Shot in June 2004. The Short Stop was closed when I took this and remodeled into a Dunkin Donuts shortly thereafter. It still stands at 315 Franklin St., Bloomfield, NJ. Since its conversion, it’s already been remodeled once. The original renovation was a bit more harmonious, bright awnings and a rooftop sign. Since then, it’s been painted brown, with different awnings, a newer sign and a brown box added on top of the roof to cover the mechanical equipment.

The Oasis Diner is located at 189 Bank St. in Burlington Vermont. I shot it as the Oasis in 2004, then revisited it as El Cortijo Taqueria Y Cantina in 2016 during our “Road Ramblers” project. There was a lot of fuss made when it turned into a Mexican restaurant and some remodeling was done. I found the remodeling fairly tasteful and sympathetic, but despite good yelp reviews, the food was downright appalling. Maybe we hit it on an off night, I wouldn’t want to judge on a single experience.

Another from the 2004 photo discs.  Collin’s Diner, 53 W Main St, North Canaan, CT

The Red Fox Diner Restaurant (photographed in 2004) is no longer with us. It was located at 138 N Central Ave Elmsford, NY. I don’t know who built this one, probably 1960s based on the sign, but redone in the 1980s. As of 2017, when Google last make a streetview pass, the sign was still standing, though it had been repainted red and blue.

Photo from June 2004.  The Star Diner is still in business, at 66 E Post Rd, White Plains, NY. The buildings around the diner have been significantly remodeled since then. You’d never know from the street, but behind that wall is a surprisingly well preserved (inside and out) Silk City diner.  Peek around the side and you can see what the wall is hiding.

Continuing our trip through 2004, here are some old photos of mine I haven’t looked at since they went on the disc.

Pride Cleaners.  I can tell you this was (probably) taken somewhere between New Jersey and Connecticut by the other shots in that batch.  Unfortunately, I can’t seem to track its location down precisely. That could mean that sometime in the last 14 years this one either changed names (pretty likely) or was torn down (wouldn’t surprise me at all).  If anyone recognizes this and wants to smack me upside the head and say “it’s in X town and still kicking, you dolt!”, I’d love to hear from you.

This one I do know the location on. This is Heller/Heller Liquors at 200 Franklin Avenue, Nutley, NJ.  It’s still going strong, and that vitrolite facade and Heller/Heller neon is still in place.  Since I took this photo, the vertical neon has been removed and the formstone on the facade has been covered in what looks like black painted wood.

More 14 year old photos, this time of the Decoven Diner, which was located in Duncannon, PA.  It closed and was moved in 2005 to Fairfield, CT, then again to 111 Wells St., Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where it reopened in 2015 as Joni’s Diner.

Continuing with the old photos, here’s the Sunrise Diner in 2004, when it was located at 3 Hazard Square in Jim Thorpe, PA.  Don’t go looking for it at its original, somewhat unusual location, though. This diner has since been moved, restored by Diversified Diners and reopened as the Tin Goose Diner at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio.

When these shots were taken in early 2004, the diner at 1353 Kenneth Rd, York, PA was known as the Starlite and featured a star and moon neon on the vestibule.  In 2007, it closed as the Starlite and reopened as the Lyndon Diner.

One from the archives, again back in 2004, when it was Keri’s Prospect Diner and sported that great rooftop neon. I think this was the trip where Keri chased my father and I through the parking lot screaming about having “told us before” to stay away after she saw us taking a picture of the outside of diner following our meal there.  A traumatic experience for a 13 year old (especially since neither of us had been there since I was probably 7 years old) to be sure. Since then, this space age Kullman changed hands (and lost the neon) and transitioned to being one of my favorite breakfast stops in that part of Pennsylvania.