US Route 1

With Dan Ray. I'm going Boston's.

I really love doing a four hour show because I get a chance to rotate through three or four different guests. I've already had two tonight, and now this is my third. A woman I've interviewed on a couple of occasions in the past. She's the one who wrote that book on candlepin bowling, a mainstay in New England. She and I were supposed to have a bowl off challenge. It never got off the ground, but trust me, you're lucky. You

Okay, I'm ready.

I want to hear your knees knocking from fear. The voice you hear in the background is Susan Brigman, and she's written a number of books, is working on a third, which we're going to touch upon this hour. But the reason that I have for now is to talk about Route one. So tell people the titles of both of your books and put a little spotlight on Root one.

Sure, Hi, I'm Morgan, happy to be here tonight. I've actually written three books. My first book was called New England Neon, and then the second was New England Candlepin Bowling. And the third, which we're going to talk about tonight, is called a Long Route one Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Okay, And there's a fourth one you want to four.

The fourth one is in the works, and it's called New England Sweets, and it's about candy and cookies and cake and whoopee pies and ice cream and just all all the confections from all six New England states.

Well, the Wallely Coppar better be mentioned in this somewhere.

I've been researching the Wallycope bar, and in fact, I think I'm going to be able to talk to someone from the FB Washburn company pretty soon.

Good because that bar, now I'm basing it on my memory, that bar was better than the carparable Mounds bar. You think of a chocolate and coconut combination bar, wallyco put Mounds to shame.

Well, there are quite a few chocolate and coconut candies in New England. It's really interesting.

You have the Palty Bar from England.

Mm hmm, and the Needum Candy in Maine, which is actually potatoes and coconut covered in chocolate, which is better than it sounds it's actually quite good. You don't taste you don't taste the potato, okay. And yeah, and Peter Paul, you know, was in Connecticut.

Well, let's talk about Root one. We'll get back to Candy in a minute. But there are so many places on Root one that aren't there anymore. And Prime in my memory, the hilltop, you don't even see the cows anymore.

Oh, I know, the cows have been scattered, right, you see the cactus sort of, Yeah, the cactus has been changed. They took away the neon. They replaced it with led, just like they did with the Hancock weather lights. I hears, yeah, I just heard that. And you know, they replaced Frank Jeffrida's name with the name of the developer. And it doesn't say Steakhous anymore. It has the name of names of the tenants and the development there. So it's there, but it's it's different, you.

Know, it's not the world in which we grew up.

It's not it's not.

It's true. It's true.

Thank you for books like yours to at least keep the memory alive, so to speak.

Well, that's what I like to do. I think it's really important because these things, these things matter to people, These things bring back memories for people, and everything is getting homogenized, you know. So we also have the orange Dinosaur on Root one.

I was about to bring that up.

Yeah, And he sort of has a similar situation to the Hilltop, right, I mean, he was part of a miniature golf course. There were multiple there was a big green dinosaur there, there were other animals there, and they saved the dinosaur, the orange dinosaur. But he's all by himself, you know.

I remember before he got the Tonight Show and he was on the circuit that was a routine. His jokes were based around the orange dinosaur, and some of the joke I can't do because it was r rated and I'd try not to do that material. But that's a part of our psyche. Yeah, Arch Dinosaur turning off to ninety nine.

Absolutely, it's a landmark.

So what inspired you to write a book about Route one?

Well, I have my own memories of Root one. A lot of them are centered around the Hilltop and Old Orchard Beach was, which isn't quite on Root one, but close enough, and it kind of fit with the vibe of my other books with candlepin bowling with New England Neon. These are all things that are you know, a little nostalgic.

See you soon at the Kowloon, I know.

And what's going to happen to the Kowloon?

You know the fact that people just won't leave our landmarks, are loving landmarks alone, makes you want to just grab a pitch fork and a sign to go out there and say stop enough development, leave what is left alone, you know.

