rayvaflav

Does this ring a bell with any New Yorker's out there ? I remember as a kid from Hollis, Queens taking the bus to the 165th street terminal and walking a few blocks to Gertz Department Store on Jamaica Avenue at the El and going to the fourth (I think) floor to see an elaborate Christmas show with marionettes and puppets and the like. Anyone else ?.....

Ray

RoadVettes

My wife grew up in Flushing and her mother worked at Gertz in Jamaica, so I asked her and she does remember going there for the Christmas display. She remembers it being very cool. Happy Thanksgiving .

Charlie

rayvaflav

Great to hear Charlie, I was hoping that someone could corroborate my story. Just for fun, ask your mother-in-law if she remembers the "dog bar".

Ray

RoadVettes

Ray, sadly my mother-in-law passed away 2 years ago. I asked my wife if she knew what the "dog bar" was, but she has no idea.

Charlie

plmkrzy

My mother and grandparents took us there every year. Late 50's early 60's. It was a Christmas dream roaming around the toy department. I wish I could do it all again.

Was the "dog bar" the little fountain outside against the building?

After shopping we would go across Jamaica avenue and get a hot dog and orange drink.

Grandpa treated us well!!!

rayvaflav

Sorry it's taken awhile to get back on this but the answer is yes !

When I was a kid we would take the bus from Hollis into the 165th Street terminal, walk through the terminal to 164th street (and if I remember right) past a 5&10 store (either Woolworth's or Lamston's) and past Macy's. At the south end of Macy's was a small fountain, square cut into the wall at about 18" high with orange '70's lettering that said "dog bar" and it was a drinking fountain for dogs. That always cracked me up as a kid. And then down to Gertz for the Christmas show.

btw, across Jamaica Avenue for a hot dog and an orange soda ? Nedick's, correct ?

Ray

6SPD98

Never got to see the Gertz Christmas Show, but I do remember Nedicks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nedick's

2muchhp

Now there's a throwback!! Yeah I'm from Queens (actually grew up there.) But now life is better living in the suburbs, driving a Z06!!

Being Jewish, I really did not go out of my way to see the Christmas show, sorry, but hearing that name just set me off!

plmkrzy

It probably was Nedicks. I just remember the fellow that worked there was Ernie. Really friendly black fellow, always smiling no matter what was happening. Wish I could see him again.

plmkrzy

Bob, did you get down to Nedicks after graduation? We ran down there for a hot dog before going out for dinner. Long time ago!!!

6SPD98

A long time ago George, a long time ago.

rayvaflav

Hey fellas, this former Hollis kid who has lived in Oklahoma for the last thirty years is really getting a kick out of your responses and memories ! One thing that really sticks out in my mind was the 165th Street bus terminal, the end of the line for a lot of buses including the Q43 and Q36. My mom and I would take one of those buses to the terminal (my mom worked at Mary Immaculate Hospital) and as soon as we walked through the doors and into the terminal.....Wow ! The incredible smell of those donuts from that small bakery inside the terminal. I can close my eyes and still smell that, it was heaven to a kid. The other thing that I remember is as we would depart the terminal there was always an advertisement (set back into the inside wall of the building) for a local bank that encouraged new car loans. The thing that I remember was that they always had a 1/25th scale promotional model of a car in the center of the display and they changed the car every few months. Anyone else remember that one ?

Ray (keep it goin', this is a pretty neat thread)

plmkrzy

I don't remember going to the bus terminal but I did work on Jamaica ave down from the hospital. There was a pharmacy there that also served food. Solomons Pharmacy. We served alot of hospital workers, breakfast lunch and dinner. That was in the early '60s. Lots of fun there.

plmkrzy

Bob, you're making yourself sound old. You're only as old as you feel!!

How many miles on ol' red now??

68ragtop69

The 5&10 store was Woolworth's, my grandmother use to treat me to ice cream sundae's inside everytime we went down to Jamaica Ave.....

plmkrzy

Was that the 5 & 10 on the corner with the toy department downstairs? That is the one I remember. I even remember my grandparents buying me a model truck, green chevrolet stake truck at that store.

You guys are killing me with the memories. Sure was a good time back then.

65 Drivr

In a galaxie far, far, away......

I remember it also. I remember Nedicks with the backwards hotdog buns. Wasn't there a Mays dept store there also?

plmkrzy

There was a Mays there but I also think a Macys. Mays was about 165th street I think and on Jamaica ave. Macys was about 163st and off the Avenue. I'm not sure of the street numbers, just guessing.

Anyone know if Motor Vehicles is still on Supthin Blvd with the lines 10 miles long? (Sorry, you waited 2 hours but you have to be on the line with the GREEN Light!!) I hated that place!!!!

rayvaflav

I thought that Macy's was north of Jamaica Avenue between 164th and 165th streets (and you walked thorugh the store from the bus terminal, the "dog bar" was on the 164th street side) and Mays was on Jamaica Avenue to the east of where the El stopped being above ground. Now I havn't ben there in 35 years so my memories have a right to be a little fuzzy....

Ray

6SPD98

Old Red has 212,000 miles on the original engine, still very reliable.
You're right George, I try to stay active. I even bought a bicycle to ride around Flushing Meadow Park and the Boardwalk by Long Beach. (great scenery) Don't like to ride it around the neighborhood like we use to do when we were kids, too dangerous.
I remember the Woolworth Sundae's, they were like no other Sundae's, just like the Nedicks Hot Dogs.