Bar fight over famous sign; 'Evil Clown' orphaned; Hellmann's commercial revisits 'Harry Met Sally' fake orgasm scene at Katz's Deli; Punxsutawney Phil's turf | Retrologist Roadside Roundup
Cracker Barrel throws egg-surcharge shade at Waffle House plus more openings, closings and notable happenings on the American road.
The saga of the Subway Inn has taken another remarkable twist. I recently shared the news that the Manhattan bar closed in December after a short-lived stint at its third location in its almost 90-year history. The bar began life across from Bloomingdale’s on East 60th Street in the late 1930s. When it was forced out of its longtime home in 2014, the bar moved to East 60th Street near the Queensboro Bridge. After several contented years, yet another new development shoved the bar to its third location, just up the block on Second Avenue. (Aside: The lot where the bar originally stood is STILL EMPTY a decade later. New York real estate is nothing short of cruel.)
Business at that location never boomed, and the Salinas family, the second owners of the bar in its long history, called it quits on Dec. 28, with a suggestion that the bar might reemerge in another borough early this year in what would be its fourth home, the first outside Manhattan and hopefully, of the “forever” variety.
When the bar closed, the owners of the Subway Inn were prepared to take down their sign — it is their property, after all, and has belonged to the bar’s owners, originally Charlie Ackerman, since its installation around 1955 — but the person who maintains the sign was not available right away. When the technician finally showed up after Jan. 1 to dislodge the sign, a mysterious somebody had done the work for them — the sign had vamoosed. The New York Times’ James Barron gets to the bottom of the mystery, reporting that the new tenant of the space, Gerry Doyle, had the sign taken down, telling the Times he didn’t want the Subway Inn name over the door where his new tavern will open. He said the sign is somewhere in Brooklyn, and was removed for $5,000. He insists it’s now his space and, by default, his sign. Salinas left it behind, and basically, it’s an old-fashioned case of finders keepers, losers weepers.
But the Subway Inn’s Steve Salinas, who inherited the business from his father, Marcello, said he did not simply leave the sign behind. He just could not take it down right away. He filed a police report, and the NYPD told the Times they were investigating the matter.
Nothing surprises me anymore, but this one takes the cake — or the sign.
The iconic Evil Clown of Middletown is orphaned
This is no laughing matter.
The beloved Evil Clown of Middletown, New Jersey, has been orphaned. Circus Wines Beer & Spirits, its longtime owner, has departed from its home at the Route 35 shopping plaza where the clown sign has terrorized passersby since 1956. The liquor shop’s owners are not taking the sign with them, even though, they say, Calico the clown will play a figurative role at the new location. The sign was built for the long-defunct Food Circus supermarket chain, which now goes by the name Foodtown.
The clown has a passionate following (director Kevin Smith among its loyal fans), and we can only hope that the land’s new owner, who plans to build residences on the site, will leave Calico in place. (The Calico Condos has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?) Let’s certainly wish that Calico’s fate isn’t as grim as the one that befell the neon clown who long repped the shuttered Circus Drive-in over in nearby Wall Township. It ended up in municipal storage, and pictures that have emerged of it show it much worse for the wear.
Fun fact: Calico is the work of the designer Leslie Worth Thomas, who also brought Asbury Park’s Tillie to life. I go into this — and a good deal more — in my new book, The Great American Retro Road Trip, which is available now for preorder!
Where every day is Groundhog Day!
Sunday was Groundhog Day, where the world turns to a cute rodent in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to prognosticate whether we can expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. (He saw his shadow, so it’s six more weeks of winter, if one is to believe the furry forecaster.) In recent years, erratic weather patterns and long balmy stretches in winter have taken the sting out of winter, at least where I live in the Northeast, and I mainly assume we’ll have an early spring, regardless of whether Phil sees his shadow.
Climate change or not, the tradition carries on (even if it’s increasingly under scrutiny from animal-rights advocates) and Phil has competitors across the country, like Malverne Mel (on New York’s Long Island) and Staten Island Chuck (who famously bit New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and was dropped by his successor, Bill de Blasio. Chuck died not long after that.)
A friend and I spent a few amusing hours exploring Punxsutawney a few years ago, and the fruit of our adventure is presented in a Substack piece I wrote last year. Fire up “The Pennsylvania Polka” and give this article a read:
Homestead was where the heart was
In February 2018, while on jury-duty lunch breaks during a criminal trial, I discovered the Homestead Gourmet Shop in Kew Gardens, Queens. It was love at first sight. As I wrote then, Homestead is “a hidden gem, tucked into a charming Tudor building on a corner of Kew Gardens, Queens. Folks come here for the comfort food — heaping deli sandwiches, apple strudel and other delights with a Bavarian bent. If the charming storefront doesn’t give it away, Homestead is a legacy business, seven decades strong. I wish it many more!”
