MEMORIES - PAGE 3
Then she was excited over the Toddle House which served tiny hamburgers
for 5 cents. Then there was Martha Washington Ice Cream shop where you
could get the best frozen custard and Reeves on G Street with a lunch
counter and soda fountain. kmelke
I made a copy of all of the memories and sent them to my cousin who was
raised in the District. In '47 she was married and moved to Annandale,
VA. She was so delighted but had to throw in a few you had missed. Her
prime one was the candy store--Velati's--my aunt, her mother used to
send my mother a two pound box every Christmas after wee moved West in
1934.
My great-grand-father was born in DC in 1859. I am a 4th generation Washingtonian. My mother graduated from Hine Jr High and Eastern High school. My husband graduated from Central which is now Cardoza. I remember meeting my grandmother at Woodies balcony and eating lunch in Woodies Tearoom. I see Reeves was finally mentioned. We went there for pie, skipping the lunch. They had the best pies in world. My husband remembers their ham biscuits.
I use to go ice-skating at Uline Arena. When I was a teenager the submarine races at Haines Point were the best along with hayrides to Great Falls. I went to high school in Maryland and we took our goats (pledges) for our sorority and made fools out of them in front of the Palace, Columbia and Capitol theaters. The Capitol had great stage shows between the feature films. When I was 9 I caught the bus in MD which took me to DC and walked 2 blocks up and caught the bus to Falls Church to go visit my grandmother, by myself. That would never happen now!
Our favorite hamburgers were the tiny ones from Little Tavern. I think they are still there. My husband is 68. We didn't have TV then.
Jan
Arthur Godfrey - how many remember his radio show? I woke up every morning
to it. He often mentioned my home town, Colonial Beach, where he loved to
eat hardshell crabs. Kate Smith got her start there - in a riverside dance
hall - when she was a very young teenager. It was a wonderful place for a
kid - swimming in the Potomac all summer (the water was clear as crystal
then). Many of my best friends were Washingtonians whose families had
places at the Beach, and I couldn't wait to grow up so I could go to
Washington and live there.
My mother was born and raised in D.C. She had
worked for the Treasury Department - her job was to inspect paper currency
as it came off the press. I thought that was the neatest job - looking at
thousands and millions of dollars every day!
My dream came true when I was 18. I threatened my father with running away
from college if he wouldn't let me go. Finally, he gave me his blessing and
$100 when I promised to continue my education at GW night school. I worked
as a secretary with the Civil Aeronautics Board - my very first assignment
was to type a letter to Eddie Rickenbacker (then president of Eastern
Airlines), my very favorite World War II hero. I thought I was in heaven
for sure. The most wonderful people worked for the CAB, a relatively tiny
govenment agency - we were one big family, luckily for this greenhorn,
small-town girl.
At first, I lived in a basement room on Dupont Circle. I had to wash my
dishes in the bathtub. But, again, I was lucky and found some great
roommates. At one time, there were five of us in a big apartment a block
west of 18th and Columbia Road. We had all heard the big rumor about the
shortage of single men in D.C., but we just laughed at it. Men seemed to
migrate to our apartment - that might have been because we furnished rather
unique entertainment. We had a black cat and a white Leghorn chicken who
would put on a great show for our boy friends. The chicken flew up on the
cat's back and rode all around the apartment. Some nights, we thought we
would never get to the dance or show because the fellows had so much fun
with our pets. Of course, our apartment had a no-pet rule, but I don't
think there was a single tenant without at least one pet. We frequently
gathered outside in a small park next to the building on a Sunday afternoon
and let them play together - chicken, cats, dogs, monkeys, whatever.
One of our favorite places was the Shoreham, just a walk across the bridge
from our apartment. We all loved the state society dances and the Paul
Joneses - a great way to meet guys. Of course, I always felt like I had
plenty of chaperones because I frequently met others in the Paul Joneses
who knew my father - he was very active in the American Legion and I was
amazed at how many people in D.C. knew him or knew about him. And many of
them were aware of his high standards for his only daughter!
