Diners #76-80

After spending 15 minutes outside with the mosquitoes, they got enough of my blood. So lets catch up for lost time.

 Yesterday's Diner in New Hyde Park, Long Island of New York was just a drive by on my second trip to Long Island in 2008.  Mario Monti, in his "A Directory of Diners," says that this is the former Galaxy Diner, a 1948 DeRaffele that was renovated in 1997.  The remodeling is different than other remodelings. They used tiles under the windows, which makes this a unique remodel.  The top part of the diner remodel has been used on plenty of other diners.  This covers the roof line of the diner and gives a shiny appearance which is popular with many post modern diners.

 One of my best night photos, this is the Fillin Station in Whatley, Massachusetts.  The diner is located just off of I-91 and is open 24/7.   The Kullman Princess style diner is truly a rarity in the diner world.  It fits in in the short time period between the stainless steel gem of the 1950s and the environmental models of the 1960s.  It has large picture frame windows which decreases the amount of stainless steel on the exterior with a touch of flair in the roof line.  For the most part, the interior is pretty original.  Food wise, I will always remember this place as the first place I saw soda for more than $2 at a restaurant.

When do you get to shoot a photo of the back side of a diner?  Frank's Diner in Kenosha, Wisconsin gives you the perfect excuse.  The front side still exists, but the glass of the windows were taken out, and an addition was put in front of the old exterior of the stool only O'Mahony.  The owners painted the old time letters on the outside to give the viewer a nice welcome.  Inside, the place is constantly packed after multiple appearances on Food Network shows.  Matter of fact, one grill is solely used for their famous garbage plates.  While tiles are starting to fall off inside, the interior is amazingly original.

There are a number of these Starlite Denny's hanging out in lower Virginia.  This one is in Colonial Heights.  This one is on the outer edges of a mall complex, but I honestly don't remember being here even though these photos are from March 2011.  I had to look up on google maps that the diner is just south of Richmond.  One of three Denny's moved from different states, this one came from Commerce, Georgia.

The Gap Diner in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania sits on the southern end of a commercial district on Pennsylvania Routes 115 & 512.  This could be a Manno diner with the different look, but in fact it is stated to be a Paramount by Kyle Weaver in the second edition of "Diners of Pennsylvania."  The look on the outside, with the horizontal flutes is a rare look for diners, indeed.  Unfortunately the interior has been 100% remodeled, and other than having a counter, there is nothing left to tell you how the interior may have looked at one time.

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 #71-75

  Lousy weather calls for dreams of diners.  But first some news.  The Hometown Diner from Ottawa, Ohio is moving to Rindge, New Hampshire.  This Silk City diner started out as the Silver Diner in Kentucky and was bought by Steve Harwin who fixed it up.  I was able to visit the diner while in Ottawa, Ohio, which is in the northwest quadrant of Ohio.  The diner had a mediocre location, being north of downtown in a corner of a mid century shopping plaza.  Good food and a good experience would negate any location issues.  The food was not bad when I was there, but I think the owner, who was living part time, if not most of the time, in Germany, wanted to be in Germany all of the time.  Ottawa is also not a large place, so I am sure they did not have a large customer base either.  Their population according to google is 4,438.
   In "celebration" of the moving of this diner, I will be posting photos of diners that have moved recently or will be moving shortly. 
 

  Here is the Hometown Diner, which by the time most people read this, will be in Rindge, New Hampshire.  But when this photo was taken, it was in Ottawa, Ohio.  You can barely see that the back building has a little Silk City style to it, but otherwise, it is plain.  I am not a fan of the foyer. It is too boxy and takes away from the curvy charm of this Silk City diner.  The interior has its original tones of brown tile and is simple but clean.  It will be sad to see this go, but getting to Ottawa was not an easy task without losing quite a bit of time on my travels.  Sometimes that is part of the purpose of traveling, and sometimes you just want to get to your destination, as a vacation is only so long.

