Let’s Play Triple Cities Remember When (Part 1)

I'm feeling nostalgic today. OK, the older I get, the more I look pack into the past, and remember fondly (also not so fondly) about things and places that were a part of our lives.

Even though I've only been in the BInghamton area since the late 1970s, a lot has changed.  If I've missed a few, jog my memory with a few of your own memories.

Are you ready? Remember when...

We went to the Oakdale Mall to see movies at the triple theaters? A couple of weeks ago, after cleaning up at our annual Garage and Craft Sale at the Mall, we stored some stuff inside the space where the theaters were. It was weird looking around. I vividly remember how it looked. Not so much now. The angled theater floors were filled in and leveled. If you had never been at the theatre, you never would have guessed it was there, except for the entrance doors.

Speaking of theaters, how about the State Street theaters? I think there were two in the Binghamton Plaza, right? If I remember correctly, they weren't the best looking theaters, but we weren't there for the aesthetics. I also remember that plaza being completely full back in the day. Wasn't it the first plaza in the area? Not looking so great today.

Moving on down the Vestal Parkway, the first shopping center I encountered when moving to Binghamton in the late 1970s, was the Vestal Plaza. Was that the name of it? I forget. I do remember the covered/not covered center walkway, which did not do well to keep inclement weather out. That plaza lost a lot of stores before being completely made over, and today it's quite a thriving place.

How about nightclubs and bars that are no longer around? I used to frequent Popeyes in the Northgate Plaza back in the day. Lots of great bands played on that stage. I also spent a good amount of time at the Eclipse nightclub in the old Ramada Inn on Front Street. We used to host the ever so famous Sunday Night Dance Party and broadcast it live on The Whale. That place was packed every Sunday evening. What an odd time to go out and party, but people did!

Do you remember The Woods nightclub on the Vestal Parkway that featured two different nightclubs in one building? If I remember correctly, it began as the Power and Light Club. I used to be the DJ on the first floor when it was The Woods. We had a lot of radio station promotions at that nightclub. We used to host the Scandals Power Mix Dance Party on the second floor, which was video recorded and aired later on one of the local cable channels. You can find a couple of the episodes on Youtube and wow, that's what the 1980s looked like!

That's enough jogging your memory for today. Wednesday, I'll write about a few more memories of the Binghamton area past from the late 1970s to 2000.