This is the Downtown that I Remember (Kinda)

I'm going to go see my Grandma this week and whenever I think of Grandma, I think of our frequent trips to the downtown area (in the 70's). I don't have a picture of G.C. Murphy's from that exact time period, but this postcard comes pretty close to what I remember things looking like when I was a youngster.

Mention G.C. Murphy's to any child of the fort and the first thing they'll probably bring up is the donuts (machine now in place at Cindy's Diner). Yes, of course, those comments would roll off of my lips, but the first thing that always pops into my head is...the basement area.

I know, you think I'm crazy...the basement area? When you went in doors, you'd go down a couple set of stairs. It was like 10 steps and then room to rest ;). And then another 10 steps - something like that ;).

Anyway - what was in the basement? Clearance, my friends...clearance! Murphy's had these shallow bins with things marked down ridiculously. It always always always smelled like the rubber from the bottom of our tennis shoes in that place. The ceilings were low and the place was badly lit. Still, my grandma could sniff out a great deal and I was sure to leave with something new!

Another neat thing about Murphy's is that the PTC buses had their main hubs there. We might take the bus downtown, shop at Murphy's while waiting for our transfer out to say - Southtown or Park West (had to hit up Mr. Wiggs some days). And heck, if we missed our transfer - just more time to hang out in Murphy's! Plenty to do, see, and certainly eat.

When Murphy's - well the building - was demolished or redone or whatever - I was no longer living in Fort Wayne. Now, when I'm in the fort and I'm walking in this area, I don't even recognize much. Almost all of the "landmark" type of buildings or businesses no longer exist or have been changed to a point where they are unrecognizable. Sometimes I think, Fort Wayne might have been better off building that 465 type of a loop through Downtown (this was like back in the 40's? 50's?).

But back to Murphy's. There will never, ever be another place like it again. And I'm thankful that my grandparents immersed me in the experience of it.

P.S. If you want to see even MORE detail of the postcard, click on the picture and it will take you to my Flickr account. At the top, you'll see an option to see ALL SIZES. The details are pretty amazing!

Advertisements of the Past

Okay - more for those of you who seem to like this stuff. And yes, I know I already included an Ayr-way before but hey - this one has The Fonz on it!!!

Bring It Back - Please (The List)

Here's my random list - of places and things - that need to be resurrected in the Fort.

Holiday Theater
Re-build it. We will come.


Papa Suzetti's
The family (minus their patriarch R.I.P) is still around. So are some of their employees. Nobody makes that pasta and sauces like these folks.


A&W Root Beer Stand
We all need to pull into one - order a dog and a mug - sit in our cars and watch the 'hops - come and go and come and go and come and go


Municipal Beach Swimming Area
Okay, so maybe it's not good to be swimming in the river - but golly gee - wouldn't it be cool to have a beach again?!


New City Market
Awesome. We could park our bikes here instead of our horses.


The Alt Heidelberg Hotel and Restaurant
Just because it looks like nothing else in the Fort.


The Lyric Theater
Because it looks all majestic and people could sing opera here.


Berghoff Cocktail Lounge
Because it's beautiful. That's what the postcard says. We all must believe what the postcard says.

Wayne Candies
Because sometimes, ya just gotta have a bun.


Burger Chef
Because their kids meal was the original. And it was fun.


The Diner from Murphy's
Because the chairs were fun to sit and twirl on and the waitresses always made you feel damn special.


Dayton Hudson's
And bring back Santa Bear while you're at it.

To Ride or To Walk? That was the Question.

My grandparents lived at 615 W. Third Street a good chunk of my junior high and all of my high school years.

I spent many summers and my entire senior year (and first year of college), living with them at this house.

By the way, that's me over there, to the left. I was visiting my grandparents and someone snapped a picture of me in a "pep band" uniform (white pants - ewww). This was the alley next to their house (and btw - the alley doesn't exist anymore). The house is to the left of this picture.


Their particular mode of transportation was by foot or by bus.

The rule of thumb (on whether you took a bus or whether you walked) was based upon this map I've put together.

There weren't boundaries given to me/us (spoken out loud) - I just remember, based upon where we'd need to go, the typical comments that I would get from either grandparent.

Grandma: We better take the bus. Those crazy driver's come off of the highway and still treat Goshen Road like it's their own personal raceway.

Grandpa: If you and Krissie are going to Murphy's, take the bus. There's too many streets for you to cross at this time of day.