I was a Boston cab driver back in the 80s. I remember the combat zone very well. Sleazy as hell. Peep shows, strip bars and hookers. People loved it. After you were done getting drunk, you go around the corner and load up on Chinese food.
I remember coming out of a bar on Stuart Street and as I was walking to my car parked in Park Square, a van with a few men in it pulled up to me and the driver asked me where they could find some hookers. I directed him to the Combat Zone ("second light, take a left") and as a reward he punched me in the face!
As a Chinese American with close ties to Chinatown in Boston, I must say I sort of missed the combat zone back in the 80’s. It has a lot more flavors and diversity back then than now. It looked dangerous but when you’re a local, you know where not to go. So it wasn’t so bad really.
One of my best friends worked at the pink pussycat lounge in the summers from 1978 to 1980.He would make enough money to pay for his whole college education at Worcester Polytech. Then went on to get his masters degree in engineering at MIT.
I remember those days, back in the 80s. A pimp followed me one time after I had way too much to drink. So, I decided to BS him and told him I had all the money in the world to spend. He didn't like the cut of my jib. He actually backed off and told me I had way too much to drink for his comfort. So I asked him if he's sure he didn't want to do business. He replied, "Damn sure! I don't know if you're a cop or a psycho!" Fun times! Too bad Boston has been gentrified.
I know Princess Cheyenne very well. I used to listen to her radio show in the 1980's on WBCN. I was too young for any of the attractions in "The Zone," but remember driving through there with my dad in the 70's.
The Glass Slipper is still open. Ahh, my memories of all manner of lowlife and danger, in the 70's. Loved it. On weekend nights, it was so crowded you sometimes walked in the street.
Great report. I'm a native born Bronx New Yorker living in the S.W region now but? Back in the first half of the 1980's? 80 - 86 i lived in Massachusetts and had been in and through that segment of Boston. Two things here for me . I am going to go back next fall of 2019 and visit first family in Westchester county New York hopefully catch a both Yankees game while in N.Y.C. then run up north to the other city i love and of course that's? Boston. And catch a Red Sox game. Or perhaps better ? A Pats football game. I truly miss those cities great sights and sounds. The rich history , the foods. I have also said ? That in a few more years ? I would love to move back to whichever of the cities would have me back. In close ? And maybe some of the native Bostonians may not like hearing this phrase, but Boston does give a very strong New York city feel to it and ? Many of my friends that do and have lived in both cities also agree with my statement. So for me personally? I could live very happy in both or either city. Grazie for the great post and sharing the perspective on the great history of Boston. Ciao.
@Jay Cee Good morning and sorry for my delayed response. Yes , yes I do remember that... in fact my all time any team retired Pro football player is the O line left guard John Hannah what a great athlete and strong lineman of his era. But i also remember a couple of other things among many. The Larry Bird era along with Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson .... and a lot or ribbing from former co worker's in fun of my being a N.Y. Yankees guy. In close Boston for this old 62 year old guy still lived in my heart as N.Y.C. i hope to live my last few years on earth back and take in many of that beautiful region and rich history of our nation . Take care . Have a great weekend. Ciao
@@legestrom Buongiorno there Nicky... I just read your response this morning. Lol... yeah that could be but lets face it .... and allow me to axe youse this huh ?? Where else in this country do you know or can say has the great sights ,sounds and deep cultures like whats there back east huh. My little sis who's married and what not lives down in Houston and we were talking ... she too has been away a few years from N.Y. but goes with her husband and kid every other year . She says New York will always have a special place in her heart but would never move back to the city do to ? The rediclous high number of extreme liberals running the city into the ground. In close i have heard recently several native New Yorkers or lets just even more ? Are moving up to Boston ... maybe on a good side ? Many there in Boston see closer what N.Y.C. is going through and the people there in Beantown are saying ? That won't happen up here.. any way if i'm fortunate to move back to either Boston or the Bronx ? Im getting myself a nice Italian motorized scooter like a Vespa then eat my way through several great Italian food places , smoke some good cigars drink a little vino and chase some old Italian hot women ... 😆😆 lol. Listen thanks for your response i enjoyed it stay safe and above all , have a great weekend there. Ciao.
@@kevinhudson1217 Good morning Kevin. Interesting view. So you see some similarity between Lowell and the Bronx ? Well i've been through Lowell a couple of times though its been a few decade's? But maybe in a small way the old textile industry buildings perhaps huh? But i have to say Boston for me ? Has that somewhat N.Y.C. feel heck even my late pop use to say that Boston was a lot like New York city. And my late father nkt only was born there but was raised there where as for me in my youth ? I would spend a few summers as a kid in the Bronx. Anyway thanks for your view on the comment i dropped have a great weekend there huh ? Ciao.
Born and raised in Boston I thoroughly enjoyed this and absolutely remember every aspect of the combat zone trying to sneak in and see the movies when I was a kid, This brought sold many good memories back thank you
I remember a hotel there that had a sign out front advertising Hourly rates It is night and day different from just 25 years ago Chinatown will give you a very small taste of what it used to be like (older and worn down)
Omg.. I'm 54 years young.😅 I totally remember that place! My friends and I would all hop on a bus for .10 cents back then from Revere MA. And ride around Boston non stop, never getting off and back to Revere. Was basically a time killer and Awesome times back then. We would save up our money every month and actually get off the Bus and go to the Army/Navy store. We bought so much crap on the cheap, that would actually be illegal now a day! Good times! Great memories!❤
When I was a press agent and, later, as a Herald reporter, the Combat Zone was part of my beat. We used to say that the Zone was the safest place in the city around 2 AM when all the bars and strip clubs closed because every cop in the Hub was there. I remember that one October it rained so hard that Washington Street was down to one coat of phlegm. Anthony Sammarco strikes the right balance between nostalgia and reality. Thanks for bringing me back to the days when sin was fun.
Love and miss the Combat Zone. I started frequenting the Pilgrims as a teenager just a few years before it's torn down piece by piece. Since then (mid 90s going forward), Boston has become the most puritan and pathetically boring city.
