Memories of El Monte
By Richard Cortez
Pate’s Tapes
For the younger generation there was a time before digital music and Mp3 players. We had 45 and LP records and we would play them on the biggest stereos we could buy that would have 10 inch speakers made out of real wood. We did not have Dj’s but our uncle would play the records at our family parties as loud as his stereo would go. Every little town would have a record shop and El Monte had the best one I felt. It was Pate’s Tapes and Records at 10905 Garvey Avenue. The building is still there but, now it is a market. It was opened around 1960’s and had all kinds of music from classical to rock and roll. They sold eight track tapes and 45 records. I bought my first 45 record there; it was called “Buick 59” recorded by Vernon Green & the Medallions. There was a time in 1973 that all my friends would buy their records from Pate’s until Zody’s opened in El Monte. There you could buy an LP record for less than two bucks what a deal since my allowance was only two bucks a week. Pate’s lasted until the giant record stores began opening up like “Tower Records” then “Music Plus” which offered not just a few records but hundreds of records. I miss Pate she was an amazing teacher that taught me all about music.
Big D Enter-Out Burgers
Big D as we would all call it was located at 11629 Valley Blvd. across from McDonald’s. It was first opened in the late 1960’s. Some people would say that it opened after In-Out Burgers opened in El Monte and was the second hamburger stand to have speakers for the drive thru. In 1973 my friends and I would walk after school and get burgers and fries plus chocolate malts that were out of this world. Big D got so busy that the owners found a bigger and better location down the street at the corner of Valley and Durfee were not only was the stand bigger but, so was the menu it now included pastrami’s and Mexican food. The burger stand on valley was taken over by “Art’s” and is just as good.
U-Drive Go Karts
U-Drive was located right next to Big-D at 11645 Valley Blvd. You could ride the go- karts for an hour for five dollars and with your friends have a blast. Sometimes we would get out of hand and get yelled at for driving crazy trying to crash into our friends karts. And when we got tired of riding the karts we would go to the big slide and ride it the rest of the day. Funny thing is we would have so much fun for the day and not use drugs or drink. The picture was taken from my high school annual. That is my friend Kim in the picture with two guys that worked their.
i remember those days at the track every saturday night..
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the giant slide at the go kart location !
ReplyDeleteGreat memories
ReplyDeleteAs a little boy my father would take my brothers and I to the go-carts. First it was McDonalds after we would cross the street and go carting, it was awesome!! Not enough businesses like that in El Monte anymore, sad.
ReplyDeleteI remeber The Pate's Record store. They moved to the location you showed from another Garvey location, across from Merlow's Liquor. Mr. Pate had a stroke and was never in good health, so his wife ran the store until its end.
ReplyDeleteBob Melton
Ty for This information on "Pate's Bob...
DeleteI remember Pate's record store but I thought it was on Valley. I remember seeing Mr. Pate when it first opened. Then I didn't see him for awhile. The next time I saw him he was in a wheelchair. There was another young guy who worked there...I think his name might've been John. So many years ago.
DeleteI lived in El Monte from 1947 til 1956 and still visited family in all the years that followed. Just thought I'd mention that Big D Enter Out Burgers building was built about 1955 as we all used to go there to eat...and their pastrami was the best! At that point in time, I think it was just named Enter/Out but everyone called it In and Out...in fact, I think it was originally named In and Out but the In and Out chain was just beginning and there was a problem...so the name of the EM place was changed to Enter/Out. Does anyone know the whole story?
ReplyDeleteI remember going there for burgers while on dates in the very early 1960's. We called it the In N Out.
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DeleteIn 1963, it was still In-n-Out. I have been trying to find out when it changed to Big D?
Deleteactually it was called EZ-Take- Out then Big D and now its Art's still in the same place.
DeleteI loved the giant slide.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad worked at Pate's and that is where my Mom met him!! when we moved to West Covina.. Mr. Dills, owner of Big D was our nieghbor! Lots of memories!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Rosie!
DeletePate's was the greatest I loved pouring over their large selection of 45;s in bins at about the waist level.bought "Help Youself" by the Standells there...this would be the mid 60s.
ReplyDeleteWe had moved to a newly constructed housing tract nearby in 1954. Many times a bunch of us neighborhood kids went there. There was a main gate but no one ever stopped us from going in. Then later, in 70s and 80s many of the residents in the tract developed cancer. One 11 y/o girl got leukemia in 1959. People have since wondered if that old Nike Base might've contained/emmited cancer causing chemicals.
ReplyDeleteSadly Big D's burgers on the corner of Valley Blvd. and Durfee Ave. was knocked down this morning, 5/15/18 It was our after school hangout when we'd get out of class at Mt. View high school.. It's tough to see things change. Especially when things like strip malls or single businesses that do bad go up in its place. "Big D's" brings back a lot of good memories of food and friends.. Some moved away, others passed away and today Big D's has passed away too.
ReplyDeleteLived in El Monte from 1947 (when I was born) 'til '66 (when I got married). Graduated from EMHS in '65. I can't go back. I KNOW it's nothing like it was. Plus, it's now just a suburb of the Los Angles mess.
ReplyDeleteMe too
DeleteI rememember all these places and went to them all a lot. Bought my 45s and 8 track tapes there at pates and would go to the go carts and slide . As far as the in n out goes that was what everyone i knew called it and some thought it was an in n out , their dbl dbl cheese burgers , great, El Monte had a lot of great places like the the pit on Garvey and many other places down in history .
ReplyDeleteFunny I should stumble upon this. Just yesterday I was thinking about buying a Dan Fogelberg album I own from a record store in El Monte. I couldn't remember the name of the place since I had only been there once or twice but when I saw the picture of Pate's I knew that was the place.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Pate's in the early 70's selling records and installing and repairing 8-Track tape decks. Pat Pate was a wonderful lady. I enjoyed working at Pate's and even met my future wife there (she was another employee)
ReplyDeleteI didn't take home much money because I spent a lot of it buying records from their massive oldies collection.
I have worked many jobs over the years including working on the original Jurassic Park movies but I will always cherish my memories of working at Pate's with great fondness.
Hey does anyone remember a giant slide in the 1970’s across from the go carts and enter out bugers east side of the mc Donald’s in El Monte on Valley near the 10 freeway over pass?
ReplyDeleteBig D Enter- Out Burgers opened after the original In-N-Out on Francisquito in Baldwin Park, but before there was an In-N-Out in EL Monte. It was also open before the Mc Donalds was opened across the street form “Enter-Out. The burgers were very similar to the In-N-Out burgers - In the 60’s it was a huge hang out for a lot of high school kids & many of them called it, In-N-Out - My older sisters went there a lot & I got to tag along sometimes. Oh The Memories!!!
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