Thanks for the comments about fireworks in McLean and what you all did on Sunday night. But I still hope someone else reads the post about fireworks - I sure wish I knew where there were local McLean fireworks - we had to have had them....and parking on Dolly Madison and watching from there (other than DC and Wolf Trap) is all I remember.
On another note, it got so cold here in Blacksburg this evening that we ended up going to a bar to watch the *Hokie* football game vs Duke even though it was here in Lane Stadium. It was a sloppy game, a really sloppy game - and that may be kind, but a victory none the less.....The stats (except for fumbles) will make it sound a whole lot better than it was. But as I said - a win is a win in the BCS and ACC standings.
Anyway, we were sitting at the bar of the Rivermill on Draper Road in downtown Blacksburg and I met a Saxon....she just happened to be sitting next to me...a '92 LHS grad who lived in Great Falls - you know who you are and if you read this, I expect to hear from you...so you 90s grads - leave a comment. I'd like to hear from you...all though I initially said this blog was for those of us who grew up in the 50s - 70s, I would like to hear from you younger McLeaners. (I'm trying out some of the possible names for McLean residents.....)
I've been promising to get better at this blogging thing and so I'm going to try to add some pics - scans of postcards from Evans Farm Inn. So, you'll either see the pics or an apology. These vintage postcards could be yours.....I'm setting them aside for the contest prizes....dont lose out...go back to the contest postings and win one or more of these choice collectibles.
Thanks to you faithful readers for being here!!! But we need more.....the more folks out there reading and commenting, the more fun this will be, so please pass this along to your McLean friends - young and old!! Keep us going!!! I've got lots McLean balls to toss up in the air, but juggling with a partner is more fun!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Redskins and What Did We Do On Sunday Night?
As I wait for the Redskins Game to start within the hour, I am sitting at my computer playing those mind-freeing games that only take a part of my attention and allow me think about other things. And, so I started contemplating what we would be doing on a McLean Sunday night. The first answer that came to mind was Watching Ed Sullivan, of course. But then I remembered Disney, 60 Minutes and Star Trek and the occasional channel-changing battles. So.....what did you do on Sunday night?
None of this is really about McLean as none of the things I remembered were home town specific, except the Redskins, but I'd still like to know. What did your family and friends do on those last hours of the weekend?
And, as the "fireworks" came up on my computer screen after my last (winning) game of Spider Solitaire, I thought about what we did on the 4th of July. I know the 4th is long past, but I'm going there anyway.
We usually had fireworks in the front yard. Dad would set of the big ones and I'd get to write my name with sparklers and light those black snakes that ran all over the front porch that I loved and he hated becasue they left their black trails for days. Then we'd have neighbors over and grill burgers - probably venison burgers if you were at our house.
I was trying to remember who put off town fireworks in McLean. I remember (I think) parking on Dolly Madison Blvd. and watching fireworks from the car. These were put off by some organization like the Lion's Club, Veterans, or somebody like that. Who was it? Do you remember? And were they where I thought they were? Where were they actually set up? Were there other local fireworks? Did your neighborhood have their own? The only other "local" ones I remember, in addition to the National ones in DC which I did go to occasionally, were the ones at Wolf Trap.
All I can say about fireworks at Wolf Trap is ....... July 4, 1974.
(Okay, it's not all I can say, but it's important.) I was there with friends and as we waited for the excitement to start, the fireman doused the trees at the back of the natural amphitheatre to the left of the stage. It was dark and we were sitting on a blanket - typical for any time you'd watch fireworks and typical for any concert night at Wolf Trap. But this not to be a typical night. Eventually, the colorful show started to the cheers of the crowd and lasted about 5 minutes before a spark came down and hit the unused fireworks on the ground.....and it was the most spectacular show I've ever seen!!
Everybody ran for a few seconds, then some began to stop and the much smaller crowd turned back toward the trees and watched in silence and awe. The remainder of the show, except the finale, was ignited in one moment, one spectacular moment....and 30+ minutes of fireworks went off straight from the ground like one giant Roman Candle.
A few sparks reached the left side of the hill and, if I remember correctly, a couple of people were hurt, but not too badly. Everyone was very lucky!!!! And, if you managed to stay and not run all the way to your car - you saw a show to remember for the rest of your life!! I can't even offer enough adjectives to explain the beauty and power of the few minutes it took to complete the show. Oh what a night!!!
