It wasn’t five star dining, it wasn’t a healthy food haven, it wasn’t an iconic classic, it wasn’t a cherished town treasure, it wasn’t an example of period architecture.
It was just a great place to get a burger and a fries. And a corn dog. And a grilled cheese sandwich. And a milk shake in nearly any flavor you could dream up.
It was the Sunset Humdinger, a dinky little drive-in joint that had lived right off of Oregon’s Sunset Highway since the early 1970s. The place changed owners a couple of times (at some point acquiring walls to enclose the original façade and create a small indoor dining area) before finally being bought by the most recent owners just a few years ago.
The place had a familiar, “loved” atmosphere about it, like a kindly old man everyone in town knows, the guy who spends his time sitting on the bench outside the corner grocery, and who always greets you with a “Howdy” every time you pass by. In conversations with friends over the years, every time the Humdinger was brought up at least one person would spout off with a glowing review of their milkshakes, or would gush about their having the best onion rings anywhere.
Whenever I drove by I always made a point to remind myself to drop in and grab a burger, but I usually forgot. And when I didn’t forget, I’d convince myself that I should eat something else because my arteries are clogged enough already.
Now it’s no longer an option.
The powers that be decided that they needed to widen the road.
The bank on the other side of the street said they didn’t want it widened in their direction, so the Humdinger and the adjacent 1940s-era strip mall had to go.
When I first heard the news of its impending demise, I resolved that Michael must eat there at least once in his life. So one Sunday afternoon his mom and I took him there for lunch. We had burgers, fries and chocolate milkshakes. And onion rings. The staple foods. The best things. It was as delicious as it ever was, greasy and filling and sumptuous. Michael was not as impressed, and decided it would be more interesting to experiment with shoving a soda straw into the coin return of a Ms Pac-Man video game, one that probably last saw any serious game play well before Clinton was in office.
With the permission of the owners, I took pictures of the place for posterity (later I burned them onto a CD and gave it to the owners). I was afraid nobody else would, or ever had.
And now, it’s gone. Razed. It has disappeared without fanfare, mourners or bullhorn-toting protestors. There was absolutely nothing about its passing in the news. I conducted some casual interviews with some of the surrounding business owners about the Humdinger, but came away knowing no more than I had gone in with. The place was apparently a mystery that has gone silently into that dark night.
And the world is a slightly sadder, less yummy place.
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August 4th, 2009 - 9:42 am
Well done, saving this for posterity. Far too often these little places go forgotten. I'd like to think of myself as someone who hates passing one of these and when I'm travelling, put a much heavier weight on the decision to stop. Too bad I missed this one. It's the little things that make this trip worth it.
August 4th, 2009 - 9:58 am
Damn. Those are the absolute best places. Darn infrastructure interfering with life's unwholesome goodness.
August 4th, 2009 - 11:44 am
I feel your pain. There's a place like that in Calgary, Alberta on Highway 1 called Pete's Drive-In. Just about anyone you talk to who's spent any time in southern Alberta will holler the praises of Pete's Drive-In if it's ever mentioned. Same kind of deal, order at the window, eat on a bench or in your car, burger, milkshake, and the best oily onion rings ever.
I so wish I could find one of those in the UK.
August 4th, 2009 - 12:31 pm
The little obscure places like that are some of the best to go. It may not have been a landmark, per se, but I'm sure it will be missed. A lot of little places like this have been mowed down in the name of progress here in the Queen City.
August 4th, 2009 - 5:05 pm
I love.. Love.. LOVE eating at places like this. It takes me back to a simpler.. friendlier.. happier time. AND… The food is SO much better than that from the corporate giants like Mickey D's, and Taco Hell.
Think of all the great memories people have taken from that place over the years. I'm sure it will continue to live on in many people's memories for a very long time.
It's truly a sad thing when these Mom and Pop shops succumb to a world that's raging onward. A relentless world that more often than not grinds these great places into the dust.
Nice tribute!
August 4th, 2009 - 6:02 pm
@OhCaptain — Exactly why I put this up. I didn't see one notice of this place in the news. Not even in the little local sheet. Just sad.
@Liz — Life's unwholesome goodness indeed. Once in a while, you really need a good dive like this.
@Mamma — Yeah, I don't know how much luck you'll have finding one in the UK; I think they were an American thing primarily, born out of the automobile/freeway age.
@PJ — I wish they had a little more support. In some places, they do. It's just a smidge too granola and birkenstocks here.
@Dad — I love them too. I just want to know they're around, even if I can't eat at them every week. Twice a year maybe… assuming I ride my bike ten miles both ways to get to it, and spend the rest of my life eating salad and cold water fish.
August 4th, 2009 - 8:20 pm
Sometimes I really hate "progress".
We lost a couple of those eateries and a drive-in movie theater. It makes me sad for my kids that they'll never see them.
August 4th, 2009 - 10:10 pm
Too bad. I can think a few places here that fit that bill, too, including Al's Hamburger Shop and Kroll's Diner. Both have a lot of character, and they'd be missed a lot if they disappeared. That was nice of you to burn that CD for them.
August 5th, 2009 - 3:14 am
Places like that have the best tasting food. I hope the owners were compensated nicely for the land.
August 5th, 2009 - 7:33 am
@Cuz — Progress is what changes a vibrant, neon-decked landscape and turned it into a soul-sucking concrete monolith. Places like this add character and interest to a town. What they replaced it with only allows people to move through more quickly. Seems counter productive to me.
@Mrs4444 — I'm glad there are still some good eats places left.
@WeaselMomma — Turns out the owners opened up a wholesale Asian foods distributor on the other side of town. I was thinking about paying them a visit, to find out more about the place.
August 6th, 2009 - 4:42 am
Aw. That makes me sad. I love little dive places like that.
August 6th, 2009 - 6:47 am
@Momo — This was a really great place to love, too… just in a very unfortunate location. I've yet to find anything that compares in the area.
August 6th, 2009 - 8:18 am
Michael looks soooooo cute at the Ms Pac Man!!! Its so sad the Humdinger had to go. Its not like they are really improving the area anyway. From what I can see there will be more traffic congestion… not less.
August 6th, 2009 - 8:22 am
@Wife — you got that right. The traffic lanes aren't any wider coming off the freeway, and it isn't like they feed onto a corridor that can support the kind of traffic the widening project is targeted for. It's ludicrous, and wasteful.
We'll need to comb the area looking for another Humdinger.
August 6th, 2009 - 10:40 am
It may be gone, but Sunset Humdinger will live on forever in your hearts, memories and your photos. Cool that you were able to take Michael there. Very nice of you to commemorate your last visit on a CD for the owners
August 7th, 2009 - 12:34 am
I'm sad another "Mom and Pop" store is gone in the name of urban development. These places are gems and I'm glad you were able to take these photos and that you shared them with us.