Retro Toronto Thread for Nostalgia Purposes.

[onomatopoeia]

Any comic book collectors in the nid-70's? I seem to recall 2 comic book shops, the Silver Snail and Bakka. I think they were located on Queen St. W near Spadina. I was in Grade 5 at the time, and me and some of my classmates would head down there and drool at the vintage comics.

I was living in Quebec from mid-1969 to early October, 1984, but I visited Toronto in July, 1975 for a week. There was a comic book store on Queen Street East, somewhere around Woodbine Avenue. I bought a copy of Captain America #113, (May, 1969 issue), there for $5. It's arguably one of the best drawn comics of all time - art by Jim Steranko and Tom Palmer, the only time those two worked together.

 

[eddie kerr]

The Brass Rail is on Yonge close to Bloor St. That's much farther north than the Bermuda Tavern was.

You are right. Sorry, was thinking of the location of a restaurant called, Bassels.

 

[eddie kerr]

Malonies Tavern off Grenville St. near College and Bay. The first pub in Toronto where you could have a beer and walk around the pub and carry and drink it and chat with people, (girls) at their table.

 

[Silkroad]

Read several earlier posts reminiscing about The Concert hall (the Masonic Temple at Yonge and Davenport). I go back farther than that. In my day it was called The Rock Pile. Saw some amazing bands there . . . Led Zeppelin, Procol Harum, The Who, Howling Wolf and Jeff Beck to name a few.

Many before me have paid tribute to long –gone strip clubs and watering holes so I’ll mention some other establishments and traditions:

• Town and Country Buffet at Gould and Mutual streets. Billed itself as “Canada’s Finest Buffet” and, for me as a young teenager, it was!

. Cinecity at the corner of Yonge and Charles streets. The cinema showed mainly art and foreign films. It also showed underground films on the weekend starting at midnight.

• The Three Small Rooms in the Windsor Arms Hotel. My first exposure to ‘fine’ dining. Each room . . . The Grill, the Restaurant and The Wine Cellar . . . had its own menu and ambiance. The house wine in The Grill was called “Pig’s Rinse” I’ve never been able to trace the origin of the name . . . but like everything offered in the Three Small Rooms . . . it was exceptional.

And finally, if you were a teenage living in Toronto in the late ‘60s zany, off-the-wall, late night TV ads on channel 7 for the Great, Great House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. Bought my first electric guitar there one weekend and brought it back to Toronto. $47 (new) U.S.

Thanks all for the memories. This has been a fun thread.

 

[jazzbox]

House of Lords was a hair cutting place on Yonge staffed by invariably attractive women in their 20s. They would wash your hair before the cut and give you a massage. This definitely got my 18 year old blood flowing making it awkward to stand up without drawing attention to my rather stiff John Thomas. The innocence of it all.

 

[mandrill]

Crad Kilodney

View attachment 316479

I was just about to post about him. You even have a photo!

 

[Deviant]

Baka books on queen west, a sci fi Mecca.

Used to visit Baka when they were on Yonge.
I didn't like the queen store because it was deathly quiet, except for the squeeky floor that could wake the dead.

 

[moredale7]

Hell yes, Sunny Side pool off the lakeshore, as a young guy I could look at all the boobies bouncing as they dove off the now illegal springboards.

 

[RZG]

Read several earlier posts reminiscing about The Concert hall (the Masonic Temple at Yonge and Davenport). I go back farther than that. In my day it was called The Rock Pile. Saw some amazing bands there . . . Led Zeppelin, Procol Harum, The Who, Howling Wolf and Jeff Beck to name a few.

Many before me have paid tribute to long –gone strip clubs and watering holes so I’ll mention some other establishments and traditions:

• Town and Country Buffet at Gould and Mutual streets. Billed itself as “Canada’s Finest Buffet” and, for me as a young teenager, it was!

. Cinecity at the corner of Yonge and Charles streets. The cinema showed mainly art and foreign films. It also showed underground films on the weekend starting at midnight.

• The Three Small Rooms in the Windsor Arms Hotel. My first exposure to ‘fine’ dining. Each room . . . The Grill, the Restaurant and The Wine Cellar . . . had its own menu and ambiance. The house wine in The Grill was called “Pig’s Rinse” I’ve never been able to trace the origin of the name . . . but like everything offered in the Three Small Rooms . . . it was exceptional.

