Here’s a note from reader Wes Ray:
“You wrote an column a few months ago about Upland not changing the Foothill Boulevard name to Route 66. Since that time my wife and I have conducted a loose survey of Foothill Boulevard from Central Avenue to Grove Avenue.
“We have concluded that the City Of Gracious Living should rename Foothill Boulevard. Our choice would more appropriately fit the boulevard. Our choice is FASTFOOD BLVD, as we counted over 20 — as I recall, more like 30, but my wife didn’t want Upland to sound quite that trashy — fast-food restaurants on Foothill in the city.
“We saw only one restaurant, of any size, we would call a sitdown restaurant only. That was Coco’s at Euclid. We could have missed some minor sitdowns in the back of shopping centers, but if so they were unknown to us and we have lived in Upland since 1964.”
Wes, I appreciate your legwork, and I can understand your frustration at the numerous fast-food chains along the street. The days of the grand old restaurants in Upland seem to have passed: The Arbor, the Stuft Shirt, Lord Charlie’s, York’s, the Sage Hen, Noble Inn, etc., etc.
However, things aren’t as dire as you think. I can think of a bunch of sitdown restaurants along Foothill, although they may not be to your liking.
From memory, heading east from the city limits at Monte Vista:
New China, Joey’s BBQ, Buffalo Inn, Spaggi’s (which is one of the valley’s finest restaurants), Jarritos, Pho Century, Athens Gyro House, Kishi, Sizzler (still there, I think), Sushimaru, Brandon’s Diner, El Perico Ranchero and Thai Satay BBQ. Plus another three or four sushi bars whose names slip my mind.
I’m sure I’m leaving out a few more places where you order at your table rather than at a counter.
Still, Fastfood Boulevard does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
