13 Comments:

• Hi Steve,what a wonderful project your site is, I thought I was the only person to miss the landmarks of OC,especially Santa Ana. I was born and raised there in 1953. I was born at Santa Ana Community Hospital, on Washington Street. Back then, your Birth Certificate came with the baby's "footprints",sadly mine didn't survive the Taffolla family mementos,but I still remember looking at all of our 5 sets.
  We lived on 2nd/Bristol,across the street from the "Key" hamburger joint,which was next to Johnson Chapel.On 1st street,there was a place just East of Bristol that you could rent time on a trampling,it was every kids dream to jump on them.We did all our family grocery shopping at "Reds Ranch Market on Harbor Blvd,but did our day to day shopping at "Norris Superette" on St .Andrews street once we moved to Evergreen St. close to the Kerr Glass/Cherry Rivet plant near Standard/Warner Ave.What I remember most about the old days is the Helms Bakery Truck,that used to cruise the neighbor hoods in a bright yellow van/truck,what I wouldn't give for one of those Cream Puffs! The way the driver would stop the truck,get out and come around the back to swing open those two back doors,pull out the deep shelves while we waited anxiously to see all the different donuts,chocolate cupcake,and best of all,those light as air cream puffs!
  Once again,thank you for providing a place for us old cronies to reminisce of the good ole days,too bad these simple things are a thing of the past!
  Gloria Taffolla, Anaheimmom@AOL.com

  By  Gloria Taffolla, at March 19, 2005 10:57 AM  

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• South Coast Plaza had just opened when my family and I left Costa Mesa for Fresno in summer of 1967 (we were there in C.M from 1963 to summer 1967). At that time, South Coast Plaza was Sears at one end, May Company at the other end, and various smaller specialty shops in the enclosed mall in between. There also was a J.C. Penney's, Woolworth's, Thrifty Drugs, Food Giant, Jolly Roger Restaurant, and various other specialty shops in the Harbor Center, Harbor and Wilson, right behind our home in the College Park District. I was just down that way last week to visit a lifelong friend (who since relocated to San Juan Capistrano), and if she wasn't in the car with me to direct me, I wouldn't have known where I was. The 17th Street area near the apartments in which my family and my friend and her late husband first lived was all but unrecognizable to me, though the apartments on Ogle Street, happily, were just about as I remember them over 40 years ago.
  
  The Harbor Center I remember at Harbor and Wilson in Costa Mesa has been leveled and what was in its place looked like alien space ships ready to take off for the mother ship. They also added a 15-foot block wall to the six-foot block wall that used to separate the back yards of the homes on College Drive (where my family lived; my friend and her husband lived on Fordham, one street over) from the center's parking lot, and they blocked off the entrance to the parking lot from the neighborhood. If we were living there today, we'd basically feel as though we were living under an overpass. I also couldn’t help but notice that NONE of the individually-owned businesses in the Harbor Center, or anywhere else for that matter, have survived, but I can’t say that phenomenon is unique to Costa Mesa.
  
  Something about the College Park neighborhood looked very lackluster and drab to me, and it dawned on me later in the evening on the day I visited my old “stomping grounds,” it is because in the days in which I remembered it, the neighborhood had homes in the bright pastel colors or yesteryear; there were pink houses, yellow houses, turquoise houses, mint green houses, blue/grey houses (ours), and now there is little but white, tan, beige and maybe a muted gold.
  
  Sad to learn that the beautiful Fashion Square in Santa Ana is replaced by an ugly strip mall (can’t even recall the name) and I understand the Buffum’s store in downtown Santa Ana now houses State of California offices.
  
  All I can say to summarize my trip to Orange County is, it brings new meaning to the old adage, “You can’t go home again.” I’d rather close my eyes and remember it the way I knew it.
  
  Sincerely,
  George Hewett

  By  George Hewett, at March 21, 2005 2:33 PM  

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• This is a wonderful project!
  Does anyone remember a restaurant that was located inside South Coast Plaza from the 80's called 20th Century Limited? It was a restaurant inside an actual railroad car. I remember this only vaguely from childhood.

  By  Anonymous, at June 14, 2006 1:19 PM  

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• I remember 20th Century Limited. I had lunch there with a friend and her mom when I was about 8 or so. The sugar bowls had multicolored sugar in them and I thought the whole train concept was so sophisticated!

  By  Anonymous, at July 26, 2006 9:51 PM  

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• This is a great website!! It brings back so many memories and reminds me of everything that made us what we are today!! Does anyone remember a miniature golf course on Glassell St. in Orange, just off of the 22 fwy, across from Hart Park? It had a Hawaiian or Polynesian theme and sat where the Yen Ching restaurant is today. Does anyone have pictures? How can I find out more about it?