Keeping in Ohio and with a Silk City theme is Kim's Classic Diner in Sabina, Ohio.  Another small town.  This one is west of dowtown, at least on a US highway.  I have eaten here only once and I think I have been through town three other times, when the diner has been closed.  The internet seems to say the food was not all that good, and Sabina just does not seem like a diner town.   This diner started out near Port Jervis, New york on US Rt 6, was bought by Al Sloan and moved to Alpena, Michigan before it went to Ohio.  I met the original owners and they seemed nice and interested in diners, but a business takes so much more than that.

Here is a two for!  The Pumpjack Diners located in Wichita Falls, Texas.  Both of these diners were remodeled by Steve Harwin.  This one was the former Brandywine Diner of Wilmington, Delaware.  Mountain View #368 from 1954 according to Steve Harwin.  Steve talks about the nightmare in rescuing and restoring the diner.  He stated that when the owner closed down the diner, he was living there and that many animals also lived inside the diner.  The other diner seen below is a 1955 O'Mahony diner from Dayton, 

Ohio.  In Dayton, it was known as the Gatehouse

Diner.  This was a chain of two diners, one being a Sterling diner.
  When I visited these diner in Wichita Falls, they were closed, and there is no word on if they will reopen.  The city is a good size, but the location is quite odd, being maybe 100 feet from an above round expressway over the city streets.  Not terribly difficult to get to, but not easy on and off, the diner really sits in a residential neighborhood just outside of the downtown area.

 A Valentine diner to end this trip out west to closed diners that have recently been moved.  Chickasha, Oklahoma is home to a roadside gem called the Muscle Car Ranch, owned by Curtis Hart.  Curtis has collected a ton of roadside signs from all our the lower mid-west and assembled them at his RV park.   Among his collection are two Valentine diners.  This one, Brees Diner spent most of its days in Chickasha.  Curtis found it in storage in a nearby town and brought it back to his ranch.  It is mostly original on the inside.

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 #66-70

Some historical diner stuff, which I will post about on the blog, but otherwise not a lot of diner news.  Had a nice mother's day dinner at the Country View Diner in Brunswick/Troy, New York.
  In Rhode Island, Poirier's Diner will reopen.  Not sure what the name will be, if they will keep the Poirier's name. Will find out soon.  The diner was moved to a different location in Providence and rehabbed.  If not sooner, I do plan to visit the diner on Saturday October 19.

  In honor of this, I will start with a diner in Rhode Island.  he State Line diner is on US Rt 6 just over the border from Connecticut.  I passed the diner a few times, but have only been inside twice.  The diner is a narrow model Worcester.  There is not a row of booths along the windows like your typical Worcester, but this one only has booths at one end of the diner.   This is the layout that Ward & Dickinson used for their diners.  The counter dominates the interior, and the interior is very original.  The absolute only negative in the entryway, otherwise this is a nice diner to see!

  The East Shore Diner in Harrisburg, a 1953 O'Mahony features a L shaped interior.  From my photo, you can see the two pieces that came together to form the East Shore Diner.   I have only passed this diner twice and have eaten here once.  The interior is nicely kept.  According to Diners of Pennsylvania, the diner is only open until 3 pm as the area's business dies down in the evening.  The diner sits on a former bypass of Harrisburg that has more of an industrial flavor.  It is a shame there are not many more of these double unit O'Mahony diners in such nice shape.

The Silver Spartan Diner sits on the Campus of Case Western University just east of downtown Cleveland in Ohio.  The Diner Mite built diner is open to the public, but seems to cater more to college students than to the outside public.  Urbanspoon dot com reported that Denny's has taken over  the location and google maps can not find the diner, so I do not know if the diner is gone or being used by Denny's.  You can not tell from this photo, but the diner is difficult to photograph due to its location.  Being a Diner Mite, there is not much interesting to the diner, from an architectural standpoint.

