Historic Harrisburg diner ready to reopen as ice cream cafe in Cumberland County
The Silver Side Cafe & Creamery
From Penn Live: A historic diner, once a mainstay along Cameron Street in Harrisburg, is about to reopen with a sweet menu and new focus and name.
Blue Whale Visitor Center neon sign lights up Catoosa skyline
From Newson6: CATOOSA, Okla. – A brand-new neon sign is now shining above the Blue Whale of Catoosa as construction continues on the attraction’s new Visitor Center. City leaders say the sign represents another major step in preserving the iconic Route 66 landmark and creating a new gathering space for visitors and residents.
New Visitor Center takes shape
The Visitor Center, still under construction, will include a gift shop, historical artwork and photos, food options and an event space once completed. The project is designed to celebrate the history of the Blue Whale while creating a destination for Route 66 travelers visiting Catoosa.
Route 66 Turns 100—How It Defined The American Road Trip
Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 as part of the country’s first numbered highway system. This map of the United States shows Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica and the states it passes through. Getty
From Forbes: Route 66 will turn 100 years old in November. The 2,400-mile corridor from Chicago to Santa Monica is no longer a primary highway or the recreational journey it once was, but it lives on today in the minds of many as a cultural and historical journey into America’s past.
The rise and fall of Route 66 left an imprint on many Americans who drove it, but also the towns it passed through. What it gave to the towns at the start, it often took away in the end, highlighting the fragility of tourism-based economies.
As the route celebrates its centennial this year with myriad events, films and caravans, let’s get caught up on how Route 66 came to be, what it left behind and what remains today.
Historic Dixie Cup being taken down from factory in Lehigh Valley
Iconic Dixie Cup coming down Thursday
From 6 ABC Action News: WILSON BOROUGH, Pa. (WPVI) — A historic piece of nostalgia is being removed from a shuttered factory in the Lehigh Valley Thursday.
The iconic, 50,000 gallon Dixie Cup will be taken down from the rooftop of the Dixie Cup Factory in Wilson Borough, Northampton County.
The factory is a landmark in the area since it opened back in 1921. The facility produced dixie cups until the early 1980’s, when it closed and has been vacant ever since.
The entrance of the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe inside Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
From SF Gate: Growing up in Orange County in the mid-1980s, I was mesmerized by the grandeur of Nordstrom. The South Coast Plaza department store not only held the brands I coveted, like Guess and Esprit, but it had a freaking restaurant inside of it. I’ll never forget shopping for my first prom dress with my mom, then hitting the top floor for iced tea and turkey clubs. How grown-up.
When I became a mom, I found myself returning to the Marketplace Cafe, this time in the Bay Area. I’d push my son’s stroller down Broadway in the relentless Walnut Creek heat, thankful for the large patio overlooking Mount Diablo, where we’d linger with other moms and tykes.
Nipper, stay! The future of a beloved dog statue on a New York warehouse is up in the air
The 28-foot statue of the famous RCA dog listening to a phonograph has become a local icon in Albany. And the mayor is working to add Nipper to a list of the city’s landmarks. AP: Michael Hill, Ted Shaffrey
From the AP: ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Albany loves its giant dog statue.
Nipper, a 28-foot (9-meter) tall white dog with black ears has sat conspicuously atop a warehouse for almost seven decades — recreating the famous image of a terrier listening attentively to a phonograph that was long used by electronics and communications company RCA.
Over time, the statue has grown into a source of local pride around this city on the Hudson River. Parents point it out to their kids from the highway. Nipper’s image, with his head cocked to one side, appears on items like key chains, ball caps and hoodies.
“When I think of Nipper, I think of Albany. When I think of Albany, I think of Nipper,” said Cody Hitt, who was out with friends recently at a bar right by the statue.