Tag Archives: PA

Harrisburg PA diner trip

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Despite generally crappy weather, my dad and his friend Steve Rogers, of http://lookingtowardportugal.blogspot.com/, went on a roadtrip from Washington DC to Harrisburg PA.

The West Shore Diner- Lemoyne, PA.

The West Shore is the earliest surviving Silk City diner, and so far as I can tell, the only surviving example of this model, with the demolition of the Miss Jersey City in the 1980s.
More photos of the West Shore can be found here and here.

Please note the narrow width of the diner, combined with the more extreme angles to the ceiling. It’s difficult to tell how much is original to the diner- interiorwise I would say not terribly much, but what is there is old enough to have a character of its own. I would have loved to have seen this diner when she was new.

Steve with an enormous, incredibly inexpensive plate of cream chipped beef

Bison Auction

Wonderful WPA-era frieze of livestock on the side of the building in which the bison auction was held.

Bison

Subway Cafe
This was just a picture stop, but it has a nice neon.

State Street Bridge
The eagles were carved by one of my ancestors, Ira A. Correll, who also carved the “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother” at Boystown, NE in addition to many many more sculptures. Unfortunately, the bulk of his work was never signed, so it is difficult to track down.

American Dream Diner

Wolfe’s Diner

Just down from Wolfe’s

Ace Diner- Philadelphia, PA

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I ran across quite a few diner photos which I haven’t published- I’m going to try to work my way through them over the next couple of months.

I visited the Ace in 2006 with my father and Randy Garbin, of Roadside fame.
The diner is an extensively remodeled Silk City. One listing I have for it says it was built c. 1938, the other that it is from the ’40s.
Though it was remodeled extensively, which outwardly conceals its true nature, inside it is all diner.

The fresh baked bread at the Ace would alone be worth the stop.

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A picture, courtesy of Brian Butko, of the diner before it was remodeled. Please visit his website and his blog, Lincoln Highway News.

The Summit Diner- Somerset, PA

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While we’re on the topic of the Summit Diner, here are some photos, mainly of the interior, from the past six years.

July 2004- more or less as it came from the factory, with 40+ years of wear.
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Jan 2007- ceiling beams painted black, some reupholstered stools

2007- original wallpaper on far back wall. Fits with the colonial/western interior theme

2007

Jan 2008- new stools, new counters, formica replaced with diamondplate or quilted stainless, clock covered over with stainless and retro coca cola clock. Doors to kitchen replaced with stainless. Wagon wheel light fixtures replaced with stainless.

Jan 2008 – middle row of booths removed, replaced with retro boomerang formica topped tables. Back wall with original wallpaper painted over black, copies of magazines mentioning diner framed. Formica replaced with diamond plate aluminum or stainless. Woodwork painted black.

December 15, 2009

2009

The History of the Summit Diner of Somerset, PA

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Review of The History of the Summit Diner of Somerset, PA

Diner fans and those used to driving the Pennsylvania turnpike should enjoy this self-published booklet and labor of love by D.A. Florence, a.k.a. “Diner Dave”.
The 80 page book takes the reader on a trip down memory lane, recounting the history and the personalities behind this 1960 Somerset dining institution. Florence is a true fan of the Summit, and devotes a good deal of space to the folks who made, and still make this diner a pleasure to visit. The book is generously illustrated with archival photos, as well as many from the author’s own collection.
“Diner Dave” also includes a bit of general diner history, as well as local facts related to the Summit’s place in Somerset lore. The book also includes a thorough bibliography that will serve as a good starting reference for those just developing an interest in the joys of roadside dining.
All in all, this is one diner fanciers extended love letter to his favorite establishment. As Florence sums up in a line from a self penned poem at the book’s closing-
“….hold your heads high at the Summit Diner.
As their motto says, “There’s no place finer.”

Photos from a book signing at the Summit, showing the most recent interior renovation.

Review written by Michael G. Stewart, photographer

Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike

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On Monday, my friend and I loaded up the car and made the two hour drive to Breezewood, PA, a “Traveler’s Oasis”, the “Town of Motels”.

My fifteen year old bike rack popped a few of the mounting hooks along the way, but the bikes were still there when I pulled into the gravel parking lot at the Pike2Bike trail head.

I’d found out about this trip in a bit of an unusual way. Earlier in the year, my next door neighbor in my dorm had been listening to a Bloodhound Gang song on repeat. She showed me the video, and what caught my attention was the location where it was shot. A little bit of googling later, I’d found one of the many websites about the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike. I emailed my friend about it, and plans were set in motion.

Not too soon after starting out, we spotted the first tunnel, Rays Hill Tunnel, the shorter of the two. We climbed to the top of the tunnel, climbed down a metal ladder, and in through a broken window. We found ourselves in the ventilation room, with its two large ventilation fans. We explored a bit in the ventilation shafts, which I must say is one of the most frightening places I’ve been. They’re claustrophobic, pitch black, and echo and amplify all sounds, the shuffling of our feet and the dripping of water filtering through the hill. We made our way through the two other stories of the building, down the rusted metal staircases, and exited through a broken out section of the ground floor door.

