Feeling nostalgic tonight.

[manitoubass2]

Whatta great pic!!!!

[bigugli]

Not to many of my old haunts left any more in Toronto.The Bamboo, Algonquin, Knobby, Hernando's, Capt. John's. Greenjeans. Chico's on Bloor. the Woolworth's giant lunch counter at Queen, Holiday, GasWorks, etc... All gone

[dave524]

Not to many of my old haunts left any more in Toronto.The Bamboo, Algonquin, Knobby, Hernando's, Capt. John's. Greenjeans. Chico's on Bloor. the Woolworth's giant lunch counter at Queen, Holiday, GasWorks, etc... All gone

 

Did you ever get to the Old Victory Burlesque theatre on Spadina down by Chinatown? Was there for the tail end of the hippie Yorkville Ave, the Mynah Bird and the Riverboat coffee houses were still going, friend had a flat above the original Mr Sub there, great entertainment to watch the crowds from his window on a weekend before Yorkville became a yuppie boutique haven.

edit: another classmate stayed in Rochdale , lot of strange goings on there in the early 70's

Edited October 17, 2016 by dave524

[Dara]

10 cents to take your bike to centre island on the ferry

I left that neck of the woods in 71 when I was 15

Never looked back

[Old Ironmaker]

It is sad to see all the Mom and Pop haunts bow to the shiny corporate places trying to have the vibe of the old places they tear down. If anyone lived in the east end of Hamilton skipping classes and going to the Derby House for a beer in High School was a right of passage. For one reason or another I hadn't been on Queenston for a few years after we moved out here. I'm driving by the Derby and it's a brand new Shoppers Drug Mart! Sad. There were 4 old time hotels on the corner of Queenston and Lake Ave, all gone.

 

If some of you folks drive to Port Dover in the summer, a great old fishing villiage to visit where the tugs still fish out of. Coming from anywhere you have to travel down hwy #6 or #3 through Jarvis. Both highways cross there. A few buildings north of the corners is a hotel called Branko's. You will think you have gone back in time to the 60's. Same stale draught beer smell and they even sell pickled eggs and Horse sausages in the 1 gallon jugs. Stop in. Don't blink or you miss Jarvis. Branko's reminds me of the old Parkdale House in T.O. and The Homicide (Homeside) on Kenilworth. Luckily there are still a few left in Hamilton.

[dave524]

. There were 4 old time hotels on the corner of Queenston and Lake Ave, all gone.

 

 

 

Worked in a mill on Lake down by the QEW, grabbed a few quick ones at the "Day and Nite" and the Alpine after a 3--11 shift more than once back in the 70's. The Pines was a more upscale place.

[bigugli]

 

Did you ever get to the Old Victory Burlesque theatre on Spadina down by Chinatown? Was there for the tail end of the hippie Yorkville Ave, the Mynah Bird and the Riverboat coffee houses were still going, friend had a flat above the original Mr Sub there, great entertainment to watch the crowds from his window on a weekend before Yorkville became a yuppie boutique haven.

edit: another classmate stayed in Rochdale , lot of strange goings on there in the early 70's

How could I ever forget the Riverboat!!!!!! All my favourite folk singers played there. Not only did a lot of Great talent get their start there. You never knew who would show up and play in with the artist on the billboard. My favourite night was going to Massey Hall to hear Harry Chapin. Then grab a cab (EMPire 6868) to the Riverboat to hear his brother Tom play a set. Before that night was over. Harry and his band had joined in,as well as Valdy, and Murray,and one other (memory of who just escapes me at the moment). They weren't superstars back then. They would sit down and share a beer with you. It would just become one big singalong.

[AKRISONER]

anyone else see the discrepancy here?

 

even if you made 5000 a year...lets multiply that by 10...50 k a year...

 

a detached home for 50k

 

a truck vehicle back then 3000 bucks

 

a beer .10

 

breakfast 99 cents

 

a bottle of rum for 2.25

 

lets multiply those things by 10x

 

i just sold a semi detached 1200 square foot home for 550k...

 

a new truck for 30 grand? ya right

 

a beer for .70 cents? try $7

 

2.25 for a bottle of rum...try 40 bucks.

 

breakfast for 10 bucks i went to the local greasy spoon and got pancakes with bacon last weekend and it cost me 15 bucks.

 

not to mention you guys all got your jobs right out of highschool without a post secondary education.

[davey buoy]

anyone else see the discrepancy here?

 

even if you made 5000 a year...lets multiply that by 10...50 k a year...

 

a detached home for 50k

 

a truck vehicle back then 3000 bucks

 

a beer .10

 

breakfast 99 cents

 

a bottle of rum for 2.25

 

lets multiply those things by 10x

 

i just sold a semi detached 1200 square foot home for 550k...

 

a new truck for 30 grand? ya right

 

a beer for .70 cents? try $7

 

2.25 for a bottle of rum...try 40 bucks.

 

breakfast for 10 bucks i went to the local greasy spoon and got pancakes with bacon last weekend and it cost me 15 bucks.

 

not to mention you guys all got your jobs right out of highschool without a post secondary education.

You have now taken all the fun out of this lolol. Sucks now in comparison

[Old Ironmaker]

You are 100% correct Grimsby Dave, 3 hotels on that corner. I lived in that survey off of Lake in the late 80's and walked to The Day and Night for a hangover special lunch. The Scottish lady that lived across the street from us was the cook. A pound of ground beef for the meat loaf and 6 potatoes of mashed would be on the plate with brown gravy covering the plate. $3.99. I would ask her when she was making her Shepherd's pie and would make sure I ate there that day. It was the only bar I ever had real homemade Yorkshire Pudding the size of softballs.

