VIP Armenia Community - View Single Post - Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing

VIP Forums Group · 11 Apr 15, 17:07

“If you’re troubled and can’t relax

Close your eyes and think of this

Armenia, city in the sky

Armenia, city in the sky.

Just take off, there’s no risk

If you ever want to disappear

Just take off and think of this

Armenia, city in the sky

Armenia, city in the sky.”

(Written by John Keene and performed by The Who)

»

TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published.

Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla.

Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less.

We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries.

We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa.

Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company.

“It doesn’t appear to have any relevance to our readers other than the name,” quips Appo Jabarian, editor of USA Armenian Life. “It’s a sad Armenian event.”

But wait! Further scrutiny unraveled a development on site called the Armenia Gardens Estates. It’s within the city limits of Tampa with a population of around 3,000, located on Sligh Avenue to the south, Waters Avenue to the north, and Rome Avenue to the east, with Egypt Lake to the west.

I placed a call to the Armenia Garden Estates, looking for possible residence here to join my people for a month or two away from the frigid cold of the Northeast.

There are 77 apartments for rent here at reasonable rates. Homes were selling between $90,000 and $250,000. I inquired about rental.

“Are there any Armenians at the Armenia Gardens Estates?” I asked.

“Not as far as I know,” a woman answered. “Cubans, yes. Armenians, no. But don’t hold me to it.”

“Where did the name come from, then?”

“If you find out, let me know. I’m a little curious myself since I work here,” she wondered.

The woman did say this. Armenia Avenue runs through the Armenia Garden Estates, which enhances this mystery all the more.

So I delved a bit further to discover other Armenian innuendoes here and there. My search uncovered a Mount Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine, with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled. As to how many Armenians live there remains to be seen. The school does have a high proficiency rating academically.

We have an Armenia, Wisc., an Armenia Township in Bradford County, Pa., and Little Armenia in East Hollywood, Calif., which is not a surprise considering the number of Armenians in California. The section in Hollywood has a website: www.littlearmenia.com.

But alas! Most of the people living in Little Armenia are Asians.

Other places with cities named Armenia include Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Bangladesh, and Hungary.

Of personal note is the Island of San Lazzaro in Venice that has housed the Armenian Mekhitarist Monastery for centuries. A number of stores in this tourist city bear Armenian names.

Like Tampa, many streets are listed as “Armenia,” including in Singapore, India, Morocco, Cyprus, Germany, France and the Czech Republic.

Sherman, N.Y., has an “Armenian Road.” Chile harbors an “Armenia Plaza.” And there are three “Armenia Streets” in S?o Paulo, Brazil. The Armenian Houses of Zamose, Poland, were built by 17th-century Armenian merchants.

Residents of Chenna, India, have accepted Armenian Street in their infrastructure, though it’s locally known as Aranmanaikaran Street—a real mouthful even by our standards. This one is named for the Armenians, who were some of the earliest settlers in the city of Madras.

Translated, it means “the street of palaces.”

An Armenian church is perhaps the most visible Armenian monument in the city, built in 1712.

As the song above goes, wherever you might turn, there may be an Armenia Street waiting to make your acquaintance. We tend to have an honorable—yet ubiquitous—presence everywhere.

The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

“If you’re troubled and can’t relax Close your eyes and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky. Just take off, there’s no risk If you ever want to disappear Just take off and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky.” (Written by John Keene and performed by The Who) » TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published. Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla. Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less. We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries. We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa. Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company. [...]

The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

“If you’re troubled and can’t relax Close your eyes and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky. Just take off, there’s no risk If you ever want to disappear Just take off and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky.” (Written by John Keene and performed by The Who) » TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published. Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla. Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less. We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries. We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa. Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company. [...]

The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly.

