the Olive Street neighborhood

An Olive Street recollection.

My Olive Street apartment in Claremont from 1975 to 1977 was in a convenient location. The main north-south thoroughfare, Indian Hill Boulevard, was just a block over. Olive Street ended at Arrow Highway, and we were just a house or two up from there. On the other side of Arrow Highway was a strip shopping mall that contained useful establishments from a practical, everyday perspective.

There was an old Safeway store that was not fancy, but had what we needed. There was a desk where you got your check approved before checking out. Sometimes we preferred a newer, nicer, store and so would drive to Ralph’s, Alpha Beta, or Lucky. But Safeway was always there for ease and simplicity.

Then there was a laundromat. It was very nice not having to go too far to do our laundry.

The strip mall also had a newsstand. The books were not a big deal as I worked in a bookstore, but I enjoyed flipping through the Village Voice and New York Review of Books.

Finally, there was a TG&Y variety store (remember those?). We didn’t shop there much, but sometimes we would try to change our bills for quarters there so we could do laundry.

Our Olive Street apartment. Convenient and appreciated.