And what's interesting is in the book I quote Bernice Abbott, who was a great photographer, and she traveled the entire length of Route one in nineteen fifty four, so seventy is years ago, and all the way down to Florida all the way up to Maine, and she took like twenty four hundred photographs and she said the same thing seventy years ago. She said, these things are disappearing, and she wanted to document them before they disappeared. And that was seventy years ago. It's still happening today.

No more. Christmas Tree Shop.

And Christmas Tree Shop replaced the Ship restaurant.

Yes, and my buddy Phil Castanetti has had three different locations on each side of Root One for his Sports World shop right there. And at least Phil is trying to cling to a Root one address. He could have just packed up and just slunk away and rebuilt somewhere else.

Yeah, and that's what happened to some of these other businesses. Right Carl's Sausage House that was on Root one and now it's off Root one. It's still around, but it's not on Root one anymore. Yeah.

Pole Carries had a Root one location. M Pole Carries from North Station, and I don't think they'll location exists anymore, or Route one.

I think I've driven by it. I just don't know if it's open, right. Yeah.

And I used to entertain at Stars on Route one once a month. I hear you. What's your Dodgy's name?

Kodak like the camera?

Hi, Kodak, Kodak.

Sit oh yeah, sit dream on. No, let me try this Kodak speak there you go, Yeah, Kodak. Protect me from my downstairs neighbor who just opened the door. Yeah, tell you what.

Let me take my break. Invite phone traffic anyone out there who wants to call and talk about a missed Route one location. Some of the ones we've already mentioned, there are many that we haven't mentioned. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty, eight, eight, eight, nine, nine, ten thirty If indeed you want to call in and share a memory about something on Route one north of Boston all the way up.

To Maine, all the way up to Maine, so your phone traffic is requested here on Nightside.

Susan Bregman is my guest, and she and I shall return after a few messages here on Nightside, heard only on WBZ Time and temperature ten fifteen and when I'm sixty four degrees.

Now back to Dan Ray live from the window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.

Susan Bregman is my guest, and Susan, you have filled my phone lines. I haven't had full lines all night. I've had phone traffic, but I've not had full lines all night long until you, young lady.

Well, people love root one they do.

And let's go to Stoneham first and speak to Teresa. Yeah, Teresa.

Well, Hi, thank you Morgan high Susan, thanks for having me, thank you for calling Hi, thank you. Do you remember the restaurant Augustine's.

On Route one?

Yes?

I do, yes, yes, I love that restaurant.

It was so good.

With the salad bar and they had the dessert bar.

And Susan, are you old enough to remember Augustine's.

I don't know that I was living here then? When when was it open?

I remember eating in the sixties.

Okay, and that was a little before I moved here. But okay, so a little bit of time.

Nineties yeah, maybe the high eighties, early nineties. I'm sixty, so I don't know. I wasn't I remember where Jimmy Steerhouse is right now? You know Jimmy Steerhouse.

Okay, one town, Morgan.

Was that Sagas?

I think it was saugust Saga?

Yeah, okay, okay.

Okay, oh right, Thank you.

I just wanted to bring that good memory up.

Thanks, thank you for sharing. Thank you one open line six five four ten thirty or eight eight, eight nine, nineteen thirty. And now let's go to Austin and speak with Mark. Mark.

Oh, good evening, Morgan, longtime no talk. Do you remember when I was working in the Mass Department of Revenue as audit division librarian and mail carrier during the period nineteen ninety nine to two thousand and two, one of my bosses was generous enough to take us all out to the Cowloon restaurant I think was called on One. I don't know whether it's still in existence. Oh it is, that's resure.

It is teetering.

Let me say it that way there for now. The the the current the current owners have shared plans for redeveloping the property and maybe they say they'll keep us. I think smaller version of the restaurant is what they're saying. But I don't know how.

They have a huge spread and somebody has talked them into considering and I use that word carefully, uh, blocking off some of their space for a condo.

I am I not surprised. Uh. There was a nice miniature golf course at Anantasket Beach that unfortunately a condover bought it all up. It's still is the bowl, but it's not an operation anymore. It pays paradise put up a parking lot. Joni Mitchell also cover version by counting crows. I'm a little hardened to this, having an m b A and all that. But I guess the other thing is that these days I'm strictly an MBTA and occasional

Yeah, probably to you know, pebody that part of the world from Haymarket. Yeah, and I'm sure there's a way to do it if.

