Ive been trying to remember how many trips to Columbus we made each year. Mustve been 4 or 5. Leaving Marion for Columbus usually signified an obligatory stop at 2 places. One was Lazarus and the other was White Castle. I was wowed by the vastness of Lazarus, but most everything inside the store seemed boring to me. But...when you bought something, your money was placed in a pneumatic tube and sent off to somewhere. Then, in a couple of minutes, almost like magic, the tube returned with your change and a receipt. Amazing. Those people in Columbus were at the peak of vacuum technology! Then, almost as a reward for positive behavior in Lazarus, it was time for the long-awaited feast at White Castle. I remember the White Castles were 12 cents each. Why stop at eating just a few? There were times when my Dad was along, too, and wed start with an order of 30 WCs. The empty boxes piled up in the car (and the smell lingered for 2-3 days). After all that excitement, I remember looking forward to getting back to Marion. After experiencing those magic tubes in Lazarus, electric buses and a cavalcade of other mysterious things, I was always happy to see the sign for Norton. That meant Id be home pretty soon.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 02:01:12 +0000