California dinosaur attraction honors Pee-wee Herman; revisiting road-trip postcard montage from 'National Lampoon's Vacation,' which just turned 40; N.J. Kmart's closure will leave only 2 in U.S.
Hot dog! Chicago's Superdawg turns 75! And more headlines from the Retrologist on the road
The famed dinosaurs at Cabazon, California, have been repainted in honor of Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian who played Pee-wee Herman. He died on Sunday at age 70. The dinosaurs, fans of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” know, appear in the 1985 Tim Burton comedy classic, which I’m long overdue to rewatch.
Reubens’ death this week came as a terrible shock.
My photos, above, are from a visit in October 2021, when the dinosaurs were done up to honor “The Flintstones” ahead of Halloween.
Reports the Desert Sun:
Denise Kanter, who owns and operates the dinosaur park, said Mr. Rex will be in Pee-wee mode through October before the site switches to its Christmas celebration, but she added "Pee-wee Herman is going to live on!"
"When someone passes away, you have to be considerate of how you approach that situation. I was thinking, 'Well, what do we do? Do we (do) something or don't do something?' Then I felt with requests coming from customers and interest on behalf of news organizations, we must do something."
About a year ago, Mr. Reubens reached out to me on Instagram (I was grateful and lucky to count him as a follower) to share a quirky little Taco Bell in the San Diego area that my pal Barkev (who runs the excellent Merch Motel account) had posted. This Taco Bell is not what it seems. It’s an electrical equipment box transformed into a miniature 1960s OG Taco Bell. It’s the cutest darn thing in the world, and it’s been on my list forever. I told him I’d try to get there ASAP.
Indeed, I will get there this year, and post it in Mr. Reubens’ memory. Here is where you can find it.
Hitting the holiday Americana road! ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ turns 40!
It’s hard to believe that “National Lampoon’s Vacation” was released 40 years last week, July 29 to be exact.
As a road-trip aficionado, this is a film I love watching yearly, especially the opening sequence that features vintage postcards of classic roadside Americana, which you can enjoy above! The montage – and Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” anthem – always put me in the mood to hit the road, hopefully without the, uh, complications the Griswolds encounter!
Some of the places featured in the open are still around, and here are five that I’ve been to and photographed over the years!
Just for fun, I turned my photos into “postcards.” Enjoy!
1.) The Big Fish Supper Club in Bena, Minnesota, which I visited last summer. MAP.
2.) Earlier that day, I visited Paul Bunyon and his blue ox, Babe, just down the road in Bemidji. MAP.
3.) Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, New Jersey, which I last visited in May 2020, before she was spruced up a bit. MAP.
4.) The Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California, which I visited in 2013. MAP.
5.) The dinosaurs of Cabazon, California, which I last visited in October 2021. This doubles as a tribute to Paul Reubens. As I explained earlier, the dinosaurs figure in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” released two years after the Chevy Chase road-trip-from-hell classic.
In the headlines …
Ramona Lehman, the long-time proprietor of the legendary Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, has died at 85. When I visited 10 years ago, she was nice enough to turn on the gorgeous neon sign for me and my friends as we got our kicks on Route 66.
ABC’s Localish visits Chicagoland hot-dog mainstay Superdawg, celebrating 75 years in business!
8-Bit Bites, a growing restaurant chain that trades on comfort food, cosplay, and 1980s-90s video-arcade nostalgia, is moving into the former home of the Red Robin Diner in Johnson City, New York. You may recall the signage in my pictures (except for the 7 Up privilege sign) was sold and removed after the diner closed. Here’s a local report and a broader story on the business I helped prepare for ABC’s Localish.
Beloved Cuban restaurant Rincon Criollo in Corona, Queens, is closing at the end of the month, merging with its Long Island location. Support both locations if you can! Delicious food — and great people!
The last Kmart in New Jersey is closing later this year. That will leave only two locations in the continental United States, one in Miami, Florida (that store is shrinking) and another in the Hamptons, on Long Island.
Kmart lives on (as a separate company with shared ancestry) in Australia and is merging with Target there. I love that the vintage Kmart logo survives Down Under. I hope it survives the merger.
The stunning Meadow Gold sign in Tulsa, as photographed by me 10 summers ago. It’s the face of the Meadow Gold District. Tulsa earns kudos for its preservation work along Route 66.
The original location of Philz Coffee, located in San Francisco’s Mission District, is set to close.
Vintage Wegman’s signage is being replaced in Syracuse so that all stores match the current look. Why? Can’t we have some character on legacy stores anymore? Check out Syracuse History’s post on Instagram.
Dan McQuade on Instagram sent me this one … a Toys “R” Us sign, covered in black plastic wrap, revealing itself right behind the Cheerleaders Gentleman’s Club in Philadelphia. A strip of another kind, I suppose.
From strips to stripes! My visit to Texas was cut short by a (thankfully brief) bout of COVID, but I hope to have a write-up on my adventure there soon. Here’s one spot I couldn’t wait to share — I finally visited the legendary Lammes Candies in Austin! It may have been Christmas in July, but it sure did not feel like Christmas! It was HOT!
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Rolando -- Thanks for another excellent edition of The Retrologist.
A footnote on the Wegmans item. You'll be pleased to know that Wegmans still has one of their vintage locations open for business in their home market, Rochester NY. It's an early 1960's store, from back in the day when Wegmans had three dozen stores in the Rochester area and none anyplace else.
The other stores from that time have all either been closed, or demolished and rebuilt. For some reason, this smallish Wegmans on Fairport Rd in East Rochester survives. It's been updated, but not much.
I wasn't able to post a pic here, but readers can Google and see it -- 851 Fairport Rd in East Rochester NY 14445