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11 Apr 15, 17:07	#1 (permalink)
VIP Forums Group Top VIP VIP Ultra Club Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 12,055 Rep Power: 68	Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing “If you’re troubled and can’t relax Close your eyes and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky. Just take off, there’s no risk If you ever want to disappear Just take off and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky.” (Written by John Keene and performed by The Who) » TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published. Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla. Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less. We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries. We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa. Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company. “It doesn’t appear to have any relevance to our readers other than the name,” quips Appo Jabarian, editor of USA Armenian Life. “It’s a sad Armenian event.” But wait! Further scrutiny unraveled a development on site called the Armenia Gardens Estates. It’s within the city limits of Tampa with a population of around 3,000, located on Sligh Avenue to the south, Waters Avenue to the north, and Rome Avenue to the east, with Egypt Lake to the west. I placed a call to the Armenia Garden Estates, looking for possible residence here to join my people for a month or two away from the frigid cold of the Northeast. There are 77 apartments for rent here at reasonable rates. Homes were selling between $90,000 and $250,000. I inquired about rental. “Are there any Armenians at the Armenia Gardens Estates?” I asked. “Not as far as I know,” a woman answered. “Cubans, yes. Armenians, no. But don’t hold me to it.” “Where did the name come from, then?” “If you find out, let me know. I’m a little curious myself since I work here,” she wondered. The woman did say this. Armenia Avenue runs through the Armenia Garden Estates, which enhances this mystery all the more. So I delved a bit further to discover other Armenian innuendoes here and there. My search uncovered a Mount Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine, with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled. As to how many Armenians live there remains to be seen. The school does have a high proficiency rating academically. We have an Armenia, Wisc., an Armenia Township in Bradford County, Pa., and Little Armenia in East Hollywood, Calif., which is not a surprise considering the number of Armenians in California. The section in Hollywood has a website: www.littlearmenia.com. But alas! Most of the people living in Little Armenia are Asians. Other places with cities named Armenia include Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Bangladesh, and Hungary. Of personal note is the Island of San Lazzaro in Venice that has housed the Armenian Mekhitarist Monastery for centuries. A number of stores in this tourist city bear Armenian names. Like Tampa, many streets are listed as “Armenia,” including in Singapore, India, Morocco, Cyprus, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. Sherman, N.Y., has an “Armenian Road.” Chile harbors an “Armenia Plaza.” And there are three “Armenia Streets” in S?o Paulo, Brazil. The Armenian Houses of Zamose, Poland, were built by 17th-century Armenian merchants. Residents of Chenna, India, have accepted Armenian Street in their infrastructure, though it’s locally known as Aranmanaikaran Street—a real mouthful even by our standards. This one is named for the Armenians, who were some of the earliest settlers in the city of Madras. Translated, it means “the street of palaces.” An Armenian church is perhaps the most visible Armenian monument in the city, built in 1712. As the song above goes, wherever you might turn, there may be an Armenia Street waiting to make your acquaintance. We tend to have an honorable—yet ubiquitous—presence everywhere. The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly. “If you’re troubled and can’t relax Close your eyes and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky. Just take off, there’s no risk If you ever want to disappear Just take off and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky.” (Written by John Keene and performed by The Who) » TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published. Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla. Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less. We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries. We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa. Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company. [...] The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly. “If you’re troubled and can’t relax Close your eyes and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky. Just take off, there’s no risk If you ever want to disappear Just take off and think of this Armenia, city in the sky Armenia, city in the sky.” (Written by John Keene and performed by The Who) » TAMPA, Fla.—You’d be hard-pressed to find an Armenian residing on Armenia Avenue, unless one moved here between the time this article was written and when it was published. Sign leading you to mysterious Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Fla. Yet, the signage maintains its vigil above Howard Avenue by Exit 42. An unsuspecting Armenian motorist might be overwhelmed by curiosity and investigate its whereabouts, only to come up Armenian-less. We do know this much about the locality. It is home to many Latin-American restaurants, including a number of Colombian cuisines and bakeries. We’ve also learned that it was known as Armina Avenue originally and was once lined with cigar factories, including the Armina Cigar Factory. It was part of the then-independent city of West Tampa. Several historic buildings are located on the street, including the bonded Havana Cigar Company. [...] The post Armenia Avenue Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing appeared first on Armenian Weekly. [img][/img] More...