The history is as follows: The Willow Grove Diner was
delivered to its original location at the junction of
Routes 611 and 263 just north of Philadelphia PA in 1948.
After years of service it closed, and was moved to a field
in Lambertville, NJ, where it lay abandoned for nearly two
decades. A few years ago, Al Packard, of Bainbridge
Island, Washington, purchased the diner and moved it to its
present location which is short ferry ride across the Puget
Sound from Seattle. To minimize the cost of moving the
structure nearly 3000 miles, it was completely dismantled
before it was shipped across the country. It took 7 months
to restore and reassemble. It now stands as the only
classic, factory-built diner in the Pacific Northwest and
one of the rare few west of the Missisippi.
While the Blue Water Diner is a rare treasure in the
Seattle area, it could easily put many East-cost diners to
shame. Al Packard's restoration work is nothing short of
amazing. For all intents and purposes, it looks just like
it did when it rolled out of the factory 50 years ago.
Unlike other West coast diners, the Blue Water is not a
yuppie diner. It serves down and dirty diner
fare--burgers, fries, blue plate specials, and breakfast
anytime. I dropped by on a drizzley Tuesday night (unusual
weather for Seattle, huh?) and ordered one of my all time
favorite diner meals, Pot Roast, the blue plate special of
the day. The meat was lean and tender, and the vegetables
as fresh and tasty as the come. I washed it down with a
pint of one of Seattle's finest microbrews. Business
seemed decent enought, the booths were full, and the
counter was getting there. The one waitress seemed a bit
overworked, though, so service was not exactly lightning
fast, but nothing to complain about, really.
I decided to stay overnight in the pleasant suburban
community of Bainbridge Island and returned next morning at
7 AM. More rain. I became complaisant with the fact that
I would not see the sun on this trip to the Pacific
Northwest and tried to put those postcard images of Mount
Ranier draped behind the Space Needle and the Seattle
skyline out of my mind. I re-entered the stainless steel
landmark and proceeded to order the Blue Water Omlette,
stuffed full of the Pacific Northwest's famous Smoked
Salmon and Monterrey Jack cheese. Was it is as good as it
sounded? Yes, and bigger than I ever immagined.
Bottom line: No visit to Seattle would be complete without
a trip across the Puget sound to Bainbridge Island and the
Blue Water Diner, a great place to stay dry.
UPDATE: Winter 2001: The Blue Water went out of business!
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