Remember when __ was __? (1 roadgeek + 1 non-)

[kphoger]

Just a fun place for "remember when" conversations.  Please keep it lighthearted.

Post one roadgeek-related one, and one non-roadgeek one.



1.  Remember when the speed limit was 55?

I'm not old enough to remember when all speed limits were capped at 55.  However, when I learned to drive, they were capped at 65 on the Interstates and 55 on everything else.  It was while I was in high school that Kansas bumped the limits up to 70 and 65.  For a period of time, I remember there being no speed limit signs at all, because the old ones had been removed but the new ones hadn't yet been installed.  We were told the limit was still 55 until the 65 signs were actually installed.

2.  Remember when an app was something you ordered before your meal in a restaurant?

Definitely.  When I was in high school, people mainly used cell phones in the car–when they were away from their "real" phone.  A few years later, in the early '00s, most people were carrying cell phones, but having apps on them was still unheard of.  It wasn't until the early '10s that I remember smartphones becoming ubiquitous.

[JoePCool14]

2.  Remember when an app was something you ordered before your meal in a restaurant?

Definitely.  When I was in high school, people mainly used cell phones in the car–when they were away from their "real" phone.  A few years later, in the early '00s, most people were carrying cell phones, but having apps on them was still unheard of.  It wasn't until the early '10s that I remember smartphones becoming ubiquitous.

I don't remember anyone calling appetizers "apps" until I was older. Probably around the same time smartphone apps became popular.



This thread's gonna be tougher for me, since I'm only 22, but here goes.

1. Remember when Clearview was first introduced?

Even as a kid, I could tell the difference between the fonts and even at that age, I didn't like the "new font". I first remember seeing them on the Illinois Tollways, and then in Michigan. And at the time, we thought Clearview was totally the future. Since then, we've seen a lot of scaling back, to the point where there's only a small handful of states still using Clearview.

2. Remember when airplanes had only one TV "channel" for the entire plane?

Either the days of CRTs mounted above the aisle, or the little LCDs that would lower above the rows of seats. No seat-back screens. All they would have playing is either a movie or two, or some general compilation of programming. We always flew on American Airlines, and they had a deal with NBC-Comcast. So, it was always NBC shows that were playing. Some people had their own devices, but Wi-Fi wasn't nearly as prevalent (or not even yet introduced). Kind of a taste of the days where there were only three major TV channels which I definitely did not live through.

[1995hoo]

1. Remember the era prior to automated toll collection?

I sure do. All toll payment was in cash only at most toll plazas and the backups at heavy travel times could be lengthy. I remember when I was growing up, if there was no exact change (or "toll machine," as New York City signed them) lane, my father always went to the very far right at toll plazas. His explanation was that trucks and buses were almost always required to keep to the far right and there would thus be fewer vehicles waiting on line there and he found it was usually faster to mix in with them. For the most part, I found him to be correct when I started driving and I did the same until I got a Virginia Smart Tag and an E-ZPass in 2001. I also remember when the toll on the Verrazano hit $7 there was a lane marked for exact cash toll only–not a toll machine with a coin basket, a manned lane where they took paper currency but you were only supposed to use the exact amount to speed the process. Didn't stop the main in front of us from trying to use a $50 bill once.

2. (kphoger's comment prompted this one:) Remember when what we now call cell phones were called "car phones"?

Yup. The first ones were either mounted to the car in some way or were sized like a small case or similar. The handset was corded to the console-like portion. My father's first "car phone" was theoretically portable and could be carried with him, but it was relatively heavy and bulky. I got my first mobile phone in late 1999, primarily because my car had broken down one morning on the way to federal court and I was concerned about that ever happening again. At the time, you also had to be cautious about where you used your phone because of roaming fees–if you drove out of your immediate coverage area (say, if I drove to New York), you would face surcharges.

[GaryV]

1. Remember when I-296 was signed?

2. Remember when the price of a McDonald's hamburger was 15 cents?

[triplemultiplex]

Remember when Futurama's joke about a Presidential election was that both candidates were so similar and boring?



My, how things have changed.