You Yeah, it's hard. Where the narrative uterrailop would be.

If anyone out there knows how to get from Boston proper up root one using a public transportation bus or tram or what have you, give us a call and cheer that knowledge, because.

Actually has a travel information line which is usually reliable.

Right, So yeah, I think it's just complicated. I think it's doable, and it's probably takes a long time.

Yeah, anyway, I'm supposed to eat more at home to save money.

Well, if you decide that, you're telling me you will lead you up root. One, there is still to get a bite to eat.

Plenty of place, yeah.

And for one, I don't think there is a Calories at Revere Beach anymore. That's my favorite summer place to hang out and show out.

You and the seagulls fighting for space.

Actually it's a good joke, but in practice, you know that the seagulls is uh, it's it's it's it's a very popular destiny.

Right, if you've got the guts, excuse me, intestinal fortitude to sit on the benches across from Kelly's, trust me. The seagulls a scavengers and they know that if you sit down with a bag this food there and add that process to the seagulls and the tourists who sit down there. Me, I drive there, order my food, and then I sit in my car.

I mean, there are plenty of good, relatively inexpensive places in and near Revere Beach.

I agree.

And you can sit under the warning and there's actually a new hotel where you can get a very nice fruit cup for nine including tip for you know, strawberries, and blueberries and whipped cream and Mark.

And on that note, I want to try to get one more on before I have to do news. So thank you for the call.

Okay, thanks, thank you.

So some breakman is here. I have Marcut's on the line that's now available six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty and Diane and Maldon you were next here on nights Side.

Diane there said in the beginning, I caught your show a little bit late, but I remember when I was young, there was a farm stand on Root one sells I don't remember if it was Top Seals or or Danvers, and they used to sell pumpkins, like around Halloween time, and there was like a little shack that you could go in to pay for it, and they also had like the honeycomb and the jar and jars of mint jelly and apple butter and stuff. And really missed that places.

Yeah, it might have been before my time on Route one. It sounds like a nice thought.

It was.

It really was great.

And then of course Russo's Candy and ice cream that was lying Route one and lynn Fell's way, and they sold out to Krispy Kreme and moved to further down Lyndfell's Parkway and now they're they retired and oh yeah.

The Boston area with four or five locations and they were all gone.

M hm.

Yeah.

Well, you know, they thought that they could compete with Dunkin Donuts, and because dunkin Donuts was like right next door, had built a place right next.

Door to Russo's.

And I was like, well that takes some intestinal fortitude, yes, because you're not going to Their coffee was lousy compared to Dunkin Donuts, and maybe their donuts were good, but they were only good when they were hot.

So very true.

It's like, yeah, there there was.

No way that they were going to survive and dunkin Donuts land.

I'm going to tell you a real quick story, and this goes back twenty five years for me. A friend of mine took me to a Krispy Kreme in Vegas and I fell in love with their cream filled Krispy Kreme donuts and I had never had warm donuts before. Duncan didn't do that. When I got home, I had her FedEx me a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. And when they first opened up around here, I said, oh boy, I'm happy, but it just didn't have the same feel

Yeah. Yeah, I remember the one in Compley Place, right, I mean you could kind of watch the donuts on the conveyor belt. Yeah, I have that memory. Yeah, I think that.

One in Medford before before Kelly's. Yeah, okay, but I have one question. I don't know if you remember when I was little, I could have sworn that hilltop at one point had live cows in front, not the plastic ones, but live cows for like a promotion or something.

They may have done it once for a promotion, but they always were.

They were char plastic plastic.

Yeah.

Yeah, all right, Diana, I gotta take a news hit.

Thanks, great night, Thank.

You, and Lyndon Weymouth wait to the news and we will get to YouTube. Here on night Side for a time. Ten thirty temperature sixty four degrees.

You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.

