College Park has Changed!

[Captain Fear Not]

Drove down Route 1 in College Park for the first time in 20+ years. Boy has it changed! Saw the ole Starlight Inn was no longer there.

 

[johnkn]

The Starlight Inn, now that’s a name from the past..





.

 

[spoon059]

Some things never change... half of the college is still under construction, so that's a familiar comfort to fall back upon.

But man has it changed. The M traffic circle at Campus and Regents is gone. Campus drive is destroyed while they build the Purple Line. New buildings EVERYWHERE. Nowhere to park. I don't miss it. Blows my mind how much we are spending on infrastructure when the future is obviously online schools...

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

Starlite Inn…spent numerous evenings there back in the day.

 

[K31]

Then you could go to Tippy's.

 

[rbird7282]

Some things never change... half of the college is still under construction, so that's a familiar comfort to fall back upon.

But man has it changed. The M traffic circle at Campus and Regents is gone. Campus drive is destroyed while they build the Purple Line. New buildings EVERYWHERE. Nowhere to park. I don't miss it. Blows my mind how much we are spending on infrastructure when the future is obviously online schools...

There is almost zero parking on that fvcking campus. My daughter is a Junior there and any sporting event is a freaking nightmare. So many buildings and no way for people to park there, it's insane.

 

[ezracer]

Worked at Litton / Amecom ( defense contractor ) back in the 80's, now long gone. Is the College Park Airport still there? Known to be the place where the first bomb was dropped out of an airplane. Is the 94th Aero Squadron still there?? ( very cool WW I era style restaurant )

 

[Mark75H]

Worked at Litton / Amecom ( defense contractor ) back in the 80's, now long gone. Is the College Park Airport still there? Known to be the place where the first bomb was dropped out of an airplane. Is the 94th Aero Squadron still there?? ( very cool WW I era style restaurant )

They are still there. College Park Airport is the world's oldest continually used air strip. The property was bought by the Wright brothers so they could demonstrate aircraft to the government.

 

[Seagrave1963]

Then you could go to Tippy's.

Best late night meal around. Usually got the sunken burrito. The wife was quite unhappy with me the next day for some reason.

 

[eshoremd]

Miss some Famished Fanny's.

 

[Mark75H]

Wasn't there a Toddle House location somewhere around College Park back then?

 

[brianns]

Worked at Litton / Amecom ( defense contractor ) back in the 80's, now long gone. Is the College Park Airport still there? Known to be the place where the first bomb was dropped out of an airplane. Is the 94th Aero Squadron still there?? ( very cool WW I era style restaurant )

I don't think the 94th Aero Squadron is there anymore(open for business at least). I drove by not too long ago and couldn't see it from the road like you could back in the day.

 

[Checksbob]

I remember snowball fights in front of the 'Vous closing down Route 1, drunken 1am runs for cheap burgers, . . .

The city hit a bleak bottom and has bounced back quite a bit to now just be more city. House prices within walking/cycling distance of Metro are insane. On the upside, the high prices and urbanization have driven out a lot of the people who caused problems.

Worked at Litton / Amecom ( defense contractor ) back in the 80's, now long gone. Is the College Park Airport still there? Known to be the place where the first bomb was dropped out of an airplane. Is the 94th Aero Squadron still there?? ( very cool WW I era style restaurant )

I used to fly my C-140 in from Frederick in 76-77, tie down (no fee), run across the railroad tracks, and walk up the hill to classes. "Want to go up after this?" was a hell of a great way to get dates!!!

94th Aero Squadron closed probably 10-15 years ago and even the building is gone.

The airport still exists, has a little traffic, and probably less than two dozen airplanes. However, somebody I know based there says it's a true burden to (A) be permitted to operate there (extensive background security investigation), (B) have his airplane there and (C) coordination with secret ATC numbers to fly in and out. The airport largely remains because it's symbolic and the MD State helicopters use it as an emergency airport for traffic accidents and such.

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

I remember 800+ students running naked onto Route 1 and blocked traffic. It wasn’t called “streaking” then…it was referred to as “nude running”. Add to that being there several consecutive years of what I called the “Spring Follies” when the road was shutdown for Vietnam War protests. The campus was shutdown…everyone was confined to their dorms with the National Guard not letting anyone in or out or police throwing tear gas around. I got gassed when the wind changed as I was taking photos.

Fun times.

 

[Trigger Time]

As far back as I can remember, it was always a ********.

 

[John from MD]

I remember snowball fights in front of the 'Vous closing down Route 1, drunken 1am runs for cheap burgers, . . .

The city hit a bleak bottom and has bounced back quite a bit to now just be more city. House prices within walking/cycling distance of Metro are insane. On the upside, the high prices and urbanization have driven out a lot of the people who caused problems.

I used to fly my C-140 in from Frederick in 76-77, tie down (no fee), run across the railroad tracks, and walk up the hill to classes. "Want to go up after this?" was a hell of a great way to get dates!!!

94th Aero Squadron closed probably 10-15 years ago and even the building is gone.

The airport still exists, has a little traffic, and probably less than two dozen airplanes. However, somebody I know based there says it's a true burden to (A) be permitted to operate there (extensive background security investigation), (B) have his airplane there and (C) coordination with secret ATC numbers to fly in and out. The airport largely remains because it's symbolic and the MD State helicopters use it as an emergency airport for traffic accidents and such.

College Park airport is the oldest continuously open airport in the US. During the days after 9-11, all civilian air travel was stopped from inside the, at the time, Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). During that period, Dept, of Ag, PG County PD, AA County PD and others continued to operated into College Park to keep that historic designation.

It is sad that you have to go though so much to fly into a place that many pilots used to fly to just to get the endorsement in their log books. While I haven't been there in some years, one requirement for based aircraft was that their propellers had to be secured with a cable lock.

The wife and I donated some artifacts to the the museum ( and to other museums) but I'll be damned if I recall what they were.

 

[Checksbob]

 

[N3uka]

Wasn't there a Toddle House location somewhere around College Park back then?

Toddle House turned into the College Park Diner

College Park Diner | Breakfast, lunch and dinner at all times

Around-the-clock American staples whipped up in straightforward surrounds with counter seating in College Park, MD

www.collegeparkdiner.com

 

[motorcoachdoug]

Starlight Inn now that brings back some memories...

 

[K31]

There is almost zero parking on that fvcking campus. My daughter is a Junior there and any sporting event is a freaking nightmare. So many buildings and no way for people to park there, it's insane.

It will prepare her for the real world in Maryland/DC where they try to restrict parking/roads as a means of forcing you on to unsafe public transportation or telework that you can't take any way because it doesn't serve you, or you need a vehicle anyway for your job/childcare, or your employer or job doesn't allow for telework.