Throwback Thursday 47: Hanging Out #TBTMemory

Throwback Thursday 2 Minutes

Lauren is this week’s host for Throwback Thusday, the subject of which is Hanging Out.

Think back to where you liked to hang out when you were young. Your stomping grounds might have been determined by your ability to get to a variety of locations. It’s time to pull on those tangled memory strings and sort out some thoughts.

Did you spend more time hanging out at friend’s houses or away from the eyes and ears of parents? I spent some time at friends’ houses, but for the most part stayed away from my mother in my room.

If you stayed home, how did you spend your time? Listening to music, reading, smoking cigarettes and drinking Dr Pepper in my room. If no one else was watching TV, I would take over the back porch, or if something was on TV that a couple of us were watching, I watched with them.

Did you have a favorite eatery? Not really. I mean, I liked a couple of places, but they were places I went with Mom, her gentleman friend (later husband) who we called Tex (long story), and my brothers. The closest I came to having an “eatery” where I hung out with my friends was the school cafeteria.

Did you go to the mall with friends? “The mall” was a developing concept when I was in high school. There was Old Orchard, which was one of the first shopping malls, and Deerbrook Mall, whre I worked at the Jewel, but they weren’t places we “hung out.” That would come about ten years later. We mostly went to them when we needed clothes or something.

Did choose to socialize at bowling alleys, arcades, or roller rinks? Occasionally, we’d spend time at Northfield Bowl, a bowling alley and arcade, but infrequently. When I say “arcade,” I mean two or three pinball machines and, later, a “video game,” Pong. Later they switched out Pong for Tank.

Did you go miniature golfing or do another outside activity? Not really.

Did you hang around after school killing time? What did you do? No. I usually wanted to go home after I was done with class.

Did your parents typically know where you were? In my room.

Did you prefer to “hang” with friends or family members? I preferred to hang by myself.

Was it “cool” to be seen hanging out at any particular place? Not that I knew of.

Was there a place you wanted to hang out, but weren’t allowed to? Not that I can remember.

Kinda lame, huh? Tell you what: if it ends up like this again, I’ll make up answers…

Tally-ho and away we go!
See you next week with a brand new show!

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

19 thoughts on “Throwback Thursday 47: Hanging Out #TBTMemory”

  1. Pingback: The Post-Bastille Day Week That Was – The Sound of One Hand Typing

    1. Wasn’t sure how to get the graphics in, because I wrote it in Markdown in Scrivener and converted it to HTML, but I managed to figure it out. Glad you liked them!

      It was the same with us. We had couple of “malls,” but they were only partially covered and there was nothing like a food court…

      Liked by 1 person

        1. I have no idea what’s at any of the malls here anymore. I worked near Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, and after we moved we were near Perimeter, and of course Town Center is very close to me, and I can’t see any of them doing very well these days. I used to go to Cary, NC, and they had Cary Town Center there, which I now see has closed. A lot of malls are being repurposed as professional offices (doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, insurance sales etc.), and others now hold government offices (Cobb County took over a former Kroger plaza and moved a bunch of their offices there). I guess people don’t need the brick-and-mortar stores anymore…

          Like

  3. I thoroughly enjoyed your post, John. All the while I could hear the Statler Brother’s song ‘Flowers On the Wall’ in my head – it read to me like a song!

    Like

        1. Really, I’m serious! I’ve also smoked cigarettes while watching Captain Kangaroo… That song could have been the story of my life…

          Like

  4. Thanks for joining in. You are right of course about no malls when I grew up. We had “shopping centers.” Your answers are not boring at all. How they could they be with the wonderful addition of graphics that always make me laugh?

    Like

      1. I would never hang out after school…never! I lived in the country so I became friends with the next door neighbour who was my age. She lived on a farm and her parents got free help baling the hay, picking fruit and veggies, tying grapes, taking down the corn, helping in the barn. I loved riding on top of the hay wagon.
        If I was alone, I would go to our evergreen forest and pretend or to the sawmill and play on the logs.
        When i was home, I loved watching old movies and PBS would have pledge drives and play Rogers and Hammerstein musicals from the 50s. I would also read a lot or draw.
        I liked hanging around my parents as I didn’t have many friends but I did like the local mall but was there with one friend or on my own. My mom always knew where I wad…she would gave killed me otherwise but I was aok with that because she loved me.

        Like

    1. In Schaumburg! Everyone knows that one, although it’s started to hit on hard times. Old Orchard is still there (as is its twin, Oakbrook Centre), and Deerbrook is still there.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.