Miss Albany Diner (now Tanpopo Ramen)
This Silk City Diner, constructed in Paterson, New Jersey, was brought here in 1941. It was known until 1965 as Lil’s Diner, after its owner Lillian McAuliffe. Subsequent names included Elaine’s, Fusee’s, the Streetcar and the Firehouse. When “Ironweed” was being filmed in Albany in 1987, this diner was rehabilitated inside and out, and renamed the Miss Albany. This name did actually exist in Albany in a chain of 7 diners around town, but was never applied to this particular building. If you remember the movie at all, Meryl Streep, aka Helen Archer, gave an older woman her order of toast and coffee in this diner. It was purchased in December 1988 by its current owners and operators, Cliff, Jane and their son Bill Brown.