Culture
Hitting the Road to Showcase America's Diner Culture
The bloggers behind Diner Porn profiled the characters and cuisine of 24 greasy spoons from New Jersey to Georgia.
For Tom Smith, late-night diners have a magnetic allure: amber light washing over the darkened street, weary workers sidling up to the counter to refuel. He likes to feel surrounded by snippets of conversation and the sound of silverware scuffing china.
As a kid growing up in New Jersey—near the long-haul intersections of Route 46 and Route 80—he’d loved the nearby diners, like Park West in Little Falls. So when he felt adrift after moving to New York City, he headed to a place that felt familiar: a diner near West 4th Street in Manhattan. He’s enamored with the buzzing sound of neon signs, the slow and steady foot traffic, and the reflections bouncing off of steel and chrome.