I almost forgot: Not just the Gemco in Mountain View, but all the stores in the Gemco chain across California were bought out by Target. Pioneer Park behind the library was named that because there were once graves of pioneers there. I took my first date to the movies @ San Antonio center and for a burger at the Menu Tree after. I have lived in Mountain View since the mid 70's. It was officially opened by Portfolio Minister . House of Yee, an old movie theater, TAP Plastics, a good Mexican place down at the train tracks end. Wow, what memories! Shoreline used to be called Steirlin Road, and before that part of Sometimes I don't even recognize the downtown area. The little store on Rengstorff and old Middlefield where La Costena Walking the underground runoff tunnels that go next to now "Shoreline" my friend and I started at Stevenson School culvert up to almost el camino avenue under ground. Stewart recorded his "Lonesome Picker Rides Again" album there. I remember the Rexall drug store on Castro and J.C. Penney's and if you now go to Mayer Electric it still has the squeaky floors Penny's had upstairs. Thanks for any insight! We'd see it on the right side of the road when we drove from Mountain View to Alviso or Milpitas. I remember the big white-and-red sign very well. Is it still good. We didn't have our killer turf stadium at MVHS, Moved to Santa Clara in 1974 to work for Intel, a small company back then. A couple of good books on Mountain View history are: "Milestones - A History of Mountain View" by Mary Jo Ignoffo and "Images of America - Mountain View" by Nicholas Perry. We tried to be a Palo Alto, thats why people eat in parking spaces on Castro street! This was the family tree of the semiconductor industry, spawned by Fairchild Semiconductor after it spun off from Shockley Semiconductor (itself located in MV on San Antonio in the 1950s, subject of historical-article link that follows) -- the industry whose rapid succession of spin-off firms, even in its first 15 years, prompted journalist Don Hoefler in 1971 to write a series of historical articles about what he dubbed "silicon valley." On the northwest side there was an (RCA?) My parents still live there, and I visit them often. I wonder what businesses we have today are worth fighting for. There was an underpass that allowed children to go beneath the busy road to get to school. View since the mid/late 70's, things have definitely changed since then, both in the town and around the valley. (Later turned into office parks.it may be where a big CAD company is now located.) Went to MVHS when it was on Castro St. now sits. When I'm visiting friends in the area, we often end up on Castro Street for meals. I remember seeing military officer's/personal around the community (the base was on the other side of the free way overpass) felt like the norm. It's located on Castro St. across the street from Red Rock Cafe. I am not sure it was called Loved that park. The Eagle was simply left at the old MV High football field. I was wrong re Hobee's beginnings was Rengsdorff at Alma. And across the street where Longs Drugs/Starbucks/Blockbuster is was a lumber yard/home improvement type of place, forgot the name. And yes who can forget St. James ( cheap drinks and lot's of fun ) and my favorite place Linda's on El Camino. The hobby shop was really packed on weekends from 1966-1968. I was just there several days ago to meet with some friends at Shiva's, an upscale Indian place with a reasonably-priced buffet lunch ($15). Munson's Drugstore on El Camino and Castro Oh one last thing the phone prefix for Mtn. There used to be that drive in place Linda's that is now Wolfe Camera, I think, or was. BIG difference. I remember the Wherehouse Records store at El Camino between Clark and El Monte, although I bought most of my LPs at Tower Records on San Antonio in the 70's and 80's. Charlie. I remember walking through the construction site where the new Mtn View Police Department is now standing, picked up spent shell casings in the basement level, before it had a roof over it. I lived in Sunnyvale and San Jose for quite a few years. As a kid I lived mostly in extreme south Palo Alto, but I was oriented more toward Mountain View than anything to the north: Mayfield Mall with its music store and Consumers Distributing catalog store; the San Antonio Center with the Menu Tree, the Time Zone arcade, and the Sears with the candy counter. For some, the 70's kicked off in Mountain View with a homecoming float featuring a huge EAGLE. Sometimes the lines were around the block. This was a hippie/environmentalist type of grocery store. Frankie Johnnies & Luigi's on El Camino was/is the best place for a pizza Lots of fruit trees on ElCamino. It was near the road into Alviso, home of the first Yacht Club in Calif. Did they really stop the church bells from ringing though. There were I will never forget how nice they would fix up Mayfield Mall for Christmas. I went to Two Guys From Italy back in the 80's which was also good but is now a Burger King. Rexall drugs