Mom's Country Kitchen, Sleepy Hollow and more

Here are a few more stops from the same day as the last post.

Roller rink, Barq's plant, and more

I originally spotted Leo's Roller Rink on North a few months ago to my delight, but then found this website for a Leo's rink, called it to hear a human answer, and mistakenly thought the one pictured here was still open despite all appearances. Turns out that website was for a different Leo's location, duh.

The Racquetballer

I went to The Racquetballer immediately after getting a tip from a reader. He thinks it closed in the mid-80s and the inside probably looked like nothing had changed since. That was all I needed to hear.

Dog Day Afternoon

I have now used this title at least twice in previous blog posts, but not on this blog, so no matter.
Kara and I and Miss Lola Mae the chocolate Labrador went out on another bicycle jaunt on Sunday. We encountered numerous dogs, of the "hot" and "stray" and "barking like they wanted to rip out our jugulars" types.

Here is one that falls under the "hot dog" category, on the side of what I decided was an old whistle stop cafe, as it was set right along some train tracks.

If you look closely, you'll see the ghost of what appears to be a hand-painted Community Coffee banner on the building.

I know: BFD. It gets better after the jump.

Motel Zero and the Horndog

In part one of this exciting two-part post, co-explorer Kara and I opted not to go into the green crackhouse. Instead, we went into this motel, where I'd glimpsed people inside when driving by the previous afternoon. Makes perfect sense, right?

Scenic Highway

If you find abandoned buildings, vehicles, and discarded furniture scenic, then Scenic Highway lives up to its name.

Co-explorer Kara and I arrived in this unfamiliar part of town on bicycle with her dog, Miss Lola Mae, trotting alongside for protection. 

As Kara, another newcomer by way of North Carolina, observed, it looks almost Caribbean here sometimes. I've never been, but knew what she meant.

The money shot of the day was found just past the corrugated-metal building on the left, and is found here after the jump. 

Broadmoor Theatre, Merchants Landing flea market, and more

The Broadmoor movie theatre is one of those places that's supposedly not permanently closed. It's still up for lease, or as the roadside sign reads, FOR L A

 

Uninhabited River Road, part 2

See part one of this excursion here.

It's only after our River Road trip happened that I'm becoming more aware of how rich it is in historic sites and plantations. Without that previous knowledge, this next stop, J.N. Barthel General Merchandise store, was so perfectly Olde Tyme America, I kind of doubted its authenticity.

Why is the lettering on the sign such a crisp, bright white? Has this been restored, and/or is this part of a movie set? If this is a real site, you'll see below that we can date it to 1880. (But then why is that lettering in such fresh black paint?)

Here's one benefit of having a tall fiance: he was able to reach up and take this shot through a high window.

 

See the brand-new wood in the right foreground--? Movie set?

Clearly, this Jersey girl by-way-of Brooklyn is not accustomed to having such quaint antique buildings just casually hanging out unattended at the side of the road.

Uninhabited River Road

My fiance had a school assignment to explore uninhabited parts of River Road, from Baton Rouge down to the Houma House Plantation. This also sounded like a job for yours truly, so we went on an excursion along the Old Miss. We were not disappointed.

Our first stop: A decrepit shack being slowly reclaimed by nature.

But first: an uninhabited, unidentifiable animal more rapidly being reclaimed by nature, with butterfly.

The Bellemont

The Bellemont was an Antebellum, Colonial, plantation-style hotel and convention center built in 1946, according to a Yahoo travel listing that doesn't yet know it's closed.

 

This enormous complex is empty now...kind of. (See that car? Not ours. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.) Thankfully I had a new abandoned co-explorer to help me braven up for this mission.