 Arthur's Paradise Diner in Lowell, Massachusetts is a Worcester diner.  I have been by this diner two or three times, but have never been inside.  The diner seems like it is only open on the weekdays.  The diner sits in a former mill area, where many of the mills have been re-purposed as either apartments or shops.  hopefully sometime in the near future I can partake in a meal at the Paradise.  although I have photographed all the diners in Lowell, I have only eaten in one of them.  Note the stained glass windows in the top sash, a Worcester tradition for many of their diners.

Unfortunately, by the time I got to this Mountain View in Front Royal, Virginia, it was a car dealership.  They did allow me to go inside and look at the diner. The terrazzo is original, so if someone wanted to, they could bring this diner back to life.  Front Royal is the northern entryway to Skyline Drive, the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It is a real shame this diner doesn't serve people in town anymore, as this is a neat old time town.  From the placement of the down drain, it looks like this was a two piece diner, which made it easier to be brought down to the factory in New Jersey.

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 #61-65

Nothing to report diner wise, but time has me wondering what is going to happen to Quintessence in Albany.  It was bought by the Albany Medical Center, which seemingly intend to raze the block and put their own development in the block of New Scotland, like they have been doing to the rest of the area.

 Speaking of diners needing a second life.  The Phoenicia got a third life!  The diner started in 1962 as the Carle Place Diner down on Long Island, and in the early 1980s, the owners bought a new diner, and this one headed up to Phoenicia.  The diner quietly did business on NY Rt 28 until a five foot snowfall collapsed the roof in the kitchen.  Mike Cioffi came along and gave the diner a new chance and has been met with what seems like only good words and good reviews.  He has updated the interior, but Glenn Wells says it was very tastefully done.

Here is the aforementioned Quintessence.  The diner started out as the third Morris Diner in Albany, NY and soon was bought by the Nedicks Company of NYC.  After becoming the UN Diner and regaining its popularity, the diner became known as Quintessence, a blend of diner food and more hip trendy food.  They became best known for their spinach noodles and chicken wrapped around a spear of scallion and carrot, served with a garlic sauce.  The Fodero sat vacant for many years due to the failure of a separate business owned by the owner until it was rechristened  quintessence again only a few years ago. The diner's interior got an update, but business never came back like it did in the past.  So many of the former customers had moved to the suburbs and did not care to come to Albany all that often to eat.

Another no photo for the third diner, and we'll stay in New York state.  The Naples Diner in Naples New York is no more, the building is now something else other than a restaurant, and when I ate there, only history and a photo on the wall told me this was an authentic diner at one time.  A Ward and Dickinson, most likely used, came to town in 1936(going strictly off memory).  Every few years, in the paper, the diner would receive a fresh coat of paint and some remodeling on the inside.  By the time I got to the diner around 2002ish, there was a horseshoe counter and absolutely nothing to tell you there was once a Ward & Dickinson on this location.

 The Miss Worcester Diner, in Worcester, Massachusetts sits right across the street from the factory where it was built.  The diner screams Worcester in nearly every way, and does so with really good food.  On a recent trip, I was finally able to eat at the Miss Woo after all these years and was not disappointed. The grilled banana bread was superb.  The current owner has done a great job satisfying the breakfast, lunch and weekend crowd.  The Miss woo is just another reason why any diner fan needs to spend a few days in the Worcester area sometime.

Another Fodero diner today, the Bowmanstown Diner.  This one has been covered over quite a bit on the outside and has been attached to a Silk City.  (Should this count as two diners on my list?)  Fortunately, on the inside, the Fodero is at its best, completely un-remodeled. The food is a mix of diner staples and Pennsylvania dutch choices.  Even more interesting is that the diner is open 24/7, with the diner being in the heart of the mountains north of Allentown.  I have not been inside of the Silk City, and I can not remember if it is used for storage or for extra seating.  I have only eaten here twice, and both times it has been busy, so no interior photos yet.


