You are too old if you remember.......

[webny99]

With "threads you'll never see on aaroads.com"  now locked, this is officially the longest thread in the Off-Topic board.

Personally, I'm not old enough to remember much (I was born five months before the turn of the century), but at least I know what faxes and modems are. Does that make me old?

I recently saw a quiz that allegedly asked about "things only Baby Boomers would know." I am not a member of that generation, yet I got 34 of the 35 questions correct.

From my perspective, you're pretty close  I'm the oldest in my family, and my parents are in their 40's, but we'll often call them "baby boomers" or "Depression survivors" or the likes, just to get a rise.

[formulanone]

With "threads you'll never see on aaroads.com"  now locked, this is officially the longest thread in the Off-Topic board.

Personally, I'm not old enough to remember much (I was born five months before the turn of the century), but at least I know what faxes and modems are. Does that make me old?

I recently saw a quiz that allegedly asked about "things only Baby Boomers would know." I am not a member of that generation, yet I got 34 of the 35 questions correct.

Most sites don't want to make their audience feel dumb, it's bad for ad revenue and reduces time spent looking at more clickbait/listicles.

[kkt]

With "threads you'll never see on aaroads.com"  now locked, this is officially the longest thread in the Off-Topic board.

Personally, I'm not old enough to remember much (I was born five months before the turn of the century), but at least I know what faxes and modems are. Does that make me old?

I recently saw a quiz that allegedly asked about "things only Baby Boomers would know." I am not a member of that generation, yet I got 34 of the 35 questions correct.

Those sites are usually very easy.  The "determine your education level with our quiz" site decided I must have a PhD.  Unfortunately, no, not even a bachelor's.  But the site has the misconception that the PhD is about learning a lot, while it's actually about an original work.

[Sctvhound]

Wasn't on the site when this started (just turned 30), so I am chiming in with late 90s memories...

Road-wise:

- I-95 and I-26 into the 2000s still having the original 1960s concrete in SC, two lanes statewide except for from US 17 to the 52 Connector and from 77 to Harbison on 26
- Outlet malls usually being right off of highways and outside. Concord Mills opening off 85 was huge in the late 90s
- Charleston and Myrtle Beach felt much further apart since there was much less sprawl on US 17 north out of Charleston.
- The Fuller Warren draw bridge in Jacksonville
- The old 2-lane Grace Bridge in Charleston
- Myrtle Beach having no SC 22 or 31 and the Bypass having miles long backups during the summer basically any day
- Seeing a lot more remnants of billboards dating back to the 60s and 70s even in the late 90s
- All of 95 basically from Jacksonville to I-295 south of Richmond was 2 lanes wide
- 17 from Savannah to Gardens Corner was a dangerous 2-lane. You could be caught behind a truck for miles
- the old Woodrow Wilson bridge opened up a lot more frequently on the Beltway

Non-road:

- Having to flip radio stations every 50-75 miles, if you were lucky if you liked a certain format, say oldies.
- There being large cities that had no alcohol sales until a certain time or at all on Sunday. I remember Charleston had no sales on Sunday in grocery stores in the late 90s
- Seeing a much wider variety of cars on the road. Tons of 80s and even late 70s cars
- Cable systems being much wider in channel availability. Many rural areas still had 15-20 channels of cable with only really basic channels while major cities had digital cable beginning
- Regional college football and basketball games on TV preempting national games
- Many gas stations only took cash
- You could get a good cheap room at a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge for under $30 a night

[skluth]

Wasn't on the site when this started (just turned 30), so I am chiming in with late 90s memories...

Road-wise:

- I-95 and I-26 into the 2000s still having the original 1960s concrete in SC, two lanes statewide except for from US 17 to the 52 Connector and from 77 to Harbison on 26
- Outlet malls usually being right off of highways and outside. Concord Mills opening off 85 was huge in the late 90s
- Charleston and Myrtle Beach felt much further apart since there was much less sprawl on US 17 north out of Charleston.
- The Fuller Warren draw bridge in Jacksonville
- The old 2-lane Grace Bridge in Charleston
- Myrtle Beach having no SC 22 or 31 and the Bypass having miles long backups during the summer basically any day
- Seeing a lot more remnants of billboards dating back to the 60s and 70s even in the late 90s
- All of 95 basically from Jacksonville to I-295 south of Richmond was 2 lanes wide
- 17 from Savannah to Gardens Corner was a dangerous 2-lane. You could be caught behind a truck for miles
- the old Woodrow Wilson bridge opened up a lot more frequently on the Beltway

Non-road:

