Go ahead Blackie. Please start. I'm fuzzy on the term. I do remember once driving down Geary Blvd and suggesting Pat O'Shea's and my companion said "You want to go to a fern bar ?" Otherwise I'm clueless. So clue us in.
Ted's was on the Miracle Mile. I think a custom motorcycle shop is there now. Not far from United Market, toward San Rafael. Great grilled hot dogs, but not much business, even then.
...Meadowsweet Rich, We'd love to see pics of all you talk about even Marin Joe's before the fence. I assume everyone has seen the beginning of the Humprey Bogart movie Dark Passage where they drive by there, but that was before anything was there and it's so quick it leaves you longing for another 10 seconds !
The Circle Drive In was in Corte Madera where Bianco Cadillac was built, it was an abandoned building when we were kids (late 50's/early 60's) it was a big round building that used to sit right next to 101 before the fence went up, just south of it, towards Marin Joe's was a small gas station. Over the hill south of Joe's on the frontage road was a quonset hut that housed Spengers Fish Market, up the hill behind that was Meadowsweet Poultry Farm, a big chicken ranch that was burned by the fire dept. in the early 60's for a drill, Madera Valley apartments now occupy the farm & Spengers site.
Foster's Freeze! The building is still there right where 4th goes into the Miracle Mile leaving San Rafael proper. It's a green and white building that is now a doggie day care set-up but look closely..the original stools and tables and still attached to the outside front of the small building - I remember sitting there sipping on my Foster's Freeze in the summertime. To the right is Salsa Trading Company which used to be Lady Baltimore - the BEST bakery and the best Fruit Basket, Beehive and chocolate cakes in the world! I loved that place!
Further down, yes, I remember The Gold Nugget so well. Ate lunch there with my mom and her friends all the time. Then it changed so many times after being closed - it was the Dipsea for awhile, then some BBQ place that only lasted a short while and now...get this....it's going to be turned into something called "Cafe Gratitude" - vegan and raw food!!! Just what we need....what about turning it back to what made it famous? A really good family burger place! The funny thing now is that the Dipsea and BBQ banners came down and the old Gold Nugget sign is still there! I have to get a picture of that soon.
Great drive ins: Zip's (San Anselmo at SFD & San Rafael on 2nd St...later to become King Something or other) Jeep's San Anselmo (The Jeeps Special, Mr & Mrs Dillon) M & G, Fairfax Ted's Miricle Mile King Cotton, San Rafael (many fights between the locals & Hamilton Base flyboys) The Gold Nugget, Miricle Mile, drive in originaly, later a great coffee shop A & W San Rafael 2nd st. Eat & Run, Kentfield (later to become King Something or other) Foster's Freeze, end of the Miricle Mile (or start?)
