Driving around the Chicago suburbs, Des Plaines to be exact, looking for signs to take pictures of, I passed by a cool looking hamburger stand. If you know me, you know I love hamburgers. I am also a fan of cool retro burger joints. I made note of the location to return later for lunch.I made it back to the Choo Choo, Burgers on Wheels, at about 2:30. When I had passed by it earlier in the day, I thought it was kind of cool that it had a railroad theme. One thing I didn’t think of was that kids like trains. Well, when I walked in I realized that this place was like a 1950’s version of Chuck E. Cheese, sans the life sized rodents walking around.
I decided to suck it up and have lunch there even though there was a birthday party going on for an eight year-old. The kids seemed all hyped up on sugar or something. They were running around, blowing train whistles and playing on a mechanical train in the corner. There were probably 20 people in the small restaurant, 4 were adults.
The food was simple, burgers and fries. The quality was similar to what you would get at the county fair, nothing special. Your order arrives via the electric train that loops between the kitchen and the counter. The train stops right in front of you but I could not see anyone controlling it. How do they do it? The kiddie party started getting a little raucous when the train delivered cupcakes with train whistles on top for the birthday boy. The waitress plugged in a CD that sang happy birthday. While the song played, the staff rang bells and tooted bigger train whistles. What the hell am I doing here?
I tried to eat as fast as possible. I am not in my element. What I thought was going to be a cool experience is turning into a nightmare. More cupcakes are coming down the rails, just what these kids need, more sugar. A mob is climbing on the mechanical train ride thing despite the notice above it that says “only two people at a time.” The moms are not happy as they extract three kids from the train. I need to get out of here, the shrieking is hurting my ears.If you have kids that like trains and you are ever in Des Plaines, Illinois, check out the Choo Choo. If you don’t fit that profile, you might want to reevaluate your options.
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2 comments:
that place sounds awesome....of course I have little kids and am getting a real kick out of picturing you in there all by yourself. ha!
...I drove by two hours later and was shocked to see there was nothing but a vacant lot where the Cho Cho use to be. I stopped at the Kum & Go across the street and asked about the place. The kid behind the counter looked at me like I was nuts, then smiled in recognition, "Oh, that old place... I seem to remember something about that burning down...TWENTY YEARS AGO!"
I literally felt the blood drain from my face.
I reacted by buying the largest Slurpy they had in the place (White Cherry) and chugged it for all I was worth.
If this had been the first time this had happened to me, I probably wouldn't have been aware of the healing effects of brain freeze...
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