Memory Hole

The first 20+ years of my life were spent in West Ashely. My parents lived in a house somewhere way down Hwy. 17 near Melrose when I was born. I have a very few vague memories of that place. We moved to Heathwood, right around the corner from Lenevar Park, when I was about 2.

I have many clearer memories of that house. One of the most fond of which is waking up one Christmas moring - eiher '84 of '85 - and putting together the G.I.Joe headquarters. It's the first big Christmas present I remember getting.

I also remember zooming around the house on a little Power Wheels style motorized three-wheeler. Den, hallway, living room, dining room, kitchen, den, etc. etc. etc. like the Daytona 500, except I was making right hand turns instead of lefts.

Anyway, the point of the this post, and subsequent ones I'll make when I'm feeling nostalgic, is to take a look at all the things that have changed, and any that remain the same since my childhood.

I left the Charleston area in 2004 to take a job as a reporter for a little paper in Fort Mill, just south of Charlotte, and spent the past seven years in York County. I'd notice a lot of changes on the frequent trips we made back to Charleston during that time, but now that I'm back in West Ashley full time I have a chance to observe them in more detail, and Memory Hole will be the spot where I post my thoughts about what I find.

I'm glad the Citadel Mall theater was refurbished a few years ago, especially since it's the only theater left in West Ashley these days. I remember seeing movies at the theater in Ashley Landing Mall, when it was still actually an indoor mall and Brindels was the anchor store. I also saw movies in the South Windemere theater, and had a couple of good friends who worked there through our high school years.

But I think the theater I miss the most is the old Ultravision on Sam Rittenberg. I saw Spaceballs there when I was 9. It quickly became my favorite movie for the next six years, mostly for all of the creative ways it taught me to use curse words at such a young age. Thank you Mel Brooks.

What do you remember from way back when, or even from just the other day? I'd love to hear from you.