But even the old hand that I am, I was positively FLOORED when I saw the NiMo Building in Syracuse NY:

(Thanks so so much to Retro Roadpal TikiSoo  for showing us this gem!)

While the Chrysler building in New York City may get most of the glory for being the most well recognized deco building around, I will say that nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the sunset, laden with autumn orangey goodness, working its magic on the planes and surfaces of this building. I practically leaped out of the car and began snapping photos, and wasn’t the only person there with a camera. With every inch that the sun set, another shadow was cast, making it even more beautiful.

So while we’re envisioning the sun, glowingly highlighting this downtown delight, here is some background on this landmark building.

The building – originally known as the Niagara Hudson building was completed in 1932, and was home to the nation’s largest electric utility company.

From SyracuseThenandNow.org:

Its ornamentation is, to say the least, opulent. In Syracuse Landmarks, Evamaria Hardin says, “The structural steel frame of the Niagara Mohawk Building is arranged in setbacks, is sheathed smoothly in aluminum, black glass and stainless steel combined with gray brick and polished stone, and is ornamented with chevrons, parallel bands, and zigzags.”

Later renamed the Niagara Mohawk building, it is now owned by National Grid, but still retains the Niagara Mohawk name:

And, if you’re looking for the building in or on the National Register of Historic Places, you’ll see it referred to as the Niagara Hudson Building. The building was added to the Register in 2010, and this Flickr link shows some great interior shots and archival footage of the building from the National Register’s photostream of the building.

One of the most striking features of the building is the sculpture that hovers (or looms, depending upon the lighting) above the entrance.

(Crazy how the reflections of the sunn, just below his left wing, look like waves of electricity!)

With a height of more than 28 feet, this creature/man is known both as the “Spirit of Energy” or the “Spirit of Light.” Click here to see progressive close-up views of this winged symbol (photos by David Bridges)

Speaking of light- it’s interesting to point out that the building’s deco exterior was lit up at night (being the home of an electricity provider this makes sense) but the building was darkened for blackouts and the lights removed during World War 2. The lights would remain off exterior for 50+ years, until the building was renovated in 1999. At that point, new exterior lighting was installed, with the lighting scheme created by Howard Brandston, who had also worked with the relighting of the Statue of Liberty.

I was so excited when we had the opportunity to drive back past the Nimo Building when it was all lit up. I think I could get my beach chair and just sit across the street and watch this building reflect the sunset, and go from absorbing the sun’s rays to emitting glorious light rays of its own.

When referring to the building, Howard Brandston described the NiMo building as the most spectacular example of art deco architecture he’d ever seen, and I have to say, I agree! Make sure you check it out for yourself next time you’re in Syracuse!

The NiMo Building (Niagara Mohawk / Niagara Hudson )
300 Erie Boulevard W
Syracuse, NY 13204

View NY – New York State Retro RoadMAP in a larger map

I especially like this part (bolding all mine):

“Businesses have to be flexible, ready to respond to the changes of a fickle public. So goes the logic that drives many enterprises. There’s another way of running a business, however, that dares to believe there’s no school like the old school. That suggests that people, and their needs, remain constant, and that people want their needs met with stability. Every city in the area has shops and restaurants that exemplify this philosophy, and food businesses tend to succeed in ignoring the siren call of progress better than others.

Click here to read the entire article and learn more about some great RetroRoadmap worthy places in upstate New York! Take a moment to look around your own neighborhood, do you have some of these places you could support? Lets do!

Thanks to Glenn Wells of RoadsideFans for the link and inspiration (and look for some information on some fun RetroRoadmap worthy events coming to that region this June!)

(I couldn’t help but think of my favorite Edward Hopper painting when I saw this!)

And when you see, inside the front window of this fabulous porcelain enamel facade storefront, that they’ve been in business since 1927, well, you drum up your courage, find a spot in your belly for some Chinese food, and head inside.

