Postcards From Anaheim
by Steve
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
If you're one of those rare breeds that loves old postcards of Anaheim motels, you're in luck. There's a book just for you.
"Postcards from Anaheim" celebrates the five years of the blog, "Synthetrix - Photos of the Forgotten", and devotes itself to vintage Anaheim motel postcards. It contains 96 pages of the Googie glory that once surrounded the Disneyland theme park.
Here's a blurb from the author, "Synthetrix"...
Greetings Orange County lovers!
Some of you might have visted my website "Photos Of The Forgotten" and seen all the great old postcard images of all the motels and hotels that once surrounded the magic kingdom. In honor of the site's 5 th anniversay this year, I have created a 94 page book of all these images. If you ever vistied Disneyland between 1955 and 1985, you'll see a lot of familiar places, like the famous INN OF TOMORROW, THE SPACE AGE, EDEN ROC, and many, many more. This book is also popular with folks who lived in or grew up in Anaheim or there abouts. Check out the link below for info on how to order. It's available in either soft or hard covered editions. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Buy the book online here...
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/96560If you're looking for photos of other Orange County cities, or SoCal cities, check out Synthetrix's blog for more photos...
http://synthetrix.blogspot.com/Labels: Anaheim, Books
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Anaheim in the 1960's
by Steve
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Dick Gerber sends us his memories of living in Anaheim during the 1960's, and mentions his favorite eateries, the people he knew, and the places he shopped...
Greetings!
When I got out of the military in 1960, I ended up in a tiny town named Anaheim. I met my bride to be at the California Bldg. at Center and Los Angeles Streets. We too went to the Bean Hut, Carl's, The Clock, Harmony Park and Oscars at Harbor and Katella. We ate a lot at Chung Kings on Center Street because it was cheap. We also went to the Roberts Room on Euclid when we had any money. Otherwsie it was the Kit Kat on Center Street accoss the street from the Kramer Building. They were right next to Ritz Cleaners and across the street from the Murray dance studio.
Downtown, we went to Leos' Cafe where you could always find Anaheim Police Trike Motor Officer, Joe Miranda getting a cup of free coffee. That is, if he wasn't at one of the Winchell's Doughnuts getting free coffee! Movies at the Garden or Fox, and great hamburgers at Armstrong's on W. Center Street
15 cent Hamburgers from the Burger Chef on State College, and then to the Anaheim Drive Inn. $1.50 a car load. That got you three movies if you were lucky.
First car from Casey Beckman Pontiac on Los Angels Street. Jerry Lamar promoted to Detective, APD Juvenile, and worked for Sgt. Heaton who later hit the Irish Sweepstakes. Our first apartment was on North Lemon Street not far from La Palma Park, and then on Mills Drive. Owned a house on Clementine back in the late 60's. Jerry Lamar bought a new home on the west side in about 1962 and still lives there! He did retire sometime ago from APD.
Great hardware store downtown along with the SQR department store. The old Valencia Hotel was managed by Emile Schab. Another hotel was the old Pickwick, which was also the Greyhound bus station if I recall right. The Pancake House on Lincoln was a favorite, and still is from what I hear. East Anaheim was the new Anaheim, and my wife's folks bought a home there brand new in 1958. Her Aunt and Uncle bought one on the next street over and now my youngest son, 38, owns it.
I really miss the "old Anaheim" from those days. While there are small pockets where memories flood back, it's a changed town for me. It seems like only yesterday that Stillwell's Studebaker was right around the corner from Leo's on Los Angeles Street. I collected bricks from several blgs as there were being torn down because of Keith Murdock's vast plan for a new Anaheim. Speaking of Keith, that just reminded me of old Calvin Pebley and Jerry Sneegas, former councilmen.
Dick Gerber
Labels: Anaheim
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The Hamburger House - Anaheim
by Steve
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Joanne, who reads OCThen from across the pond in England, wants to know if anyone can share some memories of eating at The Hamburger House, a favorite place of hers when she used to vacation in Anaheim...
