Houston Astrodome, 1970s

HMN's vintage photo of the day.

I see a Country Squire/Colony Park along with a clamshell Chevy Estate wagon in the background.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/08/02/houston-1970s/?refer=news#comments-block

 

I remember how AMAZING that stadium seemed back-when! It's sad now because the new stadium they built next to the Astrodome makes it seem tiny now. The REAL crime is Six Flags tearing down Astroworld across the street! Houston is not my favorite place....

 

Haha! I hear ya mike! I been through once when I was living in Austin. I feel like Houston is to Texas what Atlanta is to the surrounding south. Texas is so nice, the people courteous and conscience on the road. And then there's Houston, people throwing trash out the windows while weaving in and out of traffic at 90mph. Atlanta is the same way. 8 lanes of gridlock traffic filled with ignorant dum Dums, who's brains are so rattled by that oversized sub woofer in the back that they're to stupid to use a turn signal. Whew! Sorry about that. Go oilers!!!

 

I was so impressed by Atlanta that after a few trips on I 75 I switched to St 231 and I 65 from then on.

 

The Astrodome was my favorite place as a kid. I only got to go about a dozen times total. All of them Monster Truck events. (I was born in 96 and went to my first dome event in 98) I was at the final show in November of 2002. I never have liked the new stadium it doesnt have the same magic the dome did. I did a monstrous research paper on the dome in Jr. High that got me statewide recognition.

Grizz, traffic hasnt changed. haha so many people have no clue how to drive. Glad that i dont have to deal with it everyday anymore.

81X11, yet another great thing that went away. I was there the final day Astroworld was open as well. The prices were so steep, and many of the rides were already shut down and being gutted for demolition. They demolished the park for condos, and yet, its still an empty lot after 13 years. Its a shame that the 2 things that basically provided all tourism to the city are gone or disused. The city still wonders why no one comes to town for any reason besides the rodeo.

 

I can relate. We used to have Opryland, a country music themed amusement park. You could see the rides flying around from briley parkway. They tore it all out and replaced it with a huge mall... I've been twice, against my will, where I would go to the park several times a summer. The mall is packed 24/7 year round and makes a killing during Christmas, so money wise it makes sense I guess. In my book the coolest thing about that mall is when Nashville had the 100 year flood some years back, the mall was flooded. Bass pro shop had a large freshwater tank with monster sized fish, blue gill and brim the size of dinner plates, 50lb. Bass, catfish the size of a vw bus. They ALL escaped into the river. AWESOME!! Here is a picture of my radio chief wagon, it's same as a radio flyer but metal. Bought it at a car show partly because of this old bumper sticker was on it

 

Every city in every state has done the same things. We almost lived in and around Daytona for weeks at a time when we lived on the other side in the real Florida. Daytona fathers and blue haired mothers decided to build an Orlando amusement copy complete with Vegas style gambling. So down went most of the boardwalk and neat old shops. As far as I know this was over ten years ago and nothing developed.
We took short cuts thru Montgomery often on our way to Illinois. Montgomery's original malls are ghost towns with weeds growing in the parking lots. Everywhere you go, amusement parks are no longer amusing and shopping centers are rotting away, replaced by larger fake brick and mortar rectangles. Let's not even mention Detroit and Memphis.
When ancient aliens rediscover North America there will be nothing except scrap iron and concrete dust. Hopefully a few old station wagons will survive in caves with paintings made of berries explaining what they were used for. Even the Alamo is now fake!

 

Found out about the place after I got the barge, I thought "hey a place to take the kids in the wagon" then I saw they closed it down...

 

That's how it was in Phoenix, back in early 1979. I had a job in Mesa where the descendants of the original homesteaders were outright honest and friendly. Those moving west who had skeletons in their closet were mostly creeps or swindlers of some type. I'll never forget the red sand of New Mexico, though. I took the slow Route 66 and was impressed at how Albequerque was set up. Santa Fe was the third world, in comparison.

 

And then there's Houston, people throwing trash out the windows while weaving in and out of traffic at 90mph.

And now there's Houston, all the trash floating into the swamps, rivers, and the Gulf for wildlife to choke and die on.

 

And now there are the alligators, water moccasins, snapping turtles and anacondas who're swimming up to Houston to get revenge, Sir.

 

Strangely I've only heard a few weather reporters even mention alligators. I'm sure there are gators and snakes moving inland and many will end up in yards and homes after the water recedes.

 

^^^down on the bayou "raining snakes and gators" is a common expression, mainly because they've eaten all the cats and dogs and now since I've recently learned getting off topic is frowned upon, back to Texas. I saw a show talking about harsh weather turning up sunken treasure in south padre island, south of Houston. I've been there! The only thing I found was a hangover. Oh yeah and my shoes which I had lost two nights before

 

It's mainly, or even exclusively, the snakes which are gobbling housepets. Dogs and cats know better how to stay away from 'gaters. Those pythons and anacondas aren't native to N. America. Dog and cat ownership isn't stranger than owning exotic snakes, because all were once wild animals. Over here, cats are a menace, when dumb owners (of which the majority of them are) let them outdoors, during brooding seasons. Biologists complain about the drastic reduction of bird populations, because of them. But, as long as you have responsible authorities doing nothing except stuffing their gobs with donuts and crossing their legs on their desks, it's the snakes who end up cleaning house, at the expense of the pets.
You could cut some juicy stakes from both !gaters and snakes. In fact, every snake, on this planet, is edible:



Making the best out of a disaster the Good 'ol Boy way:

 

There's my 2 cents...