Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Yeah, this is where it gets strange...

Hmmm...
SDAI-Tech1 — (archived)

..I just Google Earthed "El Dorado Park, Long Beach CA" and looked for the playground. It's still there, but there's no rocket and no merry-go-round From up above it looks like it's been replaced by some giant red fox, probably one of those contraptions you might find at a McDonald's or Burger king.

Seeing it gone strikes me hard - there will be no more commanders of the Space fleet, no more kids surviving meteor showers and traveling to new worlds with their crew. No more wanna-be Flash Gordon's or Buck Rogers exploring the universe. And who knows how long it's been gone?

By the way, my grandparents took the last trip of the Queen Mary to Peru in South America and brought me back a toy llama with real llama fur. Every time I see an episode of Jimmy Neutron and Karl "the llama boy" who has a llama fixation, I am reminded of this last trip and my own less than thrilled reaction of receiving a toy "llama" - which to a child is actually less than worthless - it's an insult.

I suspect Wade was Mayor when your dad was working for the city. Tell me do you remember the Sears or Buffums up by Long Beach Blvd? Those should've been there when you were. Or the Los Altos shopping center with the Broadway's, Woolworths with a in-store little restaurant and other shops I can't recall? Did you by any chance ever go to "The Copper Penny" or "Park Pantry" restaurants? And did you ever play in Bixby park? When I think back, to my trips to El Dorado park, my folks would often get me a hot dog at a "Pup'N Taco" nearby - but I suspect "Pup'nTaco" was more of a late sixties/early seventies fast food place and may not have been there before you moved north. This was when "Winchell's" was the de facto local "King" of Donuts and before they had replaced the diminutive 'king' with a picture of a donut on the signs. And you had to have seen a movie at the "Circle drive-in" near the traffic circle.

Wow. That was a looonnng time ago!

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