A nasty batch of winter weather is supposed to start tomorrow night and last for a couple of days. Today started out chilly, but the temperature was forecast to rise into the low 50s. Guess which day Hubby Tony and I decided would be good for walking outside?
I had a quick mid-morning commitment that took me to the West Port Plaza area (about ten miles north of the house), so I told Tony to research interesting places that we haven't been to for a while. He came up with Overland, a municipality not too far from where he grew up.
After my commitment was finished we drove east, then turned and headed north towards a municipal park. We left the car there and started on the circular route Tony had laid out. On the walk we passed a mixture of residential and commercial buildings. The houses were well maintained, but many of the storefronts were empty.
In a section that looked like it could have been a small downtown area Tony pointed out the billiards parlor he used to visit with
his cousin as a teenager. It was open, so we went in. The man at the front desk let
us walk into the main room, which was filled with pool
tables. We didn't have time to play a game,
but I told Tony that I would be happy to come back some other
time. We popped into an antique store, but didn't find anything we needed. Nor did we find anything at the hardware store, which had a little bit of everything for sale.
We continued on, passing the bank his family used to use, the grocery store they shopped at, and the office building where Tony had one of his first jobs. When we got to Woofies, an iconic hot dog shop, I kept going because I had to use the bathroom at the gas station around the corner. Tony said he was just going to stay there and look. I was pretty sure he wouldn't just be able to look, and I was right. When I returned he was settling in at a table outside the restaurant getting ready to sample his hot dog (served on a steamed poppy seed bun and topped with mustard, onions, and a kosher pickle slice). He was nice enough to share a couple of bites with me.
A nice look back at the past.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the only Woofies in the area? I've never made it there. I'll put it on my 55 gallon drum list.
ReplyDeleteYou should get there some time. I think you'd like it.
DeleteI don't live too far from where you had your tour. My husband and I both grew up in the area, although officially, he lived in the county, and my family's home was in Overland, 2 blocks from his. Many of our friends have moved out of this area years ago. And our daughter and her family moved out to O'Fallon, like a lot of other people who used to live in this area. Years ago I was surprised to learn that one of our good friends was married to a woman who grew up in Ladue and was afraid to even come visit in her husband's old neighborhood in Overland.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a Woofie Dog in over 20 years,maybe I should give it a try again sometime. We have lived in our house over 40 years now and raised our kids here. I can't imagine moving to a different house. Our house was just the right size when we moved in, a little cramped when we were raising our son and daughter, and now it's just the right size again.
The little Overland Hardware store in "downtown" Overland has been there for generations. I love that old hardware store. It is such a pleasure to go there and buy whatever hardware type item we need and not have to wander through a giant store where the workers suddenly disappear if they see you coming. One time my friend went to Overland Hardware to find a pipe of a certain size for a repair project in her home. She had nothing to measure how big around the pipe that she needed to buy was, so she used a string to measure it. She took her piece of string to Overland Hardware and they went right back to the pipe section with her and measured the pipes with her piece of string and got size and length she needed, walked back up to check out with her and she was out of there in just a very few minutes. I always used to go there to get chicken wire to protect my flower beds seedlings from my neighbor's kitties. It just took minutes for them to cut off the length of wire I needed, check out, and I could be on my way again. That would have probably taken 45 minutes at Home Depot to do the same purchase.
When my husband and I were growing up here, the dads and sometimes moms
mostly worked at McDonnell Douglas(before it was Boeing), Monsanto, Emerson Electric, in the union construction trades, The Military Personnel Record Center. I think most of the people working at those companies have moved to other areas now,and the Military Record Center has a different name now and not near as many employee as it used to.
I'm glad you and your husband took a little tour around our area and that he enjoyed his Woofie Dog.
"What high school did he go to?" I couldn't resist asking.
Susie, thanks for the detailed information. Tony's stomping grounds were in Overland, and he had a friends there, but his house was far enough east to be in the Normandy district.
DeleteYou do have some fun excursions.
DeleteThat sounds like a nice excursion: exercise, memories, a hot dog, and coffee.
ReplyDeleteCrosses off all the boxes.
DeleteWe had a hot dog "joint" open about five years ago. Called Retro Dog. By all accounts it was very good. I ate there once. The economy and the virus closed them down. Sad. Lovely retro building, funded by the owners.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame!
DeleteI hope you do go back for a game of pool and to share another hot dog, a fun day to look forward to, maybe when all this winter weather is gone. Good luck tomorrow, we were expecting the storm but now are told it will go south of us.
ReplyDeleteDepending on what weather source I listen to we're either expecting an above-average snowstorm or the worst one in decades. I hope it's the former.
DeleteHow fun to traipse through the old neighborhood and old memories. Your little jaunt sounds right up my alley. I love doing things like this. Snow on the way! Stay warm.
ReplyDelete