Well, many more turned out to be just shy of seven more. Homestead closed last Friday, and another little bit of New York retail charm went with it. The owner, according to NY1, was coping with higher rent and declining health, a notoriously lethal combination for mom-and-pops. See a report on the store’s demise, below.
Signposts: Retrologist’s highway highlights
HERE’S THE SCOOP: Kurver Kreme of Colonie, New York, a Capital District mainstay since 1952, has new owners. The land has been in the old owner’s family for 185 years — and the ice cream stand, which began as a Carvel, has been owned by owner Cheryl Apple’s family since 1980. In a deal that was not listed, Apple sold the ice cream stand to Dave Hostig and Mark Wagner, who will reopen the stand for the season between mid-March and April 1 and keep things pretty much the same.
SHINING LIKE IT’S 1962: The neon sign for Western wear store Lou Taubert’s, the last remnant of Casper, Wyoming’s “Little Las Vegas,” is being restored. DaVinci Sign Systems is working on the sign, and the careful restoration comes with a $52,000 price tag, reports Cowboy State Daily. The shop’s owner, Louis Taubert Jr., was just 10 when the magnificent blade sign was installed. He’s seeking help to defray the costs and keep this classic shining.
ERA TO END AT BRYANT PARK: The Bryant Park Grill opened in the early days of the Manhattan park’s revival, when it was freshly rid of its reputation as a dangerous drug den and well on its way to becoming the urban jewel we know and love today. The grill’s lease has not been renewed, and the space is on the verge of being turned over to celebrity restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, reports the New York Times. The space will be closed for an overhaul for a year, and while there will be changes to the menu and design, the name is expected to stay, with a nod perhaps added to its notable new owner. As for the original Bryant Park Grill, it remains open but will close in April, so if you have emotional ties to the restaurant as it is, or never went, there’s no better time to go than the present.
THE ASTOR PLACE BLUES: The Off-Broadway Blue Man Group has performed at the Astor Place Theatre in Manhattan since 1991. (I got hip to them early, and college friends and I went to see the group perform in the summer of 1992. Somewhere, I have my Playbill, marked with a blue-painted kiss from one of the Blue Men.) The Blue Man Group, after 34 years, seemed to have become an immutable part of the New York City cityscape, tucked in its subterranean lair along Manhattan’s Colonnade Row, a once sophisticated set of column-graced row houses that were the height of 19th-century architectural urbanity. Well, the Blue Man Group closed forever on Sunday, Feb. 2, leaving its longtime perch off Astor Place. While other “Blue Men” will keep performing in other cities, it’s a notable milestone to have the group decamp from its original home. But as the New York Times points out in this lovely and thorough profile of the group, flecks of cobalt paint will surely forever dot nooks and crannies here.
A GIANT CONCERN: A beloved, axe-wielding roadside giant is for sale in Tucson, Arizona. He’s been there since 1964, initially representing Leo's Auto Supply and later Don's Hot Rod Shop, which is for sale. Suddenly, the giant’s future is very much in question. American Giants has posted a fascinating video, above, exploring this fiberglass fixture’s history.
A LIFE WELL DONE: For 39 years, German immigrant Wolfgang Zwiener was a waiter at the legendary Peter Luger Steak House in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Rising to head waiter, he became something of a legend himself, an affable patron favorite with a dignified bearing and one heck of a mustache, a perfectionist with an eye for creating exemplary customer experiences. When he retired, Wolfgang would not rest for long, Pete Wells masterfully explains in the New York Times. His sons talked him into putting on the white apron again in 2004, this time as the owner and namesake of his very own restaurant, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, with the first location opening to applause at 4 Park Ave. in Manhattan at the Della Robbia Bar, a designated interior landmark with a delicious Guastavino-vaulted ceiling and glorious blue ceramic trim. His greatest success would come in the final 20 years of his life, when many people have already retired. (Reminder: The world is full of late bloomers — never give up hope if your potential is still concealed in a bud.) That first Wolfgang’s begat another and then another - 35 at the latest count. He even tangoed legally with Wolfgang Puck when Zwiener opened a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Zwiener has died at 85, but his restaurants keep opening, with more set to go online in Asia later this year. Well done, sir. Pun intended.
MAI TAI FINE ANNIVERSARY: Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts, was, in its day, a dizzying spectacle of roadside Americana. There are still notable survivors, like the orange dinosaur that was once part of a mini-golf park; the gigantic cactus sign that once heralded a steakhouse and today represents a mixed-use development; the leaning tower of Prince Pizzeria and, of course, Kowloon, celebrating its 75th anniversary. If you've never had the experience of dining here — it can seat 1,200 — and exploring its labyrinth of theme rooms and cocktail lounges, like something out of the fevered dream of a 1960s Hollywood set designer working on a movie set in Polynesia, you owe it to yourself to get up here. Kowloon began as the much smaller Mandarin House in 1950, but it did not adopt its current name until 1960. The expansion of this A-frame Tiki masterpiece was undertaken by Bill Wong and wife, Madeline, the matriarch of Kowloon who died in 2022.