We walked into the darkened entryway on a rainy night and were greeted with folks waiting for their to-go orders (good sign) as well as some ladies waiting to be seated for a bridal shower in the back of this small restaurant. We were seated at a booth in the middle of this narrow dining space, and contemplated a tiki drink for about half a second, until we realized we were still many hours from home. But hey, tiki drinks!

I took a tour of the small establishment under the guise of finding the ladies room,  and was intrigued to see hundreds of trophies with birds on top of them. They were lining the walls, displayed in the corner, and holding a high place of honor near the front entrance.

When we asked our waitress about the trophies she said that the owner was very much into homing pigeons and those were his awards. I had not heard of homing pigeons in ages, and was getting them confused with carrier pigeons (and don’t read the Wikipedia page on their extinction unless you want your heart broken). Retro Roadhusband was just glad that they weren’t part of our meal!

So, what about our meal, you ask? While I can champion their hand made egg rolls (made with hand chopped vegetables and celery instead of cabbage) I feel it’s only right to share with my Retro Roadmap Readers that I was disappointed in my meal. Having no idea that once again my Boston upbringing and concept of certain foods was so regionalized, I did not know until my meal was served that “lobster sauce” outside of Mass is a whitish gelatinous affair made with egg, and not the dark thick pork sauce I envisioned. The shrimp were tasty, and locals online rave about their food, so I’ll chalk it up to different strokes for different folks.

But for a family owned business that has been around for 80+ years, making their own egg rolls, serving tiki drinks,  championing the homing pigeon and keeping their fabulous vintage neon sign and decor? Eng’s makes the map for sure!

Eng’s Restaurant
726 Broadway
Kingston, NY 12401
(845) 331-3520

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111885710047859082033.000487469a3b86a907ac0&ll=42.173582,-73.97644&spn=0.712435,1.167297&z=9&iwloc=0004898ffc9f2394a05d5&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Though we were pretty beat, and full, and the weather was grey, I knew I wouldn’t be a Retro Roadmap trooper if we didn’t get something to eat here. Luckily I brough my dear trusted sidekick who is always ready to lend a stomach for the Retro Roadmap cause. Everyone seemed to order the fish sandwich, so that’s what we got- along with a side of onion rings and slaw.

(Wow, fish shaped like a fish, and not a rectangle, go figure!)

Built in 1952 by “Jumpin” Jack Brennan, the restaurant is nestled down a hill, along the waters of the Mowhawk River, and is open seasonally. The original building, called the Twin-Freeze is still there, serving soft serve (which we were WAY too full to get!). The current low slung building where you order your food and drinks was built in 1964 and is almost impossible to get a good photo of but here goes:

( I told you it wasn’t pretty, but after so many days on the road snappin photos, I was a but burned out!)

Speaking of photos, you MUST check out the great photo archive that they have on the Jumpin’ Jack’s website. It’s cool to see how little the place has changed throughout the years, and also I was glad to see that they too have a hard time of getting a photo of the building.

While waiting for our food to be cooked we happened upon a very friendly server who said she had worked there for years and had nothing but glowing things to say about the place. The current owner was the general manager of “JJ’s” in 1976, when Jack retired and sold the business to him.

As a Retro Roadmap heads up, you order your drinks separately from the food, and if you tip they yell “Subway!” Being the bad Retro Roadmap reporter, I totally forget why. Ask them when you visit, and post the answer in the comments section!

You can learn all sorts of Jumpin’ Jack’s etiquette from this Just For Fun post on VisitScotia.com. You can also read about the U.S. Water Ski Show Team, which performs in the river right behind JJ’s, the Fireworks that are sponsored by Jumpin’ Jack’s every 4th of July weekend, and the concerts scheduled for Freedom Park just next door. Sure sounds like a Retro Roadmap worthy place to visit if you ask me!

Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive In Restaurant
5 Schonowee Ave
Scotia, NY 12302
(518) 393-6101

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Sara Glen Motel, Saratoga Springs, NY

Landmark Motel, South Glens Falls, NY

Lawn Jockeys at the Landmark

Lustron Home For Sale, Ballston Spa, NY

Olender Store, Schenectady, NY

Just think, we wouldn’t have seen any of these things if we stayed on the highway! If you can, plan extra time on your next trip so you can do some retro road trip ‘sploring and photographing of your own!

Opened in 1961 and still presided over by owner Pete Demas (who said he’s “got shoes older than you!” – I took it as a compliment). Locals at the counter, tasty affordable food, and friendly service even for us out of towners, we were glad we made the choice to head here.

I am not the most forward person sometimes when I’m doing my Retro Roadmapping, but I have gotten better about taking inside photos without the fear of someone yelling at me (don’t hold your breath for photos with strangers in ‘em!). Luckily since we were on vacation I had the perfect legit excuse to snap some at Pete’s while we waited for our breakfasts.

The most expensive thing on the menu was a $9.95 Steak and Eggs combo, but really nothing else was more than $6. What a deal! They’re open year ’round for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I even heard Pete tell tale of making some extra meatloafs (meatloaves?) so a customer could freeze them and cook them herself. Don’t think you’d get that kind of service at a chain restaurant.

It was neat to hear Pete and (his daughter?) the nice waitress have sassy banter with the folks at the end of the counter. A couple of older gentleman came in, and before they even sat down the waitress knew immediately what they were going to order. Some folks came in through the parking lot entrance and were greeted with a familiar “hello ladies!” as they walked towards a small table in the front.

As we cashed out in the front, I noticed a framed photo of a painting of the facade as well as what I can only imagine are many little fans of Pete’s diner.

(I was told the painting is in a local museum – cool!)

While some people who don’t “get it” may find Pete’s a bit on the shabby side, we found it to be well loved and homey. For the time it took us to eat our tasty bacon and eggs, we felt like we slipped into a slice of small town life before we reluctantly made our way towards the highway.

Peter’s Diner
36 South Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801-3531
(518) 792-9772

*Heartfelt thanks go out to Larry Cultrera of Diner Hotline who corrected my assumption about the Prospect Mountain diner, the original having burned down and not remodeled, but replaced by the shiny diner now there in 2007. Here’s an article about the new Prospect Mountain Diner, c/o the staff at Diner History. Always want to have the most accurate information on the Retro Roadmap!

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(I don’t know when he lost his title but it seems as if Sir Goony Golf – once part of a chain of mini golf courses -is now just regular ol Goony Golf according to their website)

Though nothing rivals my hometown love of the Route 1 Miniature Golf Giant Orange Dinosaur in Saugus MA, I was glad to see cousin presiding over Goonyville during our game:

As we drove up to Goony Golf ( with a quick stop at the gift shop -oooh try saying that 10 times fast!) I was battling a headache and the sun was behind clouds. But as soon as we paid our greens fees under the watchful glare of Jack atop his bean stock (looking like an axe murderer practically) things began to cheer up immediately.

I mean how could I feel so blurgh with all of these crazy miniature golf holes to play, and photograph? Take a look at just some of the snapshots below and you’ll see what I mean. Even the sun came out during our visit – and best yet, we had the place to ourselves, so I took photos galore! Please note, there are a lot of holes I did photograph but didn’t post here because, well there should be some surprises when you go play!

I couldn’t help but feel like I had stepped into HR Puffenstuff when walking around these brightly painted oversized cartoon characters and groovy  flowers- and could just imagine the Brady kids having a Sunshine Day here.

And there was even a harkening back to my own 1970′s childhood when, By Golly A Lollypop was Following Me- and I really didn’t know what to do!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvbqwwsf7Jk&feature=player_embedded]

So while I could note that the repainting jobs on these vintage 1970′s creatures could’ve been done with a little more love, and BOY I wish they’d give the Goonybird some eyes, I’ll take the brightly colored snakes, bears and dragons over a plain brown organic miniature golf course any day!