was our downtown drugstore. Does anyone remember the little italian restaurant right across the street from Graham. Hubbard and Johnson was on the corner of El Monte and El Camino, where Longs and Starbucks are today. Shoreline Blvd was Sterlein Rd the entire length. Does anyone remember the name before Gemco? San Francisco, California, United States. Shoreline made us known in the area as thousands came to listen to music. I went to Chucks for entertainment and the Tarr & Feathers in Palo Alto. despite the rude owners great sushi. St. James Infirmary suffered a huge fire in late '97. Where that big El Camino Medical group complex is at 85/El Camino used to be the Emporium Capwell department store. Update Organization . Just east of Cooper school on Eunice was a big dip in the road where it was county property, as was all the neighborhoods with no sidewalks. Here is the link to one of the photos. This is an old town paper not the SF ChronicleThe Home Page has plenty of updates and current news for your viewing pleasure now kindly stay out of the Town Square if you have nothing nice to say Wasn't there a Card Room called SUTTERS on 237? The library had only one story and was overcrowded. Also, Chef Chu's nearby, my first exposure to high-end Chinese food. The year the Circus came to Mountain View high school field and the carnivals the school would have. The old Highway school on the corner of El Camino and Calderon. St James Infirmary's headquarters are located at 730 Polk St Fl 4, San Francisco, California, 94109, United States What is St James . It had a big room full of mechanical switching relays which were constantly clicking. I remember the New Library that has since been replaced with a newer library. -Whisman Station was a big industrial campus for GE. I did like the St. John's Infirmary, on the Moffatt Field side of the railroad tracks. These factors are similar to those you might use to determine which business to select from a local Yellow Pages directory, including proximity to where you are searching, expertise in the specific services or products you need, and comprehensive business information to help evaluate a business's suitability for you. 1999 - Opening of the. ??? Qui Hing Low and Andy's best chinese food ever! The copper penny OJ Cooper school. Went into Intel before D2, their first modern Fab area was built--have been to all Intl site in western part of US, Oregon, New Mex, Ariz. Castro Street in the 70s was a ghost town. I remember the fun Easter egg hunt; company picnics; dept. There's a Residence Inn there now. Drying apricots in the orchards on Grant Road That mall also had another restaurant that had live jazz music by The Danny Hull Quintet? Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. The grocery store in same center was my "pac man " destination. Wow, so much has changed. It had sawdust and peanut shells on the floor, and a giant Wonder Woman statue. The Bowling alley was/is called El Camino bowl ( I hung out there a lot from age 10 to 19) I have also taken several nice walks in Shoreline and Cuesta Parks. Write now for free help" that Herb Caen's column had mentioned when I had lived in Santa Cruz. Steve, Is someone making you read this stuff? Such great memories. My Mother, brothers, and I moved to Mtn. Back over across The Monte Carlo Restaurant was the Movie theater for the town Also, does anyone remember Otto's Cheesecake downtown MV? Embarcadero Media We drove to the main gate and a pleasant young lady guard was given permission to escort us to Hangar One and we stepped in and took pictures of each other. Double Rainbow was the ice cream place Co-Op Market by Sears the pool hall on Castro.. the old theater (stinky bathrooms)and double features (25 cents) Wagner's Drugs on Castro Robert Moore Flowers on Castro Parkers Flowers on Castro Moore Furniture on Castro.. Lawrence Tires Sims Shoes Mtn. Just a few things I didn't see mentioned. View. There also was Handyman hardware store where Radio Shack is today. organizations filed purposes: st. james infirmary provides comprehensive and non-judgmental healthcare including but not limited to mental healthcare; and, social services for all sex workers while . liked that place and the one at Stanford. Special Pubs Is this bakery still in existance? The town had a Bobs Big Boy, Linda's drive in, foster freeze, Wiener schnitzel, st James infirmary, Denny's restayeant (great for after a long night if dancing), GEMCO, Carrs pet store, emporium, mervyns, Sears, tower RECords, warehouse records, jcpennys, cost plus, tony Roma's, lots of used car lots along el CAMINO real, kens house of pancakes, thrift store next to cuisimanos (sp?) I'd say more, but, well, there's a little book you can pick up at the library or at Books Inc that has tons of photos of Mountain View's history and will probably answer a lot of your questions. I remember Sakura Gardens at 2116 W. El Camino and it did have some beautiful Japanese gardens inside. Uncle Otto's Cheescake where I went nearly every day for lunch takeout, and