Hello Steve,
I am actually from the United Kingdom, and did not ever live in Orange County, but I did holiday in Anaheim 3 times a year from 1972 - early 1980's, my father worked for TWA at the time in London. I have very very fond memories of Anaheim and the surrounding area, particularly my birthday meal each year which took place at The Hamburger House which I think may have been on the corner of Harbour & Katella. I believe that it has now gone, but just wondered if anyone else remembers this little restaurant, it was the first place that I ever tasted canteloupe melon, pancakes etc, we did not eat these things in the UK back in the 70s.
Very best wishes
Joanne from Hampshire, England
Click on "Post a Comment" below, if you'd like to share your memories of this place.
Labels: Anaheim, The Hamburger House
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Glacier Falls Ice Arena
by Steve
Monday, October 29, 2007
An anonymous OCThen reader asks if anyone else remembers "Glacier Falls Ice Arena", an ice skating rink in Anaheim...
Does anybody remember Glacier Falls Ice Arena? It was in Anaheim on Katella near Disneyland. We had lots of good fun ice skating there on Saturday mornings in the 1960's. After the Zamboni shaved the ice we sure did pay attention to the big sign hung in the arena reading: Skate At Your Own Risk!
That ice was slick.
Click on Post a Comment if you remember it too.
Labels: Anaheim, Glacier-Falls-Ice-Arena
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Anaheim in the 1960's and 70's
by Steve
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
An anonymous OCThen reader living in Australia sent us some memories of his growing up in Anaheim during the 1960's and 70's...
I was born in "The Valley" in '56 but my parents moved to Anaheim in '57. Our neighborhood was one of the new housing tracts built on a former orange grove bordered by Ball, Western, Orange and Knott.
I was a "charter student" at Twila Reid Elementary; Kindergarten the first year it opened to the 6th grade. The current site of Twila Reid Park was strawberry fields and we were chased by the owner on a Honda 50 when we'd trespass to pick berries.
Our brand spanking new neigborhood had no grass nor trees. I remember playing in numerous vacant fields and also remember Anaheim General Hospital and Cypress College being built. Ball Road had few sidewalks and Cypress had many cows.
On the way back from Huntington, in our gas-guzzling, seatbeltless Plymouth Suburban wagon full of sunscreenless kids, my mother would stop at the drive-thru Reliance Dairy on Beach Blvd to buy half gallon glass containers of milk and bright red fruit punch.
As a young teenager, I took guitar lessons at Kay Kaylie Music in Buena Park Mall from Frank Krajerbrink guitarist from early '70s OC band "Utopia". Anybody remember "Wigouts"? (I still play by the way).
I have lived in Sydney, Australia for 30 years now and have fond memories of my childhood in an emerging modern Orange County. Sydney has many of the good aspects of Southern California that has made it easy for me to settle here.
Labels: Anaheim, Twila-Reid-Elementary, Twila-Reid-Park
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Linbrook Family Billiards
by Steve
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Back in the mid-1980s, during my college days, my best friend Greg and I would ride our motorcycles to Linbrook Family Billiards.
It was located in Anaheim, just off the corner of Brookhurst and Lincoln (I think, or maybe Ball). Anyways, it was billed as "family billiards" but it was no place where you'd want to take a family to.
We'd go there on weekend nights and shoot pool. You used to be able to get a table for $3.00 an hour. There'd be groups of folks from all walks of life. Punk rockers, vietnamese, bikers, folks wearing suits, everyone. You'd even see a prostitute hanging around. The patronage was diverse enough that anyone could go there and not feel out of place. I think that's why we went there.
We never saw any rough stuff there, however. For the most part everyone was cordial, and often times other folks would challenge us to a few games. Greg and I were both slightly-above-average pool players, and we'd win half the games when we played others. It was never for money though.
I don't know if Linbrook Family Billiards is still there.
These days I either play on the pool table I have at home, or some friends and I will go down to the High Society Billiards in Temecula. Still, I'll never forget playing at Linbrook.
Labels: Anaheim, Linbrook-Family-Billiards
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