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 #56-60

Well, the Kumm Esse Diner in Pennsylvania is safe after all!  Not much diner news at all otherwise so lets get to the diners.

It's a different angle for a diner photo, but this is the best side of Sharyn's Diner in Marcy, New York.  Supposedly this diner started out in Frankfort, and moved up to Wurz road in between North Utica and Utica before moving to NY Rt 49 just outside of Utica, on the way to Rome.  In recent years, this road was bypassed by the Utica Rome Expressway, but still does a decent business, just not the truck business like it used to do.  On the front side of this five digit Silk City Diner #51112 the bottom stainless had been covered over by stone.  Before the current incarnation, the diner did a good business at Betty''s Diner and before that the Jet Diner.  Confusion does reign as a stick built diner down the road did call itself the Jet Diner in the 1990s.

Supposedly I have eaten here, but it must have been so long ago, that I have forgotten about it ever happening.  This DeRaffele two piece diner sits a block down from the Worcester factory in Worcester, Massachusetts.  You can tell from this photo and also by looking at the left side of this diner that it is falling into a state of disrepair.  It must also have a good amount of rot, visible and hiding too.  In my latest trip with Glenn Wells, we were too late to get a bite at the Corner Lunch, but we did snap some photographs.

Geets Diner in Williamstown, New Jersey is located on US Rt 322 more affectionately known as the Black Horse Turnpike. The diner sits at an intersection, a highly popular location for a diner in a suburban area and has a sports bar addition where I ate with a group from the SCA on a tour of diners and other stuff in southern New Jersey not that long ago.  This diner makes me want to write run on sentences for some reason. I just don't know what to say about it.   The diner sports a lot of shiny chrome from a remodeling and in a way looks like a larger Starlite diner.  Inside it does look a lot more like a diner, albeit a brand new diner, but still.

 The Seaport Diner in Port Jefferson Station on the Nesconsett Hwy is just another diner on Long Island.  Each diner seems to have its own idiosyncratic style in appearance, but many share different pieces.  The Seaport has a fairly large entrance, but not as large as others. The windows are flat and above them are pieces of shiny glass.  I did not go inside as this was on my whirlwind trip, so I can't tell you how they affect the interior.  The diner even has a little stone on the right side, topped with glass block. True Long Island style!  Diners need to be over the top on Long Island, or they just get passed by, as two miles down the road is the next diner, in most cases.

 The only diner in Iowa I have not eaten in, that I know still exists.  Still not sure if the Clamshell Diner in Muscatine is back open or not.  The Valentine diner sits, fenced in, facing the Mississippi River with just a road in between it and the mighty river.  The diner was moved to this location in the semi recent past and also looks like it was sided over too.  Iowa is longer than I always think and this diner is a good 5-6 hours away from my usual home base of Lanesboro, Minnesota when I am out in the midwest, so unless i know for sure it is back open, I will probably not be in Muscatine any time soon.

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 #51-55

Some news: Newark diner is in Cleveland by now, being restored. Will end up in Buffalo.  The Kumm Esse in Myerstown, Pennsylvania is making way for another chain gas station.  Mom's Diner in Avenel, NJ is gone. The mayor of the city/village etc and the owner seem entirely to blame.

On to the five diners.

This 2001 Paramount sits in the secluded village of Pine Bush, close enough to the Catskill Mountains but also close enough to the Hudson Valley.  The name is a play on the UFO sightings in the area.  The diner is a really nice Paramount.  Seeing how the few newer Paramounts that I have seen have come out, it is a true shame there was not a mad rush on more PMC diners.  The Cup & Saucer was highlighted by Mario Monti in our book, Diners of New York, and Mario was even invited to the "christening" of the diner the owner Dino Mavros had done for the diner!

