[Alumni-chat] Antiochiana! -- The location of the "68 Cafe!":in Yell

[john_hevelin (bwotte at rexx.com)]

I remember the 68 Grill firsthand — my father used to take me there to eat in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  I don't recall if it was frequented by tough truckers or not.  I do remember a light and airy eatery where I had cheeseburgers and milkshakes and cherry pie in a booth with my dad.  I distinctly remember the slice of pickle on the plate with the cheeseburger, although I don't eat pickles.  It gave me a lifelong love of highway diners, which had an ambiance that MacDonald's and Howard Johnson's were never able to capture.

Another favorite place to eat was the lunch counter attached to Erbaugh's Drug Store.  You could eat in a booth or sit on a stool at the counter.  Same fare as the 68 Grill — cheeseburgers, milkshakes, pie.  I liked the food better than the place that's there now.  It was homey, comfortable place.

My dad also used to take me to the Trail Tavern, but I don't remember much about eating there.  It seemed like a very mysterious place when I was there as a child, although it seemed pretty innocuous when I ate there as a student in the late 1960s.  Is it really a biker hangout now, or is the sign about checking your firearms just bragadoccio?

John Hevelin '68