Beloved places and experiences that have faded into nostalgia but live on in our hearts
Before fast food, before drive-throughs, there was the Automat — Horn & Hardart's gleaming chrome-and-glass restaurant where a nickel unlocked a glass door and delivered you a perfect slice of pie or a hot cup of coffee. For nearly a century, it fed half a million New Yorkers a day and asked nothing in return except your coins.
Before Walmart and Target, there was Kresge's — the five-and-dime where roasted peanuts greeted you at the door, the lunch counter served banana splits for a penny, and everything cost a dime. Here's how Sebastian Kresge's humble store became one of the most powerful retail empires in American history.
Before supermarkets and shopping malls, the corner penny candy store was where every kid felt like a millionaire. A nickel bought five pieces. A dime bought ten. And the choosing was half the fun.
At its peak, Howard Johnson's had more locations than McDonald's and Burger King combined. With its unmistakable orange roof, 28 flavors of ice cream, and the world's best fried clams, HoJo's was the restaurant that defined the American road trip. So what happened?
If you grew up in the 1960s, you already know: childhood was a completely different world. Here are 25 things every 1960s kid did that would send a modern parent straight to the emergency room — or at least to their therapist.
How outdoor movie palaces became the ultimate date night destination, then faded into nostalgia
