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Comments
It's a shame...
I thought homogeneous strip malls were a problem in the 80's, but it's way worse, now. There is a legit war on everything unique. Can't the developer work that ship into the plan somehow? I see the ship as a marketing opportunity. They see at as a demo opportunity..
oh that thing
Has been several restaurants since I moved here to Boston over 20 years ago. It was a Weathervane for a while.. then a Mt Vernon.. then something else.
I think if something *really* wanted that ship, it would have already by now
It's time for this ship to sail off into the sunset.
I'm not sure anyone is waging
I'm not sure anyone is waging a war on what's unique. The owner of the property thinks more money will be made in a redvelopment. If customers truly valued the quirky and unique, they would spend money at quirky and unique shops, restaurants etc. If that place was going gangbusters, there is a good chance it would have stayed open.
But where
will the guys from freecreditreport.com work?
Cheesybeards of course!
What's next?
The leaning tower of pizza?
I don't think I've ever been in The Ship but I appreciate the absolute corniness of it, and the fact that they built that "Coastal Village" Christmas Tree Shop to go with it.
Fun Ship facts!
The Ship has been a brig-ish vessel since at least the late 60s, but it's original inception was as a tug boat. I worked on the building when it was rehabbed in the early 90s (when the "docks" of the Christmas Tree Shop were added on) and during the gutting of the inside of the restaurant we found that if you stuck your head through one of the portholes in the dining room you could actually see the original outside of the tug boat in a space between the original outside of the building and the later brig outer shell that has been built around it. Who knew?
Sad that every bit of character is being drained from Route 1 because otherwise it's simply a horrid shithole of traffic and hellish stupidity.
It's funny
The more money poured into an area, the duller it becomes.
Roslindaler
This is sad. Route 1 is an utter sewer. The ship, the orange dinosaur, the leaning tower of pizza, and the Kowloon are the only things that make opening your eyes while driving on it tolerable. Although, I will strongly commend the recycling transfer station for erecting a massive recycling bin full of giant bottles and cans for its sign. I love it. Credit to you GreenWorks Recycling. Instead of raising the ship, perhaps Melrose and Saugus should raise absolutely everything else on Route 1 and start anew with a zoning code that requires at least 1 whimsical element for every lot.
Route-1-canal
Why would Melrose be involved? The action on Route 1 starts at the Saugus/Revere border and goes up through Lynnfield, Peabody and Danvers -- although Saugus gets the rep for the no-tell motels, cheezey strip joints and assorted commercial dreck.
The amount of whimsy that has been douched off Route 1 by corporate blandization is sad but I suppose inevitable. The Hill Top sign is protected (believe it or not) and of their own volition the developers at the intersection of 1 and 99 have decided to keep the Orange Dinosaur (for now). Kowloon and Prince Pizzeria do great business, so I doubt they'll be changing their look anytime too soon. But all the new stuff (e.g., Walmart) just looks as bad as the traffic.
And the idea of 278 residential units and about 24,000 sq ft of retail going in at the Hilltop site, and the Dinosaur site getting two hotels and 255 single-bedroom apartments makes me think that Saugus needs an intervention. Route 1 is THE main thoroughfare for getting to the North Shore and MassDOT should be concerned that this artery is totally obstructed and we're ready for a coronary. At this point whimsy is the least of our issues.
And who looks at Route 1 and thinks "yeah...I want to live on this road.....maybe raise a family...." ...(traditionally it's been "yeah....this looks like a good place to overdose in a fast food restaurant bathroom.") ugh.
50s-60s Time machine
Every time I drive on 1 it feels like I'm going back in time. Deep down we all knew that these archaic and corny structures wouldn't last. They were fun and amazing back in the day, but now they are clearly dated and kitsch. Its time we put these old structures to rest and remember them as they were.
I agree, but
It's the unique local things that make a city different and better. If you go to the mid-West it's nothing but the same chain stores and restaurants everywhere. New England, for the most part, has enough different, local things that keep us from being totally generic. Route 1 in Saugus is tough to defend as unique, but for every Walmart there's a Hockeytown (literally) across the street that tells you that you aren't in Kansas anymore.
"We're going to the Ship"
We went there once on a Sunday night this summer, the food was decent, there was hardly anyone in the place.
There's always Brothers Kouzina on Rte.1. Love that place. Food is good, service is very friendly, a family atmosphere, and the baklava is great.
yummies on 1
Brothers Kouzina!! Haven't been there in years, but a great place!
I would also recommend the Sea Witch just past the cut-off to 95 north. And there's a little Pho place in a strip mall on the southbound side (a little further north and across from Red's or the Golden Banana - speaking of "strip maul") that has good food but the ambiance one would expect in a strip mall on route 1 that includes pool supplies and tattoos.
The other thing to look for north of Saugus along Route 1 are the little family cemeteries that are squeezed in parking lots and behind trailer parks and the like. A lot of little gems to find along that stretch from the Ship up to the circle in Topsfield.