My Culinary Odyssey: Huntington Mall, Part Two

    It back to the Mall again as I finish off the Huntington Mall part of this series with a bonus Saturday post. If you thought some of the stories were a little weird in part one, wait until you see these.  Some of them are even weirder. In fact, I could probably write an entire post about some of the weird things that have occurred in my history with the Mall. Like how a branch bank at the Mall closed a few years ago, only to be replaced by a vape shop, and that's just for starters. Check out the introduction by clicking the link and see how I'm organizing the series.  Now, really, back to the Mall again.

• [Unknown ice cream parlor, TO:  I try to notice every store at a mall, even if I don't plan on going in. In the 90s, I noticed that the parlor had a soda machine that had Fanta root beer. Now, when I was a kid, Fanta root beer was the only other soft drink I would ask for by the carton, other than Dr Pepper. By the 90s, most stores had stopped carrying in though, so I was thrilled to see it again somewhere, or at least claiming it was Fanta. Since we usually ate lunch after shopping half the Mall in those days, I was ready for a drink on the way out of the Mall and on my way home. I got a cup a few times, but then the parlor closed to be replaced by another restaurant. No more Fanta. A new place, Superhero Creamery, recently opened at the Mall. It is a combination ice cream parlor and comic book/collectable store.  While I just bought seventeen of my missing comic books on my most recent trip, I didn't check out the ice cream part of the store. {Note:  my favorite root beers in order are Fanta, A &W, Mug, many others I have never tried or tasted, Barq's}]
• Au Bon Pain, inside Stone and Thomas, DI: This is weird. We went into Stone and Thomas, the smallest of the original anchors at the Mall and the only one without a second floor, once in the late 80s or early 90s and saw a small restaurant tucked into the cookware section, Au Bon Pain. It was a French bistro/pastry shop. We tried something there.  I don't remember what, but I don't think they had a full-sized working oven, so I don't know how they cooked everything. I may have had a pastry as well.  We never ate there again, even though it felt strange seeing the attendant watch us shopping  sometimes. Although the restaurant closed before the store got rebranded as Elder Beerman, the special tiles on the floor stayed until the store went out of business. You could still see them, even though they tried to hit the fact with carefully placed fixtures. [Elder Beerman got divided into many stores after it closed. The west section became a Rue 21 for a year, before closing. This section is now part of a Dave and Busters that wraps around to the food court. The rest is divided into a TJ Maxx (south) and Home Goods (north), although they share a rear corridor and a front register bay, as well as  possibly extended doorways for each.]
• Arby's, west food court location, DI:  It took over a year, but Arby's finally came back into the space where the ice cream parlor was, I think. For a few years, I would have my typical chicken sandwich here, as I did for much of the 90s. It was never as full as it was at its original spot. It closed by the early 2000s. I think the Philly cheesesteak restaurant that was beside it took over its spot, or it was something else.  I am not sure which of the two spots it once had. Again, there might be an Arby's on the west end of Barboursville. Never seen it.
• [Starbucks, TO:  The coffee shop opened in the 2010s or so.  My mom stopped in a few times, mostly when they had a white chocolate drink. It wasn't often, as she thought the coffee was too strong and too expensive. Starbucks would close a few years ago, only to be ultimately replace by another coffee shop, Grindstone Brewery. There are currently Starbucks at the Merritt Farm shopping center, where Target is (It's the one that made news last year when the mountainside behind it gave away, causing part of it to fall off.), and a kiosk inside the Barboursville Kroger. (Biggest one I have ever been in, and the best frozen food section of any supermarket I've seen.)
• Burger King, east food court location, DI:  This was the first BK I ever went to, sometime in the early 90s. My mom suggested it as change from some of the other places we ate. The place was pure 90s with its bold colors and curvy booths. We would eat here a few times, along with the other spots. BK had taken over the old Arby's spot, and was using the now empty spot beside it for overflow seating. Alas, BK would close in the late 2000s/early 2010s, only to be replaced by Talbots, a women's clothing store.  In the food court. My theory was the outside door.  The only other Talbots I've seen had an outside door, reminiscent of its logo. (That one has since blocked off its mall entrance.) Now, if Talbots wanted a second door, most of the other units in the Mall wouldn't have the room for it and still have ample show space and storage. However, BK already had an outside door, making it easier to adapt it and still have storage. Just weird to have a dress shop by restaurants.  As to BK, well ....
• Burger King, east Mall campus location, DI, ⭐️⭐️:  They build a standalone structure between IHOP and a tire store, just down the road from McDonald's and Wendy's. This has been my go-to restaurant since it opened, save for one time when the lobby was closed and we had to eat at the BK in Paintsville instead. I order my usual Whopper, rings, and Pepper. My mom goes a little crazy, ever since she stopped having sesame seeds. She usually picks them off a sandwich if she forgets to orders one of the other options. [Restaurant hack: you can ask for a seedless brioche bun or for two bottom buns.] She has also gotten nuggets, mozzarella sticks, and even a small fries once which she sent back because they were too salty. (The one I tried was okay, but she sent them back anyway and got an unsalted batch in return. Very embarrassing.) Speaking of sticks, this is also the place where I first tried my hack to create a Stromboli burger. I took my regular Whopper (no cheese or pickles, although I should have taken off ketchup as well). I placed some mozzarella sticks on top of the patty and covered them with some of the marinara dipping sauce. Nowhere near the same, but I am hoping to improve on the recipe later. (I haven't tried the newer mozzarella fries yet. They might offer something different.) In fact, earlier this year after a very trying service, [understaffed, broken ice machine, regular standing by the counter and asking for ice to fill their thermos, and a family bringing in a pizza from Little Caesar's] I finally took the crown that was lying on the table.  First time ever from any BK.  Hey, I deserved it that day. 

