goodbye blue bay, hello landmark

Since the autumn of 2019*, Sharon and I have been having breakfast together every Saturday. I wrote about the start of that tradition here. We tried a variety of ways to have our breakfasts, but eventually found ourselves with a regular routine -- the nearby Blue Bay Diner. More exactly, because of COVID, the tent outside of the Blue Bay Diner. For months that's been our regular.

The biggest problem has been the cold. They have heaters in the tent, but on particularly cold days it gets uncomfortable. So last Saturday, with threatened lows, we decided to go into Nassau County (where indoor dining is allowed) and the Landmark Diner. I'm not sure why I picked the Landmark, except that I have vague memories of being there before, and I have no negative associations with it. So off we went, figuring that this was a temporary change of routine -- that when there was warmer weather again, we'd be back at the Blue Bay.

But it doesn't look like that's how it'll be. We agreed that the food was better. And as we ate our meal, we both kind of came to the realization that we want to go back. Sharon particularly noted that there are a bunch of menu items she'd like to try. I'd be happy to keep getting the burger week after week, but we'll see. While we're at it, I noticed that the prices were slightly better. I guess I also liked being able to eat indoors, but that's something that's really out of Blue Bay's control.

It's Friday night as I write this, and Sharon and I are planning to go back to Landmark tomorrow morning. And I feel kind of sad about it. I've actually been feeling sad about it all week. I know I shouldn't. If one business provides a better product, I go to that business. So I've been trying to figure out why this change bothers me.

But I think Blair got it. The Blue Bay isn't just another restaurant to me. It's practically a landmark (hah! I just noticed what I did there!). And it has a special place in my memory. When I was a kid, my maternal grandparents lived in the Pittsburgh area. They'd visit us once or twice a year. And one highlight of each visit was a dinner at the Blue Bay Diner. Young me thought the Blue Bay was a fancy restaurant. By abandoning it for the Landmark, I may be turning my back on a piece of my childhood.

And that makes me sad. But the burgers at the Landmark...

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*Originally I typed 1989. I don't know why.