larry@uunet.uu.net (Larry Lippman) (04/02/91)
In article <telecom11.256.5@eecs.nwu.edu> john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > There is a diner in Los Angeles (the name escapes me) that has a phone > at every table. They are "genuine Bell" phones and each is connected > to CO dial tone. These are, in effect, Charge-a-Calls. You can place > 800, 10XXX, 950, 0+ (goes AT&T), but not local calls (except as 0+). > A group of us had dinner there a number of months ago and it was great > entertainment playing with the phone while waiting for our meals to > arrive! I don't know if they are still in business, but during the 1970's in Hartford, CT there was a tavern called "The Dialtone Lounge" that had a telephone at every table and booth. While there was no outside line access, one could call in orders and call from one table to another. Calling from table to table was a great way to initiate conversations with the opposite sex, and probably accounted for the popularity of the establishment! :-) Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry
dag@uunet.uu.net> (04/10/91)
In article <telecom11.266.13@eecs.nwu.edu> kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net (Larry Lippman) writes: > I don't know if they are still in business, but during the > 1970's in Hartford, CT there was a tavern called "The Dialtone Lounge" > that had a telephone at every table and booth. While there was no > outside line access, one could call in orders and call from one table > to another. Calling from table to table was a great way to initiate > conversations with the opposite sex, and probably accounted for the > popularity of the establishment! :-) Maybe it's just me, but I don't think calling up a pretty girl who happens to be sitting across from me is a great way of picking her up. I suppose if I already knew someone and was intimidated to see her in person I might call her at home (although I've never been in that situation of-course :-) ) but other than that I think I would just walk up an say hello, buy her a drink or "accidently" spill chocalate ice-cream on her new white blouse as a way of starting a conversation. Perhaps someone could comment on why people feel more comfortable talking on the phone in establishments like that, I can certainly understand preferring to talk to someone on the phone, but when there in the same room it's wierd. There is a similar place in a central California town called King City (also known as speedo trap alley) on highway 101. An old girlfriend once called me from there (I was in Berkeley not at the bar) but it took me about a year to find it on my trips down to Santa Barbara afterwards. I haven't been there in quite awhile but the last time I visited it all the phones were GTE (ick!!) and it was designed for truckers, which means it had a four acre packing lot for all of the 18 wheelers. Darren Alex Griffiths (415) 708-3294 dag@well.sf.ca.us