So, on those two typical American Family nights, what did you do? What happened in your life on Sunday after 7pm and what did you do in McLean on the 4th of July? Examining minds want to know, and so do I.
None of this is really about McLean as none of the things I remembered were home town specific, except the Redskins, but I'd still like to know. What did your family and friends do on those last hours of the weekend?
And, as the "fireworks" came up on my computer screen after my last (winning) game of Spider Solitaire, I thought about what we did on the 4th of July. I know the 4th is long past, but I'm going there anyway.
We usually had fireworks in the front yard. Dad would set of the big ones and I'd get to write my name with sparklers and light those black snakes that ran all over the front porch that I loved and he hated becasue they left their black trails for days. Then we'd have neighbors over and grill burgers - probably venison burgers if you were at our house.
I was trying to remember who put off town fireworks in McLean. I remember (I think) parking on Dolly Madison Blvd. and watching fireworks from the car. These were put off by some organization like the Lion's Club, Veterans, or somebody like that. Who was it? Do you remember? And were they where I thought they were? Where were they actually set up? Were there other local fireworks? Did your neighborhood have their own? The only other "local" ones I remember, in addition to the National ones in DC which I did go to occasionally, were the ones at Wolf Trap.
All I can say about fireworks at Wolf Trap is ....... July 4, 1974.
(Okay, it's not all I can say, but it's important.) I was there with friends and as we waited for the excitement to start, the fireman doused the trees at the back of the natural amphitheatre to the left of the stage. It was dark and we were sitting on a blanket - typical for any time you'd watch fireworks and typical for any concert night at Wolf Trap. But this not to be a typical night. Eventually, the colorful show started to the cheers of the crowd and lasted about 5 minutes before a spark came down and hit the unused fireworks on the ground.....and it was the most spectacular show I've ever seen!!
Everybody ran for a few seconds, then some began to stop and the much smaller crowd turned back toward the trees and watched in silence and awe. The remainder of the show, except the finale, was ignited in one moment, one spectacular moment....and 30+ minutes of fireworks went off straight from the ground like one giant Roman Candle.
A few sparks reached the left side of the hill and, if I remember correctly, a couple of people were hurt, but not too badly. Everyone was very lucky!!!! And, if you managed to stay and not run all the way to your car - you saw a show to remember for the rest of your life!! I can't even offer enough adjectives to explain the beauty and power of the few minutes it took to complete the show. Oh what a night!!!
So, on those two typical American Family nights, what did you do? What happened in your life on Sunday after 7pm and what did you do in McLean on the 4th of July? Examining minds want to know, and so do I.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
McLean on Jeopardy and Cash Cab
Well, we made another game show this evening!!
Yesterday it was Alex Trebek and Jeopardy, and tonight it was Ben Bailey and Cash Cab. If you've never seen Cash Cab, you should check it out...quite funny!! It's a trivia game show in Ben's taxi in NYC. While he drives people to their destinations, he asks them questions, if they get them right , they earn money, but if they get three wrong, it's three strikes and he puts them out on the street where ever they are.
The question tonight was What is the name of the neighborhood in McLean, Virginia where the CIA is located? Let's think about that for a moment...anyone have a guess, an Educated guess? The passenger contestants had to shout out for help from a stranger on the street - who happened to know that it is Langley!! Yeah!! But I bet they didn't know that it is also the name of a high school in McLean, and an Air Force Base in Hampton, VA !!
I think I'll keep a running list of McLean's mention on game shows. If you hear of any more, let us know.
Since it is said that things come in threes, think we'll get another mention tomorrow??
Keep your ears on and have a good evening!!
Yesterday it was Alex Trebek and Jeopardy, and tonight it was Ben Bailey and Cash Cab. If you've never seen Cash Cab, you should check it out...quite funny!! It's a trivia game show in Ben's taxi in NYC. While he drives people to their destinations, he asks them questions, if they get them right , they earn money, but if they get three wrong, it's three strikes and he puts them out on the street where ever they are.
The question tonight was What is the name of the neighborhood in McLean, Virginia where the CIA is located? Let's think about that for a moment...anyone have a guess, an Educated guess? The passenger contestants had to shout out for help from a stranger on the street - who happened to know that it is Langley!! Yeah!! But I bet they didn't know that it is also the name of a high school in McLean, and an Air Force Base in Hampton, VA !!
