Ahhhhhhhh, the good old days. when greasers ran the streets, dames were bombshells, and milkshakes fueled an entire generation. The aesthetics of early America are so potent that they force nostalgia in people who’s parents weren’t even born yet.
While you can’t turn back the clock to experience the golden age of the United States for yourself, one diner in Phoenix wants to get you close enough.
MacAlpine’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain
In 1929, there sat a shop on the corner of Oak and 7th in Phoenix. Known as Birch’s 7th Street Pharmacy, the shop had a mildly successful run before it was bought by Fred MacAlpine in 1938.
And thus, MacAlpine’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain was born. It soon became a staple of the Phoenix area, and everyone from young hooligans to lovestruck couples would stop in for a soda on those sweltering Phoenix days.
These days, MacAlpine’s has seen quite a few changes, but the spirit remains the very same.
From Pharmacy to Diner
Local pharmacies have very little use these days, and Macalpine’s saw the writing on the wall. In 1991, the establishment replaced the drugs with food, and began the transition into a diner.
Now, MacAlpine’s focuses on their novelty, with wooden booths, oldies jukeboxes, and their original soda and malt machine. They obviously don’t want to forget their past, because they’ve left every piece of chewed bubble gum stuck under their counter, as far back as the 1950s.
So the next time modern society has driven you crazy, take a stop at the corner of Oak and 7th and travel back to simpler times…