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What was Mountain View like in the old days?

The concession stand at McElvey Park was run forever by an old guy named Levy, who loved baseball. We used to have regular apricot fights in the orchards that are now Cuesta Park. When you sat at the El Monte and El Camino stoplight a band that later turned out to be Santana could be heard practicing in Malachi's basement while you waited for the light to turn green.

Pete Kramer

Cuesta Park

When I got here in '86 the Shoreline Amphitheatre had just recently been converted from the dump and methane fires were breaking out when the garbage caught fire. There was a movie theater on Castro, but it only seemed to show Chinese or Mexican films and nobody went there. It's amazing how many good bookstores we had back then — all of them with much bigger and more fascinating selections than one sees now.

Bernie Brightman

North Whisman

I will never forget how nice they would fix up Mayfield Mall for Christmas. And all the great air shows at Moffett and yes when the Blue Angels came to town one place they would hang out was St. James Infirmary.

Liz

Old Mountain View

In the '60s on the corner of Middlefield Road and Moffett Boulevard were hundreds of cows. Central Expressway was two lanes, a dirt road with no lights. JC Penney's was on Castro Street. You could hear the Saint Joseph bell ring every day at 12 noon."

Val

Old Mountain View

Downtown Mountain View was a ghost town on weekends. My friends and I would literally rollerskate down the middle of Castro Street on Saturdays with no problem.

Mele

another community

Mountain View in the '60s to '70s was the best The MVHS Eagles ruled. Linda's on El Camino was the place to go for lunch. Gas was cheap, crime was low and we had a blast growing up there.

Stan R.

Old Mountain View

When the Grateful Dead came to play Shoreline the deadheads would always take over the parking lot.

Reminiscer

another community

At the corner of Castro and El Camino where Washington Mutual is located, Mancini Motor (a Chrysler Dealer) had a world globe on a top of a round column. That column with globe came from Treasure Island World Fair in the 1930s.

Kent

Morgan Hill

I also remember P-3s flying over my house hourly from Moffett Field and the Blue Angels Air Show annually with fireworks on July 4th.

neighbor

Blossom Valley

Posted by Garrett, a resident of another community, on May 11, 2008 at 5:25 pm

I grew up in Mtn View in the 70's, i remember El Camino was 4 lanes, Castro St without all the places to eat, but had a nice movie theater. Lindas, Dairy Queen, A & W and even Arbys which stood on California next to Safeway. Menu Tree was the greatest place to eat and so was Andys on Castro City, Mayfield Mall had the biggest Woolworths, 3 story Penney's and Cost Plus was at the bottom level, Kelly's Pub was on the northside of the mall. There was a school at Calif and Ortega (Klein School) and Holy Cross at Miramonte, just got pulled down. There waa 2 drive in's the Monta Vista and the Moffett . Food Fair was on Bonita, Luckys was on Castro Street, i remember a Holiday Inn on El Camino along with some other small motels, Kens was a night time fave for lots of people. Fruit stands here and there A Bowling alley with a winery behind it, Matts Place, Mtn View Ford, Pearson Buick (i think that was the name) and A Chevy dealer at El Camino and Showers it was in Los Altos, when the 6 lane section of shoreline was new, Ferry Morse and Pacific Press were here. The Greyhound station was downtown.