Nancy wrote --

JM>> "Ladies and gentlemen, if I may tax your memories..." when one

congress critter turned to the other and said "Why haven't we thought of that?"

It's a joke, right... a joke... <G>

Yeah, but its still good to not give them any ideas. LOL

JM>> They aren't what they used to be, having been taken over by pound
JM>> stores (like our dollar stores), which are growing at a steady clip.

Supposedly the same idea as the five-and-dime... but from what I've
seen, not as nice really....

Well, the old five and dimes offered things like lunch counters, which have pretty much disappeared over time.
There's a drug store in a nearby town that several years ago brought back their soda fountain and counter service and do a booming business. They have been adding more tables over the years, along with a couple of booths. And they have waiters to take you order and bring it to you.
The owners are smart, they are keeping it small, and the place is packed whenever I go there. You can get burgers and such, along with sundaes, etc or just a dish of ice cream. At the counter you can watch as banana splits are make, soft drinks with syrup and soda water added, etc. Just like the old days.
One time I ordered a banana split and watched as it was made then the soda jerk reached over and picked up a plastic bottle marked ketchup, another mustard, etc and put that on top. I starting thinking "who taught these guys to make banana splits, the three stooges?" (It was actually strawberry sauce, caramel, etc).
The whole place is like setting into the past. And none of this plastic furniture, the tables and chairs are wrought iron, the counter is the original marble from the 19th C, etc. Carved woodwork, etc.

JM>> Until 1800 they run on the hour, on the schedule. But are usually
JM>> late since the routes are longish and if there's any problem along

the way the bus is put behind.

Ours is similar, although I think at peak times they are scheduled more often, maybe every half hour, or on the busier routes maybe every 15-20 minutes...

The old bus company, which started with streetcars, ran buses every 15 minutes. But of course in that day (up to the mid-late 60s) fewer people had cars and depended more on the bus.
We were without any buses for a few years when the employees of that company went on strike and place closed.
The business was re-organised and started up again in the late '70s.
At one point ridership was down. The bus company board wanted to raise fares
even more. The woman in charge at the time was very smart. She lowered fares, ridership zoomed and they made more money than before and have been gaining riders ever since. When the fares were reduced transfers disappeared, but hey,
you can't have everything.
She also offered day, week and monthly passes were for a certain price you ride as much as you wanted for a even lower cost.
Those are still available but instead of a punch card its on a debit like card.
About 80 per cent of the route is $1. To outlaying areas its $1.25.
There is no way someone can drive, to say the mall, about 15 miles from downtown, round trip, for $2.50.

JM>> Is the bus on time?
JM>> Yeah, within an hour or two. :)

I trust it isn't quite that bad really.... ;)

Nah, just a local joke.
But there are times they are really late, due to traffic, accidents, etc.
They have a free phone app where the buses can be monitored as to where they are.
I have one but have never figured out how to use it, other than the scheduled
time of arrival.
One day a woman showed me her phone. There was a map of that route with a little blinking light showing the bus in movement. She said "it should be here
in eight minutes" and by golly it was.

JM>> (Of course gas always goes up between Memorial and Labor Days.
JM>> Always has, always will).

And sometimes even fluctuates within those dates.... It IS, after all, while your services are less required.... just have to rent a car that's relatively easy on gas with good mileage.... :)

If I would make my grand tour it would probably be in September or even October. Be cooler then, fewer travelers, etc.
Joe


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Re: Buses (was: Re: Tipping and taxes)
By: joe mackey to NANCY BACKUS on Thu Jun 28 2018 05:31 am

There's a drug store in a nearby town that several years ago brought back their soda fountain and counter service and do a booming business. They have been adding more tables over the years, along with a couple of booths. And they have waiters to take you order and bring it to you.
The owners are smart, they are keeping it small, and the place is packed whenever I go there. You can get burgers and such, along with sundaes, etc just a dish of ice cream. At the counter you can watch as banana splits are make, soft drinks with syrup and soda water added, etc. Just like the old days.
One time I ordered a banana split and watched as it was made then the soda jerk reached over and picked up a plastic bottle marked ketchup, another mustard, etc and put that on top. I starting thinking "who taught these guy to make banana splits, the three stooges?" (It was actually strawberry sauc caramel, etc).
The whole place is like setting into the past. And none of this plastic furniture, the tables and chairs are wrought iron, the counter is the origin marble from the 19th C, etc. Carved woodwork, etc.

