One round-trip ticket in a time machine — Where would you go, back in time?
Posted by: • August 10, 2012
Get our retrolicious free newsletter.
free weekly newsletter
Retro Renovation
Remodeling, decor and home improvement for old homes
© 2013 Retro Renovation · Theme design: Phoenix Massey Studio · Powered by WordPress, and StudioPress Genesis Theme
Hmmmm. I have a couple of dates: both my grandparents weddings (1920 & 1925) my mom & dad’s wedding (1954).
David Byrne = seriously hotness. I am probably narrow minded right now but I’d love to go back to 1956 and convince the architect of my house that he should give this house a raised foundation and that he shouldn’t put our plumbing in the slab. I bet I’d have a more glamorous answer if asked a few months from now though!
HaHa us too. Boo on the plumbing in the slab. BAD idea.
I’d go back to the 40s or 50s. I love that time period and it’s style. I think I could even stand to not have my job and be a house wife and spend my days sewing, cooking, and gardening and in heels at that. That sounds almost sexy as I am sitting at my desk at work wishing I were at home doing these things.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks like that. I’d love to do that too!
Me too. I’m glad I am not the only one but it’s a daily fantasy.
Right there, with all three of you. I miss my house (now that I own one, and it’s a 1961 ranch at that) when I’m at work all day. I’m 58, and just want to RETIRE already! And enjoy the fruit of my labors.
Times Square New York, V-J Day August 14, 1945. I cannot imagine how it would have felt to be there at the end of the war, the day Japan finally surrendered. It would be incredible to experience that celebration and the feeling of hope it inspired in our nation.
I might go to August 15, 1969 and visit a dairy farm. Could I stay a few days?
I’d like a ticket to swinging London circa 1964-66, please! I’d spend my days shopping on Carnaby St. & King’s Road and seeing some of my favorite British actors (Terence Stamp, Richard Burton, etc.) perform on stage in the various plays they were starring in at the time. In the evening I’d hit the clubs and catch some of my favorite bands from the period (Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, the Animals, etc.) live while dining at places like Picasso where Michael Caine liked to hang out. I’ve carried this fantasy with me for 35 years so if anyone knows how I can make it happen, please let me know ASAP!
This is a super tough question as there are endless times and places I’d like to visit. I think I’d go to my Oma’s little neighborhood in the Netherlands between 1920 and 1935 during the time she was young and before they needed to escape. The genealogist in me is begging to venture to wherever in Canada I can find proof of 6th Great Grandfather Benjamin before he brough the family to the midwest.
Early October of 1957, Memphis, Tennessee, wathching a tiny diamond cross the night sky from west to east.
I would go back to the day and night of one of Elvis Presley’s early concerts. Pretty dress, hat, and gloves for the big concert. And then a milkshake (with no preservatives!) afterwards with my dreamboat date. Elvis autograph optional.
I saw the “Elvis at 21″ exhibit of photographs by Alfred Wertheimer and it really captured my imagination.
Probably Greenwich Village in the early ’60′s or late ’50′s as it would be easiest to blend in anywhere else earlier than 1970. But can I change our current money to time appropriate cash and have some carry on luggage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axkC9ifSWys
I found your question very thought provoking, Pam, as I always thought WWII in England would be interesting too but now when you really know what was going on.
1963—Newport Folk Festival. Bob Dylan’s first ever performance there before going “electric.”
I think it would be cool to go back to the 1950s to see what kinds of things my grandparents did, what they wore and where they hung out when they were my age.
Being a musician, it would be 1946 and play music almost every night and make good money. Maybe inventing rock ‘n’ roll at the same time.
I would spent vacation in Memphis and watch Elvis make history with Scotty and Bill.
I’m with you Kimberly. Straight blond hair with bangs, mini skirts and heavy eye makeup and boys with Beatles hair, skinny suits and working class accents, Yum. I was there in 1971 when I was 18 but the Punks had taken over by then.
WOW, Aaron and I ALWAYS play this game…if there was a time machine where would we go and what would we do…I would travel to a high end furniture store circa 1950′s and purchase all the Heywood Wakefield, Kroehler and other furnishings of the time I could get my hands on. Also I must get all the Moss Lamps ever made as well as some Carlo of Hollywood and other bitchin wall art of the era. THEN off to Bullock Wilshire for all their fab frocks and shoes. After I would head over to the biggest textile store I could find and buy up all the bolts of frieze and novelty print cotton fabric available. Finally off to the dealership for a 1955 and 1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer/La Femme. I can then be all ready to go and meet up with “Gretschmann” (comment above) for our trip to hang with the King in Memphis.
Next time I am off to 1962 for some Broyhill Brasilia and some Danish Modern pieces….
Sometime in the late 80s or early 90s I had a chance to buy a 1956 Dodge Custom Royal for $1000. One owner, great condition. It had push button transmission, and it was huge. The original book was with it, and one of the features you could get with the car was a record player (turntable) in the glove compartment. It was way cool, but I would have had to give up a 1969 Pontiac LeMans convertible to get it, and I just couldn’t do that.
NO doubt about it I would go and have a wonderful day with my mom and dad , Nothing would be sweeter
Wow, Pam- I can’t believe you posted a Talking Heads video with this question, because my husband and I have always talked about how amazing it would have been to see them in the late 70s, in some club in New York. David Byrne is our pop icon (well, him and David Bowie- another concert I would have loved to go back and attend in the 70s!). We are going to go see him for the 4th time this October. He’s fantastic. Though seeing him way back when would’ve been a dream!
