Cool Stuff That's Not There Anymore...

I was just listening to some classic rock, and remembering back to some of the best times I ever had...and then I started thinking about cool stuff that isn't around anymore and the 4th of July...

One Fourth of July, I went with a group of friends to watch the fireworks in downtown Pittsburgh. Now, it's almost impossible to get in and out of Pittsburgh when a big event like the 4th of July is happening...most of the ways out of town involve tunnels and/or bridges, so your best bet is to get to town early and find a place to hang out before and after.

We found this little bar on Smithfield Street, Jimmy's...it had the coolest jukebox ever. You put in a quarter and picked up the phone on top of it...a lady came on and she would say, "What youns want, hun?" (Pittsburghese for "What would you like to hear, sir?") You gave her the title and artist, she went and got the record and put your song on in a couple of minutes. I never knew where she was located, but I never asked her for a song she didn't have, including "Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money" by Warren Zevon.

If you have any recollections of cool stuff that's gone, feel free to comment or post and trackback to here...