice cream. Also, remember Ranger Hal, Romper Room, the Milt Grant Show, and who remembers WPGC; big o fat ol Dino on 1580? The Saturday matinees were always so much fun. We would race to sit in the balcony, must of the theaters back then had 'em. We went to Coral Hills, Lowes and some other cool theater down town. My folks had some close friends that lived on Newton street NE near 17th street and there was a theater either down the street or near by that we use to go to. I remember Shock theater on Saturday nights. I would sneak down the stairs to watch it, and then I would crawl in bed with one of my younger sisters cause I was so scared. My folks met and married in D.C. My dad was from western Nebraska, and WWII veteran. He had just been discharged, and my Mom, from S.C. had worked for the Army map service when they met. Talk about two opposites; she wanted cornbread, beans and grits and my dad wanted meat and potatoes. However, they managed to make their marriage work for 50 plus years and 5 kids later. Mom passed away in 95. So, I have very fond memories of my childhood growing up in D. C. We moved when I was 14, but growing up in the D.C. area made quite an impression on me

I, like many of you, discovered the web site by accident. My family has been in DC since the early 1800's.My father was born in Georgetown; my mother (nee West) was born and grew up in Petworth.I was born at the old Providence Hospital, which I now believe is a park My family has been in the barrel and cooperage business for over a hundred years and still has one property directly across South Capitol Street from the new Nationals Park. My Dad went to ST John's; my mother to ST Patrick's. I went to grade school at CU Campus School which no longer exists. I went to junior and senior high at St Anselm's Priory, then Abbey, school. As someone said, the monks at St Anselm's had a farm, chickens, goats, and rabbits mostly managed by lay brothers like Brother Maurus.Their Gregorian Chant services were wonderful. The entire area of NE Washington was full of different religious houses, so much so, that it was frequently called “Little Rome.” I went to Georgetown and the Law school. I was in the last class that started at the old Law school that was on 6th street. Lerner Law book was just across the street. By the way if you have old photos or movies, take the time to put them on disk to save them. It is worth the expense.

I spent most of my early summers at Colonial Beach,VA and my family had been going there since the early 1900's. The library there has some great resources; the local newspapers do as well. They tell about a history of slot machines, big bands, and huge crowds that are unimaginable now. I saw Guy Lombardo there.Doc's Motor Court, which was at the time one of the few old motels, is still there and they have a web site with many pictures, including Little Reno, Monte Carlo, the Boardwalk, and the rides and amusements there. Glen Echo is alive and well and getting better. The Denzel carrousel has been restored and operates during the late spring until early fall. They have an old streetcar that is a lot like the one we all rode. What a ride, especially at night. There is an amusement park at Canobie Lake in southern NH that has many similar old time rides like Glen Echo. The new Spanish Ballroom is fabulous and has many dances. We also went to Ocean City MD and Wildwood. We stayed at the New Beach Motel owned by the Bunting family and Brown House cottages up in the north end (at the time 65th) of OC.We usually stayed in Wildwood Crest, ate at Groff's, and saw Bill Haley and his Comets at the old Diamond Beach Lodge. We rode the ROTOR, the Wild Mouse over the ocean, and played SKILO.”Watch the car please” Back in the DC area, Georgetown had to contend with the Hoffmeyer Rendering plant and that unique “smell” for years.

In 1969, the Senators were managed by Ted Williams; the Redskins were coached by Vince Lombardi, and Georgetown went to the NIT. That was a big deal then. No Super Bowls until George Allen and the over the Hill gang in 73 and the Gibbs era. And no NCAA's until the first Thompson era. The Senators actually won the World Series in 1924 with Walter Johnson pitching. My father said he could throw the ball faster than Sandy Koufax or Bob Feller.Many of the old Senators are still around the area and used to go to a gathering called NATSFEST. I attended a few and got many autographs of my boyhood heroes. There is also an organization called Association of Oldest Inhabitants that has monthly meetings and marches in some of the local holiday parades, such as the one in the Palisades neighborhood. Thanks and I hope we all can continue to enjoy the site.