Welcome back from the news, everybody. Susan brad Minutes my guest, and I'm going to take a phone call. Then shift gears lightly. Susan to talk about candies, which is a new book you're working on.

So well, sweets but yes.

Sweets Linda and Weymouth.

Hello, Hi Linda.

Hi. Uh, I'm down here on the south Shore. And I remember he'll no, no, I wrote it down Uh the tell House.

Yes, somebody mentioned toll House earlier.

Yeah it was Whitman. Yes, yeah, yeah, I miss it. I go down there, Pilly freak up and on, and I miss it. I look for it and I see what's there, and I you know, I look for it. I don't know why. But and also Samplers down.

There, okay, okay?

Which what is?

What is that?

Staplers a debrig store?

Oh okay?

And what community?

I think it's same, same Whitman area.

Okay, but we're talking, okay. And I know Whitmen well because I used to entertain down.

There restaurant up in New Hampshire and moved to New Hampshire. The original I think is that still there?

Well? The original ninety nine was on Portland Street, just off the Government Center.

Oh okay, that's the.

Original ninety nine restaurant.

I thought the original one was in Charlestown. No, that wasn't the original.

No, the one on Portland Street because that's how they got its address ninety nine. I think Portland ninety nine Portland and I used to entertain at mcgwigan's Pub in Whitman. But we're kind of talking about Route one.

I thought you were talking about items that have disappeared.

Well, Dad, we're talking about items that have disappeared, but disappeared from being located on Route one. But all's fair and love and discussions, okay.

And I I heard the advertisement about the trying to keep the AM radios in the TV yes in the car, and I hope people are doing that.

I hope so too, because I'm a huge you can tell I'm working on AM right now as we speak, and I'm a huge proponent of being able to get into vehicle, any car, turning on the radio and being able to go up and down the dial getting AM radio stations.

I'm out off the air. Can I leave my number and SILD somebody get back to me about whether the ninety nine up in New Hampshire is still there?

Tell you what. Anybody who wants to call in and help Linda answer that question, call in if you know if the ninety nine restaurant still has a location in New Hampshire. We'll do it that way, so you keep listening.

Linda, I do enjoy your evening.

Thank you very much.

Let go, thank you, bye bye.

Okay, there goes Linda. And before we take our next call, let's talk about sweets. What inspired you to write a book about cookies and candies and whatnot?

Well, you know, I was spending a lot of time in Maine for the Route one book and Right of Maine, okay, and I was thinking, oh, maybe I'll write a book about five seemed too specific. New England, Sweet and the all right, all.

Right, hold on, Susan, you're breaking up. I don't know if it's are you on a landline or a cell phone.

I'm on a landline.

Okay, so that shouldn't be happening.

Well better now, now, a little bit, a little bit, I can find a different to suit. Okay, Okay, how is this better? This is where I was before?

All right, let's keep going.

Well, let's keep doing that. There's gonna be a dog dog interlude. Sorry, and there's really New England has this really really rich history in sweets and candy, especially Cambridge. Cambridge used to be known as Confectioner's Row part of Cambridge on main Street by mass Ave where necho.

Is Company m h.

And yeah, and the building is still there on mass Ave. It belongs to Novartis now And but that whole part of main Street had there were dozens of candy companies there in the mid twentieth century, and right now there's one. There's one, and it's owned by Tutsi Roll and that's where they make Junior Mint. And that's where they make Charleston Choose.

Smack it crack at Charleston and Bonmo Turkish staffy both used that phrase.

But Bonamo is not a New England one. No, no, but yeah, I remember Bonamo turkishtaffy growing up, but not here, I mean not growing up here.

Where did you grow up?

By the way, New York, suburban New York?

And I let you with me.

I know it's shocking, isn't it. I hide it so well, I try so well. I know, I know, it's just it's just, you know, you try to fit in and what yeah, you know, it just comes out in the end.

Oh oh oh, it's Bonamo candy. That was the jingle they used to use. But I'm old, so.

While well, how do you think it?

While Walcollico? They had a jingle too, right, something about look both ways before you cross the street.

