I believe it’s only been a couple of years since Arlington finally allowed package liquor stores. By my calculations, it was the largest city in the country with such strict liquor restrictions. But I haven’t been back to Arlington since 2004, not even to show the kids where I used to live. (While I make it back to the area 2 or 3 times a year, my parents moved elsewhere in the county about 14 years ago.)
Wow! That’s ironic, at the time it seemed that there wasn’t much “there” there, beyond its shopping malls. Arlington had a couple of good record stores, and one could always go to a movie (Rocky Horror or otherwise). Maybe I just didn’t look hard enough closer to home, but the older I got, the more often I’d just drive to Dallas or Fort Worth to have fun.
Six Flags Mall is where I saw the pregnant woman ordering a beer. The Parks (whatever it’s called now) opened right before I got out of high school, while Forum 303 was already in its decline. Not a mall, but Hypermart USA opened close to our home right before I left for college; another one had already opened in Garland (and I am certain it was the inspiration for Mega-Lo-Mart on King of the Hill).
