Bob's Diner

  This week I've found out that a few more diners have shut their doors. First is the Frazer Diner which is about a 30 minute drive from center city Philadelphia. The Frazer was built by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company and it was the last remaining example of an unaltered diner from the 1930s. Walking in you felt like you stepped back in time. The second diner to close was the old Key City diner just over the Delaware Water Gap from Easton PA. The diner had a huge neon sign in their parking lot but sadly it won't reopen after a fire several months ago. The third diner to close but I've heard varying reports to if it will reopen is the South Street Diner on what was Philadelphia's famed South Street but now the street is infamous for it's shootings and closed businesses. This diner was always special to me as a place to go at 3am after I finished tending bar on South Street in the mid-1990's. The place in 1995 where Natasha and I had our first meal together (at 4am). And a place that wasn't afraid to open during the blizzard of 1996 with close to 3 feet of snow on the ground.

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  All these closings and there are a couple others that are coming soon has really placed a priority on getting as many photos as I can at Bob's Diner.

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With all these closings and memories I keep reminiscing about the hundreds of late night meals I had in 24 hour diners. When I say late night I mean between the hours of midnight and 4am. Sadly it's almost impossible to find a 24 hour diner anymore, especially near Philadelphia during the week. You meet some of the most interesting people during the graveyard shift. I'm wondering if I'll ever get to have that experience again.

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If Bob's was still a 24 hour diner I could just imagine the amount of photos I would have by now. Sadly it's never going to happen as they have the same problem just about every other diner has and that's finding younger staff.

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As you get old you have a tendency to be less comfortable with life and when you find a place where all you feel is comfort you want to spend as much time as you can there. Right now I have no need or will to go to other diners. If I'm in New York or some other town 100 miles away of course I'm going to find a diner in which to eat.

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Meeting new people is always rewarding at Bob's. You hear the stories about the old neighborhood and the diner itself. A few of the regulars and staff become teary-eyed when talking about it.

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I've given thought to making videos at the diner but it hasn't stuck with me yet. The photos I take are of a low 4 megapixels and I don't want 4k or high-def video. When I found my old Hi-8 camcorder I was thrilled and planned to used it but became disappointed when it no longer worked. It most likely died from all the cigarette smoke from when I worked in a nightclub.

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The uncelebrated hero of the diner are the support staff. Those that bus the tables, wash dishes, run supplies and fill in other positions as needed.

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1000 snapshots is still a long way away and I'm patient as long as I know the diner isn't going anywhere anytime soon but when other diners keep closing at a record pace my anxiety takes over. I'm just taking this one photo at a time.

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