Allright, it may be an eastsider thing, but in a wave of nostalgia I got to thinking about how there are few places to "hang out" anymore. I will say we are starting to see an upswing of cool "chillax" places such as Lazy Daze, Bookmama's and The Sleepy Hollow store that encourage patrons not only to shop, but to hang for a while. It got me thinking about some of the other places I used to frequent when I was a kid like Swan's Record Shop on 10th Street and then when it moved over to Emerson and 10th. The Bosart McDonalds was pretty popular for LF and Scecina kids, and who knows? Maybe it still is, but until you have ever danced on the countertop...you haven't lived. (Please don't ask, I promised my kids I would never post the truth about that story. ha ha )

There was of course Linder's at 21st and Emerson which is now the Grand Central bar and grille. Boy Linder's was great. I remember walking up there with my parents when I was little and then with my boyfriend when I was a teenager. You could buy not only ice cream, but also single "real" bottles of Coke and they had a video game room. There was also Circus Time at 10th and Arlington that was sort of an arcade thing as I recall. Wasn't allowed to hang there too often.

So where were your hangouts?