Sitemap - 2023 - The Retrologist by Rolando Pujol

Beloved Midwest restaurant chain closes, along with 'Ohio's Best Diner'; plus, a Chicagoland without Victory Auto Wreckers? 'Tis true! | Retrologist Roadside Roundup

Retrologist Roundup: Doughnut Day Edition. Plus, news about Dairy Queen, Steak and Ale, Sears and more

Hometown of 'Addams Family' creator goes all-in on Charles Addams' kooky and spooky creation

Pepsi's new retro logo and the evolution of an icon as seen on the American roadside

Bite into In-N-Out Burger's history as beloved chain celebrates 75th anniversary

Retrologist Roundup: Classic Dairy Queen closes; historic McDonald's gets renovated (it was epic); retro Pepsi and Jello-O logos surface on shelves; 1970s 'Super Chicken' mascot uncovered

The Retrologist field guide to Taco Bell's design evolution

Jimmy Carter Country: The Retrologist's Guide to Plains, Georgia

Of roadside coffee pots, cups and shops: Here's a perky post for National Coffee Day

Retrologist's Roadside Roundup: Old-school Federal Express sign revealed; a beloved NYC sign gets TLC; architect sets record straight on LA icon; a Very Brady real-estate deal

Ski-resort McDonald's! Fireplace Burger King! A Maine McMansion! And more Retrologist fast-food road-trip finds

'Store Front NYC': James and Karla Murray's new book celebrates iconic New York City shops with pictures that capture a vanishing heritage

Retrologist's Roadside Pick: The Apple Dumplin, a dusty relic along an old spur of Route 66

Inside the last surviving portion of the original World Trade Center, a passageway to a lost time

The Twin Towers: Their haunting legacy in New York City signs

Blue Light Blues: Inside one of America's last Kmarts as it prepares to close

Gut punch: Amazing vintage McDonald's (as old as I am!) scrapped for renovation

SEE IT: Brooklyn McDonald's goes old school in throwback to 1982

It's National Radio Day! Here are 3 visually jolting transmitter buildings -- plus one ghost sign -- to celebrate the occasion

'Tombstone' for home of first Arby's, but it's not 'grave' news; forget Grimace, meet CosMc; Hills stores' tasty 'comeback;' Starlite dims in 'Andy Griffith' country | Retrologist Roundup

A must-see, easy-to-miss relic of Howard Johnson's (just watch your step); FDR country travel guide; good (and bad) neon buzz; Toys 'R' Us, White Castle, DQ and more | Retrologist Roadside Roundup

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.

Roadside Relic: The Big Chicken in Marietta, Georgia, a plucky outpost of Kentucky Fried Chicken

Long-hidden NYC neon sign saved; Philly diner doomed; 'Dari-ette' remembered; Florida's 'best' drive-in named | Retrologist Roadside Roundup

Hidden no longer: Historic neon shoe-store sign emerges from decades-long hiding in New York City

Were those McDonald's roof lights meant to be french fries? An ode to the mansard on this National French Fry Day

Hole left in our hearts: Beloved NYC donut shop closes after 48 years

Happy birthday, Mr. ZIP! A salute to the retired post-office mascot on the ZIP code's 60th birthday

Deathbed farewell: Inside the Chambersburg Mall, a haunting visit to a shopping center in its final days

The best ice cream stands in America; good news for Chicago signs (especially one beer sign); a devilish deed in New Jersey; NYC bowling alley faces gutter; and much more | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

The 'root' of A&W: Their first root beer stand opened 104 years ago today. Here are drive-ins to add to your 'frosty' bucket list.

McDonald's 'Grimace's Birthday' campaign is a stroke of nostalgic marketing brilliance

The drive-in theater turns 90 today! Here are some of America's most cinematic

Minty 1970s-style mansard McDonald's to meet its maker; hunting the ghost signs of San Francisco; mourning a lost one in Portland; sampling Wisconsin cheese | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

It's National Donut Day: Here are 2 dozen classic shops where the vintage sign is a sweet treat

Jersey Retro Road Trip: Hot dogs, HoJo's relic, classic DQs, nonstandard McDonald's, pagoda supermarket, general store and more

The Carvel Story: How a flat tire on Memorial Day weekend 1934 inflated an ice cream empire

Burger King enters Spider-Verse; relics of a long-lost Empire State Building restaurant; an NJ ice cream parlor revived; an LA liquor store closed; a 1950s Carvel shines | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

Beloved Arby's hat sign saved; a survivor of the old Times Square closes; classic Indian restaurant in Queens moves; historic ice-cream stand melts into memory | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

Farewell to a 1970s Burger King; long-hidden Coca-Cola sign from around 1910 saved; a perfect 1960s Arby's you must see to believe; and much more | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

Retrologist Road Trip: Pennsylvania roadside finds (Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Mr. Peanut, 7 Up and much more)

So long, pardner: Arby's that featured North Carolina's last 10-gallon hat has closed

Join me on Notes -- my open notebook of interesting things I'm seeing on the road

A historic McDonald's, one of the earliest in New Jersey, avoids McBoxing and remains a red-roofed mansard (with quirky golf-related decorations)

Sign of life for Blockbuster Video; owner of historic Gulf station dies; epic Moon Winx Lodge sign sold; a modern McMansard; curtains for a pizza pioneer | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

The Galleria mall in White Plains is closing after 43 years | A Retrologist Appreciation

Iconic Neil's Coffee Shop, a Manhattan institution since 1940, has closed; fire damages beloved Orange World in Florida; a rare neon supermarket sign to be restored

Don Draper's New York: 10 places with 'Mad Men'-era flair

After 57 years, Maryland Fried Chicken location in Winter Garden, Florida, is closing

Maryland Fried Chicken: The Retrologist's Guide to Surviving Locations of 1960s chain

Owner of reopened Arthur Treacher's eyes expansion; NYC's Subway Inn makes 3rd stop in 86 years; Gold Medal not just a ghost sign; 'spiedie' emporium closes (what's a spiedie?)

Breaking: Alleva Dairy, billed as America's oldest cheese shop, closes after 130 years

Carvel, Dairy Queen and an Evil Clown: A tour of iconic New Jersey signs

Closing: Lenny's Pizza, where John Travolta enjoyed a 'double-decker slice' in 'Saturday Night Fever'

The Retrologist visits the last Kmart with the classic logo in the United States

I'm Lovin' It: The story of the gigantic log cabin McDonald's in Wisconsin Dells

Beloved 90-year-old candy shop owner attacked; a classic Nabisco cookie factory crumbles; iconic diners for sale (and one renovated) | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

A curator of McDonald's history and savior and owner of a Route 66 ghost town, the late Albert Okura leaves a shining roadside legacy

A Lincoln Highway roadside 'Haven' (complete with windmill) is no more; farewell to a classic Dairy Queen; a neon palm tree sways with changing times | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

'Hot Bagel' from Brooklyn's past; In-N-Out looks East; Queens diner saved; California donut sign tumbles | Rolando's Roadside Roundup

'Sopranos' New Jersey tour: Visit 5 must-see filming locations in New Jersey

A McDonald's get McBoxed, but a classic sign (and Ronald) survive; the roadside gems of New Haven; a pay phone sign becomes a subway museum piece

Pizza, burgers, brews, pipes and ... rubber stamps? The Retrologist's Guide to New Haven, Connecticut

Classic Arby's closes in Virginia but whither the sign? Plus, McDonald's exits New York Thruway after 30 years | Rolando's Roadside Roundup