One More Piece of Americana Disappears
When I was younger we used to pile into the backseat of the family car and hit the road for summer vacation, fighting over the armrest and space in the back of the car. The only thing that quieted us down was knowing eventually we would stop and get something to eat at a “Ho Jo’s,” as my Dad would call it. Howard Johnson’s hotel chain used to have a restaurant attached to it. They had the typical fare, but more importantly, they had fried clams! If you’ve never experience a Howard Johnson’s Fried Clams meal, I have hurt in my heart for you.
I bring all of this up because the last surviving Howard Johnson’s restaurant has closed. Open for most of the past 70 years, the restaurant was located in Lake George, New York. The restaurant closed its doors in recent weeks. Read more here.
Gone. No other little kid will get to know the refuge of a sweaty back set by walking inside the orange atmosphere of a Ho Jo’s. The end of an era. Thanks for the good eats, road trip refuge and the good memories!
