Traveling Thoughts

The Dayton Daily News reported that five area Friendly’s, the last of a restaurant chain in Dayton, closed without warning on Monday.  While most might scroll past this story, my heart sank a little. You see, I have a long history with this restaurant. Which might sound a little (or a lot) silly, but before you judge – let me explain. Growing up, I regularly went to Mass with my grandparents. While my grandmother was a one of the best cooks I know, we would sometimes be treated to a meal or ice cream at Friendly’s. Don’t get me wrong; even at a young age I knew it was a bribe.   I didn’t realize the family history behind this bribe until I was a little older when my aunt visiting from California took me out to lunch. Where did I want to go? Friendly’s of course, you can get lunch AND ice cream. The lunch conversation swirled to many topics but one of them stood out. It was there that my aunt told me how my grandparents used the same “trick” on her gr...