Nichada Memories
Thani Talk ~September 2014
Tiffany Hebard’s Nichada Memories Tiffany, a fitness and Pilates instructor who is a long-time resident of Nichada Thani, takes you for a stroll down memory lane to revisit Nichada past. My husband and I moved to Nichada with our four children in March 1997; it’s hard to believe that this past March marked our 17th year in this community. So much has changed! What was Nichada like in 1997? Many fewer housing developments and much more green space, much fewer power vehicles and many more bicycles. Villa was about the size of a “mini market” – with the pharmacy attached! And there was no Starbucks— even the building that houses Starbucks (and Clark Hatch) didn’t exist. In those days, most of us got around by bicycles with baby seats on the back. The bicycles gave way to the little scooters, and eventually to the “station wagon or SUV” of scooters: the three-wheeler. Many of the three wheelers had seats on the back, some with seatbelts for the kids! Over the years, those eventually disappeared in favor of our current sea of golf carts. Back in 1997 there was actually a helipad - yes, a helipad - where Veranda is now. The helipad was part of a grass field with some gardens and fishponds behind it. I remember chaperoning an ISB kindergarten field trip and walking thru the fishponds on the way to Villa Market. Of course, because the helipad was more a high school kid-hangout than an actual landing spot for helicopters, we had to watch out for the remnants of cigarettes and beer bottles that the high school kids had left behind! And there was more to do around Nichada in those days. A favorite was to take a trip to the Green Gate Market. There was a gate, located between Vongsdavee and Baan Samarnmit, allowing access to the Thai neighborhood behind Nichada. It was great to have local businesses such as tailors, florists, etc. within walking distance. I remember lots of Nichada teens and pre-teens going to hang out at the local LAN shop. On Wednesday and Sunday afternoons there was a public market, which Nichada residents nicknamed the Green Gate Market, where you could buy everything from fresh cooked corn on the cob to clothing to DVDs. It was so nice to just walk around, browse, shop and eat. It was such a shame when the gate was closed for security reasons. The only “western” restaurants (other than the Nichada Club) were American Diner, - later closed and eventually reopened as New York Diner - located opposite its current location, and Que Pasa, originally located downstairs in the building opposite Pro Club. If you can imagine, Que Pasa at the time could not serve margaritas! In fact, they could serve no alcohol at all due to restrictions from the landlord. When they finally moved to their current location, they started one of our favorite things to show out-of-town guests: margarita delivery! Margaritas (served in plastic BAGS at that time), along with chips and salsa, delivered dangling from the they handlebars of a motorcycle… fantastic! Continued next page
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