Does anybody have any idea what they are putting in place of the 29 and Gallows Tacobell? I hope its a Chic-Fil-A!

Gallows and 29 are both going to 6 lanes at that intersection. It will be years before it is done and new businesses build. Einstine Bagel and Boston Market are closed now too.

damn where am i gonna go this summer for late night snacking after watching a movie?

A commercial real estate friend of mine told me about 10 years ago that this was the highest grossing Taco Bell in the country for a while. I wonder if Ffx County is taking some or all of the property by eminent domain, or if it is closing simply to avoid the road construction headaches.

Showing my age here a little, I never went there after it became a Taco Bell, because I was p!ssed that Taco Bell took over that location from what was once one of only two or three Jack-in-the-Box joints in all of Northern Virginia (another was down on Rt. 1 somewhere near Hybla Valley). Jack-in-the-Box--now there was some real late night cuisine!

Foodie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Showing my age here a little, I never went there
> after it became a Taco Bell, because I was p!ssed
> that Taco Bell took over that location from what
> was once one of only two or three Jack-in-the-Box
> joints in all of Northern Virginia (another was
> down on Rt. 1 somewhere near Hybla Valley).
> Jack-in-the-Box--now there was some real late
> night cuisine!

Showing *my* age....there used to be Jack-in-the-Box in Annandale,
over by Pep Boys (where Jhoon Rhee had his first location),
but that was all new! The Koreans had just started moving
into the area, over 30 years ago.

What, you thought this was some recent trend?

I still miss the older stuff, like the Tops hamburger place
(which turned into Ginos, which turned into I forget; now
it's Burger King) on Columbia Pike.

And while you're at it, don't say drug store - say Drug Fair!

Now get off my lawn.

Spacy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Foodie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Showing my age here a little, I never went
> there
> > after it became a Taco Bell, because I was
> p!ssed
> > that Taco Bell took over that location from
> what
> > was once one of only two or three
> Jack-in-the-Box
> > joints in all of Northern Virginia (another was
> > down on Rt. 1 somewhere near Hybla Valley).
> > Jack-in-the-Box--now there was some real late
> > night cuisine!
>
> Showing *my* age....there used to be
> Jack-in-the-Box in Annandale,
> over by Pep Boys (where Jhoon Rhee had his first
> location),
> but that was all new! The Koreans had just
> started moving
> into the area, over 30 years ago.
>
> What, you thought this was some recent trend?
>
> I still miss the older stuff, like the Tops
> hamburger place
> (which turned into Ginos, which turned into I
> forget; now
> it's Burger King) on Columbia Pike.
>
> And while you're at it, don't say drug store - say
> Drug Fair!
>
> Now get off my lawn.


Showing my age even more. I remember Carroll's Drive-In...across from the fire house on Columbia Pike, Three Chefs (great pancakes!) where Fuddruckers is now, Villa Maria...where Fritzbe's was and Silverado is now. Shakey's Pizza and then Spaghetti Mill in the old Acme grocery store building on 236. Kerlin's Korner (convenience store and plant nursery) where Ribster's was. Single screen movie theatres next to Pep Boys and in Heritage Mall, where the People's Drug Store (now CVS) had a soda fountain where Annandale High kids hung out.

Topp's Drive-In was a huge cop hangout....at least one cop car in the lot at all times. And next to the Drug Fair...the A&P food store.

Oops, forgot Penguin Feather, Annandale's own head shop....next to the Burger Chef (another long-gone burger joint) on 236, across from the bowling alley.

And Topp's, in true 50's fashion, had car hops! I don't think they were on roller skates though...

Merrifield business Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gallows and 29 are both going to 6 lanes at that
> intersection. It will be years before it is done
> and new businesses build. Einstine Bagel and
> Boston Market are closed now too.


Do you know how far and in what direction? I am guessing that Gallows will be six lanes to 495, but does it really need to be widened going towards and past the Metro station? What about 29?

Was this project one of those cut from the transportation budget?

They are probably just improving the intersection. Lots of these projects going on or finished...Rt 236 at Prosperity. Rt 236 at Braddock. Rt 236 at Pickett. Braddock at Roberts, to name a few

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/lee_highway_and_gallows_road.asp

EDIT: This is VDOT's page on the intersection improvements.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2008 03:32PM by MBF.

For me, it sucked ass seeing Boston Market, Taco Bell, and the Bank of America all closed down. Hopefully some of those places re-open in the Merrifield area.

My recollection puts Tops and Three Chefs in the same frame,
early/mid 60s, but Shakeys came in much later (a few years before
the short-lived Jack-In-The-Box which was probably 1978).

One of the first times I personally encountered mega food
conglomerates was noticing the familiar logo on my take-out
bag from Jack-In-The-Box. Tiny little logo you would never
notice if you were not studying the package: Ralston
(eg. Ralston-Purina dog food)! I did love those big sloppy
burgers...Had a lot of yummy drive-through breakfasts, too!
Excuse me now while I stroke out...but that was all mid/late-70s.