they were the best!Mountain Mikes Pizza..I believe it is still there. The live music downstairs John Stewart of "California Bloodlines", Crystal Pistol (3 girls, violin & guitars) Growing up near Blossom Valley and St Francis high school I have some great memories of the annual Western Roundup/Carnival St Francis put on. Hello Father, we would sayHello boys..his response..Keep the memories coming . Does anyone know what bakery I'm talking about? The Huntingdon Apts $125 a month rent now When MVHS was still on Castro St. Could hear the Friday nite football games from where I lived. I truly felt at home. A few notes: Mt View in the 60-70's was the best the MV Eagles ruled Linda's on El Camino was the place to go for lunch Paresean burgers $.25 The copper penny Middlefield Mall Thrifty's at the San Antonio Shopping Center for ice creams Super Duper market at central and Rengstorff Red Barn for a Barnbuster One was missed ( or was not that important) The Akron store on El Camino and San Antonio, the Wherehouse replaced it. I heard that Tai Ming Lo was a really good restaurant. He explained that this was restraunt row, and it kind of came with the territory. There was a Pier One in the underground area and the Mall had a good record store. No one can remember them, but they were great for the time when I was young. View Jailon's full profile. james that burned down.and Gyro's house of terror at the old mill ..before it became a tent in san jose>> The Greatful Dead would come into town!!!!!!! Where the amp. St James Infirmary Organization Address: 1089 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94109. I didn't care much for the place, but I remember going to both Fargo's (Old Mill Sh. The original Emporium at Stanford was taken over by Bloomingdales. I live in Florida now, but I keep checking this on-going trip down memory lane. Played Little League for Johnny Macs the first year of the league -- 1955? Who knew those daily landings for about an hour would go away along with the base. First I rented in a duplex on Sierra Vista: My wife was on-call as a dietitian at the nursing home there in the early 80s. I got Frankie, Johnny and Luigi's Pizza to go once and it was good. Like to give a shout out to all the families that participated in making Mtn View such a fun place to grow up. If my recollection is correct, it used to be an Exxon station. I remember the Gemco store being where Target is today and you had to show a membership ID card to even go in the door. Kragans Auto? 2) A very hot classmate whom I had a secret 6th grade crush on named Sandy Allen I remember my mom and grandma shopping at the Purity grocery store where Golden Wok now sits, it was one of the first grocery stores in town and had smaller shopping carts for the kids to use. Moffitt drive-in where Century 16 is now, Shoreline park area being a big expanse of empty dirt and the landfill, and the shoreline house being in it's original location near where the movie theater is today, boarded up and being in shambles. television dealer in the building that burnt down recently. I moved to San Jose, CA in June of 1984. Where the loop is now. As for the tire store it was located where the bead store is now. Almost every VA patient naysayer Ive listened to has problems best cared for in the VA mental department. There was no Shoreline Park. Just loved reading all these posts and bringing back all the memories. Who could forget WonderWoman on the main floor and (if your male) the "Not tonight I've got a headache" dinosaur in the men's room. Our first home! Oh Mountain View and how I miss it. The house prices went up, $450,000. Now our old house is appraised at 1.5 million + and apparently the Mtn View I knew and loved is no more. Blossom Valley Shopping Center (Cuesta and Miramonte) I know Mtn. I remember the P-3s flying over, often with a prop feathered for training. I also remember P-3's flying over my house hourly from Moffett Field and the Blue Angels Air Show annually with Fireworks on July 4th I used to ride my bike down El Camino when it was 4 lane, no center divider and no sidewalks. WOWwee!!!! Walking miles to the nearest 7-11 past St Francis for slurpees. Also worth noting but less strategic is NASA Ames research center, which was doing key research on human physiology and support systems in space and wind tunnel research. - Cherry Chase golf course where Cuernavaca is now I have fond memories of taking my little sister there in her stroller so I could get free candy from the manager. (Jason Williams) I remember the Weinerschnitzel on Castro St. Main Phone Number (415) 554-8444. Kamei House Chinese Restaurant It is bustling, vibrant, filled with great restaurants. I think everyone also remembers the Menu Tree there as well, so that has to be mentioned. How about the California Bakery and the Beauty College right in town and how you always took out of town visitors to Andy's restaurant for the best chinese food or Linda's for the magnificent Perisian burgers and tater tots. One thing for certain, everything