Ten Places I Remember in Boise

Boise has changed a lot since I went to Boise State (before the turf was blue, and the stadium looked a lot different. Here are some places I remember that are now gone. See if you remember any.

They say life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it seems to go. We are almost halfway through 2017. To me, it feels like we just celebrated Christmas and New Years. Now I see fireworks stands popping up all over the valley. Not sure this "fast forward feeling" I am experiencing bodes well for me. It makes one sense their own mortality.

When I first attended Boise State, the turf was still green. There was only the lower section of bleachers on the Broadway side of the stadium, and the end zones...both wide open. That's certainly changed. So have a lot of other things. Do you remember any of these places?

1 - Koppel's Browzeville: This might have been the original Army-Navy Surplus store in the valley. Located at 30th and Fairview - it was the original "we have almost anything you could ever need" store. The building is still there, but Koppel's is gone.

2 - Manley's: This place had the best comfort food in the valley. It was located on Federal Way. If you wanted pot roast, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and green beans like Grandma or Mom used to make, you went to Manley's.

3- The Bronco Hut: Located on Broadway, this was the college hangout. THE place to go after football or basketball games. Pitchers of beer, pool, and loud music. If walls could talk, you'd hear some crazy stories. The building now houses Noodles and Company.

4- Victor's: This was a real hot spot where you went if you wanted to go "cool" for a night. Most college kids couldn't afford to go there all the time, so it was kind of a big deal if you went once in a while. It was on Capitol, right across from where the new business building at Boise State now stands. Disco baby! Bell bottom pants and big hair...on the guys and girls.

5 - Gino's: Not to be confused with what is NOW Gino's at Ten Mile & McMillan. THIS Gino's was on Emerald in the same plaza as Emerald Lanes. It was pretty upscale at the time, with a live resident house band that played covers of all the popular songs of the time. You didn't wear jeans and a t-shirt to Gino's. You wore Angel Flights and polyester. (what were we thinking?)

6 - Fair-Vue Cinema: This was the largest movie theater in Boise back then. Located at the corner of Maple Grove and Fairview, this was where a lot of people saw first run movies when it was open. It closed in 1994 when United Artists didn't want to be in Boise. The building was demolished and now...you can buy a car there. (By the way...at that point in time...that's about where Boise ended, and you drove through the country to get to Meridian).

7- That OLD bar in the old white house, that was across Broadway from the stadium. Before Chili's and the big glass building, there was an old two story white building, maybe it used to be a house, I can't remember. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the bar, but it was THE closest place to go grab a beer or six, at half-time. Droves of students would flock to the bar, run down the hill (yeah, it was down in a pit), and grab a cold beer. If it was a close game, you'd scramble back to the stadium. If it was a blow out...you stayed. I can't remember the name of that bar...can you?

8 - Brass Lamp Pizza: It was on Vista, right up the hill from Boise State and located where Jumpin' Janet's is now. Great pizza...cold beer...what more did a college kid need? It was one of those quick "hey...let's go grab a pizza and beer" places for dates and hanging out when your studies were done.

9- JB's Big Boy: At the corner of Capitol and Myrtle, it was full of students at night, slammin' coffee to cram for a test, or..on Friday and Saturday...full of students that had spent way too much time at The Bronco Hut, or that old bar I can't remember the name of. Now there's a new hotel sitting there. Times...have changed.

10- The Original Ram Pub: Also located on Broadway, this was another cool place. You ordered a pint of cold beer. You played pinball and pool. You hung out with friends...and...this was so cool....if you ordered a steak...YOU...yes YOU cooked your steak on an open fire grill that was in the center of the room. I guess that way, it was hard to complain about the food, right? Not sure when that got shut down, but eventually, you couldn't cook your own steak any more. The building has since been the site of several places, like Murphy's, The Tilted Kilt, and now the Tap and Cask.

I know there are a lot of other places that USED to be here. Feel free to add your own!