Today’s images all date from the 1970s and cover a favorite topic of mine: places to eat and cars by their side. One warning, should you hope to see any of the major franchises of that era, none are on these shots. Indeed, none seem fancy or trendy, even then.
Instead, they feature local affairs, with names that belong to the period (Would anyone use Jolly now?), or before them. Some are clearly in their waning days; vintage locations then, captured in these now vintage images. So, from the average to the humble and the slightly tragic, here they go…
We start with the Drive-In restaurant in our opening shot, located at Rts. 9 & 96, in Rhinebeck, New York. And the featured photos are from the John Margoiles collection of the Library of Congress. They have been mildly color-corrected for this post.
Hot Dog Stand, Broad Channel, Queens, NY.
Wong’s Chow Mein Cafe, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Curve Truck Stop, Monona, Wisconsin.
Doc’s Place Cocktail Lounge, Boston, Massachusetts.
Elwood Bar, Detroit, Michigan.
Mc Namara’s Bar, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Fuzzy’s Fine Food, Deary, Idaho.
Beef Burger, Amarillo, Texas.
When traveling through new areas, I always look for a favorite restaurant chain. They seem to be everywhere. From the smallest hamlets to the biggest cities, I can usually always stumble across one that will deliver a unique dining experience.
It isn’t that well known purveyor of fine Scottish food either. The restaurants I love are called EAT. Whenever I go in one, I know I’ll find something to like – such as food.
Life on the road for a traveling salesman just can’t get any better than when you find an EAT restaurant next to a SLEEP motel. No reservations needed.
I wonder if there was a company that made those barrel shaped places, I’ve seen them all across America in my travels .
-Nate
Yes, but it was years ago–“Great Depression” era. William Harry Muzzy had several “root beer” stands made like barrels. There may be others that did essentially the same thing.
Photo attached of a pair of his “barrels”.
I got a real kick out of these photos! The art deco diners & bars are beautiful to see. Makes me wonder if any have survived. The “Curve” truck stop and the Elmwood Bar in Detroit are my two favorites here! If there is anything I love, it’s rounded building corners, porcelain subway tile, and cube glass!! Unfortunately, nearly all structures with those art deco touches are now gone from my city (Omaha). Nothing is sacred anymore, and nobody cares enough to save them.
Also, the Elwood Bar was moved from the corner of Woodward Avenue and Elizabeth Street to East Adams Street due to the construction of Comerica Park.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elwood_Bar
Here is the only color photo with old vehicles that I found about the ‘famous’ Orange Julep of Montréal
Elwood’s needs to have a ’38 Pontiac and ’42 Chrysler parked in front. Speedlines galore!
Quite a collection of fine eateries. The Triumph GT6 outside Doc’s Place makes the Vega in front of it look huge.
I thought it was an AMC Eagle until I enlarged it…
T87’s ’74 SportVan from earlier today would be right at home in any of these pictures.
Love these pictures and the subject.
The Boston photo shows something that’s largely been scrubbed out of even the grittiest corners of a city that works really hard to preserve the history of 300 years ago, but cares little for anything much newer in our rush toward gentrification and catering to ever-wealthier residents. This used to be a city of neighborhoods and corner bars…like Doc’s. Like most American cities, that’s all mostly gone.
Doc’s itself only opened in the early 1970s (a plenty-gritty time in Boston), having taken over the space of a former neighborhood bar that had been around since the 1930s. In fact, the entry way to the still-standing building has a sidewalk mosaic with the name of that bar – Johnny Corey’s. If you look carefully, you can see that in a current Google Streetview photo. The building itself was turned into a parking garage around 2000 when Doc’s closed. I’m sure that there are plans to redevelop that whole block into high rise condos, so even that sidewalk mosaic probably won’t be around much longer.
Some interesting backstory on that corner.
https://www.universalhub.com/2019/south-end-watering-hole-turned-rock-club-now-just
In the first picture it’s hard to believe that only 15 years separates the two Lincoln’s. Judging by the lack of a license plate and the weeds I’d say that the 57 doesn’t ever move.
I noticed that odd couple of Lincolns too. Those two eras of Lincoln were almost never seen together back then.
Looks like the ‘57 Lincoln has had its front clip removed and been made a permanent part of the building. “Hey, look! A car crashed into the restaurant!” 😉
Like the “Malibu” @ “Mc Namara’s”.
+1
The “barrel” at Beef Burger may have begun business in the early 1930’s as an A & W Root Beer stand; I believe A & W was owned by the Marriott group at that time.
A&W still uses the barrel theme in its packaging. And I found this:
“A&W” still was in business, in my hometown, until about “1973”.
Was a “piece” out a the city though.
The building was still sitting empty into the late “80’s”, I believe.
(although, it was rather falling down/in)
Beef Burger in Amarillo looks like a sea urchin
I love the blue Lincoln on the top photo, what year was this particular Lincoln? If I had to guess it would be a 1973 Lincoln Continental.
I could eat my way cross-country in places like this!
That football-shaped spot is a hoot.
The Elwood bar still exists, it was MOVED and then restored completely, it’s downtown Detroit and next to Comerica Park where the Tigers play. It’s pretty cool. Glad they saved it.
When traveling by car, I always try to avoid the franchise places and eat only at the ma and pa places. Great memories.
“Doc’s Place” seems kind of shady to me. I think I’d avoid it – if I wasn’t up for an adventure …
Looks as if the 1957 Lincoln had been setting for a while, no license plate on it. Some diners kept a car parked in front because it was thought that customers wouldn’t stop if they didn’t see any cars at a place because the food wasn’t too good. Of course, probably should have kept an old license plate in place to look legitimate.
Interesting: the diner in the first picture was the subject of a 1970 painting by artist Richard Estes that appeared for sale through Christie’s a few years ago. Compare to the photograph:
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-richard-estes-sandwiches-hamburgers-frankfu-6127891/?