changes. That place could get really crazy. The inside was as cool as the outside. We lived across the street from the Whisman Fire dept. DV. I also remember the original House of Humor in the shopping center at the corner of Grant and ECR. TV was black and white till them Being wakened one Sunday morning each year by a strange sound - drums, cornets, and clarinets of a Portuguese fraternal band marching down Castro Street to St. Joseph's Church and marching back after a church service, with a parade of small children costumed as friars passing out miniature loaves of bread, teenage girls trudging along in formal gowns or robes, accompanied by proud mothers. Miles Tone wrote: "The Decor furniture store that became Office Depot at El Monte and El Camino was also once a grocery store, in the 60's I think"? A plant nearby that sprang from nothing each year and was spectacular. And I have seen quite a few Tower Records; in the Bay Area, L.A., Orange County and even London. My friends worked at the movie theater and some also worked at Village Host a pizza place in downtown. We'll see if the condo development goes through for that location. That night I learned people yelled "Where's The Beef!" Speaking of burgers, Hobees when it started in the 70s (?) In the 60's on the corner of Middlefield Road and Moffett Blvd. Web Link That page includes comments from the new owner. Anyone remember DJ's Pizza no sit down room just an oven and a cash register ? The California Street area and Cuesta Park has become a gang area. He liked my sister, but never gave my friend and I candy if we came by ourselves. I still can't believe it's gone! I swam for the Mountain View Dolphin's swim team, at Mountain View High School which was on Castro Street in the 1960's. And the Old Mill was really nice, and seems like it was a terrrible place to In the 50's, MV had a downtown city park on Castro. I grew up next to Therekauf/Stevenson school. There was a Chinese restaurant named Andy on Castro st. 1970s very good food The first 2 years of St. Joseph's School were held in the old classrooms of at what is now St. Francis High School. We went to Mass at St Joseph Church and it had not changed one bit. Did anyone mention Holy Cross High School next to St Josephs School. Mtn view has come a loooog ways but I loved it better when it was smaller and slower. Tater tots and Parisian Burgers. Join to view profile ST. JAMES INFIRMARY . Also, I remember the Copper Penny a big A-frame restaurant near I also remember the 50s holdout restaurant Linda's, farther down El Camino (at Escuela, evidently). When Bloomingdales moved to their smaller store built in the mall parking lot, the old building was torn down to make more smaller independent stores since large department stores have lost their appeal. or his father? Ingredients 1 1 2 oz Plantation Barbados 5-Year Rum 1 2 oz Saint James Royal Ambr Rhum Agricole 1 . I was out of the area for a while and when I can back it was a Harry's Hofbrau, but Dear Newbie- and it was the Mountain View Eagles. Remember the P-3s that used to fly over on their quests to track Soviet ie Apricots, cherries, prunes. My mom was a single mother of 4 and she was able to afford to feed all of us occasionally at the Menu Tree and Bobs Big Boy. Great place to grow up. remember hanging out at rengstorff park alot, swimming every summer the vampire movies they would show every Ithink wednesday or friday after school (mvhs) for free in the auditorium. I think it won't broke due to all the free pizzas that they gave away. Chez Yvonne was at 1854 W. El Camino, although I never went there. . Can't remember for sure, but I think they had sound to outside. Shaw's Ice-cream on El Camino Highway School had large wood paned windows, oak floors, wide halls, and huge cloakrooms! St. James Infirmary Mountain View, CA. now. The one in the shopping Center at 85 and no one mentioned Continental MKT. When those establishments are gone, they will lament the passing of their youth like the many posts above. Lets not forget The TownClub, R-Club, Cottage, The OakRoom, Mervyns. This was the Bay Area bar and grill that burned down in the 90s. Children can walk at night without fear. go. I remember the small TV store on El Camino and I think Castro where I bought my first I now live in Napa Valley and I haven't found anything like that here. Mayfield Mall, Old Mill, Rhodes department store. The name of the store was called Palm Yorkshire Clothes in the Palm Plaza shopping Center. The bookstores all went away, The computer stores were subsumed by Fry's (which I was going to in Sunnyvale as early as 1984), Best Buy, and later by the Apple Stores. Mountain View's facilities go to heck. (Probably "Looking Back") It started when high tech (ie computers) hit the area. The persimmon tree in "our" front yard and the people who would drive up and try to strip the fruit. Belmont 96-2002 20 planes about 2 minutes apart, talk about noise pollution. The concession stand at McElvey Park was run for ever by an old guy named Levy, who loved baseball.