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Sue: We're bidding goodbye to the number one Taco Bell here in Downey. Deb and I were raised here in Downey. We now live in Burbank, and we came all the way down here to say adios. Hopefully it'll come back to Downey when the time is right.Did you think there would be more people? There seem to be more police officers than civilians.
I thought there would be more people. I thought more Downey-ites would come out. It's the first one that Glen Bell founded. For many years it was Taco Bell and then it turned into another taco place. Then I guess they wanted the land, so they were gonna tear it down. But there was a huge outcry to save it because it's a landmark.
Deb: We used to ride our bicycles down here to get the Bell Beefer. That was the thing. And this was the only one for the longest time—the only place you could get a Bell Beefer at.
Sue: [Laughs] Well, it's a popular spot. There's another one on Imperial, but this one is the original. It was really nice and well-kept. I'm not sure why it closed, but we were thrilled when we heard they were going to save it.
Deb: You can't go inside the way it is now, but hopefully they'll fix it up. If this property has been sold, maybe they can bring it back to another spot here in Downey. We've also got the oldest McDonald's down on Florence, so what better thing than to have two very special buildings?
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Sue: [Laughs] No, I think we're just going to watch as it leaves Downey and take some photos showing our support.
At this point, I jaywalked across Firestone and started pounding free bean burritos. Taco Bell representatives said the trip from Downey to Irvine—usually about a 40 minute drive this time of night—will take four to five hours, so I needed all the energy I could get. I started chatting with a young Downey resident in a Taco Bell shirt named Jaime Cordova.VICE: Why are you here tonight?Read on Munchies: I Ate Lunch at the Original Taco Bell
Jaime: I'm a Taco Bell enthusiast, as you can see by my sweater. So I had to come here to see Numero Uno leave.Did you ever eat at Numero Uno as a kid, or was that before your time?
No, that was before my time. But I'll go to the one across the street every once in a while. There's another one about a mile and a half from here that I also go to sometimes.Have you ever tried to explore the inside of Numero Uno?
No, I didn't. [Laughs] Because I don't partake in illegal activities. But my girlfriend actually works across the street, so every once in a while I'd ask her if she's heard anything about it. I follow Taco Bell on Twitter, so I heard they were gonna try and save it. A couple days ago, they announced they were gonna move it, so I had to be here.Wait, does your girlfriend work at the Taco Bell across the street?
[Laughs] No, she doesn't.
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I don't know. But you can definitely say it's from the original location.Are you gonna take a souvenir tonight?
I probably will. [Laughs] Why not?
By now, Numero Uno was ready to roll. As the truck driver fired up the engine, people started cheering and a dude with a microphone barked, "Hasta luego, Taco Bell!" over a hidden PA. He asked if he could get a "woop-woop." Many bystanders, their jowls encrusted with cheese and refried beans, obliged.The SUVs guarding Numero Uno swooped across Firestone to block traffic as the truck carrying the historic monument to all things tacos and bells moved slowly out of the parking lot. A news helicopter hovered overhead. Reporters rushed back to their vans, causing a traffic jam. It took me a full ten minutes to eventually cross Firestone on foot and get back to my car.Noisey wrote an open letter to Taco Bell.
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