Author Archives: Richard Friend

Oct 16 2011
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Gone, but not forgotten

It’s fascinating how something as small and insignificant as a book of matches can hold so many memories. The sights, smells, and tastes of Laurel restaurants long gone are almost palpable.

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Oct 05 2011
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Restaurants

The Big T

Laurel’s Tastee Freeze, known equally as The Big T, was an institution for decades. For that matter, so was its iconic neon sign along southbound Route 1.

Whether you went for the legendary soft serve ice cream cones, the perfect hamburgers, or the epic roast beef sandwiches, The Big T never disappointed. Many of us were disappointed, however, when the landmark finally closed up shop in 2007; and worse, when the building was razed in April 2009.

Old timers knew its history, but others only learned of it as the building was dismantled—that in its previous life, the Big T was actually Laurel’s first McDonald’s. The classic red and white tiles had been underneath the brick facade all along.

Photos: Frank McConnell, Mike McLaughlin

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Jul 27 2011
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Delaney’s Irish Pub

Anyone who had the pleasure of experiencing the legendary thin crust pizza at Delaney’s Irish Pub will surely never forget it. If I live to be 100, I already know it will always rank within the top 3 pizzas I’ve ever had.

Sadly, the Irish Pub (after just a few years under new management) burned to the ground in an apparent insurance scam arson in June 2003. It never reopened. So it’s with some irony that my one piece of Delaney’s memorabilia is an old book of matches.

There are at least a couple of Facebook fan pages worth checking out, where many former employees (and several hundred loyal customers) have reconnected. Hopefully someone saved the pizza recipe, and they’ll join forces soon to resurrect this landmark.

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Jul 26 2011
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Dart Drug

Because it was one of the closest in proximity to my childhood home at Steward Manor Apartments—and a perennial favorite for candy, magazines, and pretty much anything else—let’s start with Dart Drug. Throughout the 80s, this particular store sat proudly beside the original Safeway (later relocated to Laurel Lakes) and served the neighborhood well. But by 1990, it was gone.

The company had been immensely popular in the DC metropolitan area, even spinning off Trak Auto and Crown Books—both of which would also eventually go under.

The building still sits there today, currently as a Sherwin-Williams paint center and a Pan-Am Grocery. It’s easy to forget just how big the store actually was.

I realized that I have a particular nostalgia for this Dart Drug. Most of the photos my family took while I was growing up—those small square Kodak 126 prints that are still in so many of my mom’s albums—were processed at this location. At least one roll of film was lost, now that I think of it. God, I’d love to know what was on it…

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Jul 25 2011
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The Lost Places of Laurel, MD

If you grew up in Laurel, MD in the 1970s/80s like I did, you’ll remember a veritable mall-full of stores and restaurants that have since vanished. And that’s not even counting the actual mall itself.

Lost Laurel is a place to revisit them all, in the form of photos, logos, ads, vintage price tags, menus, and more. But most importantly—memories.

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