You've indulged me long enough. Here's an excerpt from "34 of 86 Stories" which ran in Passages North this year, a piece I dedicated to Alfred Kazin who wrote A Walker In The City, one of my favorite books. I take some measure of my own, dearly-held adolescent walks through my hometown; some locations appear in this photo. It's nice to have as a document against my fading memory.
Into Wheaton Newsstand with its two, narrow, dimly-lit aisles and aromatic blend of cut-rate cigars, Farmer’s Almanacs, and baseball cards, across busy Georgia Avenue and a stroll down the alley to Barbarian Bookstore where I’d devour a Mack Bolan Executioner novel (while keeping an eye out for the store owner—when he’d duck away I’d fearfully check out the stack of 1960s and ’70s Playboy and Penthouse magazines), peek above the rush of traffic on Viers Mill Road toward Wheaton Plaza, head back to High’s for a cherry or a raspberry Slush Puppie and sit on the low-brick wall along Hickerson Drive and slowly, deliciously open a three-pack of Topps baseball cards, then head next door to Planter’s Peanuts to gawk at the rows of chocolates and peanut brittle and adult-only gag gifts, stroll the comic book and gift aisles of Wheaton Pharmacy, avoiding the school supplies, and, heading back home, throw a nervous side-glance into Rose’s, the shadowy old-man bar at Amherst and University, while listening happily for the dings chimed by the cars rolling over the black hoses at the Shell gas station across the street. I was heady with the aroma of oil and gasoline which brought back family trips to far-away, exotic Ohio and the rest stops where we’d eat a packed lunch on picnic tables next to the rumble of idling eighteen-wheelers and the distant roar of Interstate 70. Maps and legends. An expedition. An afternoon.
16 comments:
Joe, this is fantastic and completely nails my experience at the same time frame at Ralph's Trophy/Cigar/Newsstand in Dekalb where we always went when visiting the grandparents. If I could bottle that smell of newsprint, tobacco and old wooden floors I'd be a happy guy.
Yes! Ralph's was virtually identical to the Wheaton Newsstand. I used to love going in for that very reason. A shame that it's gone.
I used to buy records at Roadhouse Oldies which I think was in Wheaton, a bit of a hike for me coming up from Annandale. I listened to WDON in the early seventies (where I first heard Elvis' Sun material) and then WHFS for rockabilly, punk, wave and other cool sounds. I remember that year, 1975 well. I was fifteen then.
Hey anon, I don't reemmeber Roundhouse. There was Backstreet Records in Wheaton Triangle, and of course the original Kemp Mill (in Kemp Mill!).
'HFS was the best. Truly formative for me. I've written about it elsewhere on this site.
At the very bottom right, the sign for the original Jerry's Sub Shop. I grew up about a mile north of here on Veirs Mill Road.
Anyone remember the name of the shop near Planter's Peanuts that sold western gear - boots, hats, etc.
I see Blalock Cycle in the the photo, it is where my 1973 Yamaha Motorcycle was bought and I had it serviced during the 70's. I still have the motorcycle today and ride it on a regular basis. Oddly enough, Blalock is still open and alive today, but in Warrenton VA. The guy who owned it back in the day is still alive and still owns it. Wow! Good times in Wheaton MD.
Hey! Do you have a brother named Paul? I use to attend St. Andrews Apostle. We use to drop off Paul (near GC)
Hey anon, I sure do have a brother named Paul!
Wheaton 1975, just wow. That vista--practically every single building has major memories attached. You totally nailed the vibe of the place with your text. I was 18 in '75, but hung out in Wheaton since the early 70s. My first job was in Wheaton Plaza. I taught guitar for years at Ken Wheaton Music, (across from the WTOP tower, a few shops out of the frame of the photo, front right), starting in '74. Thanks so much for this, making me remember really good things that I'd not thought of for years.
Hey thanks for writing! Yeah, memories for sure. Wow, the music store on University. Blocks away from the home I grew up in. The 'TOP tower used to cut in to our phone calls!
Trading Post . Bought a pair of Frye boots there 1973 still have them somewhere I think
Are Barbarian Bookstore and Barbarian Comics the same thing? Barbarian Comics is still there. I am trying to remember the names of the used bookstores that I went to in Wheaton in the 1980s and early 90s but they seem to have slipped my mind.
Jennifer, it's amazing that Barbarian is still there. (We called it Barbarian Bookstore growing up.) There was a bookstore at Viers Mill and University (?) called Crown Books, I think? Near the old Army Navy surplus store. Yeah the rest is a blur.
wheaton was fun everything i did was h8ghly classified. I worked for the CIA at the time trained me up as a kid. thats the way it was
My brother Doran was friends with him!
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