You can see Tufts university school of dental medicine in one of the frames in the background. I had to walk through the combat zone to and from the orange line station to get to school for two years until I started clinic and lab work in my third year when my father bought me a car . It was kind of scary to be honest because of the type of people who roamed that area. It is so modern now and I do like walking through same area when I visit my home town .
I am a 60 year old Bostonian. I remember the Combat Zone, visiting the Naked i and playing pinball at the game room as a college student. I went down recently and was amazed at how it has changed. I'd have thought I was in NYC.
I'm also 60 and grew up in the Combat Zone. To have no mention of my father's fruit stand on Hayward Place completely ignores the thriving daytime energy of the neighborhood. House of Hurwitz, the arcade, Nick's Deli, Snyder's Army Navy store....the zone was a lot more than it's nighttime life of porn, peep shows, strippers and prostitutes on LaGrange.....
Thank you, Sir, nice job. I grew up in the 1970s and the whole concept of the Combat Zone, what came before and what came after, has always fascinated me.
Moved to the Boston area from North Carolina in 1970 thru the military (ft. Devens) . Took my first trip into Boston, hit the combat zone, being a shy young man, I decided to check out the ZONE. Went into a club , took a seat at the bar, had an attractive lady sat next to me, I could tell she had the hots for me( humor) she wanted me to buy her a drink , love too, keep in mind this was 1970, tab for two drinks $25.00 , had too go to the restroom, I’ll be right back, sneaked out a side door. The rest is history. Still live in the area.
The theory was that if you created an area downtown to concentrate all of this activity in one place it would keep it out of the respectable neighborhoods nearby. The end began when a football player from Harvard was murdered down there by a pimp, which created a public outcry to clean up the area. Now the Combat Zone has all gone online so there is no need for such a place anymore.
Yes it has changed...in many areas. I used to work with a good buddy of mine who was from from Mattapan, though he called it "Murderpan" back then. I hope the "Murder" part has largely changed now.
I remember coming out of clubs in the early 90’s and there were hookers EVERYWHERE. It is so different now, and it’s weird to even imagine “Ladies of the Night” were all around in places that are now really pretty nice.
Used to walk home from work through the Combat Zone from the business district onto Kenmore Square as a young woman. I guess in the daytime, it didn't seem so bad. I didn't really know much about the place.
I did as well, before I moved there. I would take the bus from Providence to the Greyhound Station (before everything moved to So. Station), and walk over to the Trailways Station where I worked.
Being 51, and having lived here in Boston all my life, the entire city and areas near it are drastically changing(and not for the better!),damn millennials are taking over everything! In Southie(NO NOT THE SOUTH END, TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AREAS) there aren’t nearly as many families living in their on homes, every dang thing is condominiums and overpriced apartments! I bet you can’t find 4-5 people on the same street who actually know each other! Back in the day(80’s-90’s)there were families, not just like 1-2 people per apartment. There was less crime too! Our old house, was torn down and made into condos! 🤬🤬🤬🤯🤯🤯
Oh Yes...Dowwntown Boston had it all. As we got older and a little braver we would go to the zone and hang out outside Jeromes, listen to Dick Doherty and the Majority or Lewis and Clark and the Expedition. Hang out in front of the Novelty bar where the bikers drank. Once they came out and gave us a beer!!!!! Got a little older and could get served at the Carib. Then a couple of dogs (Grilled with toasted rolls all around) on the corner of La Grange street and get hustled for a treat!!!!!!! All the Theatres,the 5/10"s stores and those famous Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins, Santa's village and the huge electric train set=ups, the common on Christmas I could on and on and on......I spent a lot of years there and would do it all over again and not change a thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Boston accent. The 2 O‘clock lounge.Back in high school we used to sneak down there. They didn‘t have sex ed those days in school, so we got it in the Combat Zone.
A good book is Another bullshit night in Suck city by Nick Flynn. You can get a good feel for that area in the 80s. I used to hang a lot in Chinatown in the mid 2000s. The Glass Slipper.
My uncle had a cigarette store there in the 70’s/80’s.. I remember stopping in with him as a kid,, I couldn’t wait to get home to tell my grandmother some lady lifted up her shirt and pulled out a wad of money from her panties!😂😂
our family used to own Crystal shoes back in the combat zone days and my dad had all types of crazy stories of what happened there but i was just a little boy and he took me down to the store a few times
Jack Johnson and Jeromes for the younger crowed. Plus the Hillbilly Ranch for Sailors. King of Pizza for the run always. Army and Navy Stores. Playland for Gays and the Chinese Waldorf (not a Waldorf) but a 24 hr. Joint to get cheap eats where the Chinese ate. Not for Tourists. The Zone was the scene of many famous and not so famous murder cases. It was basically for Suburban and Greater Boston
When I was in high school (1970 - 1974) I would go to King of Pizza every Saturday morning before going over to the garment district to buy fabric at Windmill and the many great fabric stores that were in and near the Combat Zone. It was a haven for those that sewed. I remember DeCarlo fabrics, Windmill, Metro accessories and so many others fabric stores I can envision but can no longer remember the names.
While growing up in the 50s and 60s, I remember going to a restaurant just at the edge of the zone. The place sold the best pastrami sandwich in the state. In fact, I think that was all they sold there. It might have been a Jewish deli. Does anyone remember or recall the name of that place? It was an occasional treat for my mother and me to ride subway from Cambridge and share a sandwich.
That was the Essex Deli. It was one store away on Washington St from the corner of Essex St (next to what is now the Chinatown formally Essex T station). It closed about 1980 if I remember correctly as the area around it got more and more seedy. The mostly Jewish population that frequented it have since moved to the suburbs where other local delis were established. Businessmen and families did not venture to that part of town as much and the business could not survive. As other neighborhoods changed, the same held true for the G & G, Max Andrews and others on Blue Hill Ave as well as the Empire on Washington and E Berkeley St in the South End which was one of the last old-time delicatessens to close by the early 1980s.