    And that ends the tour through the Huntington Mall.  Come back Wednesday for my regular blogcast post as I start my next tour through Lexington. See you soon.

My Culinary Odyssey: Huntington Mall, Part One

    I have been going to the Mall at least once a year since it opened over forty years ago. Since the early 90s, I have usually been going twice a year.  The Mall was also the only shopping trip I made in 2020, as I was able to make it there a few weeks before the lockdowns started.  While it is decidedly misnamed (see the first entry), it has been a favorite shopping destination since I was a kid.  Even after a trip where I didn't find anything, I still wind up going back year after year. I even occasionally find something I wasn't really expecting. Of course, this means I have also eaten out many times here. This week's post starts things off with some of the first places I ate out, mostly in the earliest trips back in the 80s. Maybe early 90s if I have the time. Click the link here to read the introduction to this series and find out how I have organized this series. 

• Shoney's, DI:  My first trip to the Mall didn't even involve eating there.  We were unfamiliar with the roads and got at little frustrated at not being able to find the Mall. My mom turned the car around to go back home, but I managed to talk her into stopping at the rest area for information.  Turns out, we were about a mile away from seeing the road signs when we turned around.  Why name the place the "Huntington Mall," when it is miles east of the city and just barely outside Barboursville city limits?  Anyway, we got a free map of the Mall as well. My mom and our guest saw the sign to Shoney's on the way, and they decided we would eat there after shopping. The restaurant was located up a winding road on a short hill. As it was mid-afternoon, we were practically the only people there. My mom ordered some chicken strips for me, but I thought they were too bumpy and barely touched them. We never went there again. I believe I saw on the news that they were closing the restaurant, as well as the most of the chain. I doubt I could find the place again, so I don't know what happened to the building, as I haven't been to the west end of Barboursville since.
• Long John Silver's, DI:  On that first trip to the Mall, LJS was still under construction, but I was eager to eat there once it opened. It would be the third yearly trip before we would eat there. It was the largest LJS I had been in, with three different seating areas, each one on a different level to replicate the ship experience. This was back in the days when servers would still bring your order to your table.  I loved the place.  My mother less so.  She felt it was dark and a little messy. We would never eat there again, although having LJS take out for dinner most of the time when we went back home eased that somewhat. The LJS would close in the 90s, ultimately being replaced by a Ruby Tuesday.  This restaurant prefers diners to come in through the outside entrance, but can leave through the Mall entrance. Online maps show an LJS on the west side of Barboursville. Haven't seen it.
• Bonanza (?), DI: When I was very young, my mom would ask relatives along for our shopping trips as a way to help watch over me. (Didn't always work out that way.) One time, they suggested we eat at this buffet style restaurant.  It was probably a Bonanza, but I might not be remembering it right. It wasn't located in the food court, but it was on the south/Sears end of the Mall, halfway down the west side. I don't think I saw anything that interested me, so I doubt I ate much of whatever my mom got for me. I just read one of the books I had gotten.  This place didn't last past the early 90s. I'm not sure what is in its place now.  Maybe a shoe store, or possibly Victoria's Secret.
• Big Loafer, DI:  For some reason, everyone thought we should eat here one time. It is a part of a chain based on the ubiquitous West Virginia pepperoni roll, with variations of fillings. I swear, this place is not only still open, but it looks almost exactly the same as it did when it opened. Same faux stone and wood exterior, 80s style graphics on the menu, and even the lunch counter stools and booths. It could just well be the only unit in the Mall that hasn't had a remodel in all this time.  Even the memorabilia is about the same, if maybe updated. The one time we ate there, I only had some crinkle cut fries.  Didn't like them much back then.  The place is still open.  Items on the menu board have been removed, prices changed, and pieces of paper noting newer items and other changes. How this place is still in business after all this time is well beyond me.  
• Sbarro's, DI (technically):  Another restaurant that's been here since the Mall opened, but this one has been remodeled.  It used to have a very small seating area and maybe even restrooms.  Both were removed, although the restrooms may have been converted for use for the entire food court. The one time we ate here, probably early 90s, the seats had already been removed.  We ate in the general seating area.  The tables and chairs were too close together to be comfortable, so that was the only time we ate there.  We have since refrained from eating at any location without a seating area ever since.
• Chick-fil-A, DI:  This was another choice made in the mid-80s. We had brought along relatives again.  They wanted to eat at one place, but I didn't. Therefore, my mom decided we should eat here, although I was probably pushing for LJS and this was her compromise. I tried their chicken strips, but I felt they were too bumpy or something, so I barely touched them. I was looking through a comic book instead of eating. We never tried to go back. About fifteen years or so ago, they remodeled the restaurant, eliminating most of the seating space. This forces people to sit in the general seating area. Although I have since grown to like Chick-fil-A (see a later post), this fact alone prevents me from trying here again.
• Arby's, east food court location, DI: This one is tricky, as Arby's might have moved a little after the time I ate here.  See, I think Arby's originally had a larger location right by the main entrance to the Mall. We ate there at that time.  They were phasing out the 'Laurel and Hardy' promotional materials.  I just had some fries, and I can't remember if they were the curly ones. By the 90s, Arby's may have moved one unit down to allow another restaurant the coveted door location. I don't think I ate there after that move.  Later, Arby's would close this location, but they left many of their tables and chairs in the space.  The newer restaurant would use the space as overflow seating. What happened to Arby's? What restaurant took over its spot?