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Ventilation shafts
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Rusty metal and broken glass. What a turn on.
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We pressed onwards to Sideling Hill Tunnel, the longer of the two, at 1.3 miles long. You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel when you enter, and then when you finally do, it never seems to get any closer. The headlights we had installed on our bikes, supplemented by large flashlights didn’t begin to illuminate the place. You could barely see the pavement in front of you to dodge the chunks of concrete that had fallen from the ceiling of the tunnel. We explored both ends of the tunnel, and ate lunch when we arrived at the far end. All the ventilation rooms were the same, aside from the graffiti.

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From there, it wasn’t far to the old travel plaza that once was the site of a Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, and the turnaround point.

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Passed this guy along the way. My first thought was- hey- let’s get them off the highway. Then I realized where I was.

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Cindy’s – New Eastern Market- York, PA

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We stopped at 201 Memory Lane, York, PA for breakfast yesterday at Cindy’s restaurant. It’s a nice old family restaurant. Two tone brown and green tile floors, green formica counter. I had the special of the day, cream chipped beef on toast. I added a side of homefries (cream chipped beef over everything. Yum.) and a cup of coffee. Dad went the pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast route. Delicious and fast on all fronts.

Overheard some great counter chatter, “Obama- more like Osama- you think them rhyming is just a coincidence?”. That goes up there with the half hour conversation amongst farmers overheard at a Perkins concerning the durability of different jeans brands, the man [potentially] on the run from police over a domestic dispute at Lancaster’s Neptune diner several years ago, and one about drinking formaldehyde at a dive in Virginia.

Fortified with a great breakfast, we headed down the road to Reading, PA.

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I’m not sure as to the date on this one.

Diner Slides- 1976-1988

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Some more from the archives, in no particular order.

Short Stop Diner, now Irene’s pupusas. Wheaton, MD
It’s a 1956 Kullman. The neon was nearly as big as the diner itself, but has since disappeared.

Then:
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Now:
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Diner- Front Royal, VA
It’s a 1956 Mountain View. Front Royal used to be a hotbed of diners. It had this one, Nick’s Good Food diner, the Do-nut dinette, and another ’50s stainless model. The other three have been knocked down, and this one’s now a used car dealer.

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Now:

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Frost Diner- Warrenton, VA
The Frost is a 1955 O’Mahony.

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Inside
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Counter
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A sign of the times- Disco Fashion T-shirts
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Pork Chop- $1.25, Fried Chicken $1.75
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Tastee Diner- Silver Spring, MD

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Tastee Diner- Laurel, MD
a rare Comac brand diner

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Bud’s Broiler – New Orleans, LA
Bud’s Broiler
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Allen Theater
Current Photos
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Flower Theater
Current Photos
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Summit Diner– Somerset, PA
Summit Diner
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Moody’s Diner- Waldoboro, ME
Moody’s Diner
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Diner- MA
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Letterman’s Diner- Kutztown, PA

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We stopped here this morning for a second breakfast, a “short” stack of pancakes and a side of bacon for me, an order of eggs, bacon, homefries for my dad. My short stack turned out to be two excellent pancakes the size of platters, which even I couldn’t finish. The bacon was tasty, the coffee fresh, and the grillmanship exciting.

Outside view of the diner. Though an angled front facade has been added, the complete barrel roof is still visible. You can see where the original front sliding door once was.

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Inside view of the diner. Lots of later changes, but the tile work on the counter, the ceiling and the vent hood are original.

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It looks from this period photo, taken after the move, that a white painted flat ceiling was added, preserving the original wood barrel roofed ceiling underneath.
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Original window at the front of the diner. The other window has been removed to make way for a larger front door.

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The ceiling of the diner has this design painted where the seam trim of the ceiling (now missing) meet.
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Dan’s Diner of Spencertown, NY- same design.
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Vent hood
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The owners of the diner say that this is the nation’s oldest Silk City, built in the very early 1930s. Can anyone confirm Silk City as the builder?

Manufacturer of the diner has been confirmed as a O’Mahony.
Compare to this interior photo of Dan’s Diner of Spencertown, NY. Same vent hood, same sliding door (though the Kutztown one’s is gone, it’s visible in the old photos, and the doublewide delete on the wall), and the same ornamentation on the ceiling
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Letterman’s Diner @ Dine Indie
Letterman’s Diner MySpace

Stops from May 26, 2009 Diner Trip

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Airport Diner – 15110 Kutztown Rd. – Kutztown, PA.
The Airport diner is a 1960 Silk City, serial number 6027, with zig-zag stainless

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Philco sign – Pauley’s Electric Shop
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222 Dutch Lanes Bowling
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Emmaus Bowling Center – 16 Lanes – AMF – Emmaus, PA
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Plaza 2331. Dig that plaid.
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Trivet Family Restaurant – Breinigsville, PA – 1970s DeRaffele
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Trucking Sign- Emmaus, PA
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5th Street Diner – Temple, PA. Kullman replacing a Silk City
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Giant Penguin
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Backside of the Prospect Diner- Columbia, PA, a 1955 Kullman, as seen from the highway
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