Yes, very good. Now for someone who was younger than me, how do you recall that?

I don't recall it. I looked it up.

Oh all right, it's cheating.

Oh come on, I'm a researcher.

Okay, I'll allow my job. I'll allow it, and we'll tell you what. Let me see if I can get a call on before you have to take another break, because you're still garnering phone calls for me. So, Mike and Newton, you've got Susan Brigman, the New Yorker.

Oh yeah, yeah, I'm a I'm a die Herd New Yorker from Upstay, New York myself. But just talk about the ninety nine restaurant. It's it's in Charlestown. It's not the ninety nine. I think it's a ninety five restaurant. Remember when four guys got whacked back in eighty five.

Yep, I remember that?

Yeh remember that? Yeah, So it's the ninety.

Restaurant. Wasn't it King something or other? No? No, no, I'm thinking that was.

The motel in Chelsea.

Yeah, I'm thinking that you different.

Yeah, how did I remember that?

Good Greece?

But you don't remember the ninety nine restaurant in Charleston right there by them all?

Did?

Well?

Yes I do.

Yeah.

So it's so it's a ninety pie now.

So you're being funny. I get it. I know.

Sweet though, So Fig Newton's you know, since you're from Newton are named after Newton.

I wanted to write the letter of complaint to the people that do Big Bang because they made a reference in one of their shows about the Fig Newton coming from a town in Massachusetts, and Newton is a city city. And yeah, next hour, I've got my buddy, Lieutenant Brusa Poskar coming on and we'll we'll talk about that point a little bit further. Mike, is there anything else you wanted to do other than tell bad jokes?

No? Well, no, I have something serious that there's your your host, no where they are your guests know where the potato chip was invented.

Where it was invented.

Potato chips, I do not. The potato chip was invented in Saratoga Springs, New York, on the lake on Saratoga Lake at a hotel years ago. If you'll look it up, it's true there was a hotel gentleman who was the or I know it wasn't a putt. It was down it was on the Saratoga Lake. It's probably not even there anymore. But somebody was eating dinner and he kept complaining about the potatoes being too wide. So the chef kept cutting them and cutting them and cutting it, and

A long time ago.

Mike, another idea.

Yeah, that would be maybe in her next next book. All right, Mike, thank you for the callet.

Thank you. Yeah, I enjoy your show.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Thank you.

I like it when we get a specific subject and people decide, Oh, let me go off subject. We're talking about Route one north of Boston. Oh, let's talk about Whitman. We're talking about cookies and candies. Oh, let's talk about the potato chip.

But in fairness, Whitman is relevant to the cookies. Yes, because the toll House cookie.

Well, now that we's got that settled, let me take my laugh break. I have another call. You have been very good for phone traffic excellent. You have been very good. Oh maybe they love your doggy in the background.

Maybe maybe he'll be he's a breakout star. What can I say?

Let's take the break Rob if you're readny time and temperature ten forty five sixty four degrees.

Now back to Dan Way Live from the window World Life Sense Studios on WBZ News Radio.

All right, we have ten forty nine on the old clock up there on my wall. If you would like to be a part of the show, there's still time for you for this hour and next hour six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty, eight eight, eight, nine, two, nine, ten thirty Did I say five thirty? Anyway? Steve and Dorchester, thank you for taking the time to call. Welcome aboard.

Hi Morgan, thank you for taking my call. Just want to say sorry. I was watching the Patriots game and then I thought, oh my god, Morgan's on this week, but I caught the end. I'm happy you're still talking about you know, Route one And did anybody what I've heard so far? Anybody bring up Valley Steakhouse? Does anybody remember Valley Steakhouse?

I remember that was nine.

No valleys? You had you know.

There are multiples, you know, there was one.

There was one in plan Stein, and there was one in Route One, you know, after the steakhouse. Yeah, does anybody remember.

That on the same side of the road as Hilltop?

