Iconic images of the past

With some hot rod buddies, we visited a museum yesterday in Hillsboro, TX. The owner has a tremendous collection of items from the late 40's, 50's, and early 60's. That's when I grew up...and while I recognized a lot of the stuff from having seen it since I moved to Texas, it wasn't what I grew up with. He had Grapette collections, Big Boy signs, etc.

Now, had he been in Denver, the most iconic things would have been White Spot restaurant signs, Denver Drumstic signs, and something every kid from that era would recognize, one of the electric trains that chugged all around the Denver Drumstick restaurants, high up on the wall, passing through each dining room in turn.

The Denver Drumstick

For someone to evoke your childhood where you grew up, what would be the iconic item?

The '57 Chev Belair that I covet.

Mine would be Gwendolyn, the 1951 International truck I learned to drive at the ripe old age of 9. I was supposed to get Gwendolyn but I never found out what happened to her. but here is a pic, right down to the colour, of her twin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sherloc.../in/set-324696

On the other hand, maybe the 49 Fargo that I drove for a long time from yard to fields would be nice too.
Either would be nice...... *SIGH*

But what I really had in mind was something that was present and well-known by everyone in your area when you were growing up but may not be there any more.

Well, I still have the 1940s Minneapolis "U" model tractor. Been trying to get it running. It was the 'school bus' on very muddy days

Appian Way Pizza Mix! We discovered it at the PX at Fort Belvoir, VA, and I made one every day after school for my brother and me from then on. Moving to Texas cut us off for awhile, but we soon found another source, and the pizza-making continued...

Until 1994, when the last store in Texas stopped carrying it.

But through various means, I've managed to acquire some Appian Way three or four times since then, and our family has had some wonderful times with it. One Christmas, my brother found some on a trip to San Francisco and secretly brought home a case for me... and that same year, I got a friend in Arizona to ship me a case of it for him for Christmas.

Somewhere, there's a photo of my brother and me from behind, both bent over the kitchen counter, sleeves dusty with flour, deep in concentration as we pat out that pizza dough juuuuuust right...

This is such a great idea for a thread, Mike -- thanks!

P.S. -- oh my gosh, look what I just found:

One of my biggest thrills as a child in the 60s was being taken to the Automat for lunch or dinner:
The Automat, an east coast oasis

Meet Me at the Automat
Horn & Hardart gave big city Americans a taste of good fast food in its chrome-and-glass restaurants

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...#ixzz1KWyXnJhG

On YouTube: Just Drop it in the Slot; a Look at the Horn and Hardart Automat and its Legacy