[Old Ironmaker]

Yea Akrinsoner, the point? We had it made? Maybe. No Health and Safety legislation until 1978, a respirator was a wet rag wrapped around your face. I cleaned the rails off the 300 ton overhead cranes with a broom 10 stories off the ground, fall arrest systems? You fell, you died, one kid did. A lock out? Not invented yet. 3rd rails were live, make sure you don't touch that, you will fry. Before that someone watched and yelled to you if a train engine was coming while you cleaned the switches. "It's unsafe you say, go home I'll get someone else to do it if you are afraid, hey guys this school boy is yeller!" Ate lunch in the change room under all the work clothes hanging on hooks 25' high on the ceilings. Remember that change house next to my fathers office Fish Farmer.

 

It wasn't all great.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Old Ironmaker

[misfish]

Is the old Harvey wallbangers still in business? I still remember my subway/bus/street car rides with my grandfather, when we went to Honest Eds. We would stop in there for lunch. He said next to my grandmothers hot roast beef sandwich plate, Harvys was the best . I was probly 8-9 yoa then. long time ago.

 

Also remember when TTC ,s had thier lot at Lansdown and Bloor. Kept thier electric street cars and buss,s there. Loblaws was on the corner. Many days I dragged the shopping buggy for my grandmother from the house to the store and back. The thing that comes back to me back then is food stamps. Books and books of them. I never understood what it was about. I was a kid, being a kid. 5 cents for a small pop out of a cold bath of water. 2 cents for a black cat gum. Now that was a gum.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Brian B

[bigugli]

Is the old Harvey wallbangers still in business? I still remember my subway/bus/street car rides with my grandfather, when we went to Honest Eds. We would stop in there for lunch. He said next to my grandmothers hot roast beef sandwich plate, Harvys was the best . I was probly 8-9 yoa then. long time ago.

 

Also remember when TTC ,s had thier lot at Lansdown and Bloor. Kept thier electric street cars and buss,s there. Loblaws was on the corner. Many days I dragged the shopping buggy for my grandmother from the house to the store and back. The thing that comes back to me back then is food stamps. Books and books of them. I never understood what it was about. I was a kid, being a kid. 5 cents for a small pop out of a cold bath of water. 2 cents for a black cat gum. Now that was a gum.

The old Lansdowne trolley yard is long gone. Stepfather drove buses and trolleys out of there for 10 years. I remember my Gram's big stack of green stamp books. Oh yeah,Brian! You forgot the one cent deposit on the glass bottles. I would collect a wagon full of the bottles every week for spending money at the corner store.

[bigugli]

Akrisoner, I feel badly for your generation. It is why so many young families continue to live with their parents. Mine included.

In 1975 1 hours minimum wage would buy 14 loaves of bread. Today's minimum wage buys 5 1/2 loaves. Buying power for the working family has been cut by more than half due to corporate greed and government taxation. Plain and simple.

[pics]

Yea Akrinsoner, the point? We had it made? Maybe. No Health and Safety legislation until 1978, a respirator was a wet rag wrapped around your face. I cleaned the rails off the 300 ton overhead cranes with a broom 10 stories off the ground, fall arrest systems? You fell, you died, one kid did. A lock out? Not invented yet. 3rd rails were live, make sure you don't touch that, you will fry. Before that someone watched and yelled to you if a train engine was coming while you cleaned the switches. "It's unsafe you say, go home I'll get someone else to do it if you are afraid, hey guys this school boy is yeller!" Ate lunch in the change room under all the work clothes hanging on hooks 25' high on the ceilings. Remember that change house next to my fathers office Fish Farmer.

 

It wasn't all great.

I can tell you that in the last several years we have taken a big step back. 7 years ago I was making 15,000 more a year than I am now and housing prices weren't too bad.. in that time since we have taken a hit with health and safety, our pay and cola etc while housing, hydro and taxes have increased.. I remember making 3 bucks an hour bailing hay for my uncle in 1984.. in grade 11 I was paid $5 to paint at Sears and by grade 12 I was working 35 hours a week with weekends off making 6.88.. home at 9:30 pm, back to school by 8 am for 3 classes..

[Old Ironmaker]

It definitely was better for a working man back then, by far. We were able to buy a home no matter what age, regardless of 19% interest rates in 81. If you didn't have a net worth of 100K by the time you were 30 you were a looser in the early 80's. Many of us bought homes in the 70's before you were 25. All you needed was 5% down through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp, CMHC. And a job that paid enough that 33% of your gross covered the mortgage. Your wife's earnings didn't count.

 

Pics I hear you and have empathy. I never in my life reached into my pocket at a Dentists or Pharmacy, ever. I always shook my head when I saw families use a Visa card at those places and thanked my lucky stars. My health care is about 20% of my pension now a month and growing. That wasn't the deal I signed up and worked for, you either. People used to tell me, you are so lucky to have that pension and benefits, luck? I f%^%$^ed earned it, that was the deal. I risk my life, as do you and every person that walk's down that laneway every shift and that was the deal, especially where you are, I do this dirty dangerous job and you pay me.

 

It feels like after you sign off for your pension you get a letter in the mail saying, oops we made a mistake we over paid you a few hundred thousand bucks over the last 30 years and we are now deducting it from your monthly pension. What's the difference?

[Old Ironmaker]

Bruce you buy cheap bread. Me too, that what the budget tells me I'm eating. Actually I bought a bread maker on the weekend. Better than the Styrofoam they sell now.