The Athens Diner in Colchester, Vermont was known as Libby's Blueline Diner when I made my visit some years ago.  I can't find any exterior photos, so I included this one.  The diner is a late model Worcester that sits in between two add ons. You can see one at the end of the diner.  You'll also notice a lot more formica than is typical to a Worcester diner.  The diner started out in Turners Falls, Massachusetts before going to Auburn in the same state.  It came to Colchester in 1989 and has been there since.

The Elgin Diner in Camden, NJ is another diner style that I really thought would have been more marketable.  This one was built by Kullman, but still I find it the best of both worlds: generous seating and flashy and attractive!  In this picture you can see just how big this diner is.  I think I have been to this diner twice, once with Glenn Wells and once with the SCA tour.The diner sat empty for a few years but fortunately it is back open and doing strong business.

The Stop 20 Diner in Elmont, Long Island, New York is just another diner on Long Island that has been remodeled.  Someone from elsewhere might say it is over the top, but for anyone from Long Island, it is just typical of the diner from the Island.   I visited the diner on my whirlwind tour for my book, Diners of New York and there were just too many diners to eat at end half of the ones I photographed.  The diner is a mix of shiny stainless steel, a bluish mirror finished material below that, which is moderately popular on metropolitan New York diners and a marbleized stone below that.

 We will finish off with the Double T Diner in Frederick, MD.  The chain of eight diners has exclusively newer retro diners, but not all of the mare factory built diners.  This diner was built by Kullman and follows a style which they built a few of for various people.  Note the double loop on the roof.  Based on other diners, this is flimsy plastic which increases the visual height of the diner and hides various machinery typically placed on the roof of a restaurant.  The inside is a mix of diner and restaurant, which typically fits the ownership well.

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 #46-50

  Just returned from a two day trip into mostly New Hampshire to see some new diners (eight more) and photograph some that I have not photographed since roughly 2000 with a non digital camera.  I'll include three of the diners I saw today and a couple others.

Located in Brattleboro, Vermont, this "diner" does not serve diner food.  Their website says it all. http://www.tjbuckleys.com/  T.J. Buckley's is housed in the shell of an old Worcester diner.  The diner has been completely gutted and the exterior has been fixed up to look less like an older diner and more like a nicely kept small diner.  I heard never heard from anyone who has eaten at the place, but maybe one day, if I hit the lottery, I will have to stop.

A Kullman diner in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.  After my third time passing this diner, I was finally able to eat here.  This is a regular model, not a Challenger, which means it has booths along the windows.  The inside is mostly original.  The floor tile-work is amazing. You really do need to see it.  You can tell where the original door is located on the front, but it is not in use anymore, as you enter through the side, into an addition.  They do a good job with their food, and a couple of days a week, they reopen from 5pm to 8pm for dinner.

The former Remember When Diner of Rochester, New Hampshire is now a Mexican restaurant.  It was very difficult getting a photo of the Starlite diner, which seems to be made up of six sections, due to the angle of the sun and the clouds.  There are actually more than a few Mexican restaurants located inside of an authentic diner.  I ate at another Starlite in Iowa which changed to a Mexican restaurant, but this was just a photo stop as there were many other places to eat at farther north.

This 1959 Kullman, with a little bit of space age flair along the roof sits on the outer edge of downtown Canton along the old Lincoln Highway.  Today, the US Rt 30 has bypassed downtown Canton, taking much of the business from this diner.  The diner sits in front of a downtown motel, still in business.  The diner, interior and exterior are still in good shape. Being a two piece diner(excluding the entryway) the kitchen is in one back corner of the diner and the dining room extends in an L shape inside.

While traveling through Yonkers with Glenn Wells of roadsidefans.com, we found this diner by chance.  I think I may have had an inkling that it might have been still there, but this diner did not make the book, Diners of New York.  We were on our way to the DeRaffele factory.  The diner is your typical mansard Mediterranean environmental diner with curved windows and stone on the exterior.  The diner has been updated with a metal mansard roof and the inside has been updated over time, though it still sports its cantilevered stools at the counter.

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)