I was watching the Hudson’s Thanksgiving Day Parade today. (Well, it’s not REALLY “Hudson’s” parade anymore, but I’ll never think of it any differently….). While watching I was suddenly overwhelmed with memories. I grew up in a Detroit suburb, and Hudson’s was THE store.
It was a special occasion when Mom would dress up in her best sixties suit and gloves (I don’t ever remember her wearing a hat, though….) and we would make the long drive in the Nash Rambler down Woodward Avenue to spend the day “Downtown.” The old Hudson’s store was at the heart of the retail district in Detroit, and though I can’t tell you the exact number of floors, I know that Santa took up residence on the 12th floor in Toyland, after arriving at the front steps of the store on Thanksgiving Day.
I was just entering my teen years when pantyhose were introduced, and I bought my first pair at Hudson’s. I remember sauntering up the almost hidden stairs which led to the “3rd and a half” floor: one really had to be a “regular” to know where to find it!
I still blush when I remember the “foundations” department, where women went into curtained fitting rooms where they were measured by white-coated attendants for the perfect fit.
Special deals could be found in the basement: closeout and “value priced” items, but it had a separate entrance so that the “riff-raff” wouldn’t have to mix with the gentry.
And then….there was lunch-at Sanders! A Detroit institution for 130 years, Sanders was famous for their old-fashioned lunch counter. It is where I learned to love grilled cheese sandwiches, and the to-die-for hot fudge sauce. They closed their last store about 10 years ago.
So when the parade-the 80th annual Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade (some sources would say the 82nd) -aired this morning, I was transported home to the living room on Ardmore Park, sitting cross-legged on the floor in my pajamas eating cereal while watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning. Waiting, for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive with the mashed turnips for dinner (ick)…..waiting for the candied crabapples and pears that would be part of the feast (yum!)….waiting…..for SANTA!
I love a parade…!
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