    Come back this Saturday for a bonus post to find out the answers to these questions, as well as finding out about the rest of the places at the Mall where I have eaten.

My Culinary Odyssey: Paintsville and Louisa

    It's the final double-up as I cover two more towns today, Paintsville and Louisa.  Most of the attention will be on the former rather than the latter. As always, you can click this link to read the introduction and see how I am organizing this series.  Let's begin.

    Paintsville:  Most of the memories I associate with Paintsville either involve going to see one of my two dentists who had offices here, (both were cousins) or as a stopover on the way to or back from trips to the Huntington Mall. Save for a few sneaky quick trips in the late 90s to early 2000s by myself where I didn't eat out, I have rarely went to Paintsville just to go there. Still, I managed to eat out quite a few times here.

• [Super America, TO:  Once, in the mid to late 80s, we stopped here on the way to the Mall. I had just had my first long john, and I wanted to have another one as a breakfast snack. I let my mom go into the store, while I stayed in the car. What she brought back was tough, hard, and almost stale.  In hindsight, she may have been sold a donut stick made for dunking instead of what I wanted. Whatever the case, it turned me off of the donut and we never stopped by this location again. I'm guessing it got rebranded as a Speedway like all the others, but I haven't been through this section of town in over a decade, so I'm not sure if it is still open.]
• Ponderosa, DI:  On one of the few trips to Paintsville when I was a little kid, we went here for a birthday dinner for a distant relative. I don't remember actually eating anything, but I might have. I believe I wound up running around the place afterwards with one of my cousins, the son of the second dentist from previous. (More on him in a later post.) I believe the restaurant closed at one point, but there was talk of reopening it. I'm not sure if it happened, as I haven't driven out that way in a very long time. Hence, the color.
• [McDonald's, TO:  I have never eaten here, but my mom used to stop here for coffee sometimes. usually on the way to the Mall.  We would stop here, then make our way to Kroger so she could get here blueberry-cream cheese danish to eat on the way.  She used to love those, and this was the only store that regularly made them. We stopped going here when they had a major remodel that opened up the tight parking lot and the narrow drive-thru lanes. We may have stopped once since then, but not lately. [This Kroger stopped having the danish a few years before they closed this location, around 2004.  It was the last one that was still open in southeast Kentucky that I knew of. The store later became a Goodwill on one part and a discount retail grocery on the other. I accidentally went in once, and I was very disappointed in what it became.]
• Baskin Robbins, DI/TO: After my dental appointments, this would usually be the first place I ate. It was on the corner of the shopping center, and it had doors on two sides.  I would usually get a cup of strawberry ice cream, even though it wasn't pink.  I would get the occasional other flavor, such as bubblegum, saving the gum to chew on afterwards. Very rarely, I could get two scoops. We would sit at the small dining area, or I would take my cup with me.  Note, I said cup, not cone. I made the mistake of getting a cone once, and I hated it.  The sugar coating and hard bake just turned me off. I may have had to throw it away after licking all the ice cream off. I was growing out of the habit about the same time the place closed. Another ice cream parlor may have gone in, but not for long.  That section of the center was torn down to make way for the McDonald's expansion. While I may have had some BR when it started being available in stores, I haven't eaten inside once since.
• Long John Silver's, TO, probably: I have this distinct memory of stopping here at least once, for takeout for dinner on the way back from the Mall. Probably the late 80s/early 90s. I don't think I went in, but I could have.  It was about the time I started exploring their dipping sauce options. (Sweet and sour has always been my favorite, but I use the honey mustard on other dishes at home. There used to be a wider option, but not lately.) Now, I don't see why we didn't stop at the P-burg location. Or even the one in Martin if it was the 90s. That's why I doubt this memory a little. The scene definitely matches this location, but the situation is suspect. Now, if I have eaten here, in means that I have been to more LJSs than any other restaurant.  If I haven't, then I am in a tie with the next entry. I'm including it anyway.
• Burger King, TO/DI, ⭐️:  This was one of my mom's replacement stops for coffee/restroom break after McD's. We didn't eat here until around 2009. We had closed the store that day to meet with the owner of a Van Lear bookstore, Words 'n' Stuff. We ate here.  I had the Italian original chicken sandwich, the only time I ever had any version of this sandwich. It was just mozzarella and marinara sauce on the regular processed chicken patty. The first bite was okay, but the rest was just ehh. I just don't prefer the processed stuff.  My mom would later stop going here, after a few too many bad stops with lousy service. We ate here one last time about two years ago, after our plans were changed by a closed seating area at a restaurant at the Mall. I hate late lunches, but it couldn't be helped. I had my regular order.  I found the experience to be okay, but my mom hated it. She thought the service was subpar and the seating area too messy.  I've noticed that their online listing frequently has them being closed, but I think it might just be a remodeling.
• Shoney's, DI:  Once, in the early 90s, we had a very quick trip to the Mall.  It was probably a trip for my birthday in the winter, and snow was in the forecast.  We didn't eat until we got back to Paintsville.  My mom chose here. I was a little off put from the start when the server called us 'ladies.' Now, I admit I was in a heavy coat, but I also had a mustache. (I started growing it my senior year, but it took awhile for it to fill out and look good. I also had a goatee, but I usually shaved it whenever I went on a shopping trip. Just a strange affectation I had at the time.) While my mom thought it was just an honest mistake on the server, I still felt it was a bad move. I probably ate the standard grilled chicken sandwich that I usually got at many places. It was the last time I probably ate at a Shoney's, as I never had an opportunity to eat at one again. [See Coal Run for the last time I ever went to one.] The chain closed before I wanted to eat at one again. This location later became a Wendy's. The plan is a little too big for them, but whatever.
• [Hardee's, TO:  This was the other place for my mom to stop for coffee. Technically, it was her favorite. She would occasionally get a cinnamon roll here as well.  The main problem was the coffee was always too strong, and she could never get enough half-and-half to dilute it enough to her liking. We would later move on to another stop instead.]

