What gives a restaurant that "old school" feel to it?

In this gallery you will find a couple of diners that have stood the test of time.  An elegant restaurant now situated in a 1903 original Carnegie Library building.  How about the oldest restaurant in Troy?  The oldest tavern in Buffalo?  The oldest inn in the Adirondacks?  They are all on here.  How about one of those kitschy Polynesian tiki restaurants that were so popular in the 1960s?  Got one!

It is hard to put your finger on just what it is that makes these places feel so "old school."  In fact some are fairly new, and very chi-chi.  It is hard to tell, but when you get there, if it has it, you will feel it!

My favorite here is The Old Mill in Mt. Upton, NY (Chenango County).  Situated in a hundreds year old riverside grist mill, this place is drenched in "old school," from the minute you sit down.  Who remembers back in the day when you went to a restaurant after church or for a special occasion, that when you sat down at your table you were immediately give a revolving Susan of cold appetizers to knosh on.  Sweet pickles, cole slaw, macaroni salad, beets, relish, hard boiled eggs, and such?  Well, you can revisit that old memory right her in Mt. Upton.  The Old Mill (photo) is in the "Old School Restaurants Hall of Fame."  Just wonderful!

If we missed your favorite old school restaurant in Upstate New York, please visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out!  We really do want to hear from you!

22 Upstate New York Restaurants With A Great "Old School" Vibe!

What make a restaurant "old school?" Well, it does not mean that it is a n old restaurant, but that helps. Old school is more of a feeling. Snappy, chatty waitresses, homey ambiance, red leather covered swivel stools, huge pancake portions, old photos on the wall, nostalgic music on the jukebox, and more. All of it adds up to an old school vibe that these 22 Upstate New York restaurants definitely have. Some of them are elegant, fine dining eateries, and others are rural diners. All excel in the "old school" category!

Gallery Credit: Chuck DImperio

Are These the Best, Most Fun "Retro" Furniture Stores in Upstate New York? We Think So!

Remember when couches were purple, dinette sets were bright red, and living room lampshades came in every color of the rainbow? If you do, your are a Baby Boomer and we have found your old furniture at these great Upstate New York retro stores!

And if you lived through those times, you have to remember when everybody thought, "Thank God!" when those styles went, well, out of style! So, how could they ever come back to being one the hottest collectible styles of furniture today? The answer is simple.
We all got old.

We yearn for the good old days, which seemed simpler and better (OK, put your rose colored glasses down). The furniture, which dawned at the infancy of the Space Age, was zany in design, dazzling in color, and made your home look modern and fun. So why not bring it all back. Can you believe what happened to vinyl records?

These stores are among the best in Upstate New York that sell the Mid-Century Modern furniture that our parents' had. We want them now. And these stores are stocked to the walls with anything you need to enter the "way back machine" and relive the days of your youth with original furniture and accessories from the 1940s-1980s.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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