I think I'll keep a running list of McLean's mention on game shows. If you hear of any more, let us know.
Since it is said that things come in threes, think we'll get another mention tomorrow??
Keep your ears on and have a good evening!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day - Go Vote ! !
GO VOTE ! !
Do we from McLean understand the responsibility and privilege of voting more than the general public? Did we grow up in an area so populated with various government employees, including Senators and Congressmen, that we're too casual about it? Or did it have an impact at all? What do you think?
I had (have) my favorite politician's kid - Mark Gibbons, if you're out there, please drop a line!!
I'm on my way to vote now and then I'm volunteering to be a Line Captain and help people waiting to vote. Not too bad here. Lines are about 10 minutes, so I've heard. But I want to do my part in this historic election.
Today, you know what to do, just do it!!!
GO VOTE ! !
I'm Carol Smith, and I approved this message.
Do we from McLean understand the responsibility and privilege of voting more than the general public? Did we grow up in an area so populated with various government employees, including Senators and Congressmen, that we're too casual about it? Or did it have an impact at all? What do you think?
I had (have) my favorite politician's kid - Mark Gibbons, if you're out there, please drop a line!!
I'm on my way to vote now and then I'm volunteering to be a Line Captain and help people waiting to vote. Not too bad here. Lines are about 10 minutes, so I've heard. But I want to do my part in this historic election.
Today, you know what to do, just do it!!!
GO VOTE ! !
I'm Carol Smith, and I approved this message.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The McLean Wayback Machine
Quick Note - I'll be out of town for a couple of days.....going to one of my favorite places - an Antique Show. This one happens to be in Charlotte, NC. I'll be back by the end of the week and will be thinking about where we'll go from here...I think the challenges will keep us busy for a while. I'm going to have to use my "Wayback Machine" and return to Salona Village circa 1965 to identify what businesses were there. And the first post that identifies what the "Wayback Machine" is will get an "Atta" (atta girl, atta boy) from me.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
CHALLENGES - aka CONTESTS ! !
Challenge #1
Come up with a name for the inhabitants of McLean. Refer to Post from 10/21 "People of McLean, Virginia." This is a contest with a PRIZE. Selection method and duration TBD.
Challenge #2
Challenge #2
BIGGER Challenge - BETTER Prize
Name the stores in Salona Village circa 1965 in order from left to right as you face the shopping center. Include only the ones ACROSS from the Safeway and IN the strip. Determination of correct list and duration TBD.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
People from McLean, Virginia
People from America are Americans; from France they are French; Switzerland, Swiss; and Greece, Greek. So, if you're native to McLean, you're and American, a Virginian, and a McLeanite? McLench? That sounds like something from the Golden Arches that I'd be a bit afraid of....so, I ask, what shall we call ourselves? Has anyone previously decided? Has the Washington Post had a contest to name the inhabitants of McLean? I think not. It would have been a good idea, but we've beaten them to the punch!! Let's declare ourselves (those of us who are from McLean of the 50s and 60s) the Board of Naming for the townsfolk of McLean and decide on a name for ourselves.
Have fun and send me the winning (not listed above) entry...I'll find some kind of appropriate prize...maybe I'll send you one of my vintage postcards of Evan's Farm Inn.
'Til then, keep sending in your favorite Memories of McLean.
What does it take to decide how one should address a group of people? I'm sure there are some "Robert's Rules of Naming" that should be followed, but since I don't have a copy of that surely officially documented guideline, let's establish our own rules and thus the title by which we want to be called as a people.
First, our group name should be derived from the town name of McLean. Seems pretty obvious. Second, our name should be derived from the town name of McLean. And Third, you guessed it, our name should be derived from the town name of McLean. It's the old rule in real estate - location, location, location. Is there really any other criteria which we should consider in this momentous naming decision? Do we need to know of the history, geography, or demographics of the area?
Maybe a little background won't distract us from our deliberations.
McLean, according to most accounts I've read, was named for John Roll McLean, former owner and publisher of the Washington Post. He was also one of the principals in the development of the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railway, probably better known to most of us as the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD).
There are the Great Falls, Chain Bridge, Langley, Chesterbrook, Lewinsville, and Churchill. There is Georgetown Pike, Old Dominion Drive, the George Washington Parkway and Dolly Madison Blvd.
We have schools named for American poets like James Fenimore Cooper and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We called these Intermediate schools, but now I think they call them Middle schools.