There was also a club in the Shoreham (I can't remember the name) where
Sandy Williams and his band played. The music and atmosphere were both
great. Many of my boy friends were fantastic dancers (an important
criterion for a date in those days), and we often put on a show. Sometimes,
Sandy would clear the floor just for us. One night after a state society
dance, my date and I popped in for a last dance and headed straight for the
dance floor. The rule was that a party had to be seated at a table before
they could dance. The bouncers came after us and tried to hustle us out.
Sandy intervened and cleared the floor so we could put on our show. Another
time, he recognized a Hollywood starlet (the blonde-bombshell type - I
don't remember her name) on one side of the bandstand and introduced her.
She rose to take a bow. While the blonde was still standing to applause, he
turned toward my date and me seated at the other side of the bandstand and
announced in a loud voice over the wild applause, "And over here we have
Terry!" Then he invited us to the floor to put on a show. More wild
applause! If looks could kill, I would have been real dead at that very
moment. What marvelous fun we used to have and what terrific Washington
memories!
Terry
Memory pages are great! I was born in DC in 1931 and lived there until 1965, when we moved to Raleigh, NC. During the late 1930's. our Sunday afternoon entertainment consisted of my father piling the family into the car for a drive across the 14th Street bridge to watch the dredging of the Potomac River. Do many people realize that Regan Washington National Airport is built on land that was dredged from the bottom of the Potomac? After the airport was completed, many a Sunday we would go to the airport to watch the planes - not only at National, but at Anacostia Naval Air Station and Bolling Army Air Station across the river from National. The air traffic was pretty heavy with the 3 airports close together.
Also, during the thirties, at 16th and Kennedy Streets was a huge reservoir (where the tennis courts are, now). After Easter, all the kids around there would climb up the steep hill of the reservoir and roll their Easter eggs down the hill. The mothers would sit on the benches at the bottom of the hill, conversing, while we wore ourselves out running up and down the hill.
We lived a half block from my elementary school. West School, at 14th and Farragut Streets was a small 16 room school. A few years ago, I drove by my old home to see that West now encompasses one half of the block, from Farragut to Gallatin and half-way down. What a shock! Our house is the first house right next to the school, now. I think of all the families we knew that lived in the houses that are no more. I attended Paul Junior High and Coolidge Senior High. Next Spring, we will be attending the 50th anniversary of our Sr. High graduating class. After high school, it was on the the University of Maryland. I have so many memories of DC and my school buddies. My family has been in the DC area since the 1860's.My children can't believe that we could get on the streetcars at any time of the day or night and go anywhere in the city. We may not have had today's comforts and technologies, but we had good times, friendships, love and tranquility.
Anne Simpson Locke
More memories! Remember when Arthur Godfrey, who was on the local WRC
radio station, was reading an ad for 'Zlotnick the Furrier'? He said that
a beautiful fur coat could be had "for (number) potatoes". He had
substituted the word "potatoes" for "dollars". The next day in the paper,
we read that indeed, a man had brought in the correct amount of potatoes
and insisted that he be given the coat. He won, and Godfrey was in a heap
of trouble for a while. As for Kate Smith - when we moved to Raleigh, a
close friend in the neighborhood was the neice of Kate Smith. Kate was in
her last years and living with her sister close by.
Anne
Oh my, do I ever have memories. My sister's and I are 12th generation Marylander's but we lived in DC for a couple of years or so in the early 50's. I finally broke the chain and now live in Florida. However, we were neighbors to another memory writer, (JUNEWM) we also lived on Georgia Avenue, street cars right out front! I also went to West Elementary and McFarland Jr. High School. My older sisters went to Roosevelt High, the oldest graduating from there before we moved back to Maryland. Aside from that wonderful, huge old house that we lived in, and shared with other families.....one to each floor.....I remember those Woodies windows at Christmas time quite well. As a matter of fact, my Grandmother was an employee, and retired, from Woodies! She worked in the employees cafeteria and would once in a while take us grandkids to shop at Woodies and have lunch in the employees cafeteria (which was huge). What a treat that was. I still have a gold chain neckless that I bought in 1956 from Woodies, for $16.00 less Grandma's 10% discount.
