I'm of the age that can still remember when Downtown Peoria was still the mecca of shopping, entertainment and social life. My first memory was in the backseat of my Dad's car waiting for my Mom. I can't remember why we were waiting. Perhaps she was paying a bill at Cilco or the Water Company. More likely, she was Christmas shopping as I seem to remember it snowing. Dad was getting my goat commenting on all the pretty girls walking past our car that was expertly paralleled parked on one side of Adams Street. I also remember the hit song Downtown playing through the back seat speaker.
"When you're alone and life is making you lonely You can always go - downtown. When you've got worries all the noise and the hurry Seems to help I know downtown.
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares So go downtown Things will be great when you're downtown No finer place for sure downtown Everything's waiting for you.
To a child, these words seemed like they were being sung to me!!! Here I was, parked on the CITY SIDE WALK and it was CHRISTMAS TIME.....lights everywhere. People hustling and bustling. It was cold outside but warm and toasty in the backseat of my Dad's big car. GO DOWNTOWN...Things will be GREAT!!! Lose your troubles and cares!!! Everything is WAITING FOR YOU!!!! DOWNTOWN.
Downtown was where people shopped and did their business in banks and utility companies. Mom took me downtown many times as a boy. I loved the escalators, car parks and tall buildings, or so they seemed to a five year old. The candy counter at Szolds, Peanut Butter Heaven in Bergners and the window displays were always a fun afternoon. One particular afternoon, Mom took all three boys to Szolds and I remember my youngest brother starting a conversation with an old women. She may have been living on the street and getting warm, I can't remember, but I do remember she was very ugly with warts and everything, poor gal. Loren had noticed her and was pulling on her dress while looking up at her face saying, "Does it hurt to be so ugly?", in a concerned tone. The smiling woman, was obviously hard of hearing and just kept saying, " What'd ya say honey?" "What honey?"
Years later, I found myself working part time down town. The first job was at Lowenstein's Furniture which later became Pioneer Furniture. Mom had been working there for a few years and they needed a young guy to help with assorted odd and ends which included, loading furniture into cars, assembling, cleaning and whatever they needed. It was a great job with quite colorful people. This would have been about 1976 and Downtown Peoria was beginning to see its traffic slowly moving north with the addition of the Northwoods Mall and Sheridan Village to mention a few. Consequently, there was a lot of down time. The sales team, including my Mom, spent many hours playing cards which meant after school, and Saturdays, I'd have the run of the 6 or 7 story building. I first heard WWCT, THE ALBUM Station while on the toilet on the 6th floor in between menial jobs to keep me busy. The first two songs that I remember were, Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller and Can't You See by Marshall Tucker Band.
One of my favorite memories of Lowenstein's was the Annual Christmas Party. Back then, you could have Christmas parties AT YOUR PLACE OF WORK!!!! Just like what you see in TV movies of the past. There's something about partying in your place of work that is kind of surreal. Nobody Xeroxed their ass but other fun was had. Mom and another couple coworkers were dressed as elves and the party was held in the basement. After dinner, I set up an amp and small PA and entertained the employees. It was a ball. Everyone gave speeches, passed out gifts, and after a while, one of the younger employees took me to another part of the building and produced a joint. When we got back, everyone was really getting festive and I played my heart out for another hour.
Since pot had entered our lives in High school, it was quite common to try and do everything under the influence of weed. (Although I rarely had enough money to blow on pot)
One particular weekend day, I had a fairly good sized bag of herb with me. After pulling out my trusty pipe, I smoked a healthy bowl and then without much thought, stashed the lid. It was a hot Summer's morning and I was wearing jeans with a button shirt, short sleeves and a pocket. As I walked down Adams Street that sunny morning, my long black hair was blowing in the breeze and I was feeling pretty mellow. About the beginning of the second block on my way to work, I noticed everyone I passed was staring at me!!!! I mean, they were EYEBALLING ME!!!! I'd pass a couple and then turn my head to see if they were still looking. AND THEY WERE GAWKING!!! How weird I thought. Maybe it was my imagination. I passed another older guy and he almost stopped in his tracks. What was going on? I was feeling pretty stoned so maybe I was just paranoid.
I was just about to open the front door into the furniture store when I noticed my reflection in the glass door. My hair was looking good today, I thought. Then it hit me!!!! What the hell was sticking out of MY FRONT POCKET???? It looked Like a bag of dope I said to myself and turned the door handle. WHAT????? A BAG OF DOPE???? How did that get there?? As I said I never had any of my own. OH CRAP!!!
It was then that I realized that I had stuck it into my pocket after smoking earlier and everyone had been noticing this ENORMOUS bag of GANGA sticking proudly out of my front shirt pocket. OH MAN!!!! I ran back to my car to properly stash the evidence and returned to start my day. Just another Tale from THE ORANGE ROOM.
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