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All things North Shore. The dino, the beefs, the towns, and the places we lost.

Shop the first drop Or get on the list for what's next
The orange fiberglass dinosaur on Route 1 in Saugus, mouth open, arms outThe dino, Saugus
The Route 1 Miniature Golf neon sign with a golfer, a baseball arrow and the Dairy Castle sign belowRt 1 Mini Golf

The dino stays

It stood guard over Route 1 Miniature Golf for decades. Then the course got sold, the dino wasn't in the deal, and Saugus lost its mind. It's still there. That's why it gets a shirt.

  • 6,000 lbs

    Of orange fiberglass.

  • 1958

    Route 1 Miniature Golf opens. Windmills, water wheels, lighthouses, and eventually a dinosaur.

  • Who brought it?

    Gibbs Oil says Sinclair sent it in the '60s. A former owner said her uncle had it made. The dino's not talking.

  • 2015

    Course sold. Locals push back and the developers keep the dino. The mini golf comes down in 2016.

The slide tray

The places we actually went. Color means it's still there. Gray means it's gone. Hit the button to bring one back for a minute.

  1. The Wonderland Greyhound Park sign over a snowy parking lot at sunsetWonderland, Revere

    Wonderland

    Revere, 1935 to 2010Gone

    The dog track at the end of the Blue Line. Opened in June 1935. The state voted to ban dog racing in 2008, the last race ran September 18, 2009, and the grandstand came down in 2017.

  2. Two horses racing past the green Suffolk Downs tote boardSuffolk Downs

    Suffolk Downs

    East Boston, 1935 to 2019Gone

    Right on the Revere line. Seabiscuit won the MassCap here in 1937, Cigar won it in 1995 and 1996, and the Beatles played the infield in 1966. Last live race: June 30, 2019.

  3. Horses breaking from the starting gate under the Massachusetts Handicap bannerThe MassCap

    The MassCap

    Suffolk Downs, 1935 to 2008Gone

    The Massachusetts Handicap was Suffolk's biggest day of the year. The last one ran in 2008.

  4. The Kowloon Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge sign with a clock on topKowloon, Saugus

    Kowloon

    Saugus, since 1950Still open

    Started as the Mandarin House, a 40-seat room in an old ice cream parlor. The Wongs took over in 1958. Now it's 1,200 seats, a 30-foot tiki and a volcano room.

  5. The Hilltop Steak House sign with Frank Giuffrida's signature and the neon cactus behind itHilltop, Saugus

    Hilltop Steak House

    Saugus, 1961 to 2013Gone

    A butcher from Lawrence bought a little bar for $7,000 and grew it to about 1,500 seats. That's his name on the sign. The 68-foot neon cactus. The plastic cows, bolted down so nobody stole them.

  6. The Palace nightclub in Saugus, a long white building with a round glass tower and the script Palace sign out frontThe Palace, Saugus

    The Palace

    Saugus, 1982 to 2006Gone

    Up to 15 clubs under one roof on Route 99. Disco, reggae, Top 40, a metal room, the Cowboys Club, the Officer's Club, a mechanical bull and a foam pit. LL Cool J and Marky Mark played it. The land got sold to Lowe's.

  7. Both sides of a brass Palace token reading Coin of the Realm, Admit One, Saugus, MACoin of the Realm

    Coin of the Realm

    The Palace, SaugusGone

    Admit one. The Palace's VIP token got you past the line. If you've still got one in a junk drawer, you know.

  8. The Ship restaurant, a full-size sailing ship with masts on dry landThe Ship, Lynnfield

    The Ship

    Lynnfield, 1925 to 2017Gone

    The story goes a retired Gloucester sea captain opened a stand in 1925, then built a ship on dry land around it. Torn down August 28, 2017.

  9. Prince restaurant with its leaning tower of pizza on the roofPrince, Saugus

    Prince

    Saugus, since about 1961Still open

    The Leaning Tower of Pizza, plus a comedy club inside since 1978. Still a slice of Saugus 65 years on.

Missing from the tray: Weylu's, Beachmont (it's with the beefs), and whatever spot you're about to tell us we forgot.

Kelly's Roast Beef on Revere Beach with its green signKelly's, Revere Beach
Revere Beach, since 1951Still open
The Beachmont Roast Beef sign, a big roast beef sandwich next to the words Beachmont Roast Beef, steaks, subs, saladsBeachmont, Winthrop Ave

Beachmont Roast Beef

Revere, 1970 to 2022Gone

629 Winthrop Ave, a few steps from the Beachmont T stop. Rare beef on an onion roll for over 40 years. When it closed, it made the news on WEEI.

Beefs, obviously

The three-way, bottom to top: cheese, beef, James River, mayo. Cheese goes on the bottom so it melts up into the beef. Out of order, it isn't a beef. If you have to ask, you're from Worcester.

  1. Top bun, buttered and griddled
  2. Mayo, top bun only
  3. James River BBQ
  4. Rare roast beef, paper-thin, piled high
  5. American cheese, on the bottom
  6. Bottom bun, face down on the flattop

Revere Beach, 1951

The roast beef sandwich. The legend: a wedding next door got called off, the roast beefs were left over, and two guys at a hot dog stand sliced them thin onto grilled rolls. Sold out in an hour. That stand became Kelly's.

Bill & Bob's

The three-way. Nondas Lagonakis built it, and had a hand in creating James River BBQ sauce. No Nondas, no James River. No James River, no three-ways.

Who does it best?

That's an argument with a scoreboard. North Shore Beefs keeps it.

The ones we lost

Beachmont's on the wall. Everybody's got a spot they miss. Vote for yours below.

What's coming

Shirts, hats and mugs. Town stuff, general North Shore stuff, and collabs with local creators.

  • Lore

    Landmarks and legends. The dino's first.

  • Gone but not forgotten

    The places we lost, with the years on the back.

  • Towns

    Your town, done right.Lynn, Lynn, city of sin.

  • Beefs

    Three-way or nothing. Cheese on the bottom.

  • Water

    Fishing, clams and the boats.

July 3, 1916

The story goes a fisherman named Tarr told Chubby Woodman to fry his clams like he fried his potato chips. He did, and served them at the Essex Fourth of July parade the next day. Woodman's still fries in lard.

A big painted rock reading Woodman's of Essex, since 1914Woodman's, Essex

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You'll get one email when the dino drops. Tell us which closed spot should come back first, too. Most votes gets the next shirt.

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