America’s Most Historic Diners Worth a Detour
Sophie Florence image
From Food & Wine: Few places capture the spirit of America quite like the diner. Born from 19-century lunch wagons and polished into chrome counter culture by the mid-20th century, diners quickly became community gathering spots beyond home or work: offering a place to meet friends, share a cup of coffee, or grab a late-night meal. Generations of locals keep returning to the same counters, and new owners — often family members or longtime regulars — have stepped in to preserve the diner’s legacy and spirit. While menu items may shift slightly with the times, the classic diner ethos endures: no fuss, great food, fair prices. These historic diners have kept their griddles hot for nearly a century and are worth the detour.
La Vista Motel’s historic neon sign shines over East Colfax again
The historic La Vista Motel neon sign illuminates East Colfax after a lighting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 in Denver. (Bernadette Berdychowski / The Denver Gazette)
From The Denver Gazette: The retro neon sign advertising the historic La Vista Motel lit up for the first time in years over a stretch of East Colfax Avenue during a celebration Thursday night, adding to the glow of the Circle K gas station across the street corner.
The new and improved La Vista Motel is nearly a month away from opening, developer Nathan Beal told The Denver Gazette. He bought the decaying property in 2022.
Many of the 23 rooms have been mostly completed since renovations began last year, but the motel celebrated a new milestone on Thursday with the lighting of its restored retro sign.
Celebrate America’s 250th on the Lincoln Highway!
From the Lincoln Highway Association: June 22-26, 2026, history comes alive in York, Pennsylvania — and you’re invited! Join the Lincoln Highway Association’s 2026 National Conference “Road to Independence” for five unforgettable days of tours, talks, music, and celebration along America’s first coast-to-coast highway.
Phoenix group seeks historical preservation status for Sunnyslope building
From Fox10 Phoenix: There’s a move underway to preserve a mid-century modern building in the Sunnyslope neighborhood of Phoenix.
What we know: For more than 50 years, the building was home to Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant. Located near 6th Avenue and Hatcher Road in Phoenix, the restaurant was a beloved landmark in the Sunnyslope neighborhood for decades.
“Isn’t it a beautiful building?” said one woman, identified only as ‘Julia.’
Built in 1960, it was known not only for its food, but also for its mid-century modern architecture.
City of Lebanon takes over conservation of historic Route 66 landmark
From KY3: LEBANON, Mo. – A historic Route 66 landmark now belongs to the City of Lebanon, Mo.
People travel from all over the country and the world to Lebanon to see the Munger Moss Motel and its sign.
Gary Sosniecki has been a member of the Lebanon Route 66 Society since it began in 2001.
“This morning I had an email from a couple in Australia, who are coming through here next year, and they wanted to know the status of the Munger Moss, so it is famous. It is hard to pick up a book or a magazine about Route 66 and not see something about the Munger Moss,” Sosniecki said.
Neon Nostalgia: Benny’s big sign gets second life in ‘American sign museum’
A large Benny’s sign that drew customers to the store on Route 2 in Warwick for more than 20 years was taken out of storage in Rhode Island and trucked to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, where it will be displayed. Provided By Arnold Brommberg
From The Providence Journal: A big dose of Rhode Island nostalgia has moved on to Cincinnati, where a huge Benny’s sign will be displayed at the American Sign Museum.
“The Museum got a special delivery last week from Rhode Island!” the museum reported on social media with a photo of the sign being hauled into the building. “This 1960s sign represented a chain that Benjamin Bromberg started in 1924 that grew to 32 stores in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts by the time of its closure in 2017.”
“Though the sign comes from the smallest state in the U.S., the sign is a big one at 6 x 20 ft and likely weighing between 800 – 1000 pounds!” the post said.
This retro Calif. diner has starred in classic films. Its latest role is its most unusual.
The exterior of Johnie’s Coffee Shop is seen in Los Angeles on Sept. 25, 2025. Jessie Alcheh/SFGATE
From SFGATE: On the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax boulevards, in central Los Angeles, a cluster of major museums hugs the hectic intersection. There’s the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, an institution bearing reams of visual art; the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, an ode to the craft of cinema housed in the glistening May Company Building; and the Petersen Automotive Museum, which tracks the cultural significance of vehicles including lowriders and electric cars. Nearby, the La Brea Tar Pits bubble with prehistoric history.
Another historic museum, of sorts, shares the same location in the Miracle Mile area — though it’s notably smaller and more run-down than its neighbors. It also hasn’t been open to the public for 25 years.
This is Johnie’s Coffee Shop, one of the city’s prominent examples of Googie architecture, a style that once dominated 1950s Americana. The rows of lights buzzing on the sloped roof no longer work, and neither does the cherry-red neon sign that once flashed its name vividly to drivers and sidewalk strollers. The burners warming up searing black coffee have long remained cold.