The world’s most elegant McDonald’s that looks like ‘a 5-star hotel’ has just reopened
Not your average fast food joint (Picture: McDonald’s)
From Metro.co.uk,: You can enjoy your fast food in a fine dining setting at this McDonald’s, which has been dubbed the world’s most beautiful and compared to a swanky hotel.
The chain’s Nyugati Railway Station restaurant in Budapest, Hungary, has just reopened after an eight-month refurbishment, and it’s unlike anywhere you’ve ever seen Big Macs on the menu before.
How Black Americans in the South Boldly Defied Jim Crow to Build Business Empires of Their Own
The Hippodrome Theater today. Saage
From Smithsonian Magazine: On a cool March afternoon in 1906, Maggie Lena Walker stood before the leading Black men of Richmond, Virginia, and dared them to tame a beast.
“My friends, there is a lion terrorizing us, preying upon us, and upon every business effort which we put forth,” she said. “The name of this insatiable lion is prejudice.”
Walker’s voice boomed on the final word. An enterprising woman, the 41-year-old had grown a small fraternal society, the Independent Order of St. Luke, into one of the most prominent in the nation, with a membership of 20,000 people. She had also opened a department store, the St. Luke Emporium, in downtown Richmond, as well as a bank, the St. Luke Penny Savings, which was the first in the nation chartered by a Black woman.
Meet The Woman Turning Faded California Properties Into Luxury Getaways
Founded by Kimberly Walker, Nomada Hotel Group finds California properties in need of a refresh. NOMADA HOTEL GROUP
From Forbes: Kimberly Walker has a keen eye for California style. She grew up in Ontario, in SoCal’s Inland Empire, and has a knack for seeing the potential in overlooked places. Walker turned that vision into a career, transforming derelict properties along California’s Central Coast into a series of popular boutique hotels, each with a story that nods to the area’s history and mystique. Her company, Nomada Hotel Group, includes everything from the refurbished Skyview roadside motel in Los Alamos, and the brand new River Lodge in Paso Robles, to a luxury catamaran cruising the British Virgin Islands.
Why There’s Nothing Better Than An Old-Fashioned Roadside Store
From Southern Living: Back in the day, when Southerners embarked on family road trips down to the beach or over to visit distant relatives, they’d do so five-deep in a station wagon and without all of the distractions we’ve become accustomed to today—things like podcasts, Spotify playlists, and movies on a tablet. Instead, they’d look forward to the point midway through the drive that the car would pull off the highway with the promise of the ultimate entertainment: a visit to the roadside store. There, you’d stock up on sweet Southern delicacies such as pecan logs, peanut patties, homemade ice cream, and fudge, as well as peruse aisles filled with eclectic items like wooden peg games, souvenirs, cheese straws, and pickled goods.
The lore of ‘the palm and pine.’ Why two distinct trees in central California are coming down
The Pine and the Palm have stood tall in Madera for nearly a century. No one knows when, how — or why — they were planted along the historic route. (Esther Quintanilla/KVPR)
From KVPR: MADERA, Calif. – Highway 99 is no stranger to iconic roadside landmarks.
There’s Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, the giant box of Halo mandarins in Delano, the silhouettes of runners on a highway overpass in McFarland, and – unveiled just recently – the Merced mammoths.
Lesser known – but perhaps more mysterious – is a pair of trees between Fresno and Madera sometimes referred to as “the palm and the pine.” They’ve stood firm for nearly a century in the highway median just south of Madera.
Though their exact origin is unknown, many believe the trees represent the midpoint of the state – the pine facing the north, and the palm to the south. Thousands of cars, semi trucks and freight trains pass by each day. While most drivers likely don’t notice the site, some seek it out and even say it conjures a feeling of home.
But the trees won’t be here for much longer.
Superdawg’s Iconic Hot Dog Figures Removed — But They’ll Be Back
Superdawg mascot Flaurie was removed Sept. 4, 2024 in order to be refurbished. Credit: Twitter/Superdawg
From Block Club Chicago: NORWOOD PARK — Maurie and Flaurie, the hot dog figurines that have graced Superdawg’s rooftop for 76 years, are on a spa vacation.
When fans of the popular hot dog joint noticed the couple missing from their Northwest Side perch overlooking Milwaukee and Devon avenues, the drive-in’s owners posted on social media that Maurie and Flaurie were removed temporarily Wednesday and are merely taking a vacation to a “SuperSpa.”