When i was fifteen my me and my buddy went there out of curiosity and we wernt there 5 mins before some pervert opened his trench coat and said "you wanna buy my dinkie?" We got out of there so fast and never went back
Does anyone remember how good the Pastrami was at the Essex Delicatessen? I would go shopping with my mother with no argument if we could go there for lunch, Yum.
Oh yes! Had my very first pastrami on an onion roll at the Essex. When you entered, you had to pull a punch ticket from a machine. The counterman would punch a hole in the square corresponding to the price your order cost. Located where Dunkin Donuts is now. My favorite place as a little kid when I went shopping downtown with my parents was the "Prince Spaghetti House" on Avery Street. We always had the same waitress and one time she gave me a "Mickey Mouse" watch for my birthday.
@Jay Cee Damn, me too! I'll be honest...about 90/91...me and my cousin we doing WWF in the in between the middle doors...right before the atrium. Remember, that middle part where you could go to the other side? Well, we were stupid rugged boys...and I accidentally pushed him too far in which he shattered the entire large window frame. We ran like hell to the closet T...and hadn't gone back there since hahaha.
Just like everything else in life, this area wasn't the hyped war zone it's made out to be, born in Boston in 1960 I remember many nights walking the area as a young teen, it was exciting, now it's like there's a curfew, not many people ho out like it was then, don't believe everything you hear or read.
Ahh, the combat zone. Every navy guy who sailed into Boston knew that area. I spent a wonderful shore leave in the late 60s', getting wasted and enjoying the girlie shows.
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Where was the Carnival Lounge located in the Zone ? I'm reading the story of Andy Puopolo's murder, and they started out at the Carnival Lounge before ending up in some alley.
Probably the closest thing still in existence is "The Block" in Baltimore (400 block east Baltimore Street). Pretty seedy yet oddly the police station is half a block away.
That’s crazy. I’m 54, and literally grew up in the zone in the 80’s and 90’s. I dated many combat zone strippers during those years. And my girlfriend today in 2020 was a Baltimore stripper who worked “ The Block” for many years in the 80’s and early 90’s. Small world. My kid’s mother danced at the I, the 66, the Intermission, and the Boston Bunnies. How do ya like them apples?!!!
Being in my 50’s I remember the old ways, I got my fake ID next to the pusycat theater, in a weird hall way in a cardboard box office. Very shady but memorable. Now days men are weak , they would not be able to handle walking into an area like that. There was a certain romance to the big lights and everything else I was happening.
The night of the last episode of cheers the tonight show filmed live at the actual location. I ended up in the combat zone and was in front of the naked I and a limo pulls up and John Ratzenberger gets out goes over to the door, but they were closing and wouldn't let him. He stood there shaking some hands, he was pretty trashed.
Late to this video, but I see no mention that former Cong Barney Frank contributed to the viability of the nascent Combat Zone. Kind of an unintended consequences thing. Boston has a physically tiny city center, with residential areas within walking distance. After the old red light district, Scollay Sq, was demolished in the 1960's, all the institutions of sin dispersed, often to nearby residential neighborhoods, including Franks statehouse district. He supported a move to actually zone a district for these institutions, which served to compress everything into only a few blocks. Even though his name is associated with it, it was a popular move among residents, "cleaning up" the rest of the city. As a suburban kid in highschool, we'd trek down there on weekends during its heyday. You would see pretty much everything there, and more. It took a few trips before we finally developed a plan to keep from being "distracted" and losing our wallets. Sheesh, we must have been easy marks.
Made it to the US in 1986. Things I commit to memory. ... Boston Bunnies were already closing. The Naked Eye provided me with good memories. No so much for the girls on the catwalk , as my eyes rather wandered towards a good looking tall Chanel haircut barmaid brunette with an ivory skin, cigarette at the corner of her mouth, nonchalance attitude. She was sexy and cool. I used to get my dental treatment at Tufts. Outside each student quirk and personalities , the corner of Kneeland and Washington was interesting to see from atop. You could spot the Chinese Seamstress pushing garment on a sweatshop from above. The Chinese bakeries provided with cheap pasty threats. The Vietnamese’s Pho eateries with savory large bowls of soup. And you could choose your hen for slaughter at the Chinese aviary, right at Chinatown. Driving a cab late nights , you could spot pimps just as they were portrayed in movies. I actually hauled one or another on occasion when they were dodging vice cops. Their coded slang was entertainment to my ears. My favorite take out place was the Harrison St Cafe , a Chinese eatery , cafeteria style , where ducks were hanging by the window , the line cooks were breaking stride , the food was hearty, Chinese nationals and nurses were grabbing take out. La Grange Street was Combat Zone’s last holdout. The Glass Slipper was as sleazy as it could be. Nasty indecent proposals were whispered at patrons by the counter. The doorstep had that stench of piss. Non profit row was right by Essex Street , Boston Housing , Jewish Fillantropies all right there. Some good wholesome Jewish gals worked there. Pulling away from the sleaze , they were soft on the eyes. Great memories.
We're not going to talk about the hookers and the overwhelming amount of prositution from the Kombat Zone era ? Alot of men lost their innocence here. 🤣
As a kid, it was certainly a fun place. We would always take guys out for bachelor parties in that place. Over the years it got more sleazy and certainly dangerous. It had to go.
Right front of the Pussycat two cops undercover in vw got and hit me with with a nightstick 14 stiches the next day.The paddy wagon came in on the street right past the Pussycat.The cops finally realized I was a kid (16)and told me walk away.I went up the street of the left Mcdonalds my forehead Was split open about a inch and a half.About 43 years ago.
