Retro Baltimore: 50 things we miss

Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun

Sheilah Kast, 67, WYPR radio host of "On the Record" "I just think it was really important for Baltimore. … It was part of what made Baltimore special, and it's going to turn into something great again, but I don't think it'll be quite the community cohesion that it was."

Leroy B. Merriken / Baltimore Sun

Gil Sandler, 93, Baltimore storyteller and historian "They were efficient and they never let you down — in good weather and in bad — and if you missed one, minutes later there'd be another. During the dating age, you took it downtown to the movies. There was nothing unusual about that. I courted my wife on the No. 25 streetcar."

CHIAKI KAWAJIRI / Baltimore Sun

Kaleb Tshamba, 67, chairman of the Arch Social trustee board "Every black area of the city was a part of the [AFRO American Newspaper's] Clean Up Block. People cleaned up their steps. They put flowers out front. What it did, it made everybody have pride in their community. ... Every block had a cleanup captain. They stopped it. They just started trying to get it back."

CHIAKI KAWAJIRI / BALTIMORE SUN

Brooks Robinson, 79, former Orioles third baseman "The thing I miss most is the guys who passed away who I played with. I've got such fond memories when we played together — Paul Blair, Mark Belanger, Dave McNally, Moe Drabowsky, Curt Motton. They just put a big smile on my face every time."

Baltimore Sun

Mary Pat Clarke, 75, Baltimore City councilwoman "I used to do all our clothes shopping at the Hecht Co. in Northwood and the Sears on North Avenue. I miss them both terribly. I'm just so glad my kids grew up before they shut down."

KENNETH K. LAM / Baltimore Sun

Doreen Bolger, 67, retired director of the Baltimore Museum of Art "Donna's in Charles Village had become my kitchen-away-from home — only a few blocks from my actual home on St. Paul Street — so I was crushed (and hungry) when they closed."

CHILDRESS / Baltimore Sun

Nancy Longo, 53, chef/owner of Pierpoint restaurant "It was a groundbreaker for this city. It was a fine-dining restaurant that did everything. I spent some time in the Chinese kitchen and they had the most exquisite Chinese food. They had everything on the menu, but it wasn't to an extreme … I miss the place. I miss Lenny Kaplan. He ran that place like a maestro."

Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun photo

Laura Lippman, 57, author "It had a second life as Louise's, but — I think — that's gone now, too. I miss the cookies, But what I really miss are the memories. We went there after going to see the dentist, around the corner, and my grandfather doted on the rye bread. I've never found chocolate chip cookies quite like theirs, although the Otterbein brand comes close."

Lloyd Pearson / Baltimore Sun

Kathleen Cusack Lyon, 37, co-owner/operator, Charles and Senator theaters "It was all pink and black and, like, leopard and mirrored. I used to eat there. It was really fun and different and totally, absolutely unique. There's nothing like it now. We're much too sophisticated these days."

Baltimore Sun

Mary Beth Marsden, 55, retired TV and radio broadcaster "What a gem of a place to see a concert. Small, comfortable, accessible — loved it. In 1990, which I guess was about a year before the building burned down, I had front-row tickets for Little Feat. My ears may have never recovered from 'Dixie Chicken.' I saw Crack the Sky there, and my husband remembers seeing Oingo Boingo in the early '80s. Good music venues like Painters Mill seem hard to come by and maybe even harder to sustain."

Baltimore Sun

Frank Remesch, 49, general manager, Royal Farms Arena "Earl was hard, man. I don't think his style of managing would really work with these guys, because he was more of a dictator. You had to understand Earl and his psychological maneuvering of people — he knew how to get the best out of people. He knew when to pat them on the back, and when to kick them in the tail a little bit to motivate them. The passion that Earl brought to the game, you cannot re-create it, you can't fake it."

Baltimore Sun

Barry Levinson, 74, filmmaker "This thing literally looked like it was going to fall down, which was part of the joy. And when you'd make the big turn at the high end, literally you'd look right over the top of a service station below and when you made that turn, you felt like the whole thing was going to shake and you'd fall on top of the gas station below."

JOE GIZA / REUTERS

Jim Palmer, 71, former Orioles pitcher "I got to play in six World Series, and they were all in Memorial Stadium, so that was memorable, but I think it's also because the Colts were such a significant team in the NFL and also what they meant to the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland."

LLOYD PEARSON / Baltimore Sun

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, 73 "I miss Don Schaefer dressing up in a swimsuit. He was always good for unpredictable things to create just interest in Baltimore City. You can't replace that."

1970 UPI Telephoto / Baltimore Sun

Connie Unseld, 68, director and founder of Unseld's School "I enjoyed the Bullets being here in Baltimore. The whole city embraced that team, and there was this camaraderie, loyalty and hometown spirit and enthusiasm. [The Civic Center] was actually small enough that you could hear people, no matter where they sat. It was just exciting to be in that environment."

Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun

Gino Marchetti, 90, NFL Hall-of-Famer, former Baltimore Colts defensive end "I used to go to Velleggia's, down in Little Italy. As a matter of fact, sometimes we'd be coming home from a road trip, and we'd call Velleggia's, and they'd stay open for us guys. We often got there at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning — it didn't make any difference. We'd sit in there and talk about the game."

JED KIRSCHBAUM / Baltimore Sun

Diane Bell-McKoy, 65, president, Associated Black Charities "He walked the walk, and he talked the walk. He was very focused in using his talent and making use of his time in Baltimore. He focused on the value of business and leaving behind a real legacy."

Baltimore Sun

Helena Hicks, 82, civil rights activist "I miss the five-and-dime stores, where you could get simple things that are piled up in other stores, like a bottle of nail polish or nail-polish remover, or any small item like that that would get swallowed up in a big store."

Kaitlin Newman / Baltimore Sun

Jayne E. Miller, 62, WBAL investigative reporter "On a cultural note, I miss The Hippo in Mount Vernon because it represented inclusiveness and acceptance. Plus, it was a great dance club."

Baltimore Sun

John Waters, 70, artist, filmmaker "I miss the Atlantis, the male strip club next to the prison. It was the best place to take out-of-town visitors, both straight and gay."

MONICA LOPOSSAY / BALTIMORE SUN at Atwater's Bakery

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, 80 "I miss Mikulski's Bakery, my grandmother's and uncles' Polish bakery. I remember being there with my grandmother. Not only was it about her great Vienna loaf, peach cakes, jelly pies, and famous paczki — a raisin doughnut — it was about community."

Joshua McKerrow, staff / Capital Gazette

David Cordish, 76, chairman, The Cordish Cos. "The subs for sure. Never had a burger. Dripping with oil and moisture — fresh ingredients. I still dream about them."

COLBY WARE / Baltimore Sun

DJ AngelBaby, declined to give age, 92Q personality "It was, 'Just make sure you're on the 'Dox during the weekends,' and the whole party [was] club music. The last 10 to 20 minutes you heard hip-hop, but other than that, it was all club music, all night."