Walkin' Around Checkin' Stuff Out. #69

Feb 16, 2025

The Convention Grill took longer than most restaurants to return after the pandemic, but I’m just glad they’re back, and they didn’t ruin the old-school vibe by trying to update or modernize the place...the stools are still at the grill counter and it feels like you are traveling back in time to the 1940’s. Get the chicken noodle soup.

Old school motels.

Every city has, or had them...main drags where large numbers of cheap motels lured travelers. Mostly gone in bigger cities but still alive (and sometimes well) in smaller towns...a few are starting to get fixed-up and turned into trendy hipster lodging. That’s not the case on this strip in Hot Springs.

Canteen Lunch.

‘Canteen Lunch in the Alley’ is its official name, I guess maybe there’s another Canteen Lunch out there and they needed to differentiate. Actually, they could update the name to ‘Canteen Lunch in the Alley with a Parking Ramp Built Around It’ and that would be more the truth and tells a bit of the story of how this icon of a business serving loose-meat sandwiches managed to not get replaced by a parking ramp, they still built the ramp, they just built around the Canteen. Wise call. This is the kind of place we plan road trips around...nothing better than grabbing a stool and eavesdropping on the locals while eating a sandwich (or 3) served on yellow tissue paper.

Van Life.

Actually, it’s kind of more like “homemade wood shed on an old pickup life”. I’ve seen the fancy vans...those Mercedes Benz vans that are rolling motel rooms. Nope...this is van-life. That sucker has a wood burning stove inside of it. That’s bold. I didn’t see the guy driving it, but I guarentee you he’s about 70, has a beard, a flannel shirt, been on the road way before van-life was a trend, and has zero time for kids driving their influencer Instagram studio’s on wheels.

Fair Warning.

I like how decaf coffee pots are bright orange. That’s a public service I can get behind. I like how it’s a warning for liquid that contains a drugs that can make you jittery, irritated, and keep you up all night. ”Watch out!!!...No fun!” Non-alcoholic beers should also be labeled accordingly.

Indy!

I love dogs and I draw a lot of them. If someone donates to a pet rescue I will draw their dog. Lots of money goes to a good cause each year. That’s a win, win, win, win.