Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Howard Johnson's Maine Restaurant to Close, Leaving Just One More


With my siblings Terence and Jennifer in 2001

Wow, this hurts. The closing of one of the last two Howard Johnson restaurants in a couple of weeks will mark the end of its fried clam strips, macaroni and cheese, ice cream and other menu staples that were one of my favorite memories of childhood road trips. (The blue and orange color scheme was the coolest thing we'd ever seen, so we stole trays, ice buckets, soaps and everything else we could get our hands on because we loved the place so much!) Once the Bangor, Maine, location closes Sept. 6, the one in Lake George, N.Y., will be the last one standing. (Time for a road trip?) We lost the Times Square locale in the early aughts, but not before I was famously told by a waiter there that I was a dead ringer for that Hollywood star ... Denis Leary.


Our parents bought us these cool little suitcases, which we used for change purses ...


Terence had one of the trucks ...


After my first day of work in New York City in 1998, my colleagues took me for drinks at the Paramount Hotel and then a sober-up meal at the Howard Johnson's down the corner. The macaroni and cheese burned the roof of my mouth, but it felt like a kiss.


"Mad Men" filmed a rather pivotal episode about stopping at the Plattsburgh, N.Y., location..


Does it get any better than this? Debbie Harry even loved it ...


Two of God's greatest gifts to man ... now available at home!


This is about the only thing that comes to mind when Donald Trump suggests how to make America great again.

4 comments:

stoney8 said...

Wow I remember that Howard Johnson's in Times Sq NYC!

Steve said...

I remember the Howard Johnson's we had near where I grew up. It was attached to the hotel. We ate there sometimes, not sure why. Maybe Bob's was too busy.

James said...

I grew up down the street from the HoJo's in Rego Park (where Jacques Pepin had worked) and when I was a kid that's where I always wanted to go on my birthday, since they did something special with fried clams and ice cream. I haven't been there in decades, but it's a very fond memory. Shame they're nearly all gone!

Murdoch Matthew said...

Sorry about HJs, but fried clam strip fans can still get them at White Castle.