« little wheels | Main | ghost story »

December 17, 2005

harry's

Ernest Hemingway loved Paris and, when he was in the city, one of his favorite haunts was Harry's New York Bar. In many of his works, life centers around cafe life, drinking and dining. Yes I know, Paris this ain't. But there is a certain Bohemian air about the little hamlet of Port Washington, Wisconsin. Local legend has it that when Mr. Hemingway found out about this other Harry's, he wanted to come here to have their famous French Skillet but couldn't for some reason. He became so distraught that he took a shotgun and blew away most of his head.

Harry's sits nestled next to Lake Michigan but you won't find the place on any major highway. I found it one Saturday after getting lost. I love getting lost. Many years ago when I was in the Navy, I was lost for a whole drunken weekend in San Juan. My shipmates told me the following Monday that I bought a rose tattoo with the words "Maria, Love Always", spent a night in jail, and put $53.49 down on an old shrimp boat with a hole in the bottom. I still have the tat and I don't have a clue who Maria might be.

Harry Burton opened Harry's Lunch in 1934 during the depression on the other side of Franklin Street from where Harry's sits now. He moved it and changed the name in 1949. But don't ask to speak to Harry; he died in 1983. The place has had 5 owners since but not one of them had the nerve to change the name. They were afraid the customers couldn't find the place if they did.

There is one more little tidbit you might want to know. Port Washington was the setting for the Patrick Duffy sitcom, Step by Step. The television program also starred Suzanne Sommers. Remember now? No, just me then as Kim might say.

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Posted by roadapples at December 17, 2005 07:42 AM

Posted by: karl at December 18, 2005 08:15 AM

Posted by: Paul at December 28, 2005 10:03 PM