How can I miss you when you never let me in?

For the last thirty-something years that I've been cruising up and down wonderfully-tacky Route 1, the iconic giant wiener in front of Karl's Sausage Kitchen had been taunting me. It constantly flashed an open for business sign, yet the metal grates over the front door and windows ALWAYS seemed to be locked shut. For years, I just wanted a peek inside this mysterious store to prove that it wasn't the all male counterpart of Route 1 mainstays The Golden Banana and The Cabaret.

Like the Palace/Bahama Beach Club, and pool at the Carriage House Motel before you, you spurred much intrigue, but escaped Route 1 without a single visit from me. Now you're gone Karl, moved off of to Peabody's Bourbon Street (which btw does not live up to its namesake in New Orleans) and I'm left to wonder how the hell you have not only stayed in business since 1958, but now managed to expand seemingly without ever being open during normal retail hours.

Your neon wiener sign is now gone and as is my piqued interest. I am moving on and devoting my traffic-filled commute trying to solve Route 1's other mysteries, like: is the "Free HBO" sign actually luring in guests to stay at The Ferns motel?

Comments

Remembering Jeremiah

Posted: Thursday, October 15, 2015 I always looked forward to Columbus Day as a kid. It reminded me of the year, 1984 to be exact, that I won first prize in the citywide poster contest. I drew a pretty impressive rendition of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. I was so proud of the blue ribbon that was tacked onto the poster and that it was displayed along with other winning drawings in the foyer of Lynn City Hall. But, I was even prouder that I was able to draw a small picture of my cat Fifi on the deck of one of the boats (I believe it was the Pinta) without anyone noticing. As I grew older, I simply looked forward to the day off from school and the adventures the long weekend would bring — a trip to the Topsfield Fair or a final trip of the season to Cape Cod. And as an adult, my outlook on the holiday changed because it marked a somber occasion — the passing of my grandfather Jeremiah. Today, Oct. 15, marks the 13th anniversary of his death. For the first 10 year...

A column I didn't want to write

I took a couple of weeks off from writing my column in December. I wish I could say that I spent that time sunning myself on a tropical island, but really I was concentrating on penning something I had never written before: a eulogy. Since I started at The Item six months ago, rarely has a week gone by that an overdose hasn’t been listed in the police log or that a young person who “died suddenly” or was “stricken at home” has not appeared on the obituaries page. Sadly, it also is rare that the names and faces featured in those obituaries are unfamiliar to me. Childhood friends, former classmates, relatives of friends, and other acquaintances have graced page A2 in recent months, after succumbing to fatal drug overdoses. While rarely revealed within the copy of the obituary, the drug that cut their young lives short is heroin. But even with those dozens of familiar names I’ve seen in print and the numerous stories Item staff has written on the epidemic tearing throu...

Picking the Hostess with the mostest

There is no need to wait for the Topsfield Fair to open this fall: Hostess is selling deep-fried Twinkies in the frozen food aisle through an exclusive partnership with Wal-Mart. The prepackaged, frozen Hostess treats, a sweet staple at carnivals and fairs, debuted yesterday at some of its stores and will go nationwide on Monday. I went to the Wal-Mart on the Lynnway on Friday in search of the ready-to-heat delicacies, which are available in two flavors, original golden and chocolate. But I came up empty. Unfortunately, they won’t be available locally until next week. The grand visions I had of popping the frozen crème -filled snacks into the office toaster oven and providing a full review, breaking my diet, for the sake of the story, of course, will have to wait. But I did pick up a basket full of other Hostess products for the staff to tide us over until next week. The gesture sparked a heated newsroom debate: Which Hostess treat reigns suprem...

And that's when things got weird

Search This Blog