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04-21-22 07:33:52 AM
Jul - General Chat - Childhood Lost New poll - New thread - New reply
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Rachel Mae

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Posted on 07-11-09 12:25:54 AM Link | Quote
Jul Mosts 2008
(split from this topic)

One by one, the things that educated and entertained my generation when we were kids--things that were usually either free or very affordable--are disappearing. Riverfront Park's Science Center is long dead, and all talks of reviving it have stalled either due to disinterest or lack of funding. So is Walk in the Wild Zoo, replaced by an expensive business park. The Hallelujah Party--a massive church-sponsored event full of games, prizes, and free candy, designed as a safe alternative to trick-or-treating--lasted a few glorious years before it was taken over by some other organization and eventually cancelled forever. There are approximately three arcades left in the area, two of them in a constant state of disrepair. Pools have been closed due to lack of funding. West Valley High School's annual Haunted House, a primary source of funding for senior-year activities (and another family-friendly thing to do on Halloween), hasn't existed in years. You can't even feed the ducks in Riverfront Park anymore because they're "pooping too much" and messing up the scenery. The list goes on.

The benefits of these things should be obvious. I credit them for keeping me and my peers out of trouble, and for helping to mold us into happy, productive members of society. So what the hell happened? Have we lost all interest in our children's future? Is the almighty dollar that much more important than their well-being? How many kids are turning to a life of crime because there's nothing else to do?

Anyone else have fond memories of places and events from their youth that either don't exist anymore, or are in danger of disappearing?

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plushifoxed

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Posted on 07-11-09 12:28:24 AM (last edited by Supakitsune at 07-10-09 10:48 PM) Link | Quote
Astroland. A terrible loss of a theme park. it's been replaced (for the moment) with a Ringling Bros. attraction, and I've heard that Disney plans to buy it up. Ugh.

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Posted on 07-11-09 12:58:36 AM Link | Quote
At least where you lived had things to do at one point.

Heh.

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FPzero
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Posted on 07-11-09 02:35:07 AM Link | Quote
There used to be this huge wooden playground up in Massachusetts near where my grandparents lived that we would go and play at whenever we visited. We could spend hours running around on there getting lost and having fun. A few years ago though the whole thing was torn down to make way for something that I don't know. The memories man...

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Anya

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Posted on 07-11-09 02:39:42 AM Link | Quote
There was a Six Flags near me back in the 80's, and they tore it down for a shopping center.

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Posted on 07-11-09 02:41:51 AM Link | Quote
How big was the shopping center?

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Post 8728/23359
Posted on 07-11-09 02:45:46 AM Link | Quote
It was a small Six Flags, before they went big with better rides. It was perfect cause there was a 24 hour arcade down the street. Of course now the the arcade is no longer 24 hours and I think they were bought out by Six Flags.

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Lyskar
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Posted on 07-11-09 03:10:46 AM (last edited by Metal_Man88 at 07-11-09 12:11 AM) Link | Quote

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Metal_Man88
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Argh. My childhood was horrible. All I remember from it was fighting bullies on the playground, adults ignoring me, and people being ticked off at my intelligence.

Only thing which vaguely strikes me is the sadness of how pretty much everything I liked at Disneyland has been replaced with some horrible new-movie themed mess.

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Posted on 07-11-09 03:28:57 AM Link | Quote
The trailer park that I grew up in for 19 years was destroyed. Not sure if they even replaced it with anything yet. I should drive down there one day to find out. The area was shit when I lived there, but I did have a few good memories from that place. So I'm 50/50 on this.

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Posted on 07-11-09 04:57:36 AM Link | Quote
Nobody's mentioned arcades yet.

Arcades were awesome places to spend Saturday afternoons. I mean, there is one close to my house but it's filled with all the new games that I wouldn't bother trying.

(Actually... do they still have their Neo Geo machine? Hmmmm.)

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Posted on 07-11-09 05:02:51 AM (last edited by Anya at 07-11-09 02:06 AM) Link | Quote
Umm..arcades were mentioned twice by two different people already.

But I can go into detail.

Since as far back as I can remember, there was this arcade known as Grand Prix. It was a 24 hour arcade that kicked ass. I would go there whenever I could, or after the beach since it was close enough to it. I remember kicking guys' ass in Vitrua Fighter. Anyway, they sold out and we're bought and turned into a kiddie BS arcade. It was fine when I was a kid, no reason to change it. Heh, I remember prom night, a few of my friends and I took a taxi there since it wasn't that far from the hotel. It's still there, but it's not the same anymore. Here's their website. It makes me sad and hurt inside to see how much they've changed. So many memories there. (I guess listening to a sad song right now isn't helping either.)

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Posted on 07-11-09 05:05:57 AM Link | Quote
Well, BMF mentioned it in passing as did you. But mine is the focal point.

Seriously... once the arcades just started getting overrun with all the big flashy games, it went downhill from there. I'd love to play skeeball again, for example.

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Posted on 07-12-09 01:51:33 AM Link | Quote
paulguy

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Posted on 07-12-09 02:40:58 AM Link | Quote
I never really lived near anywhere to go. But as far as stuff I was driven to, there were a few.
There was a rather large playground I used to play on at a school that was wooden and entirely custom made. It was really nice, solid and well made. It was torn down for some reason and I don't know what it was replaced with; probably some generic plastic piece of crap from a kit.
Another one is the science museum. It was pretty cool when I was little. They always had some big exhibits that were cool. Now, they haven't had a major exhibit in years, and what's there is old and unmaintained.
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Posted on 07-12-09 04:19:17 AM Link | Quote
I miss running around in the creek behind my house as kids. In the summers, we would establish our own little "communities" down in there, where everyone had their own "house" and "profession" that helped our community. One year, someone even made roadsigns for the various paths that we'd carved back in there. Ah, I miss those days...