[mgk920]

1. Remember the era prior to automated toll collection?

I sure do. All toll payment was in cash only at most toll plazas and the backups at heavy travel times could be lengthy. I remember when I was growing up, if there was no exact change (or "toll machine," as New York City signed them) lane, my father always went to the very far right at toll plazas. His explanation was that trucks and buses were almost always required to keep to the far right and there would thus be fewer vehicles waiting on line there and he found it was usually faster to mix in with them. For the most part, I found him to be correct when I started driving and I did the same until I got a Virginia Smart Tag and an E-ZPass in 2001. I also remember when the toll on the Verrazano hit $7 there was a lane marked for exact cash toll only—not a toll machine with a coin basket, a manned lane where they took paper currency but you were only supposed to use the exact amount to speed the process. Didn't stop the main in front of us from trying to use a $50 bill once.

2. (kphoger's comment prompted this one:) Remember when what we now call cell phones were called "car phones"?

Yup. The first ones were either mounted to the car in some way or were sized like a small case or similar. The handset was corded to the console-like portion. My father's first "car phone" was theoretically portable and could be carried with him, but it was relatively heavy and bulky. I got my first mobile phone in late 1999, primarily because my car had broken down one morning on the way to federal court and I was concerned about that ever happening again. At the time, you also had to be cautious about where you used your phone because of roaming fees—if you drove out of your immediate coverage area (say, if I drove to New York), you would face surcharges.

I do miss the what to me was the great feeling of having everything done and settled when pulling away from the cash tollgate, never again having to revisit that particular transaction, though.

Yes, I also early on figured out the trick of the truck-bus lanes at ISTHA manned toll plazas.

Remember coming home from wherever and all of your clothes inevitably reeked of accumulated tobacco smoke?


Mike

[Max Rockatansky]

Remember when Michigan was commonly thought to have the worst roads in the country?

Remember when it was common to float personal checks in advance of paychecks?

[webny99]

Remember when Michigan was commonly thought to have the worst roads in the country?

Isn't that still the case? New Mexico is the only state I've consistently heard in the conversation as being as bad or worse.

[JoePCool14]

Michigan's roads are still terrible.

[Max Rockatansky]

Middle of the country-level at worst.  Michigan is nowhere nearly as bad as I remember it during the 1990s.

[kphoger]

I don't remember anyone calling appetizers "apps" until I was older. Probably around the same time smartphone apps became popular.

I specifically remember it from the movie Beautiful Girls, which came out in 1996:

– We got a new bar, little fireplace, menu, apps.

– Apps?

– Yeah. Appetizers. We got apps.

– He's the proprietor.  He's got the lingo down.

Granted, it was meant to be humorous, because apparently nobody else was using the term.  But it wasn't long after the movie that I started hearing the word elsewhere.

[kphoger]

2. Remember when airplanes had only one TV "channel" for the entire plane?

I've only flown once since 2007, so I didn't even realize there are TV "channels" on airplanes at all.  Nobody in my row on any of my four flights earlier this year watched anything on the little seatback screens.  My only memory of what actually plays on airplane screens is from watching a movie on a big screen at the front of coach class (for long flights), with plug-in headphones handed out by the stewardesses.  If you didn't want to watch the movie that was playing, then you just didn't watch anything at all.

This year, I also took a long-distance bus in Mexico for the first time since 2002.  Back then, my second class bus from Chihuahua City to Creel had a CRT television set, for movies, perched on the front of the passenger-side luggage rack.

[jmacswimmer]

1.  Remember when I-95 was incomplete?

2.  Remember when tickets were a thin strip of paper with a barcode on it that you had to either get delivered to your house or pick up from a ticket office, and not something you can simply pull up on your phone as we do now?

1. Remember the era prior to automated toll collection?

I sure do. All toll payment was in cash only at most toll plazas and the backups at heavy travel times could be lengthy. I remember when I was growing up, if there was no exact change (or "toll machine," as New York City signed them) lane, my father always went to the very far right at toll plazas. His explanation was that trucks and buses were almost always required to keep to the far right and there would thus be fewer vehicles waiting on line there and he found it was usually faster to mix in with them. For the most part, I found him to be correct when I started driving and I did the same until I got a Virginia Smart Tag and an E-ZPass in 2001. I also remember when the toll on the Verrazano hit $7 there was a lane marked for exact cash toll only–not a toll machine with a coin basket, a manned lane where they took paper currency but you were only supposed to use the exact amount to speed the process. Didn't stop the main in front of us from trying to use a $50 bill once.

