SweetnessDelray Beach, FL
December 2009
Po has a long history of getting in front of my lens. A couple of days before this particular shot was taken, I recorded her lounging by the pool (entry here). Then she went to the beach with us. Just this past weekend she traded hot for cold when I carted her to the neighborhood toboggan hill.
She's quite the traveler, and my never-ending quest to photograph her in bizarre places has less to do with photographic quality - she's a thumb-sized stuffie, after all, so how great will the pictures be? - and more to do with giving total strangers around me a reason to smile as they watch a grown, supposedly mature (ha!) man pose a tiny doll whose creators may or may not have been under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs.
On this night, we took her to the IHOP (aka International House of Pancakes, which by virtue of its near-exclusive presence in the U.S. renders it anything but international, but I digress) and I immediately zeroed in on the syrup rack. While this formica-laden restaurant interior in southern Florida had little in common with the never-been-renovated IHOP in Albany that always marked the halfway point of our drives to visit my aunt and uncle, the syrup racks and decanters may as well have been lifted from that old, beloved restaurant with the distinctive peaked roof.
So I decided Po should reconnect with our syrupy memories*. From the looks of it, she enjoyed the experience.
Your turn: Do you have your own favorite restaurant from way back? What made it special?
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* I'd like to believe she was hungry, too.
There is something about an IHOP syrup rack picture that makes me want pancakes and crepes. Now I am hungry!
ReplyDeleteAs far as restaurants go I will always be in debt to Ruby Tuesday and their salad bar. When I was pregnant there was something magical about their Thousand Island dressing that made it possible for me to eat it (unlike every other food in existence if you get what I mean!) I don't eat there very often any more, but it will always hold a special place for me.
Ice cream cake at Howard Johnson's...and clams!
ReplyDeleteAloha, Carmi
Comfort Spiral
when I was a teenager the big thing was Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. In my neck of the woods you could order Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, etc.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a Farrell's in years. They must have melted.
Two restaurants come to mind. One is still there...Hutches. It's located on the shores of Lake Ontario along the "beach strip" which connects Burlington and Hamilton. Hutches is known for its fish and chips....used to be wrapped in newspaper. It was a big deal when my Dad would arrive home on a summer Friday and we'd drive to Hutches for dins. It was where my parents went to on dates. The inside walls are covered with old photos of local sports teams.
ReplyDeleteThe second one was located downtown Hamilton....The Chicken Roost. Whenever I went into Hamilton with my Mom when I was little, we'd go there....I always ordered grilled cheese and chocolate milk. :)
May or may not have been under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure they had to have been.
And really, Po's a she? How can you tell?
Wow... This is so cute.. I'm a fun of the teletubbies.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder ho anybody knows the gender of Teletubbies. Or maybe I don't wanna know.
ReplyDeleteThere's an IHOP-related story in my misspent youth. I'll skip the details to protect the innocent (and the guilty) but let's say it involved a very late (or early) excursion, getting thrown out of Denny's (no mean feat) and retreating to the IHOP and leaving a passed out comrade stuck with the check.
Hopefully he's forgiven us all by now.
I'm not sure that you'd say it goes "way back" but Clawson's in Beaufort has been featured several times on my blog and is a MUST stop anytime I'm in that part of the state. I couldn't name a favorite menu item though, because there's always something different to try. It's popular with both the tourists and the locals, and for the right reasons.
Also in Beaufort is The Royal James Cafe, which boasts "The Best Burger in Beaufort". I have a feeling that's sort of a tongue in cheek advertisement given that Beaufort is about the size of the average football stadium and doesn't offer but just so many burger options. This is one of those retro places that does retro without trying. It's been there forever, and I daresay it hasn't changed a whole lot. This is where the lunch counter is squeezed in next to the pool tables and locals drink beer from the bottle with visitors from all over the place and nobody feels awkward. You gotta love that.
I was hoping Po would get to eat out too!
ReplyDelete