    Next stop, Louisa.

    Louisa:  To be honest, I have only driven through Louisa, rather than actually being there.  I remember having to detour through the town once or twice while US 23 was being widened, but we have only ever stopped at place just off the highway, such as Walmart or a car dealership. That includes the following places to eat.

• [Unknown convenience mart, TO: Once, in the 80s, we stopped here after the Huntington Mall trip to fill up the car.  I went inside for a fountain drink.  On another run, we stopped again, but it was my mom who went inside to get the drink. We didn't stop again, as it didn't have the brand of gas my mom used.  It was also hard to get to on the way back, as it was on the northbound side of the road. The mart also has had a Taco Bell and a Baskin Robbins associated with it.  While there is still signage up for both, I don't know if either is still open.]
• [McDonald's, TO, ⭐️:  This has been my mom's coffee stop for a few years now.  She rarely gets anything other than her coffee, although I remember her getting one of their pastries for free when the cashier forgot to remind her of the new offerings.  I hate the place though.  The access road if tough to get onto from the highway, and tougher to bet off of.  The parking lot is tight, especially with the drive-thru lane circling behind the building and back through the main entrance. Still, I have to bring her here, and I can't tell her that other place would be better for me.]

    And so ends another post in the series.  Next Wednesday, I finally move on to the Huntington Mall for two posts.  Trust me when I say things will be odd.  Very odd.

My Culinary Odyssey: Whitesburg and Hazard

    After last Saturday's brief interlude, I return with another double serving I my culinary odyssey.  This week, I cover Whitesburg and Hazard.  I never travelled to either place that often, especially after childhood, but I do have some special memories associated with both places. Remember, click here to see the introduction where I explain how I'm covering this series. Now, onto our first stop.

    Whitesburg:  While we frequently went here, we never did eat out here that often. Usually, it was just a quick shopping trip after seeing relatives in Letcher county with no time to eat.  This was very true when there were so few places.  While there are more options now, there are not as many other reasons to go there.  Still, here are two spots I've been to.

