I grabbed a big soda and two hot dogs at Circle K yesterday and was reminiscing about how much time I spent as a teenager and in my early 20’s in places like that. Arcade games, comic books, cheap sodas or beers and hot dogs. The clientele is still pretty much the same; slightly trashy folks coming in to feed whatever oral addiction they have, tired looking clerks. It brought me back, bros.
Spent hours at the Jet Stop as a kid buying football cards and gum so we could get change back in quarters and play 10-Yard Fight all day long.
In HS we had a Stop N Go across the street, and we would meet up before school to play Stargate and Asteroids while we chugged slushies and ate chocolate doughnuts ...................man we had fun.
The Diamond Shamrock on Studewood had these bad boys back when I first got into card collecting. Thought they were the coolest cards I had ever seen.
I remember first going to these places when we would skip school and head across the street with a pocket full of quarters and a $5 bill to spend a few hours. It was always Street Fighter --- Bison until it was boring winning, then Sagat ... and finally would use the gay Indian guy. Later during college and early 20's, I remember going into the corner stores after playing basketball with my friends, or at 2 am after coming back from the casinos or collecting... the group of us playing games for 4-5 hours before falling asleep in the car or maybe a fight in the parking lot. My girlfriend at the time used to come with us... same process over and over again....... wake up at like 2-3 pm. Then would call to be picked up. Would get driven to wherever we wanted to eat..... would then go collect, play basketball maybe or drive to one of the properties and nap or play games or watch a movie and fall asleep...... wake up at like 7-8 PM. Call girlfriend, arrange to go to the casino, some concert, party or maybe the pool late at night. Go eat--- pick her up, do drugs --- then go to the casino or trap house, get wired --- drive around and when bored, go into a Stop n Go or some Korean corner store, play Street Fighter with friends....... get sleepy, drive back to a property with girlfriend and friends. Fall asleep on a mattress on the floor and wake up at 2-3 pm. Lots of hanging out - talking, always had fun though... didn't need a smart phone, just a pager..... and people/strangers were more willing to be friendly, and we had to figure things out ourselves.
Ohh I remember buying or stealing these packs. We would be in there long enough that the employees would just sell us a box for like $10. I still collect these bad boys. I have just about all of them.... just need a few precious gems.
Some of those corner stores, especially the ones we went to in China Town or Denver Harbor....... they were occupied by legit savages. You could illegally gamble, buy any type or drug or weapon you wanted.... and could buy companionship or other services in the back. Whole casino rooms set up and Vietnamese and Mexican girls for not much more than a pocket full or quarters.
Sorry I ruined it- haven't seen that movie in 25 years? Now I will need to rewatch it, I remember liking the cartoon of the show they released and vaguely remember seeing the movie in the theatre a really long time ago.