I would love to see more of these places start back up. I think if they just include wifi access, they should do okay.
--- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32
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06-28-18 05:31 joe mackey wrote to NANCY BACKUS about Buses (was: Re: Tipping a Howdy! Joe,

@MSGID: <5B34F82D.20333.memoryln@capitolcityonline.net>
@REPLY: <5B344F6B.20328.memoryln@capitolcityonline.net>

-snip-

There's a drug store in a nearby town that several years ago brought back their soda fountain and counter service and do a booming business. They have been adding more tables over the years, along with a couple
of booths. And they have waiters to take you order and bring it to
you.
The owners are smart, they are keeping it small, and the place is
packed whenever I go there. You can get burgers and such, along with sundaes, etc or just a dish of ice cream. At the counter you can watch
as banana splits are make, soft drinks with syrup and soda water added, etc. Just like the old days.
One time I ordered a banana split and watched as it was made then the soda jerk reached over and picked up a plastic bottle marked ketchup, another mustard, etc and put that on top. I starting thinking "who
taught these guys to make banana splits, the three stooges?" (It was actually strawberry sauce, caramel, etc).
The whole place is like setting into the past. And none of this
plastic furniture, the tables and chairs are wrought iron, the counter
is the original marble from the 19th C, etc. Carved woodwork, etc.

I'm VERY curious.

What City is that Drugs Store in?
What is its Name?

I'd like to tell My Brother about it.
He lives in Huntington, WV too, and may want to go there.

I'd like to know too, so I could eat at that Drug Store with or
without my Brother.

When I went to High School there was a Drugs Store a few blocks away
that made their Fountain Coca-Cola Soft Drink with Syrup that was in a
large glass bottle with a plastic dispenser attached to it.

The bottle was inverted with the dispenser on the bottom so the person
making the softdrink just pressed a big button to put some syrup in a
paper cup.

They filled the cup with soda water (CO2 Fizz Water) and gave it
to the customer.

I can't remember if the dispenser button was pressed once or twice to
make the soda.

I thought that I already seen everything about how a Fountain soft drink
was made until I walked in that Drug Store when I was 14 years old. DUH

... Why CAN'T we see a light that is out, yet CAN see the sun when it's out? --- MultiMail/MS-DOS v0.49
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Ed wrote --

jm>> There's a drug store in a nearby town that several years ago

brought back their soda fountain

I'm VERY curious.

What City is that Drugs Store in?
What is its Name?

Griffith and Fiels, at 14th and Chestnut, across from SAL, in Kenova.

The bottle was inverted with the dispenser on the bottom so the person making the softdrink just pressed a big button to put some syrup in a paper cup.

Don't recall ever seeing anything like that.
The one's I've always seen had a pump that was pushed that squirted out the syrup, then one moved to the soda dispenser with a handle that was pulled forth
and back which put in the soda water. After a squirt or two the mixture was stirred a bit and more water added.

I thought that I already seen everything about how a Fountain soft drink was made until I walked in that Drug Store when I was 14 years old. DUH

When I was in high school (in Colorado Springs, CO) my evening paper route was on the way home. Thursday and Friday were collection days and Friday evenings I stopped in at a drug store and at the fountain treated myself to a two scoop hot fudge sundae, nuts, whipped creme and a cherry on top, for 49 cents. Of course 49 cents isn't what it was 50+ years ago. (That would be equal to $3.76 today, https://westegg.com/inflation/)
Joe


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Ken Albert wrote --

KA>> I would love to see more of these places start back up. I think if
KA>> they just include wifi access, they should do okay.

This place does have free wifi for customers.
Joe


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