The anchors in my mind from the 60s were the A&P, the 7-11,
Drug Fair, the barber, Arcade Electronics, the shoe store
(Tom McCanns?) and appliances (Deavers?), the funky old house
that I forgot what it was (vet?) across the street from the center,
the pizza and cleaners, and the delicatessen (I think they moved
to Vienna eventually) over the indoor shooting range. Add in the
bank and the ABC store, and I think that about takes us up to
Kerlin's Korner.

I remember the soda fountain at People's; um, didn't Drug Fair
have one also, or am I merging those two experiences? Carroll's
Drive-In...the name sounds very familiar, but I can't quite remember
going to that.

I can't remember what the "new" 236 strip mall (and points east)
used to be...just woods, I think. I used to like Sizzler, too.
I didn't go to Old Spaghetti Mill more than once or twice, but
I think it replaced something that I liked better; can't remember
the chronology.

Remember the air raid siren every noon (and later, every Wednesday
and later, once a month, and then no more...)? In addition to that
siren at the firehouse, there was a radar battery hidden back there,
and there was even a secret Nike silo a couple blocks away off of
Gallows that most people didn't realize.

I guess the big geezer question is: Do you also remember the water
tower up on the hill (behind my house, across from the Methodist
church by the old Webb property, Columbia Pike and Gallows) that
supplied the water from the private company, from before Annandale
was on the public utility?

I used to ride my bike to "Church" on Sunday's in McLean.

"Church" was actually Jack in-the Box where the Chevy Chase Bank now stands.

Good stuff planned for that area

http://www.mosaicatmerrifield.com/

I believe for now the utilities in the Gallows Road/Route 29 corridor will be undergrounded. Don't know if VDOT has the money to widened the roads

Wow....Shakey's Pizza and Jack-in-the-Box. Those are two entities you don't hear about on this coast any more. They're all over California (especially Shit-in-the-Box). Jack has great curly fries but the WORST tacos. on. the. face. of. planet. earth. Possibly the worst in the whole fucking galaxy.

On the other hand, its interesting to see the progression of other chains around here. I've heard Hardees is considering moving into Nova which is good because I actually like their burgers.

At the same time, Five Guys is expanding like there is no tomorrow. They're all the way out in California now!

Yeah, my wife is unthrilled that the closest Taco Bell is out by the toilet bowl building now.


Trivia quiz for coffin and other Annandaleans (Your Kerlin's comment reminded me):


What was Kerlin's Corner famous for historic times?

I can't vouch for the veracity of this, but I've been told that in the days of horses and carriages, that was apparently a corner for bordellos.


As an aside relating to development. I just wish that Loehmann's and Skyline were still airports. I hate driving to Leesburg to fly.

strat Wrote:
> As an aside relating to development. I just wish
> that Loehmann's and Skyline were still airports.
> I hate driving to Leesburg to fly.

I am moving into Skyline in a couple of weeks and so
was thinking about the airport there, too. I remember
it being an active airport when I was a little kid in
the early 60s, but I didn't become a pilot until the
late 80s and had almost forgotten all about it.
Web pages say that Washington-Virginia airport
closed around 1970. But we used to drive into
Baileys Crossroads all the time back then, and
I don't remember the airport being there that late.
How long was it really active?
I'm guessing it closed more like 1966.

When I was a teenager I worked at the Chesepeake Bay
Seafood House at Loehman's Plaza, and I know that
used to be an airport, too. But I don't remember
that one at all (we didn't go out that way when I
was a kid). What was that like?

And was there another airport near Baileys, more
towards Lake Barcroft? Or is that just part of
my hazy recollection of the Skyline/Baileys one?

Good site:

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/VA/Airfields_VA_Fairfax_NE.htm

Most excellent. Tnx!

Hey don't forget Lums

I loved Lums. What was the connection between Lums and Ollie's Trolley, anyway. I know they both had an "Ollieburger."

I used to skip school to hang at the Lums in Lincolnia at one point. It beat the heck out of Fridays or whatever the chain of the week is, though it was hardly haute cuisine.

How about the Red Barn, Burger Chef, Giffords Ice Cream Shops (the original), Lee Hwy and West Ox Rd Drive-ins, and the Putt Putt Golf in Ballston.

There still is an Ollie's in DC. Love that Ollie Burger.

Client 9 from Outerspace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lee Hwy and West Ox Rd Drive-ins

There was the drive-in movie out by Merrifield near the
intersection of 50 and Gallows (turned into a Best Buy
type of store after that) next to a school, and there was
one up in Bailey's Crossroads where the Giant is now.

(And one out further towards Manassasas that we used
to frequent, maybe that's the West Ox Road one you
are referring to.)

Did someone say there was also one right in Annandale center?

Client 9 from Outerspace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How about the Red Barn, Burger Chef, Giffords Ice Cream Shops

Burger Chef got mentioned when we were talking about
Topps/Ginos in Annandale, I think...and the Giffords
location that I knew was in Bailey's Crossroads on
Columbia Pike... this is all making me really hungry.
Let's go to the Hot Shoppes!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2008 02:08AM by Spacy.