Paul Warring

Reading these pages about growing up in the DC area brought back so many memories. I grew up in Arlington and graduated from Wakefield High in 1960. I belonged to a teen club in south Arlington. We went on the Milt Grant Show about once a month and met alot of performers there. We hung out at Brenners Bakery and Peoples Drug Store on columbia Pike in arlington. Tops Drive Inn was of course a nightly visit and if the one on S glebe Rd was crowded we went to another one.Not having a car during those years i rode my bike everyplace or walked to where i wanted to go. We walked to the Hecht company in Parkington and also to Clarendon to do our shopping. We went to the roller rink in Alexandria on saturday nights and in the summer went to Glen Echo or Marshall Hall. Things were fun back in the 50's and pretty much safe for kids to hang out on the street. No one got into trouble and we had a good time. I still live in the area but not arlington so have seen so many changes take place over the years. Going downtown to Woodys was a treat for me and when i worked in Washington back in 1964 we went to Reeves to eat strawberry pie which was the greatest. Giffords Ice Cream Parlor was our favorite place to go. Falls Church still has the dairy bar ice cream but not on the corner of Rt 50 and annandale rd but in the shopping center there. I wish that someone had kept video's of the Milt Grant Show so that they could be shown to the kids today. Thanks for keeping this memories website running. It is a great place to remember the past.

Dianne

Hi! I am an alumn of Hyde Elementary School in Georgetown. I have been scouring the web for any alumni and noticed that a woman named Judy on your site mentions going to Hyde. Her memory is posted on your "Memories" pages, page 1. Would you be so kind and forward my mail to her, assuming you have her email address? She expressed an interest in contacting people who went to Hyde.

I would also love to post my memories on your website once I have read through the others, to jog my memory. It is a wonderful site!

Many thanks in advance,
Kate Whitmore

I moved to Georgetown in 1966 at the age of 7 and went to Hyde Elementary on O Street. I lived for some years on Volta Place, just off Wisconsin Avenue. I remember it being a time when, despite plenty of troubles and crime, people tended to trust one another. The 7th precinct was right across the street from our house, which came in handy when my mother would forget her house keys. The officers would put up a ladder and climb in through an upstairs window. My friends and I wiled away many an hour hanging around the precinct, chatting with and no doubt annoying the officers. They even let us visit the jail from time to time and if no one was inside they would lock us up for a few minutes. We tried to be there when paddy wagons showed up, which was quite often.

Across Wisconsin (East side) was a wonderful ice cream store called The Parlor. We would go upstairs and order hot fudge sundaes. They served them in tall parfait-type glasses with ruffled edges on classic marble parlor tables with wrought iron legs. Downstairs you could walk outside and sit in their beautiful little shady garden. Most weekends when the weather was fine our very large, friendly balloon man would be seen walking up and down the street with a huge cluster of balloons saying "Make the ladies happy...make the children happy" in his booming baritone. Just north at the intersections of Q and Wisconsin were three gas stations, two of which remain. The owner of one of them my mother referred to as "Bob the Crook" because he overcharged for everything, but she visited him nevertheless because it was so convenient. The station that closed I believe was owned by (and called?) Ladd Mills.

Georgetown was pretty self-sufficient then. You didn't have to drive anywhere to get the essentials. There was Weaver's Hardware when it was a real hardware store and located on M Street. Woolworth’s on M and 31st was a mecca for kids with small change (I loved buying cheap earrings and 45 RPM singles there). Neam's and Scheele's markets were real grocers at the time with butchers. There was also the Food Mart on M Street and Safeway up the road if you needed more selection, plus many pharmacies like Morgan's, Dumbarton, Doc's and People's Drug Store on Wisconsin and. Most of the grocery stores I mentioned still exist (Food Mart closed, however) but the smaller grocers are really more like convenience or specialty stores now. And People's is now a CVS. We had quite a few theaters come and go over the years: The Georgetown (now a seedy jewelry shop), The Key (a boutique retail store), the Cerberus (now a Barnes and Noble) and the Biograph (now a CVS) . Other shops I loved in Georgetown were the Wine and Cheese shop right next to the People's Drugstore, Powder and Smoke perfumery, Klein's Four Seasons and Beyda's Petites across the street, and of course the wonderful Coffee, Tea and Spice shop further south on Wisconsin. Oh, and who could forget Doc's at the corner of O and Wisconsin, where almost all the Hyde kids sneaked off to buy candy, read comics and get a soda. People's Drug Store had a real lunch counter back then, too