There is the Potomac River, Tyson's Corner, Potomac Hills, McLean Hamlet, Franklin Sherman, Salona Village, Kent Gardens and Chesterbrook Woods. We have a nearby airport named for John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State under President Eisenhower. And let's not forget the famous families - the Kennedys, the Mars family, and Marjorie Merriweather Post of cereal fame.
I'm sure that I have not named all the people and places of McLean....I have to leave something for you to send me...let me know if I've left out your favorite.
That's a lot of "Names" of people and places, but do any of them deserve consideration in the name of the people of McLean? Except for John McLean, I doubt it, but it was a fun diversion to let me ponder the possibilities for our peoples' title.
I'm going to offer some possibilities, but please make me an offer I can't refuse. Maybe one of the 3 of you reading this will have scholarly knowledge of the subject and can educate us. Until then, here are some choices:
- McLeanites
- McLeanians
- McLench
- McLensh
- McLenities
- McLenish
Have fun and send me the winning (not listed above) entry...I'll find some kind of appropriate prize...maybe I'll send you one of my vintage postcards of Evan's Farm Inn.
'Til then, keep sending in your favorite Memories of McLean.
Monday, October 13, 2008
To Nancy, Amy and other McLeanites.....Sorry I've been away for a while, but I'm back and plan on posting at least a couple of times a week. This is my first foray into blogging and I am still learning....
Yes, I was talking about Beales. It was the best ever. They were on the corner of Kirby Road where Chesterbrook Road came into a T intersection. Linway Terrace went down once side of the corn fields and past St. John's Catholic Church on the way toward McLean. If you went the other way, you'd go by Potomac Hills.
There are a few things in life that we remember as wonderful - as near to perfect as you can get - and corn from the Beale's was one of them. I've talked to so many people that I know it is not just a childhood memory, enhanced by the passing of years. It really WAS that good!! How could corn deserve a blog posting? If you'd ever had that corn, you would know.
There was a sub shop in Blacksburg when I went to VA Tech called Mr Fooz that made the best subs ever!!! But that's another story and not about McLean....just about where some of us went after high school (which was Langley for me). But you know what I mean...it's like the Washingtonian magazine's list of "The Best of DC." Well I'd like to propose a "Best of McLean." All comments and suggestions welcome. Beale's corn was THE BEST EVER - It was five star restaurant corn - a Blue Ribbon for them!!! They get our first "Best of McLean" award!!
But I'm going to stop for a minute and give you a little about my background. We moved from Fairfax City into McLean in October 1954 and moved in on Halloween. My parents had our house built in Chesterbrook Woods off Chesterbrook Road and my grandmother could not understand why my parents wanted to live "way out there." So I went to Chesterbrook Elementary, Longfellow and then Langley, graduating in 1970 - the second class to go all 4 years there. My older brother finished just in time to graduate from McLean High School. I had lots of friends there from Longfellow and other groups that I belonged to in those days of the late 1960s. So, if any of you McLean HS folks are out there, leave us a comment - let us know what your favorite place was to go parking, or your favorive teacher, or any other memory you'd like to share. That's what we're here for. I've got a list of future topics, but am anxious to hear from you. Does anyone from McLean remember a guidance counselor named Peggy Parker? I'd love to know where she is today...my guess is that she's probably in her early 70s.
I remember everything mentioned in the previous comments and had some very similar experiences - including my first auto accident in the McDonald's parking lot in McLean. Remember when they added the extra parking section on the left? I was driving through the main lot and a younger girl - she was 16 and I was almost 19 - came from the side lot and clipped the passenger side headlight on my Mom's 1968 VW Squareback. We were both a bit freaked out, and neither had an adult with us....but our parents talked and everyone just took care of their own - no police, no insurance, everything was easier then. That was June of 1971.
And I loved the little McLean Library in the house (I think) across from McDonald's. I still remember that you went in and around to the left to get to the "Children's" section. I read a lot and loved biographies from the time I was about 8 or 10. I read about a lot of women - Harriett Beacher Stowe, etc. - all the biographies I could find on women...guess I was a "libber" even then. But I was used to a mother who worked from the time I was 4, so professional women were the norm for me. My Mom taught at Falls Church HS, Whittier and then Cooper Intermediate from the day it opened until she retired, but that's another post. I think there are some teachers we could nominate for our "Best Of McLean" List. But I want to get back to the places mentioned in "downtown" McLean.