Drove cabs in Boston, took my dental treatments to Tufts. Caught the wind of the end of Combat Zone, mid 80's onwards. Boston Bunnies, Nake Eye, Glass Slipper. By then all of those plus bookstores and your garden variety Pho eatery. Cooler than the dancers was this tall , brunette pale gal who tended bar at the Naked Eye. She had cropped channel hair, big round green eyes, wore black plants, black chest, and a while cuffed long sleeved dress shirt. Shirt buttoned down. She mated at the bar with a tall dude, pony tail hair, same attire. She had this cigarette out of the corner of her lips. Both tending the bar, smoking, shooting breeze. She was so debonair. The ultimate cool chick. Gosh, it must've been late 80's as far as I can remember. I could care less about the strippers. The Pimps by Harrison and Kneeland Street were unto a world of itself. Chasing away girls that did not worked under them, from their marked blocks. The cheap Chinese bakeries with all kinds of goodies. A steal. Place was sooo cool.
Well, neighborhood may have changed. But still has 1 surviving strip club. Area still full of homeless people because of the shelter, just behind the camera they shot this video. The night clubs are all now on Stuart St, basically next block over. Every Saturday and Sunday at 2am, police close the block from car traffic, because everyone leaves the Clubs.
Darlene Morant I was a child in the 70s and my mom would walk through Chinatown to visit my brother at Tufts Medical Center. He was in the NICU. I remember being 8 and reading some of the headlines outside of the porn shops and “theatres” and feeling grossed out and uncomfortable. I am so glad they cleaned that place up! I don’t miss the combat zone either.
Mentioning the Combat Zone reminds us how badly burned out Boston was in the 2nd half of the 20th Century. This is probably why Boston is so badly overdeveloped with ugly boxy skyscrapers. By the mid-20th century, anyone powerful enough to have prevented overdevelopment had probably already moved away to the outskirts or to neighboring municipalities.
Actually, it was the 1st half of the 20th century that set Boston back. As Boston went through the 1950s, it hadn't had a single new major downtown building constructed since the 1920s. The mainstay manufacturing, garment, shoe and fruit importers as well as the fishing industry were all moving out. Most of the buildings in the city were crumbling 19 century factories and warehouses. This meant that the city's tax base was shrinking. Boston was desperate to attract new businesses and shore-up it's tax base and the only way to do that was to build new and modern office buildings. "Slum clearance" & "Urban Renewal" became the hot topic of the day and then Mayor John B. Hines announced that "The New Boston" was on the horizon. "Scollay Sq. and the West End were the first to go.
Grew up in Boston, the combat zone was a great place to be a young man in the 70's, many fond memories....
I was a Boston cab driver back in the 80s. I remember the combat zone very well.
Sleazy as hell.
Peep shows, strip bars and hookers.
People loved it.
After you were done getting drunk, you go around the corner and load up on Chinese food.
I remember coming out of a bar on Stuart Street and as I was walking to my car parked in Park Square, a van with a few men in it pulled up to me and the driver asked me where they could find some hookers. I directed him to the Combat Zone ("second light, take a left") and as a reward he punched me in the face!
@@edwardmiessner6502 is that a true story? Makes me wonder why people act that way
Sounds like they need to bring this back.
We’re things similar to the movie Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese?
After hours Golden Gate restaurant - food and pitcher of beer at 3 AM
Great place to go after concerts. The Attic, Goodtime Charlie's, Two o'clock lounge and the alleyways, always an adventure.
That area looks like it was so much more fun than it is now.
The combat zone was extremely dangerous at night , very high crime rate. A person had to know how to handle oneself .
It wasn't so dangerous,I went in there a few times. Nothing really to see,and in fact waste of time.
@@D.N..You're okay as long as you mind your business. And did not go down the alley ways.
As a Chinese American with close ties to Chinatown in Boston, I must say I sort of missed the combat zone back in the 80’s. It has a lot more flavors and diversity back then than now. It looked dangerous but when you’re a local, you know where not to go. So it wasn’t so bad really.
One of my best friends worked at the pink pussycat lounge in the summers from 1978 to 1980.He would make enough money to pay for his whole college education at Worcester Polytech. Then went on to get his masters degree in engineering at MIT.
Kevin Barletta, Was he gay?
I remember those days, back in the 80s. A pimp followed me one time after I had way too much to drink. So, I decided to BS him and told him I had all the money in the world to spend. He didn't like the cut of my jib. He actually backed off and told me I had way too much to drink for his comfort. So I asked him if he's sure he didn't want to do business. He replied, "Damn sure! I don't know if you're a cop or a psycho!"
Fun times! Too bad Boston has been gentrified.
I know Princess Cheyenne very well. I used to listen to her radio show in the 1980's on WBCN. I was too young for any of the attractions in "The Zone," but remember driving through there with my dad in the 70's.
I’m in my 60’s I truly miss the zone about a dozen strip joints were down there. You had to watch it but a great place
me too!!!
I was here every night in the late eighties and early nineties. Diiiirrrrttyy. Hahaha. But so much fun.
One of the Boys of Boylston... heh?
😂🤣😂 Yesss!
The Glass Slipper is still open. Ahh, my memories of all manner of lowlife and danger, in the 70's. Loved it. On weekend nights, it was so crowded you sometimes walked in the street.
Great report. I'm a native born Bronx New Yorker living in the S.W region now but? Back in the first half of the 1980's? 80 - 86 i lived in Massachusetts and had been in and through that segment of Boston. Two things here for me . I am going to go back next fall of 2019 and visit first family in Westchester county New York hopefully catch a both Yankees game while in N.Y.C. then run up north to the other city i love and of course that's? Boston. And catch a Red Sox game. Or perhaps better ? A Pats football game. I truly miss those cities great sights and sounds. The rich history , the foods. I have also said ? That in a few more years ? I would love to move back to whichever of the cities would have me back. In close ? And maybe some of the native Bostonians may not like hearing this phrase, but Boston does give a very strong New York city feel to it and ? Many of my friends that do and have lived in both cities also agree with my statement. So for me personally? I could live very happy in both or either city. Grazie for the great post and sharing the perspective on the great history of Boston. Ciao.
Maybe NY gives a strong Boston feel...
I feel like places like Lowell and Lynn have that ny/Bronx feel, especially Lowell. Not so much Boston.