• Long John Silver's, DI:  One of my earliest memories of eating at an LJS happened here, possibly soon after the restaurant opened. In fact, it could be one of the oldest and first in eastern Kentucky. I was about four or so, maybe a little younger.  We went here, and there was a very long line. My mom and I last other relatives to wait in line and order for us, while we maybe walked up the road to a department store to see some things.  The food was waiting for us by the time we got back. I don't remember anything about what I ate that day.  Flash forward to the late 2010s.  After spending the morning shopping in Norton, we stopped here on the way to Isom for shoe-shopping. I couldn't believe the place was so small.  Even smaller than the one at Prestonsburg.  They didn't even have a real drive-through, just a window behind our table where a server walked over from the kitchen to hand out.  The food was the same as everywhere else. A random post on Facebook said that this location was recently remodeled.  I'm hoping it included an expansion, as such a special place in my memories deserves it.
• [Dairy Queen, TO, ⭐️:  I don't think I ever went into here.  It was more so that my mom to use the restroom and get coffee while traveling to somewhere else. I stayed out in the car, but I got to see the ducks.  There was a whole flock nesting in the nearby creek.  That would sometimes quack at the costumers who got too close.  It was here where I saw my first drake with a purple band on its neck, instead of the usual teal. It was breath-taking. The last time we stopped, in early 2022 or so, we found out that they were closing the location and moving to a new one on US 23, out of the flood plain fortunately. We haven't been back to Whitesburg since, definitely not after the flooding, but I hope the ducks are doing well.  I'll miss them.]

        Next up, Hazard.

    Hazard:  Most of my earliest trip to Hazard involve taking one of my great-aunts here to drop her off with her daughters who would take her down to Florida for the winter. After we stopped doing this, trips to Hazard dropped off considerably. In fact, my most recent trips involving my new car around 2020 were so short, that we didn't need to eat out. Still, there were a lot of other times before then.

• Jerry's, DI;  This was the primary drop-off site for my great-aunt.  We would get a table here and just have a meal before they set off for Florida.  We would exchange Christmas gifts, weeks early. I would frequently sneak a peek at mine, knowing even before the tree was put up. Jerry's would close, but I never found out when until well after the fact. I don't know what went in its place.  I couldn't even tell you where it was located, as we don't seem to drive that way into town anymore, probably due to the newer roads. [This great-aunt died in the 90s; her daughters died in the last five years.]
• [Long John Silver's, DI maybe?:  Here's the thing. I don't clearly remember eating here.  Maybe, but it is faint.  I do remember walking here from Jerry's one time to pick up some promotional matter. (Like in P-burg, the two were close together.  They were part of the same company at the time.) My mom says we also ate there at least once, but I can barely recall it.  Like the one in Whitesburg, this one has recently been remodeled. I'm guessing it is still in the same location.]
• Rax, DI:  I have three memories of eating here.  The first was when I was very young.  We made a weekend, maybe Sunday, trip to look for a Christmas tree.  This place was one of the few open, although it may have been another restaurant. I just had some fries. (It was also the last time I got the original run of Disney comics.) The next time was in high school, summer after my sophomore year, probably.  We were shopping with some relatives at Norton, when they talked into going onto Hazard to check out a new center. My mom had us eat at Rax, while the rest went somewhere else. I had a bake potato for the first time eating out.  It had cheese sauce and broccoli. The first time I had that eating out as well. I didn't eat the potato skin, but I pretty much ate everything else.  It was the first big step conquering my picky eating phase when dining out. (Strangely enough, broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables from when I was a kid. I even grew to like it without cheese.  That is weird even for me.) My final time eating here was in the early 90s. I was helping my mom out with her shopping for a new car.  I was in the middle of my chicken sandwich craze when she wanted to stop here for lunch. By the 2000s, this spot had closed as part of the dying of the chain. From what I can figure out from WYMT outdoor cameras, the building was torn down and a Dollar General was put in its space.
• Burger King, DI:  Around 2010, we were semi-seriously considering moving the store to Hazard. We had an appointment to look at one spot, but I managed to talk my mom into checking out a second location the realtor recommended. I had found out there was a comic book shop nearby, and I wanted to find it.  Never did. Anyway, a storm was coming in by then, and my mom suggested we stop and eat here. I wanted to wait and get something in Pikeville.  Specifically, one of the new dipping strip pizzas from Pizza Hut. She was so insistent, that I didn't tell her my plans, so we ate here to wait out the rain a little. I think it was the last time I had one of BK's grilled chicken sandwiches. (I rarely ate one when on longer shopping trips or when I ate out in Pikeville.) I didn't tell this until we got back to the store. [While Pizza Hut has brought back this promotion a few times, I still haven't had it.  This included the current promotion, but I am not interested at this time due to the ranch sauces. Don't think I'd like any of them.]
• Unknown higher-end restaurant, DI:  I don't know this place's name.  It was in the shopping center where Kmart and Kroger were. We went here for the great-aunt exchange once. I was a little pickier than normal that day, and I wasn't having the crunchy chicken strips my mom ordered for me.  The texture was all wrong, not like those form LJS at all.  At one point, she took me into the ladies' restroom, made sure no one was there, and spanked me hard. I couldn't help not liking food, but she still punished me. I barely ate anything else. I think this made my picky eating even worse.  I don't know what happened to the restaurant. By my 90s trip, the center was already dying, even before Kmart and Kroger closed, so I'm guessing it was gone by then. The center was torn down years ago, and a housing development recently took its place.
• Unknown restaurant downtown, DI: This is weird.  I remember stopping at this place, but I'm not sure where it was located.  All I know is that we were here for a relative's party and that we stayed in one dining area and not allowed into the other until after we were done.  I think there was a cousin around my age also here, but that's all.  I couldn't find the place again if I tried. it might not even been in Hazard, but somewhere else such as Pound, Virginia or Paintsville. I guess it could still be around, but I'm listing it as closed.

