Fort lauderdale in the 1980s (Miami, Hollywood: pool, stations, dining)

[Rumann Koch]

Originally Posted by ByeByeLW

There was some other place by the Art Institute. Was that Eat at Joe’s or something? I believe it was once a strip club - I mean more like an old school burlesque place I guess. It had kind of an odd setup and the seats/booths were sparkly red vinyl.

Eat At Joe's was one store in from the corner of 17 St Causeway and Eisenhower by the south entrance to Port Everglades. Now a Walgreens, which bought the site in the early 2000s.

The strip club you are thinking about was The Pink Pussycat, a little further west on 17 St Causeway (1440). It burned down in 1995, and is now an Extended Stay America hotel.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Rumann Koch

Eat At Joe's was one store in from the corner of 17 St Causeway and Eisenhower by the south entrance to Port Everglades. Now a Walgreens, which bought the site in the early 2000s.

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I'm a huge Southport Raw Bar fan if in that area looking to eat!

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

I'm a huge Southport Raw Bar fan if in that area looking to eat!

Ate there yesterday and it was fantastic as usual!

[Rick In Madison]

One that is mostly likely gone and may be forgot; simple family restaurant with counter seating; The Clock Restaurant. I remember going to the one on Sample Road when I was kid with my mom and sister every now and then when mom had a little extra money and time on her hands. This was in the 70's.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Rick In Madison

One that is mostly likely gone and may be forgot; simple family restaurant with counter seating; The Clock Restaurant. I remember going to the one on Sample Road when I was kid with my mom and sister every now and then when mom had a little extra money and time on her hands. This was in the 70's.

I knew the owners for years.........looks like Gainnesville is the only location left

https://www.clockrestaurantfl.com/visit-us

[Dee0313]

I am new to this site but after seeing all the posts it brings back so many great memories.

[Rumann Koch]

Originally Posted by SoFlaGuy

A few updates and memories:

Mercedes Cinema is gone. I drove by the other day and they just demo'd it. I remember they used to be the lowest priced theater around.

Castle Park and Grand Prix! They were as good as DisneyWorld I tell ya for a kid my age. Was trying to figure out what is on the land Castle Park used to be? Is it the 595 ramp? Going down 595 towards 441 you can still see the tollbooth to get to Grand Prix.

I used to go to school with the Mercedes brothers, Sky and Richard. They later got into commercial real estate, The Mercedes Building in downtown is one of theirs.

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Castle Park was demolished in the late 80s to make way for the four-level interchange for Interstate 595.

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Grand Prix Race-A-Rama opened in 1972, and later became Boomer's!. Opened in November 2000, The 'Hurricane', once billed as the tallest roller coaster south of Atlanta, shut down in April 2011 after it became unprofitable because of low ridership and the high cost of maintenance due to the Florida climate and hurricanes. It was finally demolished in May 2016. Boomers! closed in January 2015.

Extra trivia: the mini submarine that stood in the parking lot was built as the 'Submanaut' in 1956. It was originally a working scientific submersible whose primary function was to inspect underwater pipeline, but later in the 1960s it was used to shoot underwater films for various movie companies and TV productions in the clear waters off Florida and The Bahamas. It was featured as the nuclear-powered 'Hydronaut' in the 1966 MGM movie 'Around the World Under the Sea' starring Lloyd Bridges.

Initially built by Martine's Diving Bells of San Diego California at a cost of $1.5 Million, it was purchased in the early 1980s by Six Flags for $500,000 to be displayed at its Atlantis water park in Dania, and then by Grand Prix Race-O-Rama for only $12,500 in October 1992.

Sadly the Submanaut was cut up on-site and sold as scrap in the early 2000s.

[City Guy997S]

If you are talking Grand Prix Race o Rama (man that place was a $h1th0le in the end!).......then don't forget Six Flags at Stirling/95. Six flags got shut down/sold and then "Incredible Universe" was the main tenant in that strip mall. It was like a huge Best Buy but included appliances. IU folded and the shopping mall likely subdivided the spot and just made more retail.

[missing the 80s]

The club you’re thinking of was called Shakers, it was kind of tacky inside but a lot of good looking girls went there. I went there all the time and always met cute girls. Before it was Shakers it was called Bojangles and it was a live entertainment bar.

[missing the 80s]

Do any of you remember Blaine the manager at September’s? He was a good guy and I wondered what he was up to now?