@Jay Cee Good morning and sorry for my delayed response. Yes , yes I do remember that... in fact my all time any team retired Pro football player is the O line left guard John Hannah what a great athlete and strong lineman of his era. But i also remember a couple of other things among many. The Larry Bird era along with Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson .... and a lot or ribbing from former co worker's in fun of my being a N.Y. Yankees guy. In close Boston for this old 62 year old guy still lived in my heart as N.Y.C. i hope to live my last few years on earth back and take in many of that beautiful region and rich history of our nation . Take care . Have a great weekend. Ciao
@@legestrom Buongiorno there Nicky... I just read your response this morning. Lol... yeah that could be but lets face it .... and allow me to axe youse this huh ?? Where else in this country do you know or can say has the great sights ,sounds and deep cultures like whats there back east huh. My little sis who's married and what not lives down in Houston and we were talking ... she too has been away a few years from N.Y. but goes with her husband and kid every other year . She says New York will always have a special place in her heart but would never move back to the city do to ? The rediclous high number of extreme liberals running the city into the ground. In close i have heard recently several native New Yorkers or lets just even more ? Are moving up to Boston ... maybe on a good side ? Many there in Boston see closer what N.Y.C. is going through and the people there in Beantown are saying ? That won't happen up here.. any way if i'm fortunate to move back to either Boston or the Bronx ? Im getting myself a nice Italian motorized scooter like a Vespa then eat my way through several great Italian food places , smoke some good cigars drink a little vino and chase some old Italian hot women ... 😆😆 lol. Listen thanks for your response i enjoyed it stay safe and above all , have a great weekend there. Ciao.
@@kevinhudson1217 Good morning Kevin. Interesting view. So you see some similarity between Lowell and the Bronx ? Well i've been through Lowell a couple of times though its been a few decade's? But maybe in a small way the old textile industry buildings perhaps huh? But i have to say Boston for me ? Has that somewhat N.Y.C. feel heck even my late pop use to say that Boston was a lot like New York city. And my late father nkt only was born there but was raised there where as for me in my youth ? I would spend a few summers as a kid in the Bronx. Anyway thanks for your view on the comment i dropped have a great weekend there huh ? Ciao.
Born and raised in Boston I thoroughly enjoyed this and absolutely remember every aspect of the combat zone trying to sneak in and see the movies when I was a kid, This brought sold many good memories back thank you
I discovered it while I was in school, in the early '80's.
Learned a lot back then.
Remember the Harvard football player that was killed there? Beginning of the end of the CZ.
When was that? I may have moved away by then.
Steven Vohl What did you learn?
That was Andrew Puopolo.He was stabbed to death by pimps in November 1976.
I remember a hotel there that had a sign out front advertising Hourly rates
It is night and day different from just 25 years ago
Chinatown will give you a very small taste of what it used to be like (older and worn down)
A watered down version of combat zone! Combat zone back then was a scary place ! The hookers ,pimps, robbers . You had it alll
Richard kimball Wow so tough of you.
Wish I lived in those times. Boring as hell now lol
halo wars wow that was nice you should be proud
The Glass Slipper
RIP Raven Angela (Fiore) Breau
Does anyone remember the army navy store in the combat zone? It was above a sporting goods store in the 70s.
Yes I do. Bought a few old fur jackets from there when I was in high school 1973.
I think it was called Paul's army and navy store.
@@pauletteanderson4142 Wow paulette, My dad used to work there from 73-77 while at Emerson College, he always had some crazy stories
Yes I do early eighties,fine store with great staff. Fun times and stuff.
Omg.. I'm 54 years young.😅 I totally remember that place! My friends and I would all hop on a bus for .10 cents back then from Revere MA. And ride around Boston non stop, never getting off and back to Revere. Was basically a time killer and Awesome times back then. We would save up our money every month and actually get off the Bus and go to the Army/Navy store. We bought so much crap on the cheap, that would actually be illegal now a day! Good times! Great memories!❤
When I was a press agent and, later, as a Herald reporter, the Combat Zone was part of my beat. We used to say that the Zone was the safest place in the city around 2 AM when all the bars and strip clubs closed because every cop in the Hub was there. I remember that one October it rained so hard that Washington Street was down to one coat of phlegm. Anthony Sammarco strikes the right balance between nostalgia and reality. Thanks for bringing me back to the days when sin was fun.
"I remember that one October it rained so hard that Washington Street was down to one coat of phlegm." I think I just soiled myself.
That wasn’t phlegm Lol
Love and miss the Combat Zone. I started frequenting the Pilgrims as a teenager just a few years before it's torn down piece by piece. Since then (mid 90s going forward), Boston has become the most puritan and pathetically boring city.
Thank you
You can see Tufts university school of dental medicine in one of the frames in the background. I had to walk through the combat zone to and from the orange line station to get to school for two years until I started clinic and lab work in my third year when my father bought me a car . It was kind of scary to be honest because of the type of people who roamed that area. It is so modern now and I do like walking through same area when I visit my home town .
I am a 60 year old Bostonian. I remember the Combat Zone, visiting the Naked i and playing pinball at the game room as a college student. I went down recently and was amazed at how it has changed. I'd have thought I was in NYC.
I'm also 60 and grew up in the Combat Zone. To have no mention of my father's fruit stand on Hayward Place completely ignores the thriving daytime energy of the neighborhood. House of Hurwitz, the arcade, Nick's Deli, Snyder's Army Navy store....the zone was a lot more than it's nighttime life of porn, peep shows, strippers and prostitutes on LaGrange.....
Edward Onessimo ,
@@paulbernier9253 yes?
@@djeddieo Nicely put. I remember, and went to, that arcade as well as House of Hurwitz, good times!
Dear memories of my childhood city
Liberty Book and the Pilgrim Theatre was enough for me.
"High-rise wonderful condominiums!" What a dope this cat is.
Thank you, Sir, nice job. I grew up in the 1970s and the whole concept of the Combat Zone, what came before and what came after, has always fascinated me.
Every city should have a place adults can go to do their thing.