Mesmerelda's was one of my favorite places to poke around. I loved all the little gifties they had. It was a fun place. I'd go there or the "variety" store whose name I cannot remember - please help. And, my brother would go to the hobby store. He was an HO train fanatic and also got model cars there. Salona Village had so many great places....Mort's Bootery was a funny one for me - I did not have to get into the door before he'd shake his head and I knew that meant that he did not have any shoes to fit me. My feet were so small that I remember celebrating when I graduated froma girls' size 13 to a size 1. I think that was 6th grade. By the time I was 13 - the summer between 7th and 8th grade, my feet grew to a women's size 4....and it has never changed since. If shoe stores were as personal now as they were then, I'm sure someone would still be shaking their heads to tell me there were no shoes for me. I have an old McLean phone book from the 60s that, when I can locate it, I will have to see if I can identify all the stores that were in Salona.
I remember the 5 cent cones at High's and have told so many people about that..and that went on into the late 60s when it was next to the old fire station. It makes me sound ancient when I talk about it....and I loved the lime sherbet, too. What about the bowling alley behind the Safeway...after it moved from the center of town to Salona Village? And Pizza Supreme that always had a local political cartoon-like painting on one whole wall....I think I remember Nixon and Agnew there...what a funny place we grew up in....it was all just home to us, but of National interest to others.
I remember when the Beltway (aka 495) opened and it was the thing to do to drive all the way around - just for fun....and now, I avoid it at all costs if I can. But I don't get that way too much anymore - maybe a couple of times a year. Then I stay with some other Langley friends that I've always kept in touch with and we go to the Birchmere for a concert or into DC to eat...even though that's changing a lot too!! When Blackie's closed a couple of years ago and auctioned off the furnishings, it was the end of another era.
I collect old postcards of the McLean area and the local places we went and I just found one of Hogate's in DC where our family went for seafood. But there were still favorite restaurants in McLean. Steak in a Sack was a great one and I think I can still taste their roast beef sandwich. There was Three Pigs, the classic Evan's Farm Inn and a local family favorite - the Pikestaff. I have many memories of going into the dark red and black interior with differnet people - our whole family, with friend's families and with the teachers from Cooper when they used to go there for their "Monday Club." With my mother being a teacher at Cooper, I was privy to some interesting gatherings - teachers talked about a lot of things not related to school. Teachers really were REAL people!! They had lives that did not always revolve around the kids and the environment in which we knew them. It was fun sharing this other world of teachers.
I'm going to toss out a couple of more names and see what comes back.....but I've got to hold some things for another day....but what about Eleanor's Town and Country next to People's Drug Store in the Giant Shopping Center? My first job was there when I was 16....I worked there when Eleanor had 3 stores - the one in McLean, one at Tyson's and one in Vienna. But I'm going to do a post soon on just the clothing stores where we shopped....Eleanor's was just one of them.
And, did anyone go to the James Loizu (probably spelled wrong) School of Dance? It was near the Pikestaff and Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors. A group of us took dance lessons from him at Chesterbrook Elementary - Ballroom dancing, a little Virginia Reel and, if we'd been good, we got to twist at the end of the day.
I hope I have stirred some more memories that we can chat about and if anyone has a photo that they'd be willing to share, let me know and we'll get it posted. I hope to scan in some of my old postcards in a future post and I'd love to include some photos. My brother was a photographer for McLean High School and the Northern Virginia Sun, so I hope that maybe he has some pics he can send me.
Maybe I have fed the interest a little so that we can attract some more folks. This is starting out fun for me...and I hope for you too. Keep in touch!!
Yes, I was talking about Beales. It was the best ever. They were on the corner of Kirby Road where Chesterbrook Road came into a T intersection. Linway Terrace went down once side of the corn fields and past St. John's Catholic Church on the way toward McLean. If you went the other way, you'd go by Potomac Hills.
There are a few things in life that we remember as wonderful - as near to perfect as you can get - and corn from the Beale's was one of them. I've talked to so many people that I know it is not just a childhood memory, enhanced by the passing of years. It really WAS that good!! How could corn deserve a blog posting? If you'd ever had that corn, you would know.