. In the mid-60s to buy clothes shopping you had to go up or downtown. We shopped at Woodies and Garfinkels downtown and Sears, Best & Co., Lord & Taylor and Saks uptown. Downtown was quite the place to go for specialty shops large and small. You could find just about anything there. I also remember Reeve's on F Street and their fabulous pies. There were so many great little shops, also quite a few rough looking electronics shops that had the best prices for stereo equipment. I can remember my buddy Pam Reckert and I walking to school by ourselves using only back alleys. We would cut through the police parking lot, down the alley behind the shops on Wisconsin, pass the wonderful bookstore on P Street (The Common Reader) and cut across the front entrance of the old Addison School, which at that time housed a mental health clinic and administration offices. There was an old fashioned Coke machine just outside the entrance that dispensed Cokes in the little old fashioned bottles for about 5 or 10 cents. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get a Coke out for free but doubt I succeeded. Later in the 60s I loved shopping at the funky boutiques like Three Penny Bit and another one with an Irish theme further down on M whose name I can't recall. My sister and I bought incense, huge flower-power decals, paper dresses and plastic blow-up chairs. I recall Georgetown becoming a real hippie and Hell's Angels destination at that time, especially at People's Drugstore (where the Angels and other bikers would park their motorcycles) and the Hot Shoppes (later Roy Rogers?) at Prospect and Wisconsin. During the '68 riots we had a curfew but many people stilled roamed around. I remember trash cans being torched. Someone wrote "Free Angela Davis" on our house wall. In the early 70s you could find me with my fake i.d. going to bars and dance clubs like Monkey Business (in the basement of the Wooworth. My favorite drink was a tequila sunrise and we all danced the hustle in our monster platform shoes to Donna Summers and the like. By then I was going to Georgetown Day high school on MacArthur Boulevard (where the River School now is). We were allowed to smoke in the back of the school and called our teachers by their first names. Starting 1969 we moved to the East side of Georgetown: first to Cambridge Place near Montrose Park, and then 29th Street at O, where I still live. My son goes to Hyde now. This year is Hyde's 100th anniversary and I am writing a book about the school and the neighborhood. If you would like to share memories of Hyde, whether you were a student, teacher, parent or neighbor, please email me at Kate Whitmore.

The Cool cars at Wheaton Hot Shoppes Circa 1964-1966 My name is Gil Whitehurst Peary High Class of 1966 Rockville Md.

A life long car nut, at night at the Shoppes was a real treat. Gto,s 442's 55 Chevys with hop-dup 283's and 327's Would get off work around 5 on A Saturday from Hermon Hitz's Amoco or Randy Strickland's Shell Station on Aspen Hill rd. Wash my 63 SS 327 4-speed Super Sport Head down Viers Mill Rd towards the Shoppes to find out what was Happening that night no other way for teens to communicate. Would hope to catch a light and some player ( baby moons, no hubcaps) would be a givaway, would be next to me . When light changed I would Hit It and bang a few gears usually backing off around 70 or 80 mph

Lost license for 30 days once-got caught

One night I was riding shotgun in my buddies (John Nicholson) 65 Chevelle Malibu 327 350 hp 4-speed, 410 Gears. It was a sleeper indeed sporting those fake 283 flags 65 gto pulls up next to us at viers mill and university dr. I try to get the guy to run us, he says 'I ain't wasting my slicks on that 283- I say man you have not met one like this before- light changes, we get into it and beat em, cops come after us a real dukes of hazard chase scene. One of most dangerous things old John And I ever did, But one of the most rewarding??

Oh well, we were 17---------Gil Whitehurst

Do YOU have any memories of D.C.? If so, please e-mail me and I will add them to this page.

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