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The Times Square Cafeteria, William Penn Hotel and Washington Avenue -- all located far south of their namesakes, in Miami Beach.
April 1939. "One of Miami's streets showing varied small shops, signs, and tourist bureaus. Miami Beach, Florida." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
I loved seeing the Piggly Wiggly sign; it brought back pleasant memories of younger days. There were a couple in my college town until as recently as 2009, when all their Texas stores closed due to a franchiser bankruptcy.
Despite the funny name, they are also known for being the first self-service grocery store, founded in 1916.
both interior and exterior have that special bright glow in them that I am fond of.
My father's family came to Miami in 1919, my mom's family in 1940. She told me in the summer time you could shoot a cannon down Lincoln Road sidewalk and not hit anybody. Before air conditioning, South Florida was very seasonal. I see they have 30 minute parking even back then. Not many people know but South Miami Beach was at one time a huge avocado grove. The little canal that connects Indian Creek was dug to transport avocados to boats that could not come to shore because of the shallow water. My dad knew people who hunted rabbits on South Beach.
Those 1939 ladies with the dog could easily have been my 1960s mother in those comfy cotton dresses; the only difference would be my mom would be in sandals or flip-flops. Same "pocketbooks" and same tightly curled hair.
My mom, born in the Bronx in 1925, lived in Miami in her late teens and early twenties. This photo is the Miami she remembered when she and my stepdad decided we should move there from Maryland in 1973. Lots of things changed during those 25 years.
[1973 is when my parents decided we should *leave* Miami. - Dave]
1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 sedan.
http://classiccarcatalogue.com/OLDSMOBILE_1939.html
The Canadian-manufactured 1939 Pontiac (Series 25) Chieftain was almost identical
to the low-price field F39 Sixty Olds, except for the grille and some other exterior trim pieces. I sold mine two years ago.
Don't miss that last Greyhound back to Miami.
Below is the same view from June of 2019.
Plus the Blackstone Hotel, sharing the name of Chicago's headquarters of the "smoke-filled room". Pretty much unchanged in appearance, the Miami Blackstone is now apartments.
My favorite, the Havana Tours/Greyhound Bus sign calls up images of a very wet 90-mile trip.
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