2. (kphoger's comment prompted this one:) Remember when what we now call cell phones were called "car phones"?

Yup. The first ones were either mounted to the car in some way or were sized like a small case or similar. The handset was corded to the console-like portion. My father's first "car phone" was theoretically portable and could be carried with him, but it was relatively heavy and bulky. I got my first mobile phone in late 1999, primarily because my car had broken down one morning on the way to federal court and I was concerned about that ever happening again. At the time, you also had to be cautious about where you used your phone because of roaming fees–if you drove out of your immediate coverage area (say, if I drove to New York), you would face surcharges.

I do miss the what to me was the great feeling of having everything done and settled when pulling away from the cash tollgate, never again having to revisit that particular transaction, though.

Yes, I also early on figured out the trick of the truck-bus lanes at ISTHA manned toll plazas.

This is a great point, and is the one thing I miss about cash versus ETC...you'd pull up to a booth, know you're getting charged the correct amount as you hand the bills over, and as soon as the green light flips on/gate rises/etc. that transaction was over & done with, no back-processing involved. Compared to now, where all that happens in the moment is your transponder/plate is read and the rest is all back-processing. In the cash days, I didn't have to monitor my E-ZPass account after driving a toll road to check when the toll posts and if it's correct (and dispute it if not, which has happened occasionally).

And I used to use the same trick at the JFK toll plaza on I-95 north of the Tydings Bridge...the 2 rightmost cash lanes for trucks were almost always quicker than the middle cash lanes for cars. Although it seemed like the secret was getting out around the same time I finally opened an E-ZPass account in 2018 (and of course, that plaza is no more now anyway).

[jgb191]

1.  Remember when the speed limit was 55?

I received my first Drivers License by the Texas DPS on 12/7/1995 -- the day before President Bill Clinton officially signed a law on 12/8/1995 barring any federal-imposed cap on the speed limit.  From the next week onward I saw the new limit signs posted on the highways more and more by the state of Texas.  Before then I only had a learner's permit and I was promoted to an independent licensed driver.

[skluth]

I got my license in 1973 just after the 55 mph went nationwide. But I rarely drove until 1985 when I got a car so it really didn't affect me much. It was still a stupid idea and nothing was more annoying than getting stuck behind a car driven by some geezer with a "Driving 50 is Nifty" bumper sticker. (Yes, they did exist and I did get stuck behind such a driver on the old US 51 south of Peru/LaSalle.)

[kphoger]

2.  Remember when tickets were a thin strip of paper with a barcode on it that you had to either get delivered to your house or pick up from a ticket office, and not something you can simply pull up on your phone as we do now?

I last flew in March of this year, and I used paper tickets.  This merely involved stopping by the airport ahead of time and using one of the self-service machines.  I could have done that on the day of departure, but I had a very early flight and didn't want to waste time that morning.

[Ted$8roadFan]

1.  Remember when the speed limit was 55?

I do remember when the speed limit was 55 everywhere, although I wasn't old enough to drive until after the law was changed (I think in 1987ish) to allow rural interstates to have limits up to 65.

This created an interesting dynamic on some highways. On the Mass Pike, for instance, there were sections that were 55 and those that were 65 (I don't remember which ones). The most dangerous places to travel were areas transitioning from 65 to 55, because most drivers didn't slow down and thus became prime targets for speeding tickets. Of course, this changed in 1995 when the limit was lifted completely.

[kurumi]

1. Remember when US 1 was red?

2. Remember when Bill Gates was (mainly) reviled by the left and well-regarded by the right?

[jmacswimmer]

2.  Remember when tickets were a thin strip of paper with a barcode on it that you had to either get delivered to your house or pick up from a ticket office, and not something you can simply pull up on your phone as we do now?

I last flew in March of this year, and I used paper tickets.  This merely involved stopping by the airport ahead of time and using one of the self-service machines.  I could have done that on the day of departure, but I had a very early flight and didn't want to waste time that morning.

