Let's all go to the Dairy Queen!
Lachine, QC, August 2008 [Click all images to embiggen]
About ths photo: We're exploring "sweet" photos as part of this week's Thematic Photographic. Please click here to add your photo or link to the party. And if you're joining us from 'A' Morning here in London, welcome. I hope you enjoy your visit. It's always a pleasure to welcome new readers from the region!If you're from Montreal, you're familiar with "The Lakeshore". Lakeshore Drive runs along the city's southwestern edge and thanks to a string of linear parks and bike paths, has become a popular destination for fitness- and family-minded folks. I used to use it to commute from the city's West Island into the downtown core. A hefty ride indeed, but oh so pretty to behold.
The eastern stretch through Lachine is known as St-Joseph, but the Lakeshore label seems to apply to the entire route. On the corner of 32nd Avenue (map) sits an unlikely institution. Sure, it's easy to dismiss it as just another ice cream shop, a humble little tourist trap that looks and feels like any other humble little tourist trap. But there's something about this particular Dairy Queen that makes it memorable. It's just across the road from
the park. There's a lighthouse and a boat launch. Cyclists meander on by, often stopping here for a mid-ride snack. It's a lovely place to just sit and watch people go through the everyday motions of life on the fringe of an overly large city.When Zach was a baby, we came here to play. We've got pictures of him in his stroller here, frozen in a time when we called this place home. So when we came here this summer, it was only a matter of time before my wife and I took some time to revisit this not-so-forgettable corner of our old hometown. Sure, they serve sweet dairy products. But the real reward is so much more than a frozen confection.
Your turn: Places that matter to you, even years later. Why is that? If you've got such a place buried in your personal history, I hope you'll share it in a comment.
Hi Carmi,
ReplyDeleteThat is a great shot of the DQ. What an unusual roofline. I think we all can remember going to the DQ for a cone or the original Slushie long before thet Seven Eleven came up with them!
I have an old friend who lives alone n visits "Friendlies" daily for the company.
ReplyDeleteI took pics (unposted) recently of the burnt down wreckage of the eatery where I met the guy I loved who died back when I was in my 20's. That spot is etched in my soul forever.
He came up n intro'd himself after I'd performed some tunes with my guitar one night. It was sold n renamed many times- but will always be the Sea n Grille to me. The place was never rebuilt after burning down about 2 years ago.
Our home at 6 Turnpike Avenue. My parents are gone, but when I return to my hometown with my family, we often drive down Turnpike Avenue and I stare longingly at the large, drafty house we called home. I remember many a laughter-filled gathering at our home, and am thankful that I have such wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteThe DQ plays a big role in my childhood memories.....summers after dinner, my sisters and I would begin singing the "Let's all go to the Dairy Queen....I see one just down the street....." do you remember that song Carmi? We'd continue singing it and drive my Dad crazy until he finally poured us in the car and took us!
ReplyDeleteIt was always THE stop after a baseball game....the whole team when we won.
I wrote a piece about a place that I hold close to my heart too this week.....it's about a craft shop...the piece entitled Kawabi Comfort and Joy. :)
Hey Carmi - I don't have anywhere really from when I was a child, but in my more recent history is Caerphilly Castle in Wales. This was the setting for my first ever foray into re-enactment and was a magical experience.
ReplyDeleteWhenever me and my lift go there for an event, we always talk about 'going home' complete with linen dresses and canvas tents.
btw - when I was in Victoria I was meaning to do the DQ thing, but never got around to it :-(
cq
Our local DQ closes up for the winter... nice memories
ReplyDeleteMy sweet photo is up.
ReplyDeleteWe have a place here in Bradenton called the Shake Pit. You can get the greasiest, most delicious hamburger or cheeseburger in town there. It is not fast food. Their shakes are delicious too. When my son and his family came to visit this summer, I mentioned getting our supper there.
He thought that was a great idea. It isn't far from our house, and so we ate there too often, I'm afraid.
It was built by a couple in 1959, and they owned it until they retired. It has had several owners since, but has maintained its integrity of having the best shakes in town.
I feel a post coming on...
Three places come to mind from your photo. For me, it was the Dairy Queen on Sherbrooke St. in N.D.G. Always a treat and only open in spring/summer.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly the great big orange-shaped Orange Julep stand north on Decarie Blvd. I only remember actually going there once or twice but as a child, but I always wanted to.
And burger time - the last drive-in restaurant in Montreal. It was an A&W on St. Jacques, I believe. It lasted into the late sixties.
For at least two summers of my life (ages 10-11) we made nightly visits to the local Dairy Queen. The pineapple sundaes remain in my mind as the best thing they had to offer.
ReplyDeleteThe other place that stands out in my mind sold frosty root beer in cold mugs and the best 25 cent hot dogs in the universe. I was a bit older then, but the memories of both places stand out in my mind.