There was a sub shop in Blacksburg when I went to VA Tech called Mr Fooz that made the best subs ever!!! But that's another story and not about McLean....just about where some of us went after high school (which was Langley for me). But you know what I mean...it's like the Washingtonian magazine's list of "The Best of DC." Well I'd like to propose a "Best of McLean." All comments and suggestions welcome. Beale's corn was THE BEST EVER - It was five star restaurant corn - a Blue Ribbon for them!!! They get our first "Best of McLean" award!!
But I'm going to stop for a minute and give you a little about my background. We moved from Fairfax City into McLean in October 1954 and moved in on Halloween. My parents had our house built in Chesterbrook Woods off Chesterbrook Road and my grandmother could not understand why my parents wanted to live "way out there." So I went to Chesterbrook Elementary, Longfellow and then Langley, graduating in 1970 - the second class to go all 4 years there. My older brother finished just in time to graduate from McLean High School. I had lots of friends there from Longfellow and other groups that I belonged to in those days of the late 1960s. So, if any of you McLean HS folks are out there, leave us a comment - let us know what your favorite place was to go parking, or your favorive teacher, or any other memory you'd like to share. That's what we're here for. I've got a list of future topics, but am anxious to hear from you. Does anyone from McLean remember a guidance counselor named Peggy Parker? I'd love to know where she is today...my guess is that she's probably in her early 70s.
I remember everything mentioned in the previous comments and had some very similar experiences - including my first auto accident in the McDonald's parking lot in McLean. Remember when they added the extra parking section on the left? I was driving through the main lot and a younger girl - she was 16 and I was almost 19 - came from the side lot and clipped the passenger side headlight on my Mom's 1968 VW Squareback. We were both a bit freaked out, and neither had an adult with us....but our parents talked and everyone just took care of their own - no police, no insurance, everything was easier then. That was June of 1971.
And I loved the little McLean Library in the house (I think) across from McDonald's. I still remember that you went in and around to the left to get to the "Children's" section. I read a lot and loved biographies from the time I was about 8 or 10. I read about a lot of women - Harriett Beacher Stowe, etc. - all the biographies I could find on women...guess I was a "libber" even then. But I was used to a mother who worked from the time I was 4, so professional women were the norm for me. My Mom taught at Falls Church HS, Whittier and then Cooper Intermediate from the day it opened until she retired, but that's another post. I think there are some teachers we could nominate for our "Best Of McLean" List. But I want to get back to the places mentioned in "downtown" McLean.
Mesmerelda's was one of my favorite places to poke around. I loved all the little gifties they had. It was a fun place. I'd go there or the "variety" store whose name I cannot remember - please help. And, my brother would go to the hobby store. He was an HO train fanatic and also got model cars there. Salona Village had so many great places....Mort's Bootery was a funny one for me - I did not have to get into the door before he'd shake his head and I knew that meant that he did not have any shoes to fit me. My feet were so small that I remember celebrating when I graduated froma girls' size 13 to a size 1. I think that was 6th grade. By the time I was 13 - the summer between 7th and 8th grade, my feet grew to a women's size 4....and it has never changed since. If shoe stores were as personal now as they were then, I'm sure someone would still be shaking their heads to tell me there were no shoes for me. I have an old McLean phone book from the 60s that, when I can locate it, I will have to see if I can identify all the stores that were in Salona.
I remember the 5 cent cones at High's and have told so many people about that..and that went on into the late 60s when it was next to the old fire station. It makes me sound ancient when I talk about it....and I loved the lime sherbet, too. What about the bowling alley behind the Safeway...after it moved from the center of town to Salona Village? And Pizza Supreme that always had a local political cartoon-like painting on one whole wall....I think I remember Nixon and Agnew there...what a funny place we grew up in....it was all just home to us, but of National interest to others.
I remember when the Beltway (aka 495) opened and it was the thing to do to drive all the way around - just for fun....and now, I avoid it at all costs if I can. But I don't get that way too much anymore - maybe a couple of times a year. Then I stay with some other Langley friends that I've always kept in touch with and we go to the Birchmere for a concert or into DC to eat...even though that's changing a lot too!! When Blackie's closed a couple of years ago and auctioned off the furnishings, it was the end of another era.