An ad for Kowloon published in November 1960. (newspapers.com) DRIVE-IN, NOT DRIVE IN: The wonderful Orbaker’s Drive-in, a staple of Williamsport, New York, since 1932, got banged up after a much-too-close encounter with a garbage truck. Thankfully, the vestibule took a licking but the drive-in thankfully was able to keep on ticking. Several years ago, I stopped by Orbaker’s during an upstate New York road trip
A SWEET MEMORY: In California’s Central Coast, San Luis Obispo is a jewel. SLO has a lot to explore, from the mission to the Madonna Inn to an alley whose walls are covered with gum (you are invited to contribute). The city’s Chinatown was destroyed long ago, but a big parking lot is still there today, marking the heart of the community. But a shining remnant of the Chinese community’s contributions to this city has emerged. The old sign for Chong’s Home Made Candies, which had shuttered in the late 1970s, is back on public view, attached to that parking lot.
Before we take the exit …
A profile of the revived Kellogg’s Diner in Brooklyn, which, at the ripe age of 97, suddenly finds itself one of the hottest tickets in town.
Wall’s Drive-In, a perfect little roadside stand in Cannelton, Indiana, closed last year after 60 years. The family that runs it is reopening the business in another building in town.
The Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont is waterlogged and needs $40 million (!!) in repairs.
The Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, New York, will unveil a sleek new visitors center — connected to the historic existing one — when it reopens this spring. That’s just part of the changes to the beloved sculpture park, including topography tweaks and new art commissions.
One of New Jersey’s best record shops, Scotti’s Record Shop in Summit, is closing. It opened in 1956!
San Francisco’s Sam Wo Chinese restaurant has closed after over 100 years, but is it for good?
The sign for the recently closed Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen Italian Restaurant has been taken down, not long after the closure of the Providence, Rhode Island staple. But the sign won’t go very far at all.
Off the road again: A beloved Willie Nelson mural has been demolished in Austin, Texas,
Buc-ee’s is coming to Wisconsin!
The organ at the historic Wanamaker building in Center City, Philadelphia, is getting a workout playing the Philadelphia Eagles fight song ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl. The store, now a Macy’s, will close next month.
Barnes & Noble is returning to Downtown Washington, D.C., moving into a former “Woodies” — aka the Woodward & Lothrop department store.
The Hard Rock Cafe is leaving downtown Chicago after 40 years. Whither its guitar-shaped neon sign?
Three neon signs will be restored along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas.
The neon sign for the shuttered Gene’s Tasty Burger in Wichita Falls, Texas, has been sold to a “bidder,” who will soon take it down.
Another gem poised to vanish: the sign for the closed Bruno’s Pizza in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is on the market.
San Francisco’s Tenderloin Museum is expanding.
Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que has closed in north Nashville, Tennessee, after 63 years.
Izzy’s Steaks & Chops in San Francisco’s Marina District, a favorite since 1987, has reopened.
A conundrum after the LA fires: How do you preserve history when the building is gone, asks KCRW.
Waffle House is a barometer of normalcy in America — the 24-hour chain never closes, but when it does — say when a devastating hurricane strikes — it’s unnerving. Now, Waffle House is buffeted by a different storm — the soaring cost of eggs — and customers will be footing higher bills. Cracker Barrel took its competitor’s price hike as a chance to throw some surcharge shade.
Fun! Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal have recreated the iconic “fake orgasm scene” from the 1989 film “When Harry Met Sally” at Katz’s Delicatessen in an ad for Hellmann’s Mayonnaise that will be shown during Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast. The location of the table is marked by a sign, below. NB: Here is the “Best Foods” version of the ad. If you didn’t know, that’s what Hellmann’s is known as west of the Rockies!
Katz’s was not its usual self during the pandemic. Who was? (Rolando Pujol)
I wrote a book! Here’s how to preorder it!
My new (and first) book, The Great American Retro Road Trip, is now available for preorder! The book takes you on a coast-to-coast journey in search of roadside Americana. While the book hits stores June 24, the best way to support it right now is to preorder it at the online bookstore of your choice. Here are links to Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and direct from the publisher, Artisan.
If you’ve followed me over the years here on Substack or on Instagram, I think you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did putting it together for you.
I found it surprising that in you post on San Luis Obispo you failed to mention the Hearst Castle. When it comes to edifices of opulence that place is second to none. It's one of those tourist traps that you go to for a goof and end up being amazed.
Homestead had another location on Austin Street in Forest Hills for many years but it closed several years ago. They often had stacks of Napoleon pastries in the front window. It was a wonderful place to get a sandwich if you worked in the area or deli noshes for the weekend (admittedly, I preferred Koch & Nord.) I know they tried to sell the Kew Gardens location a few years ago for $100K when the rent was $9K per month. I am said to see that now both locations will be closed. There is so little that is still available from my youth in the neighborhood.