    Speaking of Paintsville, that will be next week's stop in my odyssey. I might even include some Louisa spots as well.  See you then. Don't ask about the random bullet. I can't seem to delete it.

My Comic Book Journey, 2025 Update

    Last year, I did a series detailing every place where I ever got a comic book, as well as many place where I saw comic books, but didn't get any.  Today, a week after "Free Comic Book Day," I am providing an update to that series. I've been to some new places, some old ones have changed, and I realized that I missed some things the last time around.  Without further ado, let's start off with some new locations. 

• Barnes & Noble, Fayette Mall, Lexington:  Barnes & Noble has had a large store on the east side of town for years, so I was surprised when they opened up this smaller version at the mall, especially since Joseph-Beth Booksellers is not too far away.  I don't know about the main store, but this outlet did not carry comic books.  They didn't carry any magazine or any sort of periodicals either.  However, they did carry graphic novels and manga. (They also had some RPGs, but nothing I collect.) I didn't buy anything when I went there last fall, but I did get some ideas for children's holiday books for my store.
• Super Hero Creamery, Huntington Mall, Barboursville:  I was surprised when I went to the mall two months ago and saw that this unique store had opened.  It is part comic book/collectibles store and part ice cream shop.  The decor was reminiscent of Superman's "Fortress of Solitude" with its cold, light-blue design. I didn't look inside it too much.  I was a little disheveled after having a pile of sheet sets fall on me to go in.  I also was still keeping hope out for local comic book stores would be opening back up after the February floods, so I didn't want to spoil anything I thought I would be getting. As my next entry will show, I was wrong.

    Next, let's update some local stores, and we'll see what has changed.

• Page-3 Gamezone, Pikeville:  As I have mentioned in a previous post, Page-3 got hit hard in the recent flooding.  While the main level wasn't hit too bad, the lower level where they kept most of their comic books was devastated. I was finally able to make it in there a week or so ago while they were operating on a partial schedule as they are cleaning up. I finally found out that they had halted all comic book shipments until they could fully re-open. I thought they would just find a way to hold them off-site or something.  So, I now have over three months of comics to collect from somewhere else. There's a chance they can still get most of these books back, but I am very doubtful. The other local store with comic, The Gaming Co., was hit harder than Page-3, and there is a chance they won't re-open.  Their entire unit was destroyed at Weddington. Many businesses have already moved. (I was thinking about offering my store as a go-between soon after the flooding, but I didn't want to come off a self-centered, so I didn't mention it or the empty units at my shopping center. I hindsight, this wasn't the best move.) The e-bay store in Prestonsburg isn't a great option either, as they didn't have a wide selection when I noticed them years ago.  I'm looking to go to Huntington next week to check there, before looking at Cavalier Comics at Norton soon after, and then Lexington next month.  Taken together, I should be able to get most of what I'm missing, before I have to resort to waiting until the graphic novel collections come out and buying them directly through my store.
• Walmart, Pikeville:  I have recently noticed that this Walmart has stopped selling comic book collector bundles.  They have also has a smaller selection of trading card games.  They still have some manga and non-comic book graphic novels, so I'm keeping it blue for now.  I haven't checked at other Walmarts lately, so I don't know if this is a trend or not.

    Now, onto the errata and an entry I missed the last time.

• Kroger, Stanton:  As I'll mention in my current series on eating out, I usually don't stop in Stanton to shop.  This is the only other place I've been to.  My first visit was soon after it opened, or at least soon after I found out about it.  It had a wide variety of products, and I wound up buying some things.  I think they may have had comic books, but I'm not sure.  They did have magazines, but I didn't get much of a chance to look at them, especially since I had looked at a lot in Lexington already that day.  When I went back years later, the variety had greatly decreased.  They definitely didn't have comic books, or magazines either.  In fact, the place had become a little shabby.  I didn't buy anything that day.  I may have gone one more time, without buying anything, but I haven't been back since.

    And with this, my update is over.  Come back Wednesday for my regular post as I return to My Culinary Odyssey.  This time around, I will be covering Whitesburg and Hazard.  See you then.

My Culinary Odyssey: Williamson and Norton

    This is the first of three combined posts.  I will be combining the reviews for Williamson, West Virginia and the Norton, Virginia areas.  I'm doing this as there are not that many places in either area, and none of them are that quite memorable.  You will see why shortly.  Click here to see the introduction and the legend for how I am organizing this series. 