- Having to flip radio stations every 50-75 miles, if you were lucky if you liked a certain format, say oldies.
- There being large cities that had no alcohol sales until a certain time or at all on Sunday. I remember Charleston had no sales on Sunday in grocery stores in the late 90s
- Seeing a much wider variety of cars on the road. Tons of 80s and even late 70s cars
- Cable systems being much wider in channel availability. Many rural areas still had 15-20 channels of cable with only really basic channels while major cities had digital cable beginning
- Regional college football and basketball games on TV preempting national games
- Many gas stations only took cash
- You could get a good cheap room at a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge for under $30 a night

Cities? There were entire states that once prohibited Sunday alcohol sales. St Louis area residents had to drive to Illinois on Sundays because you couldn't buy alcohol on Sunday in Missouri.

[jp the roadgeek]

I never did this, so I'll do my experiences from CT:

Road Related:

I-84 suddenly became I-86 in East Hartford and exit numbers jumped from 58 to 91.  Also remember an exit for Forbes St just before the present 384 ramp.

I-84 existed on I-384 and on the US 6 Willimantic bypass

When the exits in Hartford on I-84 East were Capitol Ave (48;no Asylum), High St (49), Ann (no Uccello) St (50, which was directional to the north). Trumbull St (51), Morgan St (52), and I-91 South (no #).

US 44 between Manchester and Ashford was US 44A, and US 44 piggybacked on I-86 and the east end of CT 74

I-691 was CT 66 and ended at current Exit 4.  CT 322 east of I-84 was CT 66.  The ramp from 84 West to 691 East was the ramp for 66.  Eastbound had 2 ramps: present 28 was 27 was for 66 East only, and there was an extremely short ramp about 250 feet later for 322 West.

CT 9 ended at I-91 and CT 72 extended to Middletown, though the expressway ended in Berlin
I-291 was CT 291 and was a Super 2 that ended at US 5
The Charter Oak Bridge had connections to and from I-91 North
The Founders Bridge had connections to and from I-91 South
Having to exit at Morgan St to make the connection from I-84 East to I-91 North

Tolls on I-95 (aka the Connecticut Turnpike) and the parkways, the Bissell, Charter Oak, and Putnam bridges.

The installation of reflective button copy BGS's.
When I-395 was CT/MA 52

Non-Road:

Liquor stores closed at 8 pm and were closed all day Sunday.

We had the Whalers, and the Celtics played 2 home games a year at the Hartford Civic (not XL) Center

The New Haven Coliseum, Naugatuck Valley Mall, a movie theater inside Westfarms Mall
Jai Alai frontons in Hartford, Bridgeport, and Milford.  Dog tracks in Plainfield and Bridgeport

Six Flags was Riverside Park and had a speedway.  Hershey owned Lake Compounce and had an amphitheater (where the record skipped for Milli Vanilli). 

Foxwoods was exclusively a bingo hall.
When the area around Buckland Hills Mall was just a JC Penney warehouse and farm land

When my street didn't have cable, and when we did, there was 36 channels and no remote for the cable box.

Video arcades all over the place, Atari, and Chuck E Cheese was mostly video games along with the animatronic shows.

Service Merchandise, Caldor, G Fox, Sage Allen, McCrory/JJ Newberry,  Zayre's, Bradlee's, Roy Rogers, Arthur Treachers, and pizza delivery was extremely rare.

When each town had only one Dunkin DONUTS, and each had a counter to sit at and coffee was served in ceramic cups. 

[skluth]

for Green Bay

Road related -

• There were only three bridges across the river; Main St, Walnut St, and Mason St. You were thrilled when you crossed the river without either the bridge opening or getting caught at the rail crossings adjacent to the Fox River.
• Going to Door County meant getting passed frequently by FIBs on two lane Highway 57.
• Breaking up the drive to Madison by stopping in Rosendale for a 25¢ beer instead of being stopped in Rosendale for a speed trap.
• University Avenue was called Willow St
• Driving from Allouez to Ashwaubenon meant driving through Green Bay or De Pere.
• Using Monroe Rd/CTH GV as a nice country road to bicycle or test your cars top speed due to lack of traffic.
• Fording across Duck Creek in your dad's car in Pamperin Park.

Non-road related -

• The nearest state college was in Oshkosh
• Not being able to watch the NFL Championship because the NFL didn't televise any games locally even when sold out.
• Kids falling through the East River ice every spring.
• Washington Senators farm team playing in Joannes Stadium.
• The tech school was in a New Deal-era building across the street from a brothel on Broadway.
• West and Southwest High Schools playing football games in Lambeau Field.
• Fid's, Green Bay's most distinguished pub. (Pubs were beer-only bars for those 18-21)
• Cars on Morrow with deer carcasses splayed across the hood waiting in line for the glove factory workers to skin their deer in exchange for store credit every November.
• Not being able to swim in the bay at Bay Beach (Oh wait. That's still true.)