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Posted on 07-12-09 06:26:55 PM Link | Quote
I was never too lucky to have many of those places, but it isn't like I was always bored. There was a playground nearby where I lived before now, but nobody was ever there... so I gave up on it. All I had was my NES until 1999, then my N64 until 2001... and my GC was my most recent console outside of my Xbox until a few months ago. Not too many school trips, though I took those too... the one I remember most is a trip to Echo Hill back in fifth grade. What a week that was, staying away from home... I'd do it again, if I had friends with me.

Those did me fine, and I ended up getting a 486 in 2002, and discovered Zelda Classic in 2003. That might have actually been one of the two things that actually kept me sane enough to stay alive back in my middle school years... the other one being the internet, as it was LITERALLY my only positive human contact. (I still don't know why I had to be the designated one for everyone to hate...) There was another trip like the one I mentioned above... but I still went on it, as I didn't feel like making the morons feel like they could keep me from enjoying something.

I think what might have melded me into the somewhat happy person I am today was my high school years. Stressful as they might've been, the people were friendly and fun to be around, we went on a decent number of trips (Well, in ninth grade anyway... and there was one amusement park trip in eleventh. I can't believe there was no fucking senior trip...), and the events were generally great fun. (Basketball games especially, with a state championship-winning team that you had a few good friends on.)

I didn't exactly have many of those places mentioned except an arcade in a local mall. Died about six or so years ago, sadly... and it mostly had older games. I can't help but remember the whiles I'd spend in Pole Position.

I think it's not merely lack of facilities (I turned out okay) but also parents seeming to get lazier/caring less. Neither one's good, but it's lethal when those two things end up mixing together. :/

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DigitalBasic
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Posted on 07-12-09 06:37:00 PM Link | Quote
My town never had anything interesting in it, really.

In fact, something from my childhood is actually better now than it was when I was a kid, and that would be my arcade.

Easy Street Family Fun Center. Seems to be the last thing in this town that isn't a corporately owned business. Here is where I first started seriously playing Pump It Up and is the first arcade I made a home. Hell, I get free tokens, drinks, and freakin' minigolf if I so choose. I try not to exploit it all the time though. I do pay as often as I can.

And to top it off, the employees don't dread working there. It is a very positive enviroment considering it is an arcade smack dab in the middle of a town that is full of retired people.

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Posted on 07-13-09 01:27:55 PM Link | Quote
Mini Golf Courses, these awesome courses seem to be disappearing in our state. It's one of my favorite pass times. Seriously we went from having like 5-6 in the city I live in to 2 (and I wouldn't even count one of them as a course cause it sucks so much). I will be depressed if they all disappear.

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Rachel Mae

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Posted on 07-13-09 07:42:10 PM Link | Quote
Jul Mosts 2008
Originally posted by Black Lord
Mini Golf Courses, these awesome courses seem to be disappearing in our state. It's one of my favorite pass times. Seriously we went from having like 5-6 in the city I live in to 2 (and I wouldn't even count one of them as a course cause it sucks so much). I will be depressed if they all disappear.
Oh, man. Wonderland had the most amazing indoor golf course. The lighting, decoration, sound effects, and even slightly moist atmosphere made it feel like you were deep in a swamp or something. However, the current owner doesn't give a crap, and now:

- all the blacklights were removed and replaced with standard fluorescent tubes
- all the floor lighting was literally cut out of the floor, leaving little pipe stubs with wires sticking out everywhere
- the ambient sounds were turned off/broke, leaving the course nearly dead silent
- none of the waterfalls work anymore, except for one that's been "fixed" using a very visible garden hose
- what little water is left is full of garbage and is a frightening shade of toilet-water blue
- there's graffiti everywhere

The rest of the place isn't much better; most of the arcade machines are broken in some way (and have been for months, if not years), the upstairs arcade that housed all the classic games and pool tables has been replaced with a crappy "do-it-yourself" laser tag course, the place has a disgusting, vaguely vomit-tinged smell, the animatronic band hasn't been serviced in years and just sits motionless on stage while various lights half-heartedly flash to nearly inaudible music...it's just sad. However, the owner did just install a brand-new bumper boat pool outside, which makes me think he only really cares about the place's outside appearance and has been diverting maintenance money there for the past decade or more. Sigh...

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Posted on 07-15-09 09:13:38 PM (last edited by Friend2.0 at 07-15-09 06:16 PM) Link | Quote
Originally posted by FirePhoenix
I miss running around in the creek behind my house as kids. In the summers, we would establish our own little "communities" down in there, where everyone had their own "house" and "profession" that helped our community. One year, someone even made roadsigns for the various paths that we'd carved back in there. Ah, I miss those days...



If I remember correctly I was the Hunter/Fur Trader and you were the Apothecary. Oh, and remember when we found the clay pit off to the side of the creek? We would always pretend we were adventurers or people with magic powers fighting off mythical monsters. And I used to settle arguments with "stick fighting"
Those were the days....

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