A look at the past: all that's left of my childhood amusement park are some old ruins...
Overgrown weeds, piles of dirt, vines from nearby trees and a hellish noise coming from the cars that drive through that place. These are some of the characteristics that I came across after more than 20 years without really visiting the place that made me feel happiest in my childhood: ‘The Big Low Family Center’, located in the heart of my city, San Diego, Venezuela. Right in the Terminal Terrestre that welcomes all the people who arrive by bus to my region, and that so much marked the lives of all the adults not older than 35 years old today...
You know? It's a real shame not to be able to be able to stop the passage of time.... It's quite sad to have to admit that the place where I was happiest with my parents and my friends, is now a junk heap full of corrosion, abandonment, and where the new generations have no idea where they are... It looks like something out of a piece of surrealism, but being in front of the sign (how surprising, but sadly) that is still standing, more than 30 years after its most beautiful years, is an impossible invitation to nostalgia to refuse.
Those were fantastic years. Arcade machines to play the most incredible games of the moment, like Street Fighter or Pacman, go karts, where all of us kids could get in a single-seater and just have fun going around a circuit shouting and calling out to our parents to see how much fun we were having. But also, I could add to the mix of nostalgia and a certain sadness, watching my mother and father enjoying the dance floor and having fun together.... An action, which curiously I could never remember again in my life, as I don't think it ever happened again?
I know that from a distance and without the right context, the photographs only seem to show a neglected and old poster; something vintage but without much importance... However, nothing could be further from the truth. This shows the end of an era, at least personally. My boyfriend, who is also my accomplice and the person who knows me best, knows that I always wanted to return to this place and photograph its current façade. A cruel and ruin-filled reminder of what it was in the past; beautiful, gigantic, splendid, majestic. I suppose, there are certain places that are in our lives to leave a deep impression.
In my childhood, the Big Low (as it is popularly known) was a transcendent place. I confess that when I took these photos, I couldn't resist a tear or two... And yes, I know. You may not understand this feeling of belonging to an amusement park. But for the shy, backward, introspective, lonely little girl that I was, this place was my sanctuary, my safe haven. I would see this entrance (the one you see from many angles in the post) and my heart would thrill indescribably.... It meant so much more than just a place to have fun, it was a refuge. The love of anime, certain video games and meringues was born here. It was nice to see you again, Big Low Family Center. I treasure you in my heart and mind.
Greetings Christy, I hope you're having a happy holiday season with your family! The story you tell reminds me of a place that was very special in Maracay in the 90's when I was a kid and now only ruins remain. Amazing how many things disappear, but also amazing how they are fresh in our memory. Thank you very much for sharing this story in #tbt Thursdays, this post is an example of what we intended in the community when we created it...
I believe, @jesuslnrs you probably visit The Big Low Family Center at least once in your childhood days. I mean, you live in a really nearby city around mine. And yes, friend, there a place that can't be forgotten
Wow, this is a very beautiful Mermory
Thank you so much, lovely @somuchgrace
It is very sad when we see these places that meant so much to us, in their time, to see them now in abandonment, but well, only the memories remain.
Time and some other things can break anything, unfortunately...