[Big John]

list]
[li]Not being able to watch the NFL Championship because the NFL didn't televise any games locally even when sold out.[/li]
[li]Kids falling through the East River ice every spring.[/li]
[li]Not being able to swim in the bay at Bay Beach (Oh wait. That's still true.)[/li]
[/list]

1.  That was NFL policy.  It took a threat from congress for them to lift the blackout for sold-out games
2. Likely the reason the East River is also known as the Devil River. (Thus, East High's team name of Red Devils)
3. Still true, but there are plans are being made to make it swimmable again.[/list]

[skluth]

list]
[li]Not being able to watch the NFL Championship because the NFL didn't televise any games locally even when sold out.[/li]
[li]Kids falling through the East River ice every spring.[/li]
[li]Not being able to swim in the bay at Bay Beach (Oh wait. That's still true.)[/li]
[/list]

1.  That was NFL policy.  It took a threat from congress for them to lift the blackout for sold-out games
2. Likely the reason the East River is also known as the Devil River. (Thus, East High's team name of Red Devils)
3. Still true, but there are plans are being made to make it swimmable again.[/list]

1. I know. My parents were at the Ice Bowl while my brothers and I listened on the radio.
2. I went to and graduated from East High School in the early 70's. Kids who lived near Deckner would cross the East River to school as soon as it froze. They'd continue to cross until one unfortunate kid fell through the ice each spring. I'm glad they finally built a pedestrian bridge there before someone died. We used to swim in it, even had a rope swing from a tree, but that was near Greene Isle Park.
3. I'll believe it when it happens. Those plans have been happening since at least the late 80's. One of my buddies back then was telling stories about mutated cormorants on the landfill that's now Bay Beach Island. But they've done a nice job on the riverfront around downtown and I've seen some incredible cleanups elsewhere (My career was in St Louis. Times Beach was a suburb.) so I'll hope it happens. If they wait ten more years, they can open it 100 years after it closed.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

"Smoking or non?"

3 days rental for new releases, 5 for classics

"Crap, I missed my school in the closure announcements scroll on local TV, now I have to watch it for 10 minutes again until it comes back" and if your school wasn't on it, stare at it for another two or three cycles hoping it would be added eventually - this was especially epic on radio where the morning host had to read hundreds of schools (and distinguish late start vs. totally closed) every so often

The excitement of going to Best Buy/Target on the day the video game you wanted was finally released, before you could just buy digital copies from home.

[kkt]

Toys R Us

[Scott5114]

"Crap, I missed my school in the closure announcements scroll on local TV, now I have to watch it for 10 minutes again until it comes back" and if your school wasn't on it, stare at it for another two or three cycles hoping it would be added eventually - this was especially epic on radio where the morning host had to read hundreds of schools (and distinguish late start vs. totally closed) every so often

This was particularly agonizing for me because a lot of the time the scrolls would start over at A every time they went to commercial and I went to a W school.

And then the reluctance to give up and start getting ready to go...what if they add it while I'm packing up my bag and putting on my coat, or right after I leave, or they added it during the last commercial, or...

And then the irritation when every other school in your county is listed but your superintendent apparently has something to prove to someone you don't know and decides to keep your school open.

The excitement of going to Best Buy/Target on the day the video game you wanted was finally released, before you could just buy digital copies from home.

And the agony of finding out they sold out before you got there.

[US71]

"Smoking or non?"

My experience has been a lot of people will smoke anyway. If they are charged a cleaning fee, they will fight it.

[Billy F 1988]

Buttrey's and Tidyman's, both former grocery stores in Missoula years ago. Now all of the ex-Buttrey's stores are Albertsons owned in MT. The ex-Tidyman's location then turned into a Staples/Hastings lot, and now that location is a food service/family fun house lot.

There was a Montana Army National Guard armory in Missoula before it was closed down. If you go in there today, it's the current Goodwill store and you'd have no idea that was formerly the NatGuard armory. It was this location on South Reserve that had a model tank in front of it. The tank still exists, but has since been moved to the Fort Missoula museum.

The Cine3 theatre was located on Brooks Street years ago. However, low attendance left the former lot in disrepair rendering it obsolete.

A corner gas station on Orange and Broadway used to exist. One of Chris Kalina's photos shows evidence of that lot. It's now the site of City Brew, a coffee expresso, a CPA office and the UPS Store.

