95th STREET
We shopped, worked, and played on 95th Street. Hillman's and Walgreens were at 95th and Jeffery. Farther east was the shopping strip with Pinzur's Drugs and the five and dime store. Cary Albert's family had Albert's - the shoe store. Kim Couderc's (class of '70) parents ran a bakery there. Randy Brett worked at the Kentucky Fried Chicken...
~~~Marcia Mayeroff Sacks
Slagles on
95th - you could get anything there.
There was a hardware store, bakery, grocery store (A&P, then National), shoe
store, beauty parlor (as opposed to stylist!), barber, bowling alley with Chinese
restaurant. Also Dr. Friedman (dentist) and Dr. Goldberg (pediatrician) were on
95th.Then there was a gas station over by Merrion. We spent a lot of our time
riding our bikes or skating to 95th St. When I was in Chgo for Louis'
reunion, we went to the South Side, and the big sign for the 95th St. Shopping
Center is still there!! Looks exactly the same.
~~~Paula Harris Meyer
Hey, let's
not forget the fine athletic adventures at Dom DeVito's bowling alley on 95th. Though not as shiny as the
Skyway Lanes a little further east, DeVito's was a better hang-out. The CKI Bar
Mitzvah Club league usually ended up there. Bowling wasn't a hot sport back
then (like it is now?), but of course the smell of rented shoes and alley oil
has a special synapse of its own in the back of the brain, that kicks in
whenever I enter a bowling alley even today. It's DeVito's all over again.
~~~Jerry Mayeroff
I remember
the scary viaduct that
started on 95th street and how frightening it would be to go under it at
dusk. All those stories that mothers and grandmothers passed on to their
daughters would shout inside my head when I
ran through the viaduct,
too inpatient to wait for the bus, as I was in a hurry to catch the bus on 93rd
street to Evergreen Plaza.
I also recall, can't remember the specific name, a restaurant near Hillman's, that had the best green river drinks and french fries, an afterschool snack, for only 37 cents.
~~~Marilyn Kravitz Gale
Does
anyone remember Skyway Sundaes at
TOPPS resturant? We would go to the picnics at the Serbian grounds on Sundays
in the summer and (I was only 12 of course) and then go with my mom, aunt,
sister and her buddies, the Pavicevich twins (Dennis and Danny) and others to
eat. I personally loved their strawberry shortcake! What was the
name of the 5 and 10 that I think now is a skating rink?
~~~Martha Ostoich Teshich
I grew up
at 96th and Yates (2452
E. 96th St.) and spent alot of time at the shops on 95th st. as well. Slagle's
was a favorite, the bakery had great chocolate frosted cup-cakes , we learned
how to bowl at DeVito's and ate many a fudge-sickle at Pinzur's. A
favorite memory was getting ice cold Kayo's from the Texaco station at 95th and
Yates.
We also spent a fair amount of time building forts in the prairie just east of Yates and searching for snakes and frogs in the swamps west of Van Vlissengen ... the swamps are still there ....
Although I've lived throughout the city over the past 30 years I've been in Blue Island for the past 15 years and have recently taken a ride back through the old neighborhood. Fond memories, but time has taken it's toll on many of the formerly pristine homes and businesses ... Yates park beckons for one more neighborhood soft-ball or football game.
~~~Ron Bloom
Does
anyone remember the Super Burger
with the secret sauce. There was one on 95th St and the original was on Stony
Island . The owner lived 2 doors from me at 88th and Constance. I
moved to Hawaii after graduating from Bowen in 1962, but I always remembered Super
Burger with the curly fries.
~~~Sharon Johnson Kaaihue
Does anyone remember 95th Street's own Kiddyland? Go carts and trampolines, etc...
~~~Kevin Byrnes
Kiddyland (aka FunTown), was a great place to hang out as a young teen. They did that major upgrade, adding the Octopus and a couple of other rides (right after they added the tramps (and the trampolines!<g>). I recall saving milk carton tops (Bowman milk, I think) to get free ride tickets. I also recall meeting Uncle Bucky, Uncle Ned (Locke) and Aunt Dody from Lunchtime Little Theatre there one summer. And who said big celebs didn't come to the SE side?!?
~~~Jerry Mayeroff
I remember Kiddyland for primarily two things: the go carts and the driving range. Didn't we all have our first experience behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle there? It was also the first place that I hit a golf ball. If only our kids could experience those simple joys in this complex world!
~~~Mike Davis
At the
time that was SOOO sophisticated. I
can only imagine what our children today would think of go carts that ran 8 or 9
miles per hour, rides that were so tame, etc. But it was as much to be with friends
as to be on a ride. Today the kids go places like that and call it "see
and be seen".
~~~Greg Feldman
I remember
the park well, I worked there for four years. The train and that old beat up roller coaster were
my main rides to operate. The ride operators would go over to the go cart track
after closing and the owners would let us ride for free half the night. The
carts wern't the same the next day!!
The driving range moved to Woodridge and is now called Zigfield-Troy,however I am sorry to say the owner was killed about 10 years ago when some kids tried to rob him and he wouldn't give them the money. I knew most of the owners personally and it is very said to see them go.
~~~David Engel
Great memories of the trampolines and golf. To get there from 88th & Bennett was an adventure in itself, winding our way through various back yards and alleys. Climbing through Pill HIll construction sites. And finally getting to the tracks where if we were lucky we could find some flares or railroad bombs to explode at a later time. I guess I have more memories of getting to the 95th street fun spots than i do of the spots. We would go sundays to Kiddieland with my grandfather who came up from 71st St.
