Earlier this week we recorded our first interview with Sean Faustina, Marketing Director of the Riverside Plaza (and a friend of ours from back in the day. We had planned to set up outside on Main Street. However, the Riverside summer has kicked in and it was well into the 80s by 10:00 AM. Fortunately, Coffee Depot was OK with us taking advantage of their AC & AC.
If you’ve been around town a couple of decades (or more) you’re familiar with the changes The Plaza has been through – open-air to enclosed-80s-mall to open-air once again. We talk about what was great about the old days and the incredible success of The (new) Riverside Plaza.
We want to hear your memories of The Plaza! What did we leave out? Did you have a Plaza job? I almost did – but that’s for another show.
Enjoy!
| SHOW #05: RIVERSIDE PLAZA – THEN AND NOW | |
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Riverside Plaza: 1964 & 2008 - Photos courtesy of Riverside Plaza, LLC
Visit the Riverside Plaza website at www.shopriversideplaza.com
This is very cool. I have yet to hear the podcast, but the memories abound on getting from our neighborhood to the plaza. Cutting behind Gemco, up over the hill with the big rock that was always painted, and made a great slide because it was so slick, coming in the back of the graveyard and cruising through the mausoleum, or trying your luck at running across the train trestle that crossed Central. I don’t think that I can honestly say that I would let my kids do the same thing.
Yea, I have many cool memories of that place from working at Montgomery Wards to getting slushes at that little hot dog place to the cranky dude at Fun & Stuff. My coolest memories are from way back and involve dining such as the restaurant upstairs at Harris’ – very posh in my mind at the time with the cool backlighting. Also, eating at the counter at Woolworths and then looking for records there before there was a Wherehouse (sp)?
I have very fond memories of the Christmas window displays at Harris’ back in the day. Also riding my bike there, from home, with friends to just”hang out”.