Dreams of days gone by …

Over the past few days, local media outlets tried to make a big deal out of some folks sticking shovels in the ground where Charlotte’s Eastland Mall used to be.

The occasion was marking the ‘revitalization’ of the ratty, weed-choked vacant lot that used to be one of the coolest malls in the country.

Those of us who remembered Eastland in its heyday could only shake our heads as this fair city once again shrugged off history, typically led by folks who can’t even remember it, much less work to preserve it.

The glittering shopping and socializing Mecca that was Eastland included an awesome skating rink in the middle of it, surrounded by food courts where people could edge up to the overlook and watch assorted Southerners make fools of themselves on ice skates.

But neighborhood crime and poor urban planning led to the downfall of Eastland’s excitement barely 20 years after its gala opening in 1975.

So another grand idea went from promise to pity in a growing Southern metropolis that prides itself in a sort-of tradition that it can’t seem to shape just yet, probably because so many seem to want to obliterate as much of its past as they can.

It’s a shame, particularly for those of us who have so many fond memories of places now gone, some of them simple, others a little more significant.

Those Eastland shovels got me to thinking about what seemed to be happier times around these parts.

You know, like when you could go to the Manor Theater to see the latest ‘art film’ and enjoy the best movie theater popcorn anywhere.

Or if you’d been doing a little late-night carousing, you could swing by the Athens Restaurant for the best Greek salad on the planet at pretty much anytime, day or night.

The Athens was one of many fun local establishments to crumble under the developers’ wrecking ball, the most recent being Zack’s on South Boulevard, now gone after more than 40 years of serving an adoring public some of the best burgers around.

Yes, it was Covid as much as anything else that killed George Demopoulous’s wonderful place, but that didn’t make it any less painful.

At least our leadership has had the good sense to preserve and protect what is now called Bojangles Arena, once one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels with its giant free-span dome.

But there wasn’t much anyone could do, sadly, to save, say, Howard Johnson’s, which is a shame in its own right. No more late-night clam strips or some of the best hot apple pie ever conceived.

Many were the times you could cruise by one of the HoJos hereabouts and see a police blue-and-white In the parking lot taking that much-deserved coffee break and, of course, sampling the inimitable fare.

I honestly feel sorry for today’s youth that won’t be able to enjoy some of what we did back in the day as they cruise down Brookshire Boulevard (not having a clue it was named after dynamic former Charlotte Mayor Stan Brookshire) looking for a good place to eat or play.

Still, they’ve at least got, you know, the Dairy Queen on Wilkinson that has yet to fall prey to the ‘hammers of progress’.

And mainstays like the Bar-B-Q King, Open Kitchen and South 21 are still hanging on, thank goodness, if you’re looking for some of the best local flavor available.

Enjoy what you can while you can, my friends.

Here today and gone tomorrow seems to be more and more the mantra of the Smart Phone Age, and that’s too bad.

Wake up, y’all, before it’s too late.