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Trip to the Pop Shop

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Written by Randy Garbin

Roadside Girl and I have started a little tradition where we take off somewhere together for Father's Day. Of course, Mrs. Roadside raises no objection to getting the day off, so it's a win-win all around. We live around the corner from an active and beautiful train station on the region's far-flung commuter line, so I like to take my kid somewhere by train. This year, I chose the destination of Collingswood, New Jersey.

To reach there from our house, we took the Broad Street Line to Walnut station, walked underground over to the PATCO stop and rode the line, emerges from its tunnel astride the arcing span of the Ben Franklin Bridge and gives riders a stunning panoramic view of the city before it dives under Camden. Total cost of the trip: $7.25, which would have cost even more if we drove thanks to the bridge tolls and gas.

For those who don't know, the media frequently cites Collingwood as an up-and-coming town and a Southern New Jersey gem. Its active traditonal downtown, its stop on PATCO's high-speed rail line, and proximity to Philadelphia attractions and commerce make it a magnet for anyone seeking escape from the whole big-box, chain retail madness. Collingswood does make for a near-textbook-case of a boutique town, but it does still have a few home-grown and useful stores on its main street. Besides the hardware store, it also has a classic "superette," the National Food Market, and a produce store join the retail mix mostly dominated by bistro-type restaurants, coffee shops, and dressmakers. In the heart of it all sits the Pop Shop.

Owned by Connie and Stink Fisher, the Pop Shop makes a earnest attempt to recreate the classic soda shop atmosphere complete with a six page ice cream and dessert menu, counter area, and a concerted effort to target the young ones. The Shop's website has all the details about their offerings, and to us, the Fisher's have struck exactly the right chord for competing on a main street only a few miles away from the Cherry Hill retail megalopolis. Open long hours and catering to kids of all ages, the Pop Shop might not win any awards from the James Beard Foundation, but they serve up what families want when dining out together. Good, basic comfort food, reasonable prices, snappy service, and a boisterous, active room that will make the kids feel completely at home.

The Pop Shop does not make their own ice cream, but instead serves ice cream made by Bassetts of Philadelphia. If you can't make your own, then at least choose the best in your region, and around here, there's none better than Bassetts.

Overall, Roadside Girl and I had a fine Father's Day, one that I can only hope she'll remember after we endure the torture of her teenage years.