Skip to main content

You Can’t Go Home Again


 

Thank you for your responses to yesterday’s post. It was the kind of conversation that makes writing a community blog worthwhile. So far I haven’t been trolled. I think that’s largely because those folks stopped reading my blog a long time ago and for that I am grateful.

*****

I posted this photo on the Howard County Eats FB page yesterday hoping to stump folks. I did not. Not one bit. My question: Just for fun: who knows what this is and do you know if it’s still there?


I’m rather proud of this artsy view. 


Well, if their responses are any indication, you recognize it, too. It’s the fireplace feature at the old Pizza Hut on Route 108. This particular location is now Pupatella and I’ve learned that they didn’t keep it as a part of their decor. 

That’s fine. Going into Pupatella expecting it to be a nostalgic recreation of the Pizza Hut era of your youth would be both unfair and ultimately disappointing. It doesn’t claim to be that.

Now, about Toys (backwards)R Us. They may be trying to lure you to their seasonal pop-up locations with just that kind of nostalgic hook. There’s one at The Mall in Columbia. It’s been covered by the local Patch outlet and hyped by local realtor Joe Phillips with so much enthusiasm I thought at first that he worked for the company. 

Big News at The Mall in Columbia – Toys “R” Us is Back! 

If you grew up in Maryland, chances are you have some amazing memories from The Mall in Columbia — a place that’s been at the heart of family shopping trips, weekend hangouts, and holiday traditions for decades. And now, one of the most iconic names in childhood fun is making a comeback: Toys “R” Us! 

That’s right — the legendary toy store that fueled countless birthday wishes and Saturday morning adventures is returning to The Mall in Columbia. Located on the lower level near Macy’s, this new Toys “R” Us location promises to bring back the magic with a modern twist.

It’s possible he had access to a great press release or works closely with ChatGPT.

Hats off to the local who jumped in with this very Columbia answer.

Thanks Joe. Hate to be that guy, but the toy store in Columbia Mall was called Potomac Toys. We never had a Toys R Us in the mall.

Can’t you easily imagine that comment being spoken by the Eeyore of animated Disney films? Or is it just me?

Anyway…not Howard County but there’s a guy in YouTube who has reviewed another of the new TRU incarnations and he is not impressed.

New TRU is Bad! Let it Die! Joe Go Toy Reviews, YouTube

I haven’t been to the Columbia one so his take may not be one hundred percent accurate for all the stores they’ve opened. Fill me in if you have already visited. 

If someone wants to lure me back to a toy store with a full blown nostalgia campaign I want it to be Mumbles & Squeaks.

*****

One more thing about yesterday: the best part was learning things from readers that I had not known. In particular, that Manor Lane used to go from Route 40 to 108 and was closed at the request of the Caroll family (Doughoregan Manor) in the 1980’s. A public road. Hmm. 

If anyone used to drive that way to get home I imagine they really did feel like you can’t go home again. Yikes. 


Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more