My trip up north

My trip up north.....

I just found out!! They are going to tear down the back half of the first shopping center I ever went to!
I grew up in the Tri-Cities, Washington. There were "3" cities connected by bridges over rivers. Where the Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers all meet and mingle.
I love where I grew up. I love the memories I have of growing up.
One of those memories was going to Richland to the Uptown shopping center. This was before there was ever a "mall" built in the Tri-cities, in the 1960's. We would go to the UPTOWN shopping center to Newberry's, the old 5 and dime store.
(whatever happened to "5 and dime stores?" and....what did 5 and dime mean? ) They had a soda fountain. (sigh) and a pet section.
The Uptown shopping center was the home of JCPenneys (each town had their own) until the mall was built and they closed down each small individual store.

The Uptown Shopping Center (way, way after it's glory days---geez, the glory days were over 40 years ago LOL )

And....the Tahitian Room. oooooohhhhhhhhhhhh.....fancy, mysterious, grown-up cocktail place, that it was. It seemed very "Frank Sinatra-ish" to me--- very "Rat Pack-ish". (It's still there...I took a picture. I have a thing about signs)
I have fond memories of cocktails, ice clinking in glasses, women in cat eye glasses, cigarettes with lip-stick marks, laughter and "dancing"...yes, dancing. My parents had "dance" parties in the basement, where they and their friends got together and had cocktails and dance parties.
My brother and I would sit on the stairs and listen to their music and their laughter until we were shooed off to bed.
I have fond memories of Chinese restaurants too. I guess we must have eaten out at Chinese restaurants a lot. They were fancy and mysterious and curious. There was always a lot of velvet and hidden cubbies/rooms in the restaurants of the 1960's.

And....and...and THE SPUDNUT SHOP. A donut shop, where they make the donuts from potato flour. A bit of History on the Spudnuts, click here.

We were a nuclear town...or towns, as it was.
There are still a few remaining logos from the 60's and 70's haning around.....some things are still named "Atomic" (the Atomic Lanes was our bowling alley) and the Atom was a big logo of the Uptown Shopping Center.

Never fear.... I'll share more of my trip up north tomorrow....

to be continued..........