Michael Z Yea the Pussy Cat..!! It’s Just Outside of China Town.. 😁🌷
Find a hotel
NOT!!!!!
My father brought me to the Essex Deli for pastrami sandwich I'm sure and I miss it it is now a Dunkin Donuts.. in the 1960s
Moved to the Boston area from North Carolina in 1970 thru the military (ft. Devens) . Took my first trip into Boston, hit the combat zone, being a shy young man, I decided to check out the ZONE. Went into a club , took a seat at the bar, had an attractive lady sat next to me, I could tell she had the hots for me( humor) she wanted me to buy her a drink , love too, keep in mind this was 1970, tab for two drinks $25.00 , had too go to the restroom, I’ll be right back, sneaked out a side door. The rest is history. Still live in the area.
The theory was that if you created an area downtown to concentrate all of this activity in one place it would keep it out of the respectable neighborhoods nearby. The end began when a football player from Harvard was murdered down there by a pimp, which created a public outcry to clean up the area. Now the Combat Zone has all gone online so there is no need for such a place anymore.
The Naked i was the first strip joint I ever went to. Quite an experience for a country boy.
Yeah, the naked I! I use to go there for a liquid lunch frequently when working on the Lafayette hotel in downtown crossing.
James Robinson , I worked on Temple Place in the 80's and 90's. Just a hop, skip and a jump away. Remember the Liberty book store?
Boston has changed and Washington st downtown and harbor I am from mattapan 🐥🍵💗
Yes it has changed...in many areas. I used to work with a good buddy of mine who was from from Mattapan, though he called it "Murderpan" back then. I hope the "Murder" part has largely changed now.
I grew up in Jamaica Plain. Remember 10 years ago, it still had that nickname.
@@mikes3827 I used to live in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester. They used to call it "Stabbin' Hill".
I'm 73 now I just noticed that I live in Florida now that was great when I was growing up when I lived up there!
Knew it well in the 70’s!
I remember coming out of clubs in the early 90’s and there were hookers EVERYWHERE. It is so different now, and it’s weird to even imagine “Ladies of the Night” were all around in places that are now really pretty nice.
I imagine the internet replaced the street girls.
Used to walk home from work through the Combat Zone from the business district onto Kenmore Square as a young woman. I guess in the daytime, it didn't seem so bad. I didn't really know much about the place.
I did as well, before I moved there. I would take the bus from Providence to the Greyhound Station (before everything moved to So. Station), and walk over to the Trailways Station where I worked.
Loved this, Anthony and your Boston accent. Keep it up and your F B posts.
One of my first Jobs in the combat zone was working security at the Liberty Book II in 98/99
I remember the old Combat Zone and when it became engulfed by Chinatown. Sad to see that it has all gone corporate.
Being 51, and having lived here in Boston all my life, the entire city and areas near it are drastically changing(and not for the better!),damn millennials are taking over everything! In Southie(NO NOT THE SOUTH END, TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AREAS) there aren’t nearly as many families living in their on homes, every dang thing is condominiums and overpriced apartments! I bet you can’t find 4-5 people on the same street who actually know each other! Back in the day(80’s-90’s)there were families, not just like 1-2 people per apartment. There was less crime too! Our old house, was torn down and made into condos! 🤬🤬🤬🤯🤯🤯
I remember the combat zone from 1968-69 I would stand outside looking in.
Born and raised here in Boston
I miss the combat zone
Ahhhh ...I remember one I miss the old zone and at the Glasslipper
I Vividly remember the early to mid 80's going to the combat zone with friends to watch the Kung fu triple features. Great times.
Oh Yes...Dowwntown Boston had it all. As we got older and a little braver we would go to the zone and hang out outside Jeromes, listen to Dick Doherty and the Majority or Lewis and Clark and the Expedition. Hang out in front of the Novelty bar where the bikers drank. Once they came out and gave us a beer!!!!! Got a little older and could get served at the Carib. Then a couple of dogs (Grilled with toasted rolls all around) on the corner of La Grange street and get hustled for a treat!!!!!!! All the Theatres,the 5/10"s stores and those famous Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins, Santa's village and the huge electric train set=ups, the common on Christmas I could on and on and on......I spent a lot of years there and would do it all over again and not change a thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I took Anthony Sammarco class years ago. Cool historian
He spoke during one of my classes at the BAC! A walking history of Boston that man.
Great Boston accent. The 2 O‘clock lounge.Back in high school we used to sneak down there. They didn‘t have sex ed those days in school, so we got it in the Combat Zone.
A good book is Another bullshit night in Suck city by Nick Flynn. You can get a good feel for that area in the 80s. I used to hang a lot in Chinatown in the mid 2000s. The Glass Slipper.
Remember well the Combat Zone and my mother warning me not to go too far down Washington St.......Great changes.
In the 70's I used to use a friend's navy dog tag to get into the caribe - a fine establishment
here in Boston, "liberty" is pronounced "libiddy."
David Maurand Lol yep!!
yup, we suck
A+ Game Gimme Info Play With Your Life
La Grange Street lol you had to be there !
My uncle had a cigarette store there in the 70’s/80’s.. I remember stopping in with him as a kid,, I couldn’t wait to get home to tell my grandmother some lady lifted up her shirt and pulled out a wad of money from her panties!😂😂
From the Combat Zone in Boston,Ma its Perry Saturn and John Kronus The Eliminators!!!!!!!!!!!
I still have a Total Elimination tee.
our family used to own Crystal shoes back in the combat zone days and my dad had all types of crazy stories of what happened there but i was just a little boy and he took me down to the store a few times
I bought my 1st pair of Adidas from there . That was when your store was in the zone but your store moved up across Lafayette Place afterwards.
This guy is Great ❤!!!!
"King of Pizza" rocked. Good days, before gentrification!
Dino's too, both great.