Other than that, I’d just want to go back and get to know my grandparents more- learn more about the family history. Kind of boring, right? But having just cleaned out their old house and read a found stack of the letters my grandad wrote to my granny during the war, it’s all fresh in my head, and I’m missing them a lot, lately.
I would go back to the day that my Dad, Mike Shacka, and I spent antiquing together. My husband and I had bought a 1940s antique sofa and chair in an antique mall in Roanoke, Virginia for 200.00 – a great price. We couldn’t fit it in the vehicle and I had a feeling Dad would come to the rescue. We lived in Maryland and Dad said he would go with me in his van the following weekend. We had a wonderful day, and while I have many good memories, this was one of those few times where it was just the two of us. We stopped at the Natural Bridge in Virginia and stopped at a few more antique malls. Dad has been gone almost two years and I’d love to have that day back! Thanks for letting me reminisce.
I’d like to go back to the 50s and watch my parents just being teens in Gary, Indiana. I use to hear how wonderful Gary was back then and how much fun it was. Everything that was bright and new back then is now either torn down or dilapidated. So sad!
I would go back to when my first parents first met and do everything possible to introduce them to other prospective mates. They were polar opposites of each other & I still am befuddled how they hooked up in the first place? The ensuing 50 years consisted of high drama, struggle, and a very difficult life, both for them and their kids. They both could have done better.
Whatever day it was in 1873 that the Carson City mint issued dimes, so I could pick up $1 worth. At $1.6 million each, I’m gettin’ paid!
CBGB punk scene in NYC in the 70′s for sure. I was just a little too young for this.
DH would take LA Sunset Strip in the 80′s.
My last comment didn’t post, but I thought of a better one, anyway…
Cocoa Beach, FL, for the launch of Apollo 11. It would be cool to be part of that experience.
Would love to be in Southern California during the Eames era. Of course, I’d have the wallet to indulge, so I’d buy a modest little Eichler, fill it with beautifully designed modern furniture, and revel in that modern, indoor-outdoor lifestyle while gardening it up!
So many great answers to this question. I’d love to see my parents (and grandparents) in their youth, witness historic moments, or even relive a day from my youth and really pay attention (as in “Our Town”), but I’d also love to have seen Ethel Merman perform Mama Rose in “Gypsy” or show up on the set of “Gay Divorcee” to watch Fred & Ginger making that film. I would love to have a conversation with Edith & Edie Beale. And it would be fascinating to shop for iconic items from the past – mint in box! I love the whole time travel concept.
I would have loved to have been around in Harlem during the 1920s-30s. Hanging out in the jazz clubs, sporting those fabulous fashions. However, realistically… being a black woman… well actually a mixed race woman, there is no time like the present! Time travel is no fun for minorities (women, Jews, gays etc.)
Hmm, did you just watch Midnight in Paris? The whole movie is centered around “time travel” and how we glamourize the idea of living in another time in the past. In the movie, Owen Wilson’s character idealizes 1920s Paris and when he goes back in time, another character idealized the Romantic (I think) era. Interesting concept, especially for those of us who do this.
I always think I would love to go back to 1950s America because of the glamour of the time and I love me some oldies so I would have actually enjoyed dancing when I went out. Then again, there was also no central AC or cable or internet, people would have been smoking around me everywhere (which I can’t stand), and there was some serious cultural and racial discrimination going on, and let’s face it, those desks weren’t gonna save anyone if we got nuked, so who knows.
I would have to pick Cal-Neva (Lake Tahoe) in the early ’60′s to see the Rat Pack perform.
(If I couldn’t do that, I would go back to see my grandparents when they first met…but I’m certain my grandma would rather have me see Frank and Dean anyway!)
I’ve seen Talking Heads in concert, must’ve been the late 70s in Hollywood CA at the Greek Theater – whatever year Burning Down The House came out. What a FAB show that was. You had to dance your way through the crowd to get to the bathrooms. For any Byrne fans, you simply MUST get his solo work, Rei Momo – absolutely fantastic.
As to the topic, sheesh – so much to choose from. The 20s could have been a hoot with the flapper thing going onl. Great Gatsby and all that. But, I think my heart would want to visit the era of the mid 40s-early 60s. The clothes, the furnishings. Also, Hollywood, the Rat Pack era would be cool.
Selfishly, I would go back and see my Grandma and Grandpa on their farm in Indiana. We moved out to Cali when I was about 9 and I missed out on a lot of good times with them. I would go back for a summer when they were both feeling up to snuff.
Oh, MUST the ticket be round trip? Couldn’t I just stay there? Oh, please!
But if I must return, I’d like to go to an early Beach Boys concert. Or maybe hear the first live performance of The Association’s Windy. Or maybe at Cape Canaveral for John Glenn’s launch for his trip around the earth.
Fact is, those days are just way cooler than today. I know there is a heaven, and wish so very much that we can live the life we want there. My house would be filled with Danish Modern stuff, and I’d have a stack of 33 1/3 albums that would never, ever scratch!
If we can do “do overs” I’d buy my grandmother’s cottage after she died instead of selling it to the neighbours as she wished, it wasn’t in the will. Yeah, I’m that kind of horrible person but I do so miss it and spending the summers at the shore. Besides, they tore it down…..sob….
This one is easy:
I’d have my Valet pack the Louis Vuitton steamer trunks with my Tuxedos, and the Chauffeur would load them into my Model SJ Duesenberg, and we’d all motor to LeHavre the last week of May 1935 for the Maiden Voyage in a port-side DeLuxe suite aboard the S.S. Normandie to New York.