I usually still print a paper boarding pass as well while checking bags (I figure I'm already at the kiosk anyway), just because I'm overly-paranoid about what happens if my phone dies & I can't charge it before boarding. (And I discovered when flying internationally in October that mobile boarding passes aren't allowed due to the need to have your passport verified at check-in).

I was more-so thinking of concerts & sporting events thru Ticketmaster & other similar sites where mobile ticketing is the only option these days.

[1995hoo]

....

I was more-so thinking of concerts & sporting events thru Ticketmaster & other similar sites where mobile ticketing is the only option these days.

When we go to hockey games I often wonder how people who don't have smartphones get in.

[Ted$8roadFan]

1.  Remember when I-95 was incomplete?

I do remember. Once on a return trip from DC to Boston, I decided to take I-95 through Philadelphia since I'd never been through PA before. This was in 1996, long before GPS and long before the missing link between the Delaware Expressway and the PA Turnpike at current Exit 40. Of course, like so many others, I was mystified as to why two critical highway links weren't connected, and I ended up following 95 to its mysterious ending near Princeton and then taking 295 and 195 back to the NJ Turnpike. No longer a problem.

1. Remember the era prior to automated toll collection?

Yes. I remember seeing signs for a toll plaza and then realize that I had to get my wallet out of my pocket to fish out the cash while downshifting the manual transmission of my car at the time (in case I had forgotten to sort out the money beforehand). I would try to find the lane that had the fewest vehicles, but longer lines did give me more time to look for the cash.

Of course, even after I got my EZPass transponder in late 1999, that didn't solve all of the problems, because a lot of the highways I traveled at the time were only beginning to transition to EZPass. And even then, some toll plazas and interchanges had EZPass lanes, some didn't, etc. Thus, I still needed some cash on hand. By 2001-02, all toll highways in the northeast that I know of had some electronic toll collection. But since cash was still accepted and EZPass had few dedicated express lanes, and available lanes weren't always in the best locations, you weren't saved from sitting in traffic. And for weekends and holidays.....uy.

[kphoger]

I discovered when flying internationally in October that mobile boarding passes aren't allowed due to the need to have your passport verified at check-in

This is not universally true.  When I flew in March, it was international.  My companion did mobile boarding passes both ways, including ICT→DFW→MTY.

But, considering you've said elsewhere that Southwest is your go-to airline, then yeah, you're out of luck there.

Mobile boarding passes aren't currently available for international flights.

[JoePCool14]

....

I was more-so thinking of concerts & sporting events thru Ticketmaster & other similar sites where mobile ticketing is the only option these days.

When we go to hockey games I often wonder how people who don't have smartphones get in.

I guess that goes back to this thread from last year.

[jmacswimmer]

I discovered when flying internationally in October that mobile boarding passes aren't allowed due to the need to have your passport verified at check-in

This is not universally true.  When I flew in March, it was international.  My companion did mobile boarding passes both ways, including ICT→DFW→MTY.

But, considering you've said elsewhere that Southwest is your go-to airline, then yeah, you're out of luck there.

Mobile boarding passes aren't currently available for international flights.

Ah, yes, I did indeed speak out of turn then assuming my international experience with Southwest in October must be true universally. The only other time I've flown internationally was with United in 2017, and I just printed a paper boarding pass while checking my bags and don't recall whether United supported international mobile boarding passes at the time.

[roadman65]

I remember when I-95 was incomplete between Virginia and Florida.

I-95 from Emporia, VA to Petersburg was four lane US 301.

The missing link from Kenly to Gold Rock I remember as well as the missing link that is become the Fayetteville Bypass.

Plus a long segment from Walterboro to Santee was memorable.  Even driving US 17 when it was a four lane arterial before it became the I-95 and US 17 freeway north of Ridgeland.

Then using the Talmadge Bridge ( the old two lane cantilever) because I-95 was missing between I-16 in Pooler, GA to Hardeeville, SC.  In addition I-95 from South Newport to Richmond Hill was missing and the section of I-95 from Woodbine to Brunswick was a trip on US 17 and GA 303 to circumvent.