Jack Johnson and Jeromes for the younger crowed. Plus the Hillbilly Ranch for Sailors. King of Pizza for the run always. Army and Navy Stores. Playland for Gays and the Chinese Waldorf (not a Waldorf) but a 24 hr. Joint to get cheap eats where the Chinese ate. Not for Tourists. The Zone was the scene of many famous and not so famous murder cases. It was basically for Suburban and Greater Boston
When I was in high school (1970 - 1974) I would go to King of Pizza every Saturday morning before going over to the garment district to buy fabric at Windmill and the many great fabric stores that were in and near the Combat Zone. It was a haven for those that sewed. I remember DeCarlo fabrics, Windmill, Metro accessories and so many others fabric stores I can envision but
can no longer remember the names.
@@markobrien690 And Boston House Of Pizza.
While growing up in the 50s and 60s, I remember going to a restaurant just at the edge of the zone. The place sold the best pastrami sandwich in the state. In fact, I think that was all they sold there. It might have been a Jewish deli. Does anyone remember or recall the name of that place? It was an occasional treat for my mother and me to ride subway from Cambridge and share a sandwich.
That was the Essex Deli. It was one store away on Washington St from the corner of Essex St (next to what is now the Chinatown formally Essex T station). It closed about 1980 if I remember correctly as the area around it got more and more seedy. The mostly Jewish population that frequented it have since moved to the suburbs where other local delis were established. Businessmen and families did not venture to that part of town as much and the business could not survive. As other neighborhoods changed, the same held true for the G & G, Max Andrews and others on Blue Hill Ave as well as the Empire on Washington and E Berkeley St in the South End which was one of the last old-time delicatessens to close by the early 1980s.
When i was fifteen my me and my buddy went there out of curiosity and we wernt there 5 mins before some pervert opened his trench coat and said "you wanna buy my dinkie?" We got out of there so fast and never went back
@@grammy965 wow
I shined shoes on Washington St in front of Publix Theater. Fifteen cents if I use ABC polish and 20 cents if I use Kiwi shoe polish.
Does anyone remember how good the Pastrami was at the Essex Delicatessen? I would go shopping with my mother with no argument if we could go there for lunch, Yum.
Oh yes! Had my very first pastrami on an onion roll at the Essex. When you entered, you had to pull a punch ticket from a machine. The counterman would punch a hole in the square corresponding to the price your order cost. Located where Dunkin Donuts is now.
My favorite place as a little kid when I went shopping downtown with my parents was the "Prince Spaghetti House" on Avery Street. We always had the same waitress and one time she gave me a "Mickey Mouse" watch for my birthday.
I am looking for old photos from the late 80's to early 90's of Lafayette Mall...I had a store there
@Jay Cee Damn, me too! I'll be honest...about 90/91...me and my cousin we doing WWF in the in between the middle doors...right before the atrium. Remember, that middle part where you could go to the other side? Well, we were stupid rugged boys...and I accidentally pushed him too far in which he shattered the entire large window frame. We ran like hell to the closet T...and hadn't gone back there since hahaha.
Weston Futures. That mall was a flop. The riff raff ruined it.
Just like everything else in life, this area wasn't the hyped war zone it's made out to be, born in Boston in 1960 I remember many nights walking the area as a young teen, it was exciting, now it's like there's a curfew, not many people ho out like it was then, don't believe everything you hear or read.
Maybe one of the most iconic names of all time...
Ahh, the combat zone. Every navy guy who sailed into Boston knew that area. I spent a wonderful shore leave in the late 60s', getting wasted and enjoying the girlie shows.
"Nice and creative Videos，I can see A lot of thought has been put into the content and editing of the video， This is really my favorite channel.:) .🌴🌴🌴excellent 👍👌👍👌👍 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 " Thurman Warren 2021
i miss my city, even the notorious combat zone, memories of misbehaving
Of all the Boston politicians you could have chosen form you picked Ray Flynn.
Where was the Carnival Lounge located in the Zone ? I'm reading the story of Andy Puopolo's murder, and they started out at the Carnival Lounge before ending up in some alley.
Probably the closest thing still in existence is "The Block" in Baltimore (400 block east Baltimore Street). Pretty seedy yet oddly the police station is half a block away.
That’s crazy. I’m 54, and literally grew up in the zone in the 80’s and 90’s. I dated many combat zone strippers during those years. And my girlfriend today in 2020 was a Baltimore stripper who worked “ The Block” for many years in the 80’s and early 90’s. Small world. My kid’s mother danced at the I, the 66, the Intermission, and the Boston Bunnies. How do ya like them apples?!!!
My Father would make me close my 👀's while driving through Washington St 😂
Lol🤭🙈
Being in my 50’s I remember the old ways, I got my fake ID next to the pusycat theater, in a weird hall way in a cardboard box office. Very shady but memorable.
Now days men are weak , they would not be able to handle walking into an area like that.
There was a certain romance to the big lights and everything else I was happening.
ROBIN BENEDICT RIP🌹.
Wow
Me and my crew us 2 be in the zone back in the 80s all different down there now
The night of the last episode of cheers the tonight show filmed live at the actual location. I ended up in the combat zone and was in front of the naked I and a limo pulls up and John Ratzenberger gets out goes over to the door, but they were closing and wouldn't let him. He stood there shaking some hands, he was pretty trashed.
Late to this video, but I see no mention that former Cong Barney Frank contributed to the viability of the nascent Combat Zone. Kind of an unintended consequences thing. Boston has a physically tiny city center, with residential areas within walking distance. After the old red light district, Scollay Sq, was demolished in the 1960's, all the institutions of sin dispersed, often to nearby residential neighborhoods, including Franks statehouse district. He supported a move to actually zone a district for these institutions, which served to compress everything into only a few blocks. Even though his name is associated with it, it was a popular move among residents, "cleaning up" the rest of the city. As a suburban kid in highschool, we'd trek down there on weekends during its heyday. You would see pretty much everything there, and more. It took a few trips before we finally developed a plan to keep from being "distracted" and losing our wallets. Sheesh, we must have been easy marks.
In the 90s where you could get your sword polished for $15 bucks. I love that girl. Smoking hot.