Crazy Mike's Video - a former video rental store in Missoula that felt the brunt of a shrinking economy and the commanding presence of Hulu and Redbox. I've only purchased two or three DVD's from the former Eastgate Center location on East Broadway. When it closed for good, Albertsons management had a bright ass idea to overtake the former site by removing the retaining walls so to expand the walk-in cooler, move the pharmacy and create a Starbucks expresso.

There are a couple of businesses at Holiday Village on Brooks and Stephens that I can sort of remember going to, but can't quite pinpoint if that was an independent grocer or one owned by the big box grocers. I think the gym that sits there today used to be Albertsons or something else. I can say it was a Smith's because my dad was a janitor there.

Of course, the South Crossing lot near Reserve and 39th is where the dead K-Mart used to be.

The old Safeway lot on Broadway has been long dead since it was shifted further west past the railroad tracks. It's currently a patient lot for Providence St. Patrick Hospital. There were talks of converting the area into a new office area and a sky bridge to connect it to the main PSPH campus. Since then, nothing has come up.

Finally, there's the dead Liberty Lanes lot. I've only gone to that bowling alley about three times before it was torn down and converted into an apartment complex. The dead Intermountain Lumber site on Russell is now an apartment complex with sports gym and sandwich bar.

[Takumi]

Thalhimers, a Richmond-based department store chain. Absorbed by Hechts in the early 1990s. The few left are now Macys.

[1995hoo]

Thalhimers, a Richmond-based department store chain. Absorbed by Hechts in the early 1990s. The few left are now Macys.

Your comment prompts me to remember the Washington Shopping Plate (sample image below, although the earliest cards issued in the 1950s looked like a metal dog tag), an early credit card (no magnetic stripe; the picture below is of the front–the card number and user's name appeared below the signature block and the back listed the stores that accepted the card) issued by a group of retailers in the DC area that could be used at any of their stores–Hecht's, Jelleff's, Raleigh's, Woodward & Lothrop, Garfinckel's, Kann's, and Lansburgh's are the ones I remember, though there may have been others. As those stores gradually went out of business, the card became less and less useful; it eventually became useless after Hecht's became Macy's in 2005 or so. My father had one and insisted on using it at Hecht's right up to the end, which caused my mother no end of annoyance because none of the younger employees knew what it was. They were convinced it was fake and my father would tell them to call a supervisor; usually the supervisor would not know how to process it but would say something along the lines of knowing which employee would know, and invariably the employee who was summoned would be an older lady in her 60s who was the only employee to have seen that card.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

... the old, dense pre-1973 French National Road network being in place.

(I obviously don't, as I was born 20 years after what I call the "First Purge", I'm currently putting it back together on a road atlas)

[Stephane Dumas]

...when we got Texaco, Gulf gas stations across Canada and Dominion supermarkets in Quebec.


...when my dad do groceries to Steinberg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eChW1mHOP0

...when René-Lévesque Blvd in Quebec city was known as St-Cyrille Blvd.

...when A-55 was a super-2 north of Sherbrooke ended for a while at Windsor.

[GCrites]

... the old, dense pre-1973 French National Road network being in place.

(I obviously don't, as I was born 20 years after what I call the "First Purge", I'm currently putting it back together on a road atlas)

Tell us more about this. It's probably thread-worthy.

[SkyPesos]

Borders bookstores

[US71]

Sandy's (Come as you are) Hamburgers -- Bought out by Hardees

[LilianaUwU]

...when René-Lévesque Blvd in Quebec city was known as St-Cyrille Blvd.

One might also remember Rue Principale in Normandin being called Saint-Cyrille.

[US71]

...when René-Lévesque Blvd in Quebec city was known as St-Cyrille Blvd.

One might also remember Rue Principale in Normandin being called Saint-Cyrille.

Istanbul was Constantinople

[kurumi]

...when René-Lévesque Blvd in Quebec city was known as St-Cyrille Blvd.

One might also remember Rue Principale in Normandin being called Saint-Cyrille.

Istanbul was Constantinople

Why did that city get the works?

[MATraveler128]

I was born in 2002. I’m now 20. So my memories are all from the 2000s. Here’s my list.

Kid Pix, I remember playing that game in 3rd grade computer class

Blockbuster Video (screw Netflix) 

The tube TV on the cart that the teacher would bring out and play educational movies on.

Scholastic Book Fair, they always encouraged you to buy an actual book, but you’d blow all your money on toys.

Those rugs that had a pretend city on it (I used to have one back in the day.)

Windows XP

Silly Bandz, why were these so popular?

Club Penguin, this was Fortnite of its era.

That’s it.