Denver in the 1960s and 1970s (Memory Lane) (Lakewood, Englewood: school, restaurants)

[Fastway57]

The Cinderella Twin is no more. The site is under redevlopement for condos.

[Kevin Preston]

Yum Yum Tree--I think we were only there once. Wasn't it like almost a modern food court, but with better restaurants? Can't quite remember it.

Chicken House???-- Can't remember the name, but they had a train that drove around the top of the walls! My parents didn't like the food there, so we never went back. Maybe it was the Denver Drumstick???

There was a restaurant with a whole PIPE ORGAN inside it. My dad went there with a customer but I never had a chance to go.

I never heard of Aloha Beach. How did I miss that one?

There was a Polynesian restaurant called Tiki-Kai. Delicious. I think it was on Colfax. This was back when one thought every town had a Polynesian restaurant. Now they are almost all gone.

On movie theaters/Drive ins:

Still there:

The Continental-- Saw Dr. Doolittle there. At that time it was a single theater and usually ran shows for long. Saw the Towering Inferno there.

Mayan--I heard it is still there. Saw "The Andromeda Strain" there.

Gone:

Brentwood--First shoebox theaters I ever saw. Hated it.

Woodlawn: Our neighborhood theater, think it was considered Littleton. I remember seeing James Bond movies, a re-release of "The Ten Commandments", "Jungle Book", etc. I went by there last year, very nice lady runs a beauty salon out of part of it, and the brick front looks alot like it did. There had been a radio station upstairs at one point!!! What a great little theater to grow up with.

South Drive In: I don't know where it was.

Centennial Drive In: Closed down long ago I heard.

21st Century or Century 21: I can't remember. I do recall that it was big and nice. Didn't it show OLIVER! for 2 years?!?!

And of course, the best theater in the world, ever, the Cooper Cinerama. (thank goodness in LA we still have the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, and I finally got to see three strip "This is Cinerama" and a one night viewing of 2001 this year.) People who missed seeing ANY movie at the Cooper have never seen the best. Curtains, curved screen, best sound, best seats, best design...you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone.

[Sockeye]

Sneaking off from Longmont to Celebrity Fun Center was a big deal way back when.
A "big day" for the family would be driving down I25 to the Northglenn Mall, or further to Cin. City., followed by dinner at The Dutchman-the place with the huge windmill facade. Our drive-in theatre, the Star Vu, was bulldozed 20 years ago for some new houses.

[DOUBLE H]

The Dutchman was a good restaurant, I remember the place well. Back to Cinderella city, remember the Ground Round restaurant ? Red booths with phones at every table where you would phone your order in. Pretty good burgers, too. They had other Ground Rounds. One was at Southglenn Mall, another one in Boulder on The Hill.

[Sockeye]

Yes! And Dad'd let us kids use that phone, with limitations, of course. Delicious burgers. Also love the ones at The Sink, on The Hill in Boulder.
In Longmont it was Gene's Texas Burgers right across the street from the old jr. high on Main. Long gone. Shorty's Pit BBQ is still going strong.

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

The Dutchman was a good restaurant, I remember the place well. Back to Cinderella city, remember the Ground Round restaurant ? Red booths with phones at every table where you would phone your order in. Pretty good burgers, too. They had other Ground Rounds. One was at Southglenn Mall, another one in Boulder on The Hill.

Ground Round, did that open after I left (1974)? I do remember King's Food Host, with the call in phones. My sisters always got the "Frenchies". I always got the burger and hot chocolate.

Star-Vu, what a cool name for a drive in.

[Fastway57]

"There was a restaurant with a whole PIPE ORGAN inside it. My dad went there with a customer but I never had a chance to go. "

It was on west Alameda it was called The Organ Grinder. They used to serve pizza if I remember correctly and they had a full pipe organ and they showed old silent movies on the screen.

[DOUBLE H]

I remember that place, was in there a couple times. Sockeye! You'll love this although it's more your area than Denver. Remember Colo.119 out of Longmont coming in to I-25? The Del Camino center! Now it is beyond congested. I worked at the Ft. St. Vrain Plant, started Spring of '70. Back then you had the corner store, the Del Camino restaurant next to it with a banquet room built in and the lounge in the back. I guarantee you that place got money from me 5 days a week. If it wasn't breakfast, it was gasoline, or a toddy or two (or more in the lounge), then just a few hundred yards south of there was the truck stop, and it was open 24 hours. If memory serves, they started developing that back in '80 or so.

[Sockeye]

Yep Double H, good eats there. Del Camino's become a friggin' city now. I used to hunt geese in the field behind Taco Hell, which is all McHouses now.
Remember The Hay Loft restaurant off 119 in the 70's? Great chicken fried steak, and pork tenderloin sandwiches!

[DOUBLE H]

I do remember it! A fellow by the name of Elmer Moore opened it in the early '70's. I worked with him at the power plant, he was the evening shift pipefitter steward. Sat on the north side of 119, just westof all the mess that is there now. At that time Dacono, Frederick, and Firestone were several miles apart from each other. Not anymore!