CJ S absolutely degenerate
The first time a woman showed her property as a young boy was in the combat zone. I still love that real estate.
Made it to the US in 1986.
Things I commit to memory. ...
Boston Bunnies were already closing. The Naked Eye provided me with good memories. No so much for the girls on the catwalk , as my eyes rather wandered towards a good looking tall Chanel haircut barmaid brunette with an ivory skin, cigarette at the corner of her mouth, nonchalance attitude. She was sexy and cool.
I used to get my dental treatment at Tufts. Outside each student quirk and personalities , the corner of Kneeland and Washington was interesting to see from atop. You could spot the Chinese Seamstress pushing garment on a sweatshop from above.
The Chinese bakeries provided with cheap pasty threats. The Vietnamese’s Pho eateries with savory large bowls of soup. And you could choose your hen for slaughter at the Chinese aviary, right at Chinatown.
Driving a cab late nights , you could spot pimps just as they were portrayed in movies. I actually hauled one or another on occasion when they were dodging vice cops. Their coded slang was entertainment to my ears.
My favorite take out place was the Harrison St Cafe , a Chinese eatery , cafeteria style , where ducks were hanging by the window , the line cooks were breaking stride , the food was hearty, Chinese nationals and nurses were grabbing take out.
La Grange Street was Combat Zone’s last holdout. The Glass Slipper was as sleazy as it could be. Nasty indecent proposals were whispered at patrons by the counter. The doorstep had that stench of piss.
Non profit row was right by Essex Street , Boston Housing , Jewish Fillantropies all right there. Some good wholesome Jewish gals worked there. Pulling away from the sleaze , they were soft on the eyes.
Great memories.
We're not going to talk about the hookers and the overwhelming amount of prositution from the Kombat Zone era ? Alot of men lost their innocence here. 🤣
As a kid, it was certainly a fun place. We would always take guys out for bachelor parties in that place. Over the years it got more sleazy and certainly dangerous. It had to go.
Right front of the Pussycat two cops undercover in vw got and hit me with with a nightstick 14 stiches the next day.The paddy wagon came in on the street right past the Pussycat.The cops finally realized I was a kid (16)and told me walk away.I went up the street of the left Mcdonalds my forehead
Was split open about a inch and a half.About 43 years ago.
Drove cabs in Boston, took my dental treatments to Tufts. Caught the wind of the end of Combat Zone, mid 80's onwards.
Boston Bunnies, Nake Eye, Glass Slipper. By then all of those plus bookstores and your garden variety Pho eatery.
Cooler than the dancers was this tall , brunette pale gal who tended bar at the Naked Eye.
She had cropped channel hair, big round green eyes, wore black plants, black chest, and a while cuffed long sleeved dress shirt. Shirt buttoned down. She mated at the bar with a tall dude, pony tail hair, same attire.
She had this cigarette out of the corner of her lips. Both tending the bar, smoking, shooting breeze. She was so debonair. The ultimate cool chick. Gosh, it must've been late 80's as far as I can remember.
I could care less about the strippers.
The Pimps by Harrison and Kneeland Street were unto a world of itself. Chasing away girls that did not worked under them, from their marked blocks.
The cheap Chinese bakeries with all kinds of goodies. A steal.
Place was sooo cool.
Dirty Johns Hot Dog Stand. How many mustard and relish
I loved the combat zone. My ship on was on in the Navy was in the ship yards. I loved the Naked-I strip club!!!!
There still 1 surviving strip club in the area.
Seriously?
I got robbed there in the 70’s
Remember the zone if you wanted to live 0n the wild side the combat zone had it all
So..... is the Combat Zone still there or has it disappeared?
It been cleaned up. Gone
Dasilva LaSanta i remember driving by it as a kid in the 70s/80s after going to Suffolk Downs....
The Zone was like the Wild West in the 80's and early 90's A young man than would've gotten adventure and educated.😉
Well, neighborhood may have changed. But still has 1 surviving strip club. Area still full of homeless people because of the shelter, just behind the camera they shot this video. The night clubs are all now on Stuart St, basically next block over. Every Saturday and Sunday at 2am, police close the block from car traffic, because everyone leaves the Clubs.
good video out second hand nation Chao
Maura and Joey say hi!
It was titillating all right.
And it was a cobat zone but we had some fun time's
I don't miss the combat zone I'm so glad they cleaned it up couldn't stand walking through there the creeps. I feel dirty just thinking about it. uggg
Darlene Morant I was a child in the 70s and my mom would walk through Chinatown to visit my brother at Tufts Medical Center. He was in the NICU. I remember being 8 and reading some of the headlines outside of the porn shops and “theatres” and feeling grossed out and uncomfortable. I am so glad they cleaned that place up! I don’t miss the combat zone either.
This guy found the most appropriate music for this video, then used its exact opposite.
I was a ex pimp in the combat zone back in its hay day so I know the area first hand!
Now it's just filled with college students and homeless. Will there be another combat zone somewhere?
Mentioning the Combat Zone reminds us how badly burned out Boston was in the 2nd half of the 20th Century. This is probably why Boston is so badly overdeveloped with ugly boxy skyscrapers. By the mid-20th century, anyone powerful enough to have prevented overdevelopment had probably already moved away to the outskirts or to neighboring municipalities.
Actually, it was the 1st half of the 20th century that set Boston back. As Boston went through the 1950s, it hadn't had a single new major downtown building constructed since the 1920s. The mainstay manufacturing, garment, shoe and fruit importers as well as the fishing industry were all moving out. Most of the buildings in the city were crumbling 19 century factories and warehouses. This meant that the city's tax base was shrinking. Boston was desperate to attract new businesses and shore-up it's tax base and the only way to do that was to build new and modern office buildings. "Slum clearance" & "Urban Renewal" became the hot topic of the day and then Mayor John B. Hines announced that "The New Boston" was on the horizon. "Scollay Sq. and the West End were the first to go.
I wish it was still small town, I'm a teenager in Boston now😕