GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN

tasty places to take your bike

As an avid reader of Rider Magazine, one of my favorite columns was Clement Salvadori’s “Road Tales.” The beret-wearing author has retired, but his columns inspired me to try my hand at writing. In several of his columns, he mentioned the Miss Florence Diner in Northampton, Massachusetts as one of his local hang outs back in the 1960s and 1970s. Recently, I decided that breakfast at the Miss Florence Diner would be a great way to start the day of riding. Maybe I could pick up some inspiration from Clem. Waiting for the light at Maple and Main, I looked around. The village of Florence has adapted and changed over the years but it would still be recognizable to an old timer like Clem. The gas station on the corner has been bulldozed and a law of ce is there now but Bird’s Store, across the street, is still in business. Roger’s Bicycle shop has been Pizza Factory for many years but Full Circle Bicycles is a few doors down where MurDuff’s Jewelry used to be. MurDuff’s is still there, across the street. At the other end of the village, Friendly’s still dishes out their ice cream and Coopers Corner still sells local fruits and veggies. Above it all is the iconic Miss Florence Diner sign. The “Miss Flo”, with its bright yellow enameled siding, has been on the north side of Main Street since 1941. It was built by the Worcester Lunch Car company in Worcester, Massachusetts. They turned out 651 of these prefabricated diners before shutting down in 1957. Most of them ended up in New England due to transportation costs. This diner has a factory added addition to the right side, providing a couple of extra booths and a unique L-shaped appearance. Both the diner and the addition have a barrel style roof as does the brick lined entry. The interior looks much as it did when it was new. The wooden ceiling and walls have a timeless appearance. The original countertop wore out and has been replaced with granite. The booths each have their own jukebox. The music has been updated over the years with Adele and Imagine Dragons sharing space with Bob Dylan and CCR. There are even a couple of jukeboxes at the counter. Being an old-school retro-cool diner, the booths are a little tight for four people and the stools seem to be just a little bit too close to the counter. But then, the building was designed to t on a railroad car for shipping. The wooden ceiling and walls are offset nicely with the shiny

stainless-steel coolers and xtures across the back. Around the corner, in the addition, the old-school glass block windows make the space feel bigger than it is. The menu continues the retro vibe. Don’t look for any new-age avocado toast: this place keeps it traditional. My breakfast was eggs, over easy, with sausage, toast and coffee. It came quickly, exactly as ordered without even a pretentious sprig of parsley. It was perfect. The retro vibe continued through to the check, where, even with the tip, it came in under $10.00. The regulars at the counter bantered with each other as you would expect. One customer went behind the counter to re ll his coffee and asked if mine was OK as well. Today’s conversation seamlessly switched from the Red Sox to local politics, as it would have 50 years ago. Naturally, after a good breakfast, it’s time for a ride. South is the city of Spring eld, home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Spring eld Armory and the Indian Motorcycle Museum. East takes you to central Massachusetts and the ne riding around Quabbin Reservoir. Thirty minutes north puts you into Vermont

or New Hampshire. Heading west will take you to the hills of the Berkshires and miles of good riding and that’s where I’m headed. The Miss Florence Diner has been here for 80 years and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic places. 80 years from now I imagine the conversation will be a continuation of the one this morning. Sorry Clem, I didn’t seem to absorb much inspiration from you on this visit so I’ll have to come again. Maybe with a beret. ~ Dan Bisbee ,