Goony Golf
Corner of Rte 9N & Rte 9
Lake George, NY 12845
(518)668-2589

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?gl=us&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=111885710047859082033.000487469a3b86a907ac0&amp;ll=43.411033,-73.708134&amp;spn=0.021823,0.036478&amp;z=14&amp;iwloc=000488a0d5c773b10f9e9&amp;output=embed&w=425&h=350]

http://www.goonygolf.com/

The timing of our visit was good price-wise, and quiet “have-the-town-to-yourself”wise, but some places were not open for the season, and others were closed on the days we visited. While this was a bit of a bummer, I think that just gives us an excuse to go back up there during the ON season!

Now onto some of our vacation slides- I think after seeing just a portion of what we were able to photo, you might want to put Lake George on your retro roadtrip summer schedule!

Retro Roadhusband at the Tiki Hotel we stayed at:

Great old neon signs:

Plenty of miniature golf options (more on where we played in an upcoming post!)

Ah, yes, Lake George – The LAKE!

Lake George has been called The Queen of American Lakes, is 32 miles long and is fed by huge underground springs. Since Thomas Jefferson’s time it has been a prized place not only for its beauty but for being a part of American history, in both the French /Indian wars as well as the Revolutionary war. Nowadays it’s a little more chill up there, but watch out for Americade, one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the US, I’m sure things will be a bit more lively that weekend

Things we want to go back and explore:

Lakefront Log Cabin maybe?

or a roadside Cabin Court with shuffleboard?

Authentic Worcester Diner in neighboring Bolton Landing – closed when we visited!

Things we want to go back for but are not photographed: Magic Forest Amusement Park, One Of The Last Remaining Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, Mr. B’s Best Beef Restaurant, Davidson Brothers Brewpub and Cooper’s Cave Breweries in Glens Falls, a boat ride on the lake and also to redo the things we loved ( Martha’s, The Glen Drive In, more mini-golf) and so much more!

Do yourself a favor, and if you want an actual vintage vacation destination, check out the Lake George NY area, Retro Roadmap Recommended!

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During our all too short visit to the Lake George region we discovered LG’s neighbor Glens Falls NY. With a few microbrew pubs, antique stores and legit old businesses, we took a few hours to walk around and explore. While this vintage sign originally beckoned us, the fact that ABC Restaurant Supply was open to the public was too much to resist.

(Looks like this might’ve been a neon sign at one point, still well maintained though!)

Opened in 1945, this the place to explore if you’re looking for gigantic ladles, professional gauge baking sheets (got one!), glasses, plates, trays, bar stools and more. We could not resist picking up a trio of colorful Fiestaware ramekins – so handy for sauces a welcome addition to our Homer Laughlin collection back at the Hacienda. I’m sure the kind gentlemen working there were a bit amused by my oohing and aahing over the cheery colors!

So if you’re poking around Glens Falls and admiring the old fashioned signage, storefronts and businesses, know that ABC is open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm. I’m sure there’s something there you need/ want.

ABC Restaurant Equipment (CLOSED!)
28 Elm Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
(518) 793-3456

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Currently they just serve ice cream, but oh, what ice cream! Soft serve in more flavors than your standard van/choc/twist, and I was thrilled to see that they had the hard to find butterscotch dip!

OK so it looks a bit orange in this photo, but that’s what you get when you’re trying to take a photo with one hand, of a melting ice cream cone in another! The ice cream was rich, smooth and sweet and I was sorely tempted to head back there for a second cone before we left our all too short stop in the Lake George area. I did make sure Retro Roadhusband and I swung back in the evening so we could see the landmark sign all lit up.

Become a fan of Martha’s on Facebook, or follow Martha’s on Twitter and by all means look for the giant roadside rooster the next time you’re in that neck of the woods, as it means delish ice cream awaits!

Martha’s Dandee Creme
1133 State Route 9
Queensbury, NY 12804-1376
(518) 793-0372

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