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I was over at Life Of Jason reading the post about his new digs and how he was hunting new haunts to haint. I posted a comment on what I considered to be the best Italian restaurant in Springfield, ever: Napolitano's. It was on Walnut Street just west of Jefferson.

They didn't have a liquor license but customers could bring in their own wine. Many a night we would sit in their vinyl covered booths, eat pasta and drink red wine. Good memories.

My wife and I went thrift store shopping today. There are always interesting things to find at thrift stores and flea markets. I will buy almost anything except clothing with people's names written on the tags in magic markers. Just can't do that. We went to a flea market on West Trafficway west of the Salvation Army store, way west, it was next to Stubb's RV (remember Stubb's? It was the place in Springfield for Holiday Rambler parts.)

Browsing the booths, we saw one booth had sweatshirts commemorating the Christmas Train. Remember the Christmas Train? Every year Burlington Northern employees would donate their time to decorate a freight train with lights and Christmas decorations and run the BN route through Southern Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma if memory serves me correctly.

I remember once driving home to Springfield and seeing the train on the tracks that run parallel to highway 60. It was quite a sight. That train was a neat thing. Does anyone else remember it?

My wife and I also remembered the Sycamore Inn, a coffee shop/ restaurant that was located at the SE corner of Glenstone and St. Louis. It was one of the few eating establishments open after the bars in Springfield closed.

The Cat and Fiddle, I saw the sign that graced their building in a flea market here in Springfield somewhere. When my grandparents would come to Springfield to visit us back in the 1960's, my grandfather and I would sneak away for refreshment there. The drinks were the cheapest in town. Across the street was the original Casper's and a little Brown Derby, barely big enough for a beer cooler. It was just a little bit bigger than the liquor store in Galloway.

Somewhere I came across a blog that talked about these old landmarks in Springfield, but I can't seem to remember where I came across it and I can't find it anymore.

My wife just hollered, remember the restaurant that used to be in Heer's! Yes I do, it was on the second floor. I got my first suit from Heer's. I wanted one from Marx but my folks had a charge card from Heer's.

That same flea market where I saw the Christmas Train sweatshirts I saw a blown up photo of the Springfield Stock Yards. Now a metal recycling place occupies the space.

One thing in Springfield hasn't changed: since 1958 the Pizza House, tucked away in a strip mall at Glenstone and Bennett, serves the best thin crust pizza in Springfield. Cravin' Pizza across from Sam's on East Sunshine almost duplicates it, but the original is hard to beat. My wife has been eating there since they first opened, I got started on it in 1964. great pizza.

btw,my new best friends are in the running for Plunger Award of 2007