In many of my posts, I talk about Greenfield, MA. My grandfather's family was from there and he used to visit his brother David a lot, who still lived there. Sometimes my grandmother and aunt Dot went with me and my grandfather, sometimes it was just me, and sometimes it was me and my cousin Lynda when she visited in the summer. Uncle David had a son, Donald, who was two years younger than me. In the summer we would go to the Greenfield Pool together.
I knew all of the towns between where we lived in West Springfield to Greenfield. I also knew all of the motels. Don't forget, in the 1950's and '60's, Rt 5 was the main route north. No I-91 then! My grandfather used to quiz me on the towns we would go through.
Sometimes he would let my cousin and I ride in his old trailer hitched to the car. I'm sure my grandmother didn't know about it. We got stopped by a policeman who told my grandfather that he could not let us ride in that trailer. We were so upset by this. I do remember that he let us ride in it again, but told us to lie on the bottom of the trailer bed when we drove through the place where we got stopped. I'm not sure how many times we rode in that trailer but it made an impression on me.
Anyhow, some of the times we went to Greenfield, we would stop at this little diner in West Whately and have a hamburger at the counter. That made an impression on me too, probably because we never went out to eat! No fast food places at that time!
The diner is still there. It looks the same but has changed names many times. I remember it as being Russells, but lately it has been called Double D's Diner.
For years, when we would drive by, I would say to Paul that we should stop and have lunch but it was always late in the day and the diner was closed.
Today, when we drove by, the big sign by the road no longer had the Double D's sign. I made Paul turn around and go back so that I could take a picture. Who knows how long it would still be there, torn down to build a bank or a McDonald's!
As I was in the parking lot taking pictures, a lady came out the front door. I asked her if the diner was closed and she said yes. When I asked her how long it had been closed she said since last week. She was very friendly and talkative and she told me she has been the landlord for the last 13 years, and the people who rented it left to do food trucks. She didn't remember it being called Russells, but she told me that the 101 year old lady who lives next door to the diner is the mother of the man who built the diner in September 1953. It has obviously had several owners over the years, but believe it or not it still looks the same.
I told her how I used to stop to eat here with my grandfather and had always planned on stopping in, but never did. She ended up inviting me in to see the place.
My grandfather and I used to sit at the counter and it is very much how I remember it. She said that she has kept it original to what it was when she bought it.
I was so thrilled to have been able to go in there. She said she has some plans for what she would like to do it the place. She wants to keep it a little diner, but who knows. At least I have pictures now.
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