    Williamson:  I went to Williamson a few times was a little kid to see my doctor here.  Not sure why my doctor was in another state, but who cares.  It wasn't until the Southside Mall opened up in South Williamson, Kentucky that we started going back there on a regular basis.  This stopped soon after I opened Booknotes, for various reasons that I will mention. Now, to begin.

• Dairy Queen, DI:  This was a frequent stop before actually going into downtown for my mom.  Basically for coffee and the restroom.  I thought it was a Hardee's but she said it was a DQ, so I am going with that.  Technically, we were in South Williamson, not Williamson. (In fact, all of these locations were in South Williamson.) I would only go in if we had relatives shopping with us.  Once, they were having a breakfast, while I had fries I didn't really want.  Well, some ketchup fell down onto my shirt.  My white shirt.  We tried to get it off, but it didn't really work.  My first stop downtown was JC Penny's, where I got a new white shirt and I wore it out of there. Once the stores starting going out downtown, we stopped visiting the DQ, usually with mom getting her coffee in Pikeville before we drove on. Many of the businesses just outside of Williamson's flood wall got hit hard in the recent flooding.  While some, like Walmart, reopened quickly, I don't know about DQ and the other restaurants, including the local LJS, the only one I could've eaten at but didn't.  Because of this uncertainty, I'm listing this as red.
• Rax, DI:  A few times, usually when we went shopping with relatives, we ate a quick lunch here before going back to Pikeville.  I hadn't started to appreciate Rax, so I usually just had fries.  This Rax was one of the first to close, as well as one of the first businesses to leave the mall.  I can't remember anything going into the building or if it was torn down.
• Diner/ice cream shop and snack store, DI/technically TO:  The mall had these to places side by side.  In fact, they were owned by the same family at one time.  I would usually get a bag of popcorn to snack on while shopping, saving some to eat the next day, even though it had gotten somewhat stale.  I would occasionally get some candy or other treat as well.  This stopped by the mid-90s.  I only went to the diner once, for Superman ice cream.  Normally, it had three colors (red, yellow, and blue) with each one being a different flavor.  This may have been just tri-colored vanilla. This last time I went to this mall, about ten years ago, I don't think either spot was occupied, but this may have changed since then.
• [Kmart lunch counter:  This one is tricky. I distinctly remember sitting at a Kmart counter while waiting for a cousin to finish looking at clothes.  I am not sure if I had anything, but it was probably just some pop if I did.  Now, I don't know if the Southside Kmart had a lunch counter or if it was anywhere near the clothing section.  The one at Coal Run did have it that way.  However, we would rarely have brought anyone with us when shopping so close to home, and we almost never went to Kmart in the 80s when this would've occurred. (I only started really shopping there in the 90s.)  I'm putting it here just because it seemed to fit.  This Kmart would close, only to be replaced by a Magic Mart when it moved from its own building years later.  It would soon close as well.]
• [Kroger dining area:  Another memory without a precise location.  I know I waited in a dining area while others were at the restroom in a large supermarket. I doubt I had anything.  I don't remember the actual store, but this was the most likely candidate, unless it was a place we didn't go to quite as often.  This Kroger was one of the first in the region to close.  Not sure what took its place.]

    And with that, I finish up Williamson South Williamson.  Onto the Norton, Virginia area.

    Norton:  The area includes both Pound (which I have been in) and Wise (which I don't think I've been in).  I remember going here a few times every few years from the 70s to early 90s, but I don't remember eating out much.  We either ate somewhere else later, or we just didn't have anything major that I can't remember. I do remember some places, starting in the late 90s, where we did eat out.

• Arby's, DI:  We ate here once or twice.  I had the chicken sandwich, natch. We stopped going here mostly because it was in the first shopping center we hit.  After many of the top stores closed there, it just didn't make sense to backtrack to eat here.
• Burger King, DI:  In the mid-2010s, my mom heard about some new stores that had opened up, so we decided to finally go back to Norton to check them out. It was about April 10, the Saturday of Hillbilly Days.  It had snowed a little that morning, the latest in the season that I can remember over the past few years.  It would continue through the late morning, but it didn't lay.  We shopped at a few places, picking up some things that weren't being sold locally.  We decided to eat at BK.  The center where it was located was mostly empty after stores like Walmart left.  Magic Mart and Ingles grocery were the biggest draws.  The restaurant was mostly empty, with mainly preteens hanging around playing a mobile game, probably Pokémon Go as it had just debuted. My mom had one of the short-lived hot dogs, and she almost immediately regretted her decision. Although both Magic Mart and Ingles have closed there, I'm not sure what has replaced them, but the BK is still open I think.

    After that first trip back, we didn't eat at Norton again. We either ate somewhere else (as seen in a future post), or I would heat up a frozen meal at the store.  So many places had closed, that the trips were short enough to open the store only two or so hours late.  We haven't been back to Norton since 2019, although that will be changing very soon. Come back next Wednesday as I tackle the next two places, Whitesburg and Hazard.  However, this Saturday has a bonus post, as I update the "My Comic Book Journey" series from last year.  A lot has happened since I finished that series, and I need to address those changes.  See you there.

