—The Goonies—
It was the Summer of ’85—I was Nine Years old.
And one thing was for sure in the Summer of ’85: This Nine-Year-Old was not going to miss the Blockbuster hit of the Season, “The Goonies.”
“The Goonies” is one of the Quintessential ’80s Movies.
A bunch of kids find a Treasure Map in the Attic.
(The kids call themselves “The Goonies.”)
Legend has it that a Pirate named “One-Eyed Willie” and his ship are hidden in a cave somewhere along the coastline.
The ship is supposedly full of the Pirate’s Booty, and the Kids believe the Treasure Map leads to “One-Eyed Willie’s” treasure.
With the found treasure map, the journey begins.
As a Kid, I loved the Goonies.
A couple of friends and I even went out in the woods, on the train tracks, and along the creek bank, pretending to be Goonies and looking for buried treasure.
And we found “Treasure.” —Beautiful rocks along the tracks. You’d be surprised at how many beautiful stones you can find walking the train tracks.
I kept a collection of the found rocks in my bedroom closet.
When I reflect on my Childhood, playing a “Goonie” comes to mind more than a few times.
Nine was a great year for me.
Oh, to be young again.
—September, 2023—
“The Goonies” is being reshown on the Big Screen at Huntsville’s “Bridge Street Town Centre” at the Cinemark Theatre. I’m now 47.
—And I didn’t misspell.
I met my friend “Deely” at the theatre.
Yes, “Deely.”
Is it his name? A nickname? I won’t go into any details.
The Cinemark Theatre at Bridegstreet Town Centre is easily the Best Movie Theatre I’ve ever been to. It’s also the largest that I’ve been to.
Inside is a Restaurant, a Bar, an Upstairs and Downstairs.
The Restaurant and Bar are in the lobby, allowing anyone to eat or grab a drink before seeing their movie.
Before going any further, I want to tell you that the place is Family-Friendly.
When you purchase your ticket, you pick your seat using a kiosk at the sales counter.
Your seat is then associated with your ticket; you can order food and drinks while watching the movie, and a Waiter or Waitress will bring your food to you.
Alcohol, though, when inside the theater, can only be ordered from the top floor. No alcohol is allowed in the bottom-floor theaters.
It is very family-friendly.
And with that said, I didn’t place an order for anything from my theater seat. I didn’t know how to place an order. I couldn’t find a button to press or anything like that.
I think you create an account using their App, but that’s just a guess.
Deely and I decided to eat at the Restaurant before seeing the movie.
In the Restaurant, we are taken to our seats and handed the menu.
On the menu, they have everything from Sushi to Burgers and Pizza.
Deely: “I forgot my reading glasses.”
Lynn: “I can’t read this menu.”
Deely: “Turn on the flashlight on your phone. It’s a big help.”
Lynn: “That does work. Thanks.”
For an Appetizer, we got something “new to me” called “Edamame.” —Pronounced: Edd-ah-mom-ay—
Some of you, like me, may have never heard of Edamame.
It’s a Japanese Dish made from immature soybeans still in their pods.
The Beans are Boiled or Steamed and then Seasoned. Seasoning is important. Ours were Seasoned perfectly.
Deely taught me to dip them in Soy Sauce, then suck the Peas out of the Pod. You then toss the Pod away in the “Discard Bowl.”
It felt a lot like eating Boiled Peanuts.
If you ever get the chance to try Edamame, try them. They were great.
I then had a Mushroom Burger with Fries.
The Burger was great. They splurged on the Mayonnaise and spread it on both buns. Mayonnaise lovers such as myself appreciate little things like that.
Deely got a Pepperoni Pizza for one.
After eating, we made our way to the theater.
Walking down the Hall towards our theater, Theater 3, I stopped to take pictures of the place. Again, the nicest Movie Theater I’ve ever been to.
I’m snapping a few photos when I look up and no longer see Deely. He had kept walking while I stopped to snap pictures, and I lost him.
I walked to the end of the Hall and looked down the left Hall, then the right: No Deely.
I wandered around until I found Theater 3 and walked inside to find my seat.
I find my seat inside, but there is still no “Deely.”
I begin taking pictures of the Cushioned Reclining Chairs when Deely walks in.
“Where’d ya go?” I ask.
“I had to pee again.”
“Ah,” I reply.
We sit.
The previews begin, and I ask Deely if he likes Movies with Treasures and Maps.
Deely: Naps? I love Naps. I take them whenever I can.
Lynn: Not Naps; Maps.
Deely: What?
Lynn: Maps. It’s got Maps leading to treasures.
Deely: Oh. Yeah. I can take it or leave it.
That’s when Deely informed me that he had only seen bits and pieces of “The Goonies.”
“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” I tell him.
The movie begins, and Deely and I Recline back in our Cushioned Chairs and begin watching.
During the movie, many memories come rushing back to me.
Reminiscing back on my Childhood was fun.
-Playing the Goonies with friends
-Searching for treasures
Emotions rush to me.
Remembering that Deely and I were once young but are now Old was a weird emotion.
But having Ol’ Deely there to experience it with was excellent.
Ol’ Deely: If you’re reading this, Love you, man.
