I miss old Philadelphia, John Wanamaker, The Crystal Tea Room, Gimbels, window shopping in center city without bars all over the windows, Dewey restaurant and News Stands, sometimes i feel displaced in this new era.
From 2003 thru 2009, I worked in an office at the Wanamaker Building (Macy's). I saw quite a few celebrities - mostly athletes heading to award ceremonies at the Crystal Tea Room while riding the elevator.
IT WAS WONDERFUL BEING 21 SHOPPING AND HAVING LUNCH AT THE CRYSTAL TEA ROOM AND DEFINITELY THE TEA ROOM TO WEAR YOUR NEW DIAMONDS, OH THE FOOD WAS HEAVENLY, WE WOULD COME IN WHEN THE STORE OPENED AND BEFORE YOU KNEW IT THE STORE WAS CLOSING.
@@tdtvegas blacks ? I agree with everything you said but blacks are not the only ones to blame. Everyone had a role in destroying our once beautiful city
Lot of comments here are from years ago. Well, hello to fellow Philadelphians from a former born and raised Philly-ite. Anyone here remember Bookbinders, Fishers and Kelly's restaurant in center city? Department stores? I have a bar of soap from Gimbels with the Gimbels name imprinted on it. (never used😂). Still can smell a slight scent from the soap too! Holiday season ALWAYS meant to go to lit Brothers, Wanamakers, Strawbridges and Gimbels. Was not a holiday without going to them all. Wanamaker organ recitals and the light show. Never, ever thought those times would end. Ever. 😢😢😢
Major leaps in technology have always been the harbingers of change. The human animal suffers from these changes far less than their non human counterparts. IE: I'm just sickened that the mall was torn down yet I DON'T give a blink about the animal habitat that was decimated to build my memory lane mall. Everything is relative.
One of the things I remember growing up was Gino's. At the time, it competed with McDonalds. I don't remember a Burger King back then, but I do remember a flame-broiled burger place across from NE High School. I think it was called Burger Chef or something like that where a Burger King now stands. All of my friends went to McDonalds. I never had that chance. My parents would drag me to Gino's, but it was pretty good. The Gino Giant was pretty much a Whopper with the Big Mac sauce IIRC. Then came the hero burger which was on a rectangular bun I think - sort of like the old BK chicken parm sandwich. The best thing about Gino's is that they were partnered with the Flyers. And with hockey being my favorite sport at the time - along with two Flyers' Stanley Cups, I got tons of sweet Flyers stuff for school. Hockey stick matching pen & pencil set. 16 oz drink cup made of glass with a pic of a different player on each one. Same went for Penn Maid sour cream. You could buy a large glass container of the stuff with the Flyers' logo on the front and all the names of the players on the back. Canada Dry (remember them?) used to be near Tabor and Godfrey and they made special cans with each Flyers player and info on them. I had them all. Everything Flyers - I had it. Glorious times indeed.
There is something pure about seeing the Center City district with Penn's statue presiding over the entirety of the municipality. Now Penn is dwarfed by over a dozen skyscrapers, several on the other side of the Schuylkill.
Broad Street Station, while luxurious required passenger trains of the Pennsy to back out before going south. Going north, they'd have to be backed in. Broad Street was ideal for Pennsy commuter trains. But, long distance trains, it was not.
It is weird that they said that, maybe back in 1955 it was. But after that, the city didn't build any new high rise buildings until 1985. We are luckily that the city's planner of the time Edmund Bacon didn't get his way on many different projects. But the one I would love to seen was his plan to only allow buses and trollies on Market Street from City hall to I think Independence Plaza.
Copyright claim by the owner of the Nativity reading/music playing under that reading. CZcams's options: (1) remove the audio during the copyright section, or (2) delete the video. I opted for (1) and they automatically muted that section. Blame whoever owns that Nativity reading, I guess.
@@mxbray I remember this program when WHYY first put it on, and I recall that reading from Nativity. It was perfect, but alas, YT has their issues...smh.
Lots of great stuff I remember hearing about as a kid. Nice to see some of what I missed. But the one thing I will NEVER miss is Philadelphias and Pennsylvanias Blue laws. Thank goodness they are a long thing of the past. I hope they never ever return either. Your churches rules and dogma belong just their at your church and not Karened upon others. I remember never being to get gas anywhere or shop anywhere on a Sunday for anything. And my goodness don’t break down or run out of gas or you were screwed.
Love this! Childhood memory of my Grandmother who would not got to bet weeknights until John Facenda said goodnight at the end of the news broadcasts.
Holy moly! 26 years ago this was made. My son was 4 years old. Now he's 30 with 2 children of his own. I get the feeling my time is short now.
Honestly, I don’t know where time has gone. I feel the same way.
I miss old Philadelphia, John Wanamaker, The Crystal Tea Room, Gimbels, window shopping in center city without bars all over the windows, Dewey restaurant and News Stands, sometimes i feel displaced in this new era.
Blacks, Liberals, Good job losses & the decline of the US Dollar… It makes my heart break!
From 2003 thru 2009, I worked in an office at the Wanamaker Building (Macy's). I saw quite a few celebrities - mostly athletes heading to award ceremonies at the Crystal Tea Room while riding the elevator.
IT WAS WONDERFUL BEING 21 SHOPPING AND HAVING LUNCH AT THE CRYSTAL TEA ROOM AND DEFINITELY THE TEA ROOM TO WEAR YOUR NEW DIAMONDS, OH THE FOOD WAS HEAVENLY, WE WOULD COME IN WHEN THE STORE OPENED AND BEFORE YOU KNEW IT THE STORE WAS CLOSING.