And finally, if you were a teenage living in Toronto in the late ‘60s zany, off-the-wall, late night TV ads on channel 7 for the Great, Great House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. Bought my first electric guitar there one weekend and brought it back to Toronto. $47 (new) U.S.

Thanks all for the memories. This has been a fun thread.

Must of been summer of `72 when I saw Python`s " And now for something"... at the Cinecity. I`d watched the Flying Circus for about a year on TV, this was a must see. Remember how small, tiny even, that the theatre was? That hot as hell afternoon packed the place with hardcore Python fans. I`ve never since laughed that hard and so long, going outside into the sunlight and typical T.O. heat and humidity left me wasted. Yonge St. used to be a great place. I had many meals at the Town and Country too, good times.

 

[shack]

Must of been summer of `72 when I saw Python`s " And now for something"... at the Cinecity.

I think Cinecity used to show Gimme Shelter every Friday night at midnight.

 

[eddie kerr]

Hell yes, Sunny Side pool off the lakeshore, as a young guy I could look at all the boobies bouncing as they dove off the now illegal springboards.

Ah, loved that place, you are so right.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

Ah, loved that place, you are so right.

One of my fondest memories. My first summer in Toronto. Lived on Indian Road just close to High Park. Went to the pool on a hot Sunday afternoon. Saw THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHINESE CANADIAN GIRL in the world sunning herself by the pool. Wearing a micro bikini. Golden skin. Couldn't think of a pick up line, so I jumped in the pool and got out and splashed some water on her. She opened her eyes and looked at me. Like WTF dude. I ambled over to her and introduced myself. She was a sweetheart. So friendly. We chatted for a bit and I asked her if she would like to go for a coffee. She said "sure". I kind of double checked with her. I said "you don't even know me" She said "it's ok. I can tell if a guy is a creep" . So we walked back up Parkside Drive to my place where my car was parked. We went for a coffee at the Denny's at Islington and Bloor or Kipling. Or thereabouts. Long time ago. She was a total sweet heart. Drove her home and got her phone number. When I called a few days later, she had changed her mind. (age difference_ Me 23 she 18. ) No harm. No foul. As they say in Australia.
One of my favorite nostalgic Toronto memories.

 

[JackBurton]

Future Bakery, Shanghai Cowgirl, The Big Bop and Come As You Are that used to be in the heart of Queen St West

 

[black booty lover]

I seem too recall an episode of Degrassi Junior High that was partially filmed at that Lick's. Which reminds me:

Funny, I cam across this youtube clip of this women from Alabama that's a total Degrassi fan, and she documented her trip going to all the shoot locations...etc. I didn't realize there's still a bit of a cult following for Degrassi.


Anyway, the Zit remedy song and that intro song have been stuck in my head now for like two weeks...lol. I also watched a few old Episodes because I was trying to remember a few things that happened in the show.

 

[explorerzip]

Funny, I cam across this youtube clip of this women from Alabama that's a total Degrassi fan, and she documented her trip going to all the shoot locations...etc. I didn't realize there's still a bit of a cult following for Degrassi.

Anyway, the Zit remedy song and that intro song have been stuck in my head now for like two weeks...lol. I also watched a few old Episodes because I was trying to remember a few things that happened in the show.

I actually went to high school with one of the twin girls in the show, or she looked very much like her.

 

[black booty lover]

I actually went to high school with one of the twin girls in the show, or she looked very much like her.

I went to school with 2 of them! Two others also had part time jobs at the mall right across the street from my complex.

 

[black booty lover]

Came across this this video and thought it fits nicely into this thread.

 

[explorerzip]

Came across this this video and thought it fits nicely into this thread.

Gotta love that early 90's synth music

 

[unassuming]

Clubs I frequented:

Heaven disco at Yonge and Bloor
Sparkles disco at top of CN Tower
Fresh club that became RPM night club
The Diamond
The Bamboo on Queen st near John
Hannibal’s at Yonge and Sheperd
The Copa club

 

[RZG]

Clubs I frequented:

Heaven disco at Yonge and Bloor
Sparkles disco at top of CN Tower
Fresh club that became RPM night club
The Diamond
The Bamboo on Queen st near John
Hannibal’s at Yonge and Sheperd
The Copa club

Did you ever go to Hannibal`s prior to it morphing into a trendy fern bar? That was a good place.