Lums and Ollies share(d) the same french fry recipe--seasoned salt and pepper (yum)...

I ate at a Lums in Occoquan like 5-6 years ago, I was surprised to see that the chain still existed, so I stopped in for a bite to eat. The food actually sorta sucked (I remember liking it as kid though). The place was pretty dreary and looked like it was on its last legs, I wouldn't be surprised if it closed down.

Aww yeah...Gifford's....that place was great!

The building is still there, a cleaners now. My girl wouldn't climb into the back seat until we stopped at Gifford's!

I always heard that the when the civil rights bullshit started in the 60's, that Gifford's shut down rather than go against their beliefs. Don't know if that's truth or rumor, but the place was always packed, so it wasn't lack of business that put an end to Gifford's. There was also one in Silver Spring, don't know if there were any others.

BTW, the Sunset Drive-In Theatre at Bailey's was around where Home Depot is now, not the Giant.

And the Lee Highway Drive-in was on Lee Hwy near Gallows, not Rt 50.

And yeah, I always heard that Kerlin's Corner was a whorehouse way back when.

BTW, does anybody remember Old Virginia City? It was a replica of an "old west" town where the "cast" staged gunfights and they had dancing girls in the saloon, etc. I think it was on either 50 or 29 out past Fairfax City. It was a neat place!

There was another attraction called (I think) StorybookLand. It was for younger kids...you walked through the woods and they had Mother Goose stuff like the old woman who lived in a shoe's shoe house and lots of other nursery rhyme stuff. They had a go-cart track too.

I remember my mom taking us to both those places.

Storybook land was way down route one in Woodbridge. I went to the site (well, the part that hadn't been built out) about two years ago to see if there were any remnants. I had an old map so I did find a few things left including Snow White's mailbox, LOL. I think it's been developed now.

Speaking of Hot Shoppes, do you guys remember Farrell's in Tysons before its major renovation? That was some good ice cream.

You have to pay for it, but this site has a ton of pics from Storybook land...
http://www.norvapics.com/images_amusementparks_woodbridge.htm

Eastsider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Speaking of Hot Shoppes, do you guys remember
> Farrell's in Tysons before its major renovation?
> That was some good ice cream.

Hot Shoppes was some decades before Farrell's,
but I used to go to the ice cream in Springfield Mall.
(I never knew Farells was also in Tysons.)

What do you mean, Jack-in-the-Box had the "worst. tacos. on . planet. earth."?? I grew up in So. Cal. and I always LOVED their tacos! Whenever I got backed up, I knew I could count on one of those grease monkeys to go down my pipes and clean 'em out!!!

There is a Taco Bell on Maple Ave., near Beulah Road. They have a nice drive thru-- they are friendly, they speak English, ask you "How are you today?" and always get the order correct. They must be from some other planet.

That intersection is going to be a nightmare for driving for years to come.

Eastsider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Speaking of Hot Shoppes, do you guys remember
> Farrell's in Tysons before its major renovation?
> That was some good ice cream.


I defintely remember Farrell's! Believe it or not, there are exactly two locations remaining, and they are both in Hawaii. I was there a couple months ago and enjoyed the same Farrell's ice cream I had not had in probably over 25 years. Every thing inside looked the same to me as it once did at the location in Tysons. They even had those little kazoos the kids used to blow on.

http://www.farrellshawaii.com/

Story Book Land! WOW! I remember going there. My brother and I were too scared to "drive" those cars around the race trak and so my Sister always took our tickets. We loved to go there. I never knew where it was!

As for Bailey's corner, does anyone remember Louie's Rock City & Battle of the Bands? or maybe Eskamo Nells in Arlington in the "Parkington" area now known as Ballston?

Wow I remember Farrells in Tysons! That place was great! Thanks for the link!

EoM

Looks like they are in CA too.


Southern California Location
at Mountasia Fun Center
View this location's Menu
21516 Golden Triangle Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
661-253-4FUN
Farrell's Southern California is located inside Mountasia Fun Center, a 7-acre entertainment center. Farrell's has full-service dining and a Snack 'N Go area + a HUGE candy area filled with specialty, hard-to-find, and good old-fashioned candies. Farrell's specializes in birthday parties and celebrations! Visit Farrell's Southern California at www.MountasiaFunCenter.com

EoM

coffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They are probably just improving the intersection.
> Lots of these projects going on or finished...Rt
> 236 at Prosperity. Rt 236 at Braddock. Rt 236 at
> Pickett. Braddock at Roberts, to name a few

Yeah, talking about the intersection of Lee and Gallows. They done NOTHING. It's been two years. And nothing but shit. Just a hippy shit dream from Connolly and his gang of morons.

I'll tell you what's going in....NOTHING but butt ugly storage of sewer pipes at that corner. Merrifield is DEAD AND GONE.

Reading this sure brings back a lot of memories. I had forgotten that the Taco Bell at 29 and Gallows used to be Jack-in-the-Box. I thought that the intersection was going to be an overpass.

I remember Storybook Land but don't remember too much about Virginia City but I think it was out where 29 and West Ox Road meet.