I collect old postcards of the McLean area and the local places we went and I just found one of Hogate's in DC where our family went for seafood. But there were still favorite restaurants in McLean. Steak in a Sack was a great one and I think I can still taste their roast beef sandwich. There was Three Pigs, the classic Evan's Farm Inn and a local family favorite - the Pikestaff. I have many memories of going into the dark red and black interior with differnet people - our whole family, with friend's families and with the teachers from Cooper when they used to go there for their "Monday Club." With my mother being a teacher at Cooper, I was privy to some interesting gatherings - teachers talked about a lot of things not related to school. Teachers really were REAL people!! They had lives that did not always revolve around the kids and the environment in which we knew them. It was fun sharing this other world of teachers.
I'm going to toss out a couple of more names and see what comes back.....but I've got to hold some things for another day....but what about Eleanor's Town and Country next to People's Drug Store in the Giant Shopping Center? My first job was there when I was 16....I worked there when Eleanor had 3 stores - the one in McLean, one at Tyson's and one in Vienna. But I'm going to do a post soon on just the clothing stores where we shopped....Eleanor's was just one of them.
And, did anyone go to the James Loizu (probably spelled wrong) School of Dance? It was near the Pikestaff and Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors. A group of us took dance lessons from him at Chesterbrook Elementary - Ballroom dancing, a little Virginia Reel and, if we'd been good, we got to twist at the end of the day.
I hope I have stirred some more memories that we can chat about and if anyone has a photo that they'd be willing to share, let me know and we'll get it posted. I hope to scan in some of my old postcards in a future post and I'd love to include some photos. My brother was a photographer for McLean High School and the Northern Virginia Sun, so I hope that maybe he has some pics he can send me.
Maybe I have fed the interest a little so that we can attract some more folks. This is starting out fun for me...and I hope for you too. Keep in touch!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Nostalgic Memories of McLean, Virginia
Remember McLean when the Giant was still a farm? Remember the Big Blue House in the center of town that was a Real Estate Office? Remember when McDonald's was only a walk-up; hamburgers were 15 cents and french fries were a dime? Remember the bowling alley, Eleanor's Town and Country, Highs and the Teen Club?
McLean, Virginia was a GREAT place to grow up!! Some might say that any place you called "home" was a great place to grow up...but McLean really was great!!! Millions know it today as an international suburb of Washington DC, home of the CIA. Well, when I grew up there, the population was about 10,000, the CIA was hidden behind a little sign that read "Bureau of Public Roads," and life was simple through the eyes of a child. There was a blacksmith, a hobby store, and the sweetest corn I've ever tasted.
There are a few images in life we'll keep forever, and waiting for that corn to come in from the field is one of them for me. Taste is largely driven by smell, and smell is closely associated with memory, so, maybe that is why we remember the corn so well. We'd get a dozen ears and an extra was stuffed in the bag for good measure. Shucking made my hands so sticky from the sweet corn sugar that they were covered with silks when I finished. From field to mouth was less than an hour. It doesn't get any better than that.
I purposefully left out the name of the family and the location of the corn fields on their McLean farm. Do you remember? How good is your Memory of McLean? Let me know.
To lots of you, I must sound ancient....blacksmiths and farms in McLean....right!! But whatever you live today, will be your memories tomorrow. And I love my Memories of McLean.
So, join me on a nostalgic trip down McLean Lane. I'd love to hear from you!
McLean, Virginia was a GREAT place to grow up!! Some might say that any place you called "home" was a great place to grow up...but McLean really was great!!! Millions know it today as an international suburb of Washington DC, home of the CIA. Well, when I grew up there, the population was about 10,000, the CIA was hidden behind a little sign that read "Bureau of Public Roads," and life was simple through the eyes of a child. There was a blacksmith, a hobby store, and the sweetest corn I've ever tasted.
There are a few images in life we'll keep forever, and waiting for that corn to come in from the field is one of them for me. Taste is largely driven by smell, and smell is closely associated with memory, so, maybe that is why we remember the corn so well. We'd get a dozen ears and an extra was stuffed in the bag for good measure. Shucking made my hands so sticky from the sweet corn sugar that they were covered with silks when I finished. From field to mouth was less than an hour. It doesn't get any better than that.
I purposefully left out the name of the family and the location of the corn fields on their McLean farm. Do you remember? How good is your Memory of McLean? Let me know.
To lots of you, I must sound ancient....blacksmiths and farms in McLean....right!! But whatever you live today, will be your memories tomorrow. And I love my Memories of McLean.
So, join me on a nostalgic trip down McLean Lane. I'd love to hear from you!
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