Diners #86-90

The hot days of summer are here.  So lets look at some cool diners.

It is awful cold in Grand Marais, Michigan in the winter. This is one of the northern most diners in the country.  The Paramount seen here came to Michigan with the help of Jerry Berta.  Berta picked up the former Matamoras Diner and had it moved to Michigan before selling it to the current owners.  The diner is a narrow model with booths on the end and just a counter in the middle.  The place is very hodge-podge with stuff everywhere.  fortunately there is an addition to this diner, with the limited seating.  I was able to visit the diner on an 80 degree day in October, which is a true rarity.

In the middle of no where describes a lot of places and the Delta Diner in Wisconsin fits that to a tee.  It is on a county road, but in tourist season, the people flock to the place.  It is very difficult to call this diner food in the true sense of diners.  The waiters read the menu to you, which takes about two minutes.  The owner has a disagreement with Steve Harwin, who "restored" the diner, so we don't know where it is from, other than somewhere in New York state.  fortunately, Steve does good work!

This Starlite is high up in the mountains in Virginia in a town called Low Moor just off of Interstate 64.  The diner came from LaVale, Maryland and was bought by the Penny's Diner chain which is hooked up with the Oak Tree Inn chain, especially built to accommodate railroad workers.  Penny's is open 24 hours, for the railroad workers and it is nice for travelers also.  The diner serves unassuming diner fare with some dinner specials, that when I was there, looked really good.

Yes, behind this unassuming exterior is a diner. And even rarer is that it is a Valentine diner.  Moved to Gardiner, Maine in 1965.  As you can tell from the outside, not a whole deal is original, but there are still tell tale signs of this being a Valentine when you enter the place.  I found a newspaper advertisement for this diner and on my next trip to Maine, looked out for this diner and found it.  Larry Cultrera on his Diner Hotline blog did a nice little write-up on this diner.
http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/mike-engle-locates-rare-valentine-diner-in-gardiner-maine/

Our final diner from cool places comes from a recreated town in Lakewood, Colorado.  While the rest of the town is disgustingly chic, they built a recreation of what the town used to be like, which is a roadside's dream.  Better than nothing.  There is the White Way Grill, a Valentine that did business on Colfax Avenue.  The diner was restored and looks pretty nice on the inside.  it is a shame that it is becoming very difficult to make a living running one of these small diners.  But either way, this diner is a gem to look at, just as the village is.

Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #81-85

  As the rain and mosquitoes continue to win, I guess I will get back to diners.

The Unadilla Diner in New York has been closed for quite a few years now.  The oping of I-88 was the first knock against the diner, and after a long time owner called it quits, a new owner with any real tenure was unable to be found.  The diner has had septic issues and is going for far too much money to be moved.  The diner itself is a 1950s Master that replaced an onsite diner, and is quite original.  The roof, added later, is probably saving the diner from the elements, so might be a good thing if someone did plan to bring this diner back to life.

Eddie's Paramount Diner in Rome, New York is an O'Mahony diner.  The diner replaced an older diner around 1941.  The outside is showing its age, but on the inside, the diner is mostly original, with only a few cosmetic changes, like the counter.  The diner shows the pre WW2 introduction of formica on the ceiling and a more stainless steel used as visual touches.  If you go, look for the daily specials.  Just like the Unadilla Diner, this diner has a new roof on top.

  Originally called the Lexus Diner, the Alexis Diner in Newburgh, New York sits right off of busy I-84 on US Rt 9-W.  The diner is not that old, and has been remodeled two or three times.  the diner is probably an on-site diner, and may have been remodeled by a diner company once.  The place is big and flashy, like many down state diners are known to be, with big portions of nearly everything they serve.  So why did the diner change its name?  The Lexus car company forced them to change it.

The West Shore Diner in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania is truly a rare diner.  Only one other Silk City diner from the mid 1930s is known to exist, and that one sits out in a field in Montana.  This diner does a good business just outside of Harrisburg.  Good food in a small diner with a counter and tables for two is reason enough to visit this place, but the food is quite good.  try comparing this to other Silk City diners and you will quickly notice that this is a truly unique diner and worthy of a visit for any diner fans.

Here is a mid 1950s model Silk City diner in Milford, Connecticut.  The diner was supposed to have been fixed up and used as a community place, but that was a few years ago, and no new news has come out of Milford.  The diner sports an exaggerated modern entrance and horizontal flutes.  The horizontal flutes were only used for one or two years by Silk City.  On their onsite web page with old photos, it looks like the original diner was a Ward & Dickinson. Unfortunately the quality is just not there and I can not be sure of that.

Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)