My Culinary Odyssey: Coal Run, Part 2

    It is time to finish off the Coal Run area with a special bonus post this Saturday.  This shouldn't take too long, as most of these places aren't open. Click here for an explanation of how this series is organized. Now, onto the places.

• [Murphy's Mart, TO:  I can't remember is Murphy's had a lunch counter, but I do remember the ICEE machine.  I had at least one when I was a kid, but I don't know how many more than that.  My mom wouldn't get them that often for me.  Murphy's became Ames.  When Ames went out, the space was taken over by JC Penny's and Dawahare's, whose space got taken over by Ace Hardware when they went out of business.  The recent flooding hit both places very hard, but it is still unknown if either will return. (I have seen reports that the Ames brand might be making a comeback though.)]
• Dairy Cheer, TO/maybe DI:  I think we may have eaten here at least once as part of my rotation in the 90s, but I am unsure.  I know we stopped here at least once after Booknotes opened.  I liked this restaurant the best of the three local ones, as it had the largest seating area.  It didn't have the customers though, so it was closed over a decade ago, and the building torn down. It has since been replaced by the entry two spots down on this list.
• Burger King, DI/probably TO:  Once I started eating at BK in the 90s, this place was a frequent stop in my rotation.  I would try and alternate a Whopper and onion rings with a grilled chicken sandwich and fries.  It was also around this time that I started having ketchup and mayonnaise with my fries, Belgian style. With rings as well. Once Booknotes opened, I rarely ate TO from here, but I'm sure it happened at least once.  Then, they closed the place for some reason, and they put a branch bank in its place.  With a possible slight exception, (see a later post) I wasn't eating from BK until the Lee Avenue location opened up years later.
• Dairy Queen, TO:  This is what replaced the Dairy Cheer.  My first time here, I had a balsamic-glazed chicken sandwich, which was on the limited-time menu.  I'd had balsamic before, but this sandwich simply didn't have enough of the flavor. It was very messy though.  I would stop here a few more times, as this DQ had an easier parking lot to get to, as well as not having to backtrack to get to my store.  It also has a flavor dispenser fountain drink station, so I can get a cherry-vanilla flavored Dr Pepper.  Strangely enough, the floods didn't affect here much, as they were far enough away from the river and they had a small wall surrounding the parking lot.  In fact, all of the restaurants at Weddington opened back up soon afterwards.  The branch bank that was BK is still not fully open, as it had some damage.
• [Taco Bell, never ate at:  Okay.  We were supposed to eat at Pizza Hut that day, but they were closed at the time for a private party.  I suggested we try somewhere new, Taco Bell. As soon as we walked in, my mom said that the food would be too crunchy for her, and we immediately had to leave.  We ultimately went to BK, even though we had just been there the last time.  She never apologized for this.  We never tried to go back.  This Taco Bell burned down years ago, and they replaced it with another Taco Bell.  Still haven't been either to this or the downtown Pikeville location.]
• Au Bon Pain, maybe TO?:  The name translates to something along the lines of 'to the good bread.'  It was a French-styled restaurant chain.  I had been to another one (see a later post), and I was surprised that one opened at Coal Run.  It was a combination bistro and bakery.  I don't think we dined in, but I believe I tried some of the pastries.  The place didn't last long.  Pizza Hut Express might have taken over this spot decades later.
• TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, TO:  When I first saw their marque from a distance, I thought it said 'TOBY.' I had to go there just for that.  It was a frozen yogurt shop.  For a time in the early 90s, this would be one of  my last spots while shopping.  I would get strawberry, with fresh strawberries as topping.  This spot made me try frozen yogurt at home as well.  For a while anyway.  I got bored with it after a time. TCBY would stay in business for many years, before closing fairly recently.  I think an actual ice cream shop has now opened there. [TCBY has changed their logo to a different style, as well as going lowercase, so it no longer quite looks like my name from a distance.  It would be in the late 2000s before I started eating regular yogurt on a semi-regular basis.]
• Shoney's, DI;  We never ate here that much, as it was so far away from everywhere else.  Still, it was a special stop when we did go here.  I usually had the grilled chicken sandwich.  (I ate a lot of them in the 90s.) The last time we stopped here was after the Taco Bell debacle.  We first tried to stop here.  We had been seated at a table, reading the menus, when my mom decided she didn't want to eat here after all. I was so embarrassed when she told the server that we were leaving. Especially since that meant we were going to BK.  We never went back before it closed in the 2000s.  After a number of years vacant, it became an Asian restaurant, before a controversy closed it.  It is currently another Mexican restaurant.

    That is it for today's bonus post.  Come back Wednesday for the regular post as I cover both  Williamson, West Virginia and the Norton, Virginia areas.  I'll also explain why I'm combining the two spots.  See you then.