More Unremarkable Buildings in Lorain, OH

Moving on slightly from Ashtabula to Lorain, Ohio, land of my birth.

When we were kids there were well-defined areas we were comfortable exploring.  But the most exciting ones were on the edge of our range.  To the east was Dairy Queen, but to the west it was Chapman's. 

Chapman's Food Mart was cool.  There were entire aisles of junk food.  Kids were not particularly welcome, probably because of shoplifting.  You could buy one slice of bologna for 10 cents.  I'm pretty sure my older brother introduced me to it, as he did most of the questionable experiences of my childhood.  For some reason I'm glad to see that it's still there, and possibly still under the same ownership.

It's good to see Ardick's Seafood is still around.  Unless you've lived close to Lake Erie it will be hard for you to understand the importance of perch in maintaining mental health.  I can't really explain it.  You can buy fish here or you can have them fillet your catch.  Despite living in Lorain for 18 years I never once caught a single fish worth eating. I try not to be bitter about it.

For the life of me I can't remember what this diner was called when I was a kid.  My Dad used to bring us here on walks in the winter.  We would drink hot chocolate at the counter and play their tabletop video game.  It was Popeye, which was state-of-the-art at the time.  Only now do I realize that these long winter walks were probably designed to give Mom a break from the three of us.  Probably four of us, including Dad.