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Thursday, March 6, 2014

10 things I miss in Columbia

      Last week I blogged  about missing Roy's Place Two and the great sandwiches they sold.  This got me thinking about the other things I miss in Columbia.  Here is my list of the 10 things I miss in random order:

1) Village Hardware stores in Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake- Sure it is nice to have the large selections at Lowe's and Home Depot but the individual assistance at  the Village Hardware Stores made them like a Mom and Pop store.
2) Mrs. Z's- If you have been a reader of this blog you know of my feelings about Mrs. Z's restaurant that used to exist at the Swansfield Neighborhood Center.  Their daily soups and quiches always made this a homey place for lunch.
3) Produce Galore- Yea I like Trader Joe's ( but I wish they had the 2 Buck wines) but I was sad to see Produce Galore disappear when Trader Joe's came to town.  There was no better place for lunch to go than Produce Galore.
4) The Pub- This was our Cheers pub where everyone knew your name and you would always run into people you knew.
5) Sewell's Orchard-  We still have Larriland but it was nice to drive just up the street on Oakland Mills road for pick your own peaches and strawberries.  Just land in Columbia is just too valuable for a place like this to last very long.
6) Columbia Fair- The end of school meant that it was time for the Columbia Fair and Birthday Celebration. Jim Rouse himself would cut the free cake given out each year. You didn't have to wait for the Howard County Fair for fried dough and french fries.
7) Petting zoo in Symphony Woods- It wasn't the National Zoo or the Baltimore Zoo but it was a nice place to take young children and let them see and pet some animals.  We still have many pictures of our children at this petting zoo.
8) Family Market-Over the years my trips to Long Reach Village Center were fewer and fewer but when the Family Market opened a few years ago I became a weekly visitor. The Village Center has struggled for years and the Safeway leaving and Wegman's opening has really hurt this Center.  The Family Market started out as a great place for ethnic food choices but it went downhill quickly.  The last time I went there many of the shelves were bare.  We have to go along Route 40 for this type of market now.
9) Krispy Kreme Donut Shop- I still remember running near this place and smelling the donuts being made. The sweet smell often made me wish I lived near the place to wake up every morning to the smell.
10) Columbia Visitor's Center- Anyone who moved to Columbia in the early years experienced the movie on the vision for Columbia at the Visitor Center.  Builders had all their brochures and we learned what made Columbia special.

P.S.
From the HoCo Children's Services office:

Children’s Discovery Fair

Saturday, March 29, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Howard County Library System, East Columbia Branch, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045

Stop by for a celebration for young children ages 3-5 years old and their families for free hand-on activities relating to school readiness including interactive games, songs, crafts and stories. The theme for 2014 is Preschool STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Please bring a non-perishable donation for the Howard County Food Bank.

This event is in Celebration of Howard County’s Month of the Young Child and is sponsored by the Howard County Early Childhood Advisory Council and Howard County Library System. For more information, call 410-313-1940 or 410-313-7750 or e-mail children@howardcountymd.gov.


P.S. 1
   Wasn't easier when we didn't have the ability to know beforehand about these asteroid near misses?

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Wow! After living in Columbia from 1973 until 2006, I remember these. However, many had been gone for ten or more years even then. Yep, those were the days.