[PRCo] Isaly's -- Then & Now

[Herb Brannon]

When I was growing up a big treat was to go to the Isaly's store near our
house. One of my many favorites from them was a vanilla milkshake. They
knew how to make them. One "perk" of going to get one at Isaly's was that
all of the milkshake would never fit into the paper "take-out" cup. It was
always the policy at our neighborhood Isaly's that the clerk would pour the
excess into a glass and tell me to finish it off. A real treat back then.

I now work for Allegheny County on Perrysville Avenue. For lunch, last
Tuesday, I decided to go to the Isaly's on Perry Highway near Center Avenue
in West View. It was close, I could get the chip-chop sandwich and a
vanilla milkshake to go and still have time to finish it back at the
workplace. So I ordered and they began frying the chip-chop and the
milkshake machine sprang to life making that familiar high pitched buzzing
sound. I was looking at the scores of photographs on the wall of this
Isaly's of old West View Park, the PRCo streetcars and other things when
the lady at the counter called me over. She said, "Here drink this up, it
all won't fit into the take out cup".  It was deja vu, all over again.

This Isaly's is very much worth going to. Still the same outside storefront
and still the same counter with round stools and the same booths on the
opposite side of the store. Same food cases with Isaly's meat and cheese
products and really great photos on the walls. Well worth going to West
View to see and enjoy.

Also, much to my surprise, is much of the original PRCo/PATransit Route
10-West View trolley tracks are still hanging around. The place where the
cars left Perrysville Avenue, past Bascombe Street, is still there with the
rails embedded in cobblestone. Much of the north end of that section of
private-right-of-way for the 10 and 11 was taken with the construction of
the Parkway North, aka I-279. Then, just past Ross Bus Garage the
side-of-the-road tracks can be seen gleaming in the sun just even with the
grass growing around them. This goes on all the way to Center Avenue. I
have yet to drive down Center Avenue to see what still remains.

Like I said, it's worth the trip to see the right-of-way and visit Isaly's.

-- 
*Herb Brannon*

*In Pittsburgh...........A City and *


*..........................A State Of Mind*

*Let's Go Bucs*

*Let's Go Steelers*



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