High Above the Corner of College and Allen

A friend and colleague is retiring at the end of the month. And so another friend and I took him out to lunch at the Allen Street Grill, high above the corner of College and Allen, in downtown State College.

I am not sure I have ever eaten there before. If I have, it was only once. It's a bit more upscale (and pricier) than my more frequent hangout, the Corner Room, the casual dining restaurant on the first floor of the same building.

I had a nice lunch of crab bisque and spring rolls, and we sat and talked for a long time. We remembered some of the good old days and talked about the future. My one friend is already retired going on a year now; the second will be joining him soon. I alone am left: the Last of the Mohicans.

When we were done, we asked the waiter to take a picture of the three of us, and he did. We posed against the window that you see in this photo, with the lovely view of campus in the background.

And then I walked around and took some pictures of the interior scenes myself. You may see my own shot above, and it sort of tickles me that you can see both of the street signs: College, and Allen. This is the place where town meets gown, as we say.

My soundtrack song to go with a scene that is high above the main thoroughfare is this one: Steve Winwood, with Back in the High Life Again.