Same side, No, same side at Hilltop. So you slid down. And because I remember taking who became my wife? You know, since that's away, I'm sorry to say that, but we were, you know, if that was booked, you know through city can you know, like an hour win we would go. We would go to Valley Steakhouse, which was right down next to almost like close to the Hilltop, Okay, And then they had a place in Braintree, but I forget where the place in Braintree was place. Yeah, and then

Back in the early eighties, I worked, I worked everywhere, but I worked for two years at WHDH and I would come home after doing a midnight to five shift and there was a Valley's en route nine. I lived about literally a couple of miles up from there, and I could stop in there for breakfast. They had an early morning breakfast. I think they started at six, So if I left HGH, did some post radio stuff, then went downstairs, grabbed the car, and off I came home.

I don't know whether this one did the same thing, because you know, I think they were trying to compete, you know, with the Hilltop, but it was right down the hill. After you passed the Hilltop, they were kind of a little bit on the right hand side. So if you know, maybe some college remember on Valley.

Is that where Cobytown is now?

You know what, I haven't been up that way, you know. I mean back then, it was a big deal to go, you know, to the hilltop. So pretty cousin said, hey, you know what, and would go upstairs and wait forever. You know, it was in the heyday when it was the big deal. You know, all my food my friends would pack in a car. Who was driving wasn't you know, and it was really good. The huge salad you would get at there.

But I don't know why they went bust at one time.

Then one of them, there's the busiest restaurant in the United.

States, United States.

Oh my god, it was the best wood Wait forever and.

Ever keep it going.

It was outside.

Yeah, it was after Frank Tafrida sold it and you know, ownership changes and then.

And then then they had the big butcher shop in the back.

They just built after a lot of people just went to the butcher shop, didn't go to the restaurant, went to the butcher shop and bought their meats and took them home.

And that's why you couldn't find a place to park, you know, when you're packing in the town. You couldn't find anyway to park anywhere.

Nothing, you know, And it.

Was just it was great in the heyday back then. And then if you couldn't get into the hilltop your foot down to Valley's, yeah, there was, and there was one in Brancheet, and there was one in Targust. So if anybody he has this, if they remember Valley's and Targets.

Harry Hopkins once saying, those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end.

Oh, my god, who thought the Hilltop would clothes like everything else? All right, Morgan is always a pleasure listening to you. Wame Oh the Patriots said seventeen to three. You know, so it was a good game. And how did Jacobe look? Well, everybody you know, different quantbacks. You know, he pass everybody, so everybody was.

In you know.

So I'm letting you take other calls. Have a good evening, and I love your show.

All right, thank you, thanks for calling. Goodnect So when.

Is this New England Sweets Books gonna be finished and then published?

It should be finished by the end of the year. It's supposed to be published next summer, all right. And you can get a Long Route one and all my other books wherever books are sold, but also you can get them direct from me on my website, which is www dot red Nickel dot com n N the coin. It's singular singular red Nickel dot com.

All right, Well, it's been a pleasure, and I suppose when the New England Sweets Book comes out, you're gonna want to come back, Miss New Yorker.

Could be if you'll have me.

Yeah, I suppose if you do. If your dog behaves.

Oh, my dog We'll have to figure that one out, all right, And.

One of these days before I get too much older. You know, I'm gonna be seventy one in September and there should be nowhere near a camelpin bowling alley lane.

Well, I'll meet you wherever.

You want to meet, all right, Are you gonna spart me any pins? Or is this straight out?

Oh? We'll figure it out.

We'll figure it out.

So we'll figure it out.

Thank you for coming on. I look forward to the next time I have you.

Thank you so much for having me.

Hope we make a few book sales.

I hope, and I hope I look forward to the next.

Time as well.

Do I thank you, Susan.

You good night.

Enjoy your Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday.

In the rain, okay, in the rain?

All right, let's take car break and next hour, former Lieutenant. But I learned in boy Scouts, once somebody has earned a title, whatever that title is, mayor lieutenant, what have you, they will always have that title even after they have pulled away from that job. So former Lieutenant Bruce Apotheka will be joining us here on the last hour of night side. I am Morgan Rob is here. He's my producer. Nancy and Gray are sitting right next to me. Gray's on the floor and Nancy sitting next to me. And