~~~Ken Lowenstern Love
It was
pretty cool to have an amusement park you could walk to. It was just such a normal thing
to do, not a big event like going to Riverview (or Great America these
days). As a teenager, the ride I remember is the one like a ferris wheel
with cages that went upside down. As tame as that ride probably was by
today's standards, I felt like I was facing imminent death every time. If
you heard screams coming from that ride, it was probably me. Of course, I
did ride it over and over again -- glad to be alive each time I got off.
~~~Marcia Mayeroff Sacks
I remember
those baskets, that one or two people could ride in. You held on to railings on each
side and you tried to make it go over or around. You stood in them! I
don't remember what they were called but I know after many tries someone and
myself made it go around 100 times. Does anyone know what these were
called?
~~~Karen Myers Martin
The
Ride you are remembering was called, THE SWINGING GYM'S. They were a cage like contraption that one
or two people got into and with their own momentum they would step from side to
side and get the cage moving ever so higher until finally it would go Over the
TOP and pretty soon you would be going around and around. I LOVED THAT RIDE!!!
~~~Matt Foldenauer
On the OCTOPUS, my coke bottle bottom glasses went flying off!!! Blind as I am, I was too scared to go home without them. I FOUND them, but they were pretty well scratched up from the gravel, so it was just another night (out of many) that I got in trouble......
~~~Carol Gold Melnick
The rides seemed to go on forever, not like the rides today. Modern Amusement Parks, have rides that are almost over before they start. Also, those were the days that parent's were not afraid to let their children out by themselves. It was good clean fun and safe.
~~~Karen Burnstein Harness
I remember
the Kiddyland on 95th St., I
have old home movies of me on the Merry Go Round. RE: Skyway Bowl, remember when
it was Blocks Bowling? And what about Wally's Fruit Stand on 95th and
Colfax. 95th and Commercial touted Rainbow Restaurant where you could get
sky high rainbow cones when St. Patricks had their carnival. (That is once
it was no longer Browns Funeral Home.) These are wonderful memories. Not
to mention the sounds of the trains.
~~~Jeanne Bruntyn
I remember
the Kiddyland at 95th and Stoney Island! I think it was called "Fun Town". There
was a golf or batting range just east of it and a go cart track just to the
west near Stoney. When we lived in Slag Valley and later Rosemoor, my mom used
to take me to Fun Town. My favorite rides included:
1. The Santa Fe
passenger train that ran around the perimeter of the park.
2. The green electric
streetcar that ran on a small loop of track.
3. The little hand-cranked
rail cars that went around another small loop
of track.
The park also had a small roller coaster, a boat ride, a merry-go-round, a small ferris wheel, and a large ferris wheel with spinning cages. I can't remember any more. It would be great to see that park again. I went past there 10 years ago and it was just a vacant lot.
~~~Phil O'Keefe
I spent countless hours at Kiddie Land at the batting cages.
~~~Marc Ginsberg
That human powered basket/cage ride at Kiddie Land where you tried to get the cage to go over the top was called the Swingin' Gym. When did Kiddie Land close? BTW, there are a few pictures of Kiddie Land in the South Shore book.
I hit my first golf ball at the driving range on 95th. That started me on the road to ruin and frustration!
~~~Bob Lalich
I
remember when Two Ton Baker came to Kiddyland
and we sang along with
him as he played the piano on a stage.
That same day I split my
brand new pants jumping up and down on the trampoline.
My mother was less than thrilled.
~~~Buddy Solomon
Going through old family slides, I encountered this one that might interest some of your 68ers. The grand opening of Kiddieland, which as it turns out was really called Kiddietown.
~~~James Besser
I happened to stumble upon this website.
My father (John Gas) was head of maintenance at Kiddieland/Funtown for over 20 years. During
the summers and on weekends I would always come to the park early with him and
crawl under/around rides to search for loose change. Some of you might
recall these 2 people who were instrumental in keeping the park operational
over the years - George Stevens and his wife Edna. I became friends with
many, many employees over the years and have some fond memories.
~~~Bob Gas
KiddyLand was a cool place as a child. I'm not sure how many times I was kicked out of the GoCarts track for not following the rules. Gee it was fun to ram other drivers off the track back in those days. :-)
Does anybody remember the goat farm between 94th Place and 95th Street on east side of Stony Island, just north of the viaduct? That place disappeared around 1952 or 1953. I have one very vague recollection of that place.
~~~Don Larson
yeah, i remember the farm. it was just north of the paxton viaduct. it was still there after the 1950's though. unless there was another farm. does anyone else know?
~~~Jackie Sackheim
That farm was certainly there in the late 50's. It was around 94th and Merrill or so. We moved to 95th and Paxton in the fall of 1959. We could hear the rooster crowing from our house.
~~~Susie Sackheim Cohen
A bit of manor trivia!!! In October, 1963 Dick Biondi brought wax to spin at the old Bargain Circus which was located on 95th Street near Bergmans Deli, Ambers Bakery, and Bells Clothing Store (My Mom, Teddie Levin, worked at Bells 1962-1965).
~~~Rich Levin (former manor resident)
Growing up in Jeffrey manor was very special. Our house, 2182 E. 96th street, was a favorite "hang out" for everyone. My Mom always enjoyed all the kids. Ralph, Karen and I have wonderful memories.
I especially remember crossing through the prairie (before the newer houses were built) to get to the 95th Street shopping. I was always scared of snakes and bugs.
It's fun reading what others have to say about the Manor. Thanks for sharing.
~~~Ellen Abrahams Swartz
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