THIS IS COPIED FROM A LETTER TO MY FRIENDS I SCRAWLED IN MY NOTEBOOK ON MY 1992 TRIP TO BLOOMINGTON. I WOULD WRITE THE ORIGINAL IN THE NOTEBOOK AND SEND MULTIPLE COPIES. IN 1991,92 and 95 I ARRIVED ON THE SECOND FRIDAY OF NOVEMBER FOR OAKEN BUCKET WEEKEND _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ FRI NOV 13, 1992 8:03pm, Just sat down at nick's. Bought this notebook just to write you guys. There is now an Iu 'everything' store at 514 e.kirkwood (next to 'oxford shop', used to be apts). much too bright in back room of nick's now.... .... Now at "Regulator". Totally torn apart inside. Nothing like 1971. Bar on right along wall gone. horseshoe bar in middle now. steps down to main dance floor still there. No stage. Booths that were all around are gone. Basketball court INSIDE now. Volleyball court out back. 8:55 pm. 33 degrees outside. Breezy... ... ... just went to what used to be Time Out". The place is now so nasty it scared me and i left... ... .... now in what was "the Brigantine" 9:41 pm. Upstairs. Every drink i bought tonight was $1.75- everywhere! In York,Pa "granfalloons", the most expensive Yuppie bar downtown charges $1.15 for the same amount. Brigantine now called "The Trojan Horse".... .... This is my first day here. Ill be here for over one week...... At "the Regulator, now something else, they told me that the Olde Reg used to have an upside down barber chair. If so, I forgot all about that. Enligten me.... .... Note: We are to these students what 1950 students were to us.... ..... Now back at Nick's. In front room. I would have preferred to be halfway back on right side (coming in) but only place available was 3rd booth on left side. People at Trojan Horse bought me beers when I mentioned I wrote for "Frank and Ernest". I met Congressman Paul (Pete) McClusky's son. We were drinking together.... ..... Yes, the booth jukeboxes they put in when we were there are gone now.... .... According to plaque on wall next to me Stan Kenton was here in August 1960... ...... 11:30 pm. I was at Arts and Sciences Alumni Mag Office this afternoon . They want me to do a "Then and now" article, MAYBE theyll print it,maybe not... .... ... Bears Place. For coffee. 80cents plus tax. Just walked by the old Hour House. Which is now "(somebody's ) Place". coffee 90c. Closes friday at TWO pm. Other nights at midnight. Red cup for coffee here now. New Education bldg is open. Super-computerized. 12:07 AM saturday.... ..... "This is a non-smoking booth until 500pm daily .Thank You" (it says that)... ..... Bloomingtons politicians passed a law to ban all smoking in all future structures!! Including all restaurants and bars!!!... What happened to The Reg will make you want to cry. The Virginia Dare framed picture USED to be at the front right booth here at Bear's Place (coming in) Now it's where Im sitting - on the left side 2 booths up. .... Now Saturday 11/14/92. Just walked up 3rd to Rogers + down. The Liquor Store on the corner of 3rd + Lincoln (Strongs in 1960s, some other name in 1991 {Im glad I returned just in time to see it before it closed} is now closed for good. It started snowing in last few minutes {{Hmmm. I should look up this date in the NY Times}} I went down past rogers past the newhuge bloom. hosp. complex + all the new med-related bldgs near it. Sidewak ran out just before tracks at Hillside. Theres a bread outlet there--I got 4 large loaves of fancy bread for $1.00. {{check streets on Yahoo Bloomington maps}} Then i cut down hillside and across rr yards. I should have gone down Grimes a few blocks north. PERHAPS in 1971 it was the way Val & I went with our cameras at edge of yards. Im now at Wee Willies Restaurant on S.Walnut just over rr tracks BEFORE Miller Drive (southgate shp.center is at Miller)) I THINK this was the rest. where we took photos of each other inside in 1971. Maybe. I was told in 1991 it used tobe an A&W. I might walk to Southgate just for heck of it + turn around +check out Grimes. Good coffee here. IU vs OSU in 2 1/2 hours. Good thing I took photos of weird sidewalks of S.Walnut last year. They are now all torn up for replacement-- theyre even tearing back the front yards + putting up retaining walls. Remember how thin those walks were? (par) "Scotties" (was that the name?) Supermarket, now Maces' (314w.4) was selling the best ham for $1.48/lb. I bought 4 lb. so now Im lugging all this food around besides all camera, film, extra batteries, books, maps, newspapers, etc etc. I look like a bag man (par) Today's H-T says Walnut St South now one-way north starting at Dodds st. Thats the area where Scotties Hamburgers used to sell their Big Scot (par) Before I left York I came across a pack of index cards I bought in the 60s + never used. Id forgotten that back then it wasnt 'normal' for them to always be in packs of 100. That pack was 80 and I found another old wrapper for 40 (cellophane!) (par) At 3:15 Saturday I was at our olde Sunday Place- the B.King by Monon Station (now a Chinese Restaurant). Lums is now a rental place. Sat in same place we used to sit - back on Sunday Nights 1968-70. {{Note: I now wonder if it wasnt there until 1969}} Across st. now (diag) is a defunct Doubles Hamburgers place. It was open last year. These B.King burgers still taste char-broiled. The totally abandoned land between B.King +Briscoe is now all fully developed. ((Note: I always wondered why it was such a spooky no-mans-land with the sidewalks, front walks, and front steps but no houses for blocks. An old map I saw in 94 showed that it was going to be the place for the new University School}} The bathroom at b.King was EXACTLY the same as 25 years ago (par) Commons was closed Sat. afternoon!! On ahomegame day! IU cafeteria now all booths. $$th Madrigal this month. Took pix up at the old Monon Station. (par) Bought postcards at Curry's (TIS now) before going to Union. Many new ones this year. MONDAY 11-16-92 12:25pm Ate at Wright this morning for the 1st time since LBJ was president (6/68). Took many notes of place and took pix. More info later. (par) Now at wee Willies again. Took bus to end of line of S.Walnut. Walked up. Jackpot! This IS the place where Val & I took those pix in 1970s (early winter). I had thought we sat by front windows. No, we were on side. The window sills match! (par) Nice bright day today. Weekend dreary. (par) Haven't located Lil Injun Rest. yet (early 70s) but I will. TUESDAY 11-17 8:45 a.m. Now in Union Cafeteria. Don't recall ever being in here before. Its totally new. All high-backed booths. Main study place. Commons not open yet. (not food line, anyway) (par) Now in Mall Cafeteria. Saw J.Foster, head of IU Alumni Assoc. He gave me IU Press Guide, nice thick book. Also saw chief-editor of Alumni Mag. Tomorrow will probably go west to cemetary where we (Val & I) took pix in 1970s. (par) Ill soo walk over to "Is it CHEAP? Not CHEAP enough! Orange Drink!" EISNERS. (par) WED 11-18 9am In Union-Commons. Breakfast. Have to see 3 people today. ... At Hardees (was downtown B.Chef). At shop center (Eastland) Goy Baskin-Robbins cherry jubilee/jamoca. (((Note- thats what i always got in 60s when it was downtown))) At A+W (carousel-1967- at corner of mall)____ ----- _____ more to come 12-16-98 wednesday..... ...