Soda Jerks, an old-time soda fountain, opened less than two weeks ago on the historic Santa Monica Pier, according to L.A. Weekly.
Because setting up a real soda fountain — the kind with historically accurate egg creams; 18 flavors of ice cream from Fosselman’s, the Alhambra ice cream shop where McCaffrey held his first job; 14 specialty sundaes, including the Route 66 banana split; soda jerks dressed as if they escaped from a 1930s department store, or a Woody Allen movie about one — takes time.
Soda Jerks is in a 1916 building that houses a retro carousel, and the restaurant includes a 1905 candy case that once graced a country store in Oklahoma. So the retro vibe isn’t just cosmetic.
It’s nice that the 66-to-Cali souvenir stand also has some company with another business that pays tribute to the Mother Road at the traditional endpoint of Route 66.
Fosselman’s is awesome and may make it worth a trek off of 66 for me!
I WAS going to knock your use of the word “traditional” in the last sentence, too. But in looking it up to formalize my complaint, I see that traditional can, in essence, equate to mythical and does not have to pertain to the facts. So I guess I just have to comment that I would have worded that much differently myself.
Either way, Fosselman’s is some darn good ice cream!
Indeed, Scott, that was exactly what I had in mind with my use of the word “traditional.”