@@tdtvegas blacks ? I agree with everything you said but blacks are not the only ones to blame. Everyone had a role in destroying our once beautiful city
@@tdtvegas Blacks? What we do? 😂
wonderful memories. thank you
Lot of comments here are from years ago. Well, hello to fellow Philadelphians from a former born and raised Philly-ite. Anyone here remember Bookbinders, Fishers and Kelly's restaurant in center city? Department stores? I have a bar of soap from Gimbels with the Gimbels name imprinted on it. (never used😂). Still can smell a slight scent from the soap too! Holiday season ALWAYS meant to go to lit Brothers, Wanamakers, Strawbridges and Gimbels. Was not a holiday without going to them all. Wanamaker organ recitals and the light show. Never, ever thought those times would end. Ever. 😢😢😢
@@Songwriter376definitely remember Bookbinder's. In the NE during the holidays we always went to Gaudio's.
@@mxbray Remember Gaudio's but never went there.
These two episodes bring back so many happy childhood memories....I was lucky, indeed !
Superb!
Major leaps in technology have always been the harbingers of change. The human animal suffers from these changes far less than their non human counterparts. IE: I'm just sickened that the mall was torn down yet I DON'T give a blink about the animal habitat that was decimated to build my memory lane mall.
Everything is relative.
One of the things I remember growing up was Gino's. At the time, it competed with McDonalds. I don't remember a Burger King back then, but I do remember a flame-broiled burger place across from NE High School. I think it was called Burger Chef or something like that where a Burger King now stands. All of my friends went to McDonalds. I never had that chance. My parents would drag me to Gino's, but it was pretty good. The Gino Giant was pretty much a Whopper with the Big Mac sauce IIRC. Then came the hero burger which was on a rectangular bun I think - sort of like the old BK chicken parm sandwich.
The best thing about Gino's is that they were partnered with the Flyers. And with hockey being my favorite sport at the time - along with two Flyers' Stanley Cups, I got tons of sweet Flyers stuff for school. Hockey stick matching pen & pencil set. 16 oz drink cup made of glass with a pic of a different player on each one. Same went for Penn Maid sour cream. You could buy a large glass container of the stuff with the Flyers' logo on the front and all the names of the players on the back. Canada Dry (remember them?) used to be near Tabor and Godfrey and they made special cans with each Flyers player and info on them. I had them all. Everything Flyers - I had it. Glorious times indeed.
You can add CoreStates to the list. It is now part of Wells Fargo. This was produced more than thirty years ago.
Great upload. Nice memories. Thank you sir.
Thank you for posting this! My child is in this episode!
There is something pure about seeing the Center City district with Penn's statue presiding over the entirety of the municipality.
Now Penn is dwarfed by over a dozen skyscrapers, several on the other side of the Schuylkill.
As you likely know there was a lot of debate about building anything higher than Penn's hat.
CoreStates - Not there any more.
Great CZcams Programming!!😜
The sad thing about Broad Street Station was even to its dying breathe it was usually packed to beyond capacity.
Broad Street Station, while luxurious required passenger trains of the Pennsy to back out before going south. Going north, they'd have to be backed in. Broad Street was ideal for Pennsy commuter trains. But, long distance trains, it was not.
I never knew there were two stub end stations right in the middle of the city
Wow - throwback in time Gene Hart!
"Penn Center has become a model of downtown renewal." What a bunch of propaganda.
It is weird that they said that, maybe back in 1955 it was. But after that, the city didn't build any new high rise buildings until 1985. We are luckily that the city's planner of the time Edmund Bacon didn't get his way on many different projects. But the one I would love to seen was his plan to only allow buses and trollies on Market Street from City hall to I think Independence Plaza.
I loved the peanuts in The Grogg Shop, the old penn center bar.
Cant agree more. Penn center is an eyesore where you guy to buy stolen cell phones.
The Nativity reading was edited out? oh man
Copyright claim by the owner of the Nativity reading/music playing under that reading. CZcams's options: (1) remove the audio during the copyright section, or (2) delete the video. I opted for (1) and they automatically muted that section. Blame whoever owns that Nativity reading, I guess.
@@mxbray I remember this program when WHYY first put it on, and I recall that reading from Nativity. It was perfect, but alas, YT has their issues...smh.
I have this video….VCR aren’t there anymore either.
Wonders if you have old Septa El film where you are riding the train before the underground extensions etc
They could / should make one of these today.... man so much has gone and a lot is there that wasn't .. now philly= Crime ridden garbage heap.... sad
Lots of great stuff I remember hearing about as a kid. Nice to see some of what I missed. But the one thing I will NEVER miss is Philadelphias and Pennsylvanias Blue laws. Thank goodness they are a long thing of the past. I hope they never ever return either. Your churches rules and dogma belong just their at your church and not Karened upon others. I remember never being to get gas anywhere or shop anywhere on a Sunday for anything. And my goodness don’t break down or run out of gas or you were screwed.
I remember well when they got rid of them.
Xaras is right. Elegance traded for pablum.
No mention of Palumbos, or the CR Club....
I was born about a month later.
Here's Fred Earhart and um and and um um and and ohm um um and and and um um um and and and duh duh
Check Jon Levi channel
My desire for my stalker.