Blue Benn planning to reopen on Valentine’s Day
John Getchell, 58, takes a break from planning the reopening of the Blue Benn while at the diner in Bennington on Jan. 12. He has since installed plexiglass dividers between the booths and along the counter. Caroline Bonnivier Snyder — Bennington Banner
Editor’s note: After this article was published, the owner pushed back the opening date to Feb. 16 or 17, because of delays in the delivery of some equipment.
From the Bennington Banner: BENNINGTON — A returning resident has a Valentine’s Day gift for Bennington: reopening its historic Blue Benn diner.
John Getchell, who became the diner’s new owner just before Christmas, is planning to start serving customers on Sunday. “A Valentine for the town,” Getchell, 58, said while finishing the restaurant’s deep cleaning last week.
Loyal customers shouldn’t see a lot of changes from how the restaurant looked a year ago — before the pandemic led Mary Lou Monroe to selling the 72-year-old establishment. The Blue Benn’s layout, furniture and some staffers will remain the same, as will the menu.
Michigan Based Big Boy Restaurant is Bizarrely Popular in Japan
From K102.5 Kalamazoo: It’s a right of passage for anyone who grew up in Michigan, meals as the local Big Boy restaurant, greeted by the familiar hamburger-toting namesake Big Boy as you walk in. But would you be surprised to know that the Big Boy chain is more popular in Japan than in the United States?
Believe it or not, there are 274 Big Boy restaurants in Japan compared to just 74 locations in the United States. The vast majority of American Big Boys are in Michigan, with 66. 5 Big Boys are found in California, 2 in Ohio and 1 in North Dakota.
LPC releases an interactive map of NYC’s African American touchstones for Black History Month
A screenshot of Preserving Significant Places of Black History. Jonathan Hilburg
From The Architect’s Newspaper: New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has followed up its 2019 New York City and the Path to Freedom explorable story map just in time for Black History Month. Today, the commission released Preserving Significant Places of Black History, an interactive survey of historic and cultural African American landmarks throughout New York over the last 150 years and beyond.
“LPC recognizes the critically important contributions of African Americans and is committed to telling the complete story of New York City’s African American heritage,” wrote current LPC chair, Sarah Carroll, in a press release. “With this story map, our goal is to provide greater accessibility to New York City landmarks and historic districts that reflect the contributions and achievements of African Americans, and illustrate that the fight for racial equity and social justice is as relevant today as it has been over the course of the City’s history.”
Iconic late-night breakfast joint in Clintonville calling it quits.
Tee Jayes Country Place restaurant at the intersection of Morse Road and North High Street. Doral Chenoweth, Columbus Dispatch
From The Columbus Dispatch: Clintonville will lose one of its most iconic restaurants after Tee Jaye’s Country Place said Thursday that it will close in the spring after three decades in business.
The property on North High Street south of the Graceland Shopping Center recently was sold to an out-of-state ownership group, which put the property up for sale.
It’s unclear why the new owners declined to renew the five-year lease, which expires in May.
“They’re not sharing information with us,” Tee Jaye’s President Dayna Sokol Sandsten said.
Watch ‘Dolly Parton’ and ‘Elvis’ Perform Virtual Weddings Live From This Retro Nashville Motel This Weekend
From Travel+Leisure: Valentine’s Day 2021 may look a little different than years past. While many will be forgoing nights out on the town, others may have to video conference in with their lovers stuck somewhere else around the world. But, just because people can’t go out or can’t be together in person, doesn’t mean they can’t have a great time together online. And virtual Zoom club Eschaton is here to deliver that fun.
On Feb. 13, Eschaton will open its virtual doors for an evening of immersive entertainment. For those unfamiliar, Eschaton is part nightclub, part live theater experience, part immersive theater all hosted via Zoom. Guests enter the digital space and choose from dozens of Zoom rooms to explore. Behind each door is another performer including music, cinema, drag, burlesque, performance art, and more. Online guests are encouraged to keep their cameras and mics on so they can interact with one another and the performers throughout their time online.