And so I was reminiscing…..

…..about places that are no longer in business.  In an effort to remember them, I wanted to write a post that lists them and why they were special to me.  I'm sure as time goes on that I'll add to this list, but these are the ones from "back in the day."  They are in no particular order….just off the top of my head.  

• Captain's Steak Joynt - went here with Mommy and Daddy all the time; hands down the best butter/garlic chips and fondue ever 

• Nino's Steakhouse - awesome place in Glendale that later became so many other places like Andrews 5353.  Unfortunately, it's now a Kinko's

• A&W - the one in Brown Deer.  I know there are still a few around, but this one was close and of course had the best chili dogs and onion rings

• Tequila Willie's - at Northridge - great food, drinks, dancing and fun memories with friends

• Attic West – first time here I was underage and went with Ter Bear.  So many good times later to follow with T and friends…dancing, drinking, repeat (cue Tina Marie – “Lovergirl” and Timex Social Club “Rumors”)

• Chi-Chis – best margaritas and chips

• Ground Round - in high school and early college years, spent so much time here with Julio, Spaz, Tim, many other BDHS folks; when they had live music, we'd all sing; Dave Denver would always have his guitar handy; best Ground Rounder burger, popcorn and peanuts - we could even throw the peanuts on the floor - it was acceptable behavior!

• Ponderosa – T and I went here all the time for the salad bar.  We both always made our salads nearly the same except for the dressing.  I remember my high school friend Allegra came with us to lunch one time and was amused by our identical “orange-ish” salads.  Pretty sure T and I would still have the same salads if we could go to the ranch today

• Johnson's Park – on 76^th street….they had that huge slide, go-karts and a roller rink

• Northridge – loved going to the mall with my friends…Musicland, Shaw’s Jewelers, Ponderosa, that one novelty store that had so much fun stuff ….Spencer’s…and the stores that had all the jewelry and hair clips and such.  I think there was a Woolworth’s that still had the lunch counter on one side and the store on the other.  I remember getting my ears pierced with Spazz and Julio…going to the movies (Grease with Steve, ET with J, Star Wars with I can’t remember who…maybe Andy?)  

• NBT – the Next Best Thing…Mr. Bill and I spent a lot of time drinking and dancing here when we first started dating.  A lot of time…..

• Gritz's Pzazz – had a few special family dinners here as well as a memorable pre-prom dinner where our reservation was under the name Spazz (for my friend Karen)….Spazz at the Pzazz…..we had a fabulous time of course

• Hardee's – where have all these gone?  My buddy KC and I took turns picking up breakfast for our early mornings at the MP help desk....loved the biscuits and gravy

• La Frontera – on Brown Deer Road – the first Mexican restaurant in Brown Deer…it had great food – my folks loved going there too

• Shakey's Pizza – are there any of these around anymore?  I loved their sausage pizza

• Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour – at Northridge.  Went here with Tim and our families for our 8^th grade graduation; best ice cream and candy.  I especially loved those rainbow suckers - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38702878017615053/

• Marc's Big Boy – J worked here when we were dating in high school.  Awesome burgers and shakes!  Everywhere else in the US, it’s called Bob’s Big Boy – but the Marcus Corp rules in Milwaukee

• Pandle’s in Bayside – the site of a Manpower holiday party or two; one of the first nice restaurants Mr. Bill and I went to – and where I told him how much I loved him…really loved him

• Boy Blue – on Teutonia Avenue….we used to drive here and our dog Stormy would get her own “baby” vanilla cone

• Golden Chicken – Mommy and Daddy would order buckets of shrimp and chicken (fries and coleslaw included) once a month as a treat on a Friday night

• Suburpia – best bread, subs..yummy.  Sadly, I think there’s only one location left in Wisconsin and nowhere near me

• Brubaker's – formerly Andrews 5353, formerly Nino’s Steakhouse – close to Manpower – always full of Manpower folks at lunch, cocktail hour, dinner and to close.  This is where Chmiel taught SBJ how to play bar darts and SBJ won a couple games.  Where I met Dar Dar and lured her away to work with me.  So many parties and good times

• Echo Bowl – ditto from the above.  When I first started at MP, I was on a bowling team with Paul from the mailroom.  We had a blast.  I think the MP folks spent as much time at Echo as we did at work.  The drinks were always great…the music on the jukebox was perfect (Paradise by the Dashboard Light, You Shook Me All Night Long, Too Much Time on My Hands, Landslide, etc.)…and there was always someone to commiserate with over life’s troubles

I'll probably think of more as time goes on….stay tuned…...