  By  Anonymous, at January 21, 2007 6:58 PM  

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• Wow! A quick glance around this site has brought back alot of images. I was born in Anaheim in 1966. My brother and myself lived with our Grandparents at 322 N. Harbor until 75 or so. I can still remember the phone number, JE-10823. We attended Hazard Elementary. My Grandfather, John M. Deck, had a small engine shop next door. It had a big black clock on the roof. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody here remembers it. Kona Hawaii and the Crows Nest were just down the street along with Crocker bank. In those days my brother and I would walk to the bank with my Grandmother to make the deposit. I doubt you would even dare think about that now. Once in a while we would walk down to McDonalds and take our lunch on down to Prentice Park to see the monkeys. There were a few years were I lived in Westminister as well as Garden Grove. That pic of HWY 39 Drive-In is awesome. I remember being devasted when I went back for a visit and saw the Wal-Mart. How about the slot car track at Hobby City? Or all the cool things that used to go on at Mile Square Park? Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble. I could go on and on. It was fun.
  
  Regards,
  James A. Deck

  By  Anonymous, at March 09, 2007 8:37 PM  

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• I WENT TO SAVHS AND GRADUATED IN 1964. THERE WERE A FEW FIGHTS, BUT THEY WERE ARRANGED. BEST I EVER SAW WAS TOMMY MARTIN AND JOE PRYNE. WE CRUISED MAIN STREET, WENT TO THE LEGION, WENT TO THE SHOW, SNUCK PEOPLE IN THE DRIVE IN BY PUTTING THEM IN THE TRUNK, AND DRANK COUNTRY CLUB STUBBIES WHENEVER WE COULD GET SOMEONE TO BUY THEM. MY BUDS WERE KARL GIERKE, LARRY "WEASLE" WILLIAMS, BOB THOMPSON, RON CLOYD, PUFFY, TIM COX AND A HOST OF OTHERS. VALLEY WAS GREAT. IF IT"S BAD NOW, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF DISRESPECTFUL PUNKS THAT MAKE IT THAT WAY. TOO BAD. I ALSO REMEMBER MRS. MINARD.

  By  FRED, at March 16, 2007 10:54 AM  

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• One morecomment about 1967. I had a brother in-law that played in the Chantays. Three older (2)sisters and (1)brother. Remember Mike Grey and Steve Grey I thinkin a great fight. Both became good friends after beating the crap out of each other. (A DRAW)My sister graduated in 66 and brother in 65. I had many secret loves and Julia R. was one and Linda W. was another. Treasure your memories. My oldest sister was in the 3rd graduating class of SAV class of 63.RIP

  By  Joe, at May 19, 2007 4:22 PM  

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• I was born at Santa Ana Community Hospital, on Washington Street in 1947. Back then, your Birth Certificate came with the baby's "footprints", I still have mine one of the few things that survived. But I found out that it is not a legal document because it doesn’t have the Californian Stamp on it. The new ones are very simple with no finger or foot prints & look like there easy to forge. My feet are bigger now, size 13 LOL but I’m sure my foot prints haven’t changed.
  
  BTW, Neat site, thanks.

  By  mike, at August 31, 2007 11:40 PM  

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• I wonder if anybody remembers "The Haunted House" in Santa Ana. It was boarded up and had hub caps and crosses nailed to trees and walls. At night you'd see an old lady through the slats of the window. I don't remember the street it was on, but it was a corner house that faced a major street and a residential street. People would drive by out of curiosity. I was a teenager at the time but I never forgot how creepy that house was. Some of the neighbors on the street would shoo the kids AND adults off, because EVERYBODY would slow down, stop cars, or get out and take a peek around the house...

  By  Anonymous, at September 02, 2007 2:40 AM  

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• A search function might be in order. I wanted to look up gilmore's restaurant in Anaheim to see if there were pix of the t-rex that was part of the old mini golf course behind the old restaurant (it has since been rebuilt). I wanted to see if there were maybe behind the scenes pix of mickey rooney aound the 'set' of saint catherine military school. I forget the name of the movie though. I think it was 'Boy's Town'. Speaking about movies, what about drive-ins???

  By  Jerry R., at September 24, 2007 6:31 PM  

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• I know that I may not be near as old as most of the posters and readers here, but I must say this is probably the best site that I have ever come across. I have lived in OC my whole life and have only heard of the old days and how things used to be. This is the best time capsule I have ever seen.

  By  shozo, at February 16, 2008 11:31 AM  

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• Anyone remember Rosemary Shea (Shay?), a 1956 employee at Vandermast's in the second floor accounting office. That fall she enroled at Scripps College in Claremont. And then...?

  By  richard e peck, at March 09, 2008 8:23 PM  

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