When I was a teenager, my girlfriend and I, initially wearing high heels, walked all the way to the top of the Washington Monument. We were the only people walking. I don't think they allow that anymore. We wanted to take the elevator down, but they said it was full. So we walked down too. Much easier and faster than the trip up, I must say. And those highheels came off and it was stocking feet for most of the walk up! Another girlfriend and I "picked up" a couple of sailors on the Monument lawn where people sat to rest, take in some sun, and in out case, "primp" with the use of our built-in pocket book mirrors -- but hey, that's another story. Oh the fear of that sort of thing these days!
Does anyone remember the beautiful Low's Theaters? Especially the Capitol and the Palace? Weren't they grand? Nothing like that for movie goer's today! When I was a kid they had live stage shows in those theaters. We went to see Jane Powell when I was about six or so. I remember dressing up in (matching with my two sisters) fur trimmed coats, hats and white fur muffs to go to that show. Our parents allowed us to walk down the isle to see Jane Powell up close. She winked at us. What a thrill. She was quite young, probably not yet twenty herself, and so beautiful. Later, after moving to Mt. Rainier, just a block from Eastern Avenue, my girlfriends and I would skip school and hop the streetcar right up the street at the Rhode Island Avenue Depot (end of the line!) and take it downtown to those theaters where they then showed movies. We'd always have a grilled cheese sandwich, french fries, a coke and a chocolate sunday - all for $1.00 at Niesners huge lunch counter.....Murphy's was a little too expensive for us. We also went shopping downtown via streetcars. Dressed up in highheels and dresses (sometimes even wore those little white gloves!) to go shopping! Oh my, the more I write, the more memories creep in. I could go on and on and on and on. Thanks!
Nancy
Thank you for a nostalgic pleasure. There's hardly a memory I read that I can't share.
I came to the Washington area (Bethesda, first) in 1930. Moved to Harvard Street NW where I recall the Savoy and Tivoli theatres. Last month there was a biography of Marriott on the History Channel that brought back events and scenes that I had forgotten.
I can still see the original Marriott counter in the old Arcade Market on 14th St where he got his start. Later I worked in Hot Shoppes while attending college.
Next on Quebec Place, near York theater, I attended Park View elementary. After a move to Rockville we returned to DC at 18th and Wyoming Ave. Seventh grade was in Powell Jr High, eighth and ninth at Paul after we moved to Quackenbos St. Then Roosevelt High and American U.
My younger wife can remember almost as far back as I. She lived on Rhode Island Ave and later Meridian Pl NW. She attended Central HS. I recall the Senators in a World Series and later my favorite player, Buddy Myer. Also the infamous 73-0 Redskin defeat.
Tom
Where to start... and when to stop???? I was born at the old Sibley Hospital way back when... lived nearby DC in early years; moved to VA for a while and then back to DC at age 15. Walked a lot from Georgia Ave & Crittenden Street neighborhood to 16th Street to hang with friends; frequented the Kalarama Road Skating Rink, and the movie theaters near 14th & Park Roads, NW. Loved going downtown on the streetcar; meeting friends/family on the balcony at Woodies. Dressed up...high heels and all. And always, always loved going down to see the winter window displays at Woodies.
Graduated from Roosevelt HS and went to work at the Wonder Bakery in 1953 as a secretary for $1.25 an hour!!!! Stayed with them for 5 years. (Was making $2.18 when I left there!) About the time I went to work, we moved to Mt. Rainier, but I was a DC gal by then. Hung out with friends downtown a lot; the Capitol Theater, the Blue Mirror Grill; the German restaurant on 11th St (I think)--can't remember the name. Also went through a phase of hanging out around Columbia Road, NW...I remember some German "beer joints" we used to sit in and play word games and laugh by the hour...A bunch of us frequented the Friday night dances at the Burlington Hotel; always "met" someone who was going to throw a party on Saturday night and we'd all go there. Sometimes we'd go to some dance place in upper NW..."Woody's" I think it was. And sometimes we'd go to some dance place over in SE ...near the Marine Barracks, I think it was called Guys. Got lost every time we drove in that part of town. I was the one with the car, so I learned my way around DC by "getting lost" a lot...and finding my way out again.
Well, I could go on and on and on....Fun memories!!!! AND I STILL LOVE TO GO TO DOWNTOWN DC!!!! The museums are great; the shows are great; the restaurants are great!
Jean
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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