I Discover a Hidden Gem on my Vespa Ride to Tom & Joe’s Diner

I took the long way to Tom & Joe’s Diner in Altoona, following Route 53 most of the way from Moshannon, Pennsylvania. A vintage Richfield sign caught my eye as I rode my Vespa GTS through the small town of Hudson, just outside of Philipsburg. I’m a big fan of vintage design and Americana, so I stopped for a closer look.
As luck would have it, the owner-Jeff Mitchell-noticed me admiring the exterior of his shop-the “Hudson Garage”-and invited me inside. He said, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Inside was an incredible collection of vintage signs, gas pumps, Coca-Cola vending machines, restored cars…you name it.
Jeff was gracious to let me take his photo and let me share pics here as well.
My travels continued to Tom & Joe’s, a classic All-American diner in Altoona.

[@VespaRiderenPaysdAuge]

Tom and Joe is exactly the nostalgic cliché of the "American dream" that a French person can have of a good old U.S restaurant ... the rest of the images too for that matter. " Red saddle and gray Vespa " would be a good title for a novel ... 😉👍

[@heckadude]

Great comments, I’m always curious how people from outside the U.S. perceive our culture. I like your novel title, that sounds like a book I’d be interested in reading!

[@scootersetc3003]

Love that diner! I love finding places like that

[@heckadude]

Me too, Howard!

[@ScooterintheSticks]

You pack a lot into this big, looping trek through Central Pennsylvania. Tom & Joe’s is a great eatery in Altoona. Definitely my favorite. And you actually narrated a bit in this video. Were you ill??😂 And a ride home via the Kettle and Sinking Valley. You sure get around. A fine and enjoyable video Andy. And that secret Richfield station. Woot!

[@heckadude]

Oh man, I do love a whole day dedicated to riding. And yeah, when it comes to talking on camera, less is definitely more for me! 😅 So, I'd only been to Tom & Joe's once before, but man, it gave me all those nostalgic diner feels from my first visit last fall. Then, stumbling upon Jeff's Hudson Garage felt like such a crazy coincidence, almost like a slice of American history was just waiting for me to stumble upon it that day. Jeff was incredibly gracious to show me around, and I felt my American pride well within me. It was nice to have a day to put the current political climate in my rearview mirror and enjoy the positive vibes. Not to get too philosophical, but I had a lot of time inside my helmet to think about our great country's incredible contributions to the world while acknowledging the many strides we still have to make. Both ideas can be true. Speaking of Kettle Road in Sinking Valley, it might be my favorite route to and from Altoona. As often as I have been through Spruce Creek, this was the first time I had explored this particular stretch of road that follows the stream and goes under the train tracks. Finding the unexpected nestled amongst the familiar is a pretty cool experience. Thanks for the kind words about the video!

[@markrobinson2648]

Nice to see the same area from two different perspectives, you and scooter in the sticks.

[@heckadude]

Steve is thoughtful and knowledgeable, and he has that reassuring voice. My niche is exploring and getting lost. Come to think of it, we do offer quite a broad range of perspectives! 😂 In all seriousness, Mark, thanks for following along!

[@daves4386]

PA has some great areas for a roadtrip. A couple of years ago my son and I took our old station wagon down the Lincoln Highway from the Ohio border to just shy of Philadelphia. What a fun trip!

[@heckadude]

Outstanding, Dave. That is something I have never done! And in a station wagon, no less!

[@taebert]

I will need to look at my map to see how you got to Altoona. I recognized the way you came back. Altoona is pretty far west for an average day ride for me, but I do want to get out there. I would really like to visit the railroad museum. And now I have a place to stop for lunch! Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

[@heckadude]

I know what you mean, Tim. Since I like to meander at a leisurely pace, it took me the better part of a day to travel the 150 miles and still have time to stop when I wanted to. I’ve done a few trips with an overnight stay built in so I can more easily extend my reach. I’ve never visited the Railroad Museum and I should! I’ve hit the Altoona Curve many times, and it was a favorite field trip destination when I was a kid in school.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Love motoring memorabilia, a great day out on the Vespa. Tom & Joe's looks familiar, has it featured in movies? Inspired me to revisit a place about 20km from my home, there's a vintage old car garage & a 50's American diner hidden away here in rural Australia. The Barn & Scotty's Garage at Flagstone creek Qld.

[@heckadude]

Hi Ranger, good question about Tom & Joe’s in the movies. I’ll have to do some research or ask George next time I stop in. Wow, Barn & Scotty’s looks tremendous! And in the heart of Australia no less. Outstanding.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

@@heckadude it was impressive, I was inside the garage 'museum' & Scotty opens a door to reveal a full size diner. I did a video about it (noone watched it) 🙂called Honda CT 110 Time Traveller.

[@heckadude]

@@Free_Ranger_CT110 I’d love to check it out. Can you send me a link?

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

@@heckadude sure here it is. The diner is full sized & used for functions, in the video it almost looks like a model. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnm8Z4mhftuLodk