I often wonder where nostalgia comes from. Especially the nostalgia we find in places, for times we haven’t even experienced.

I sat in Angelo’s Diner, right off Rowan’s campus and the Glassboro Town Square. I was at the counter with a cup of coffee, waiting for my food as I drafted this article in my journal.

It wasn’t packed since it was around 6:40 p.m. During peak hours, however, you’d be hard pressed to find a table or spot at the counter. It’s a popular spot with locals and students alike. Not only popular, but tiny. It’s kept the original charm from 1946 when it opened.

The food and coffee here are, for me, fantastic. I haven’t had a bad meal yet at the establishment. Some of the fun comes from watching the cook make my food. Drafting this I could see my omelet and scrapple being cooked on the griddle in front of me.

I heard about the place originally from my old barber, who branded the spot as a hangover cure.

My omelette came out and was a delightful treat as I wrote this. It was slightly cramped with the big notebook and coffee, but I didn’t mind. Part of why I love the place is its small size. It goes back to a simpler time or a simpler lifestyle. Things don’t have to be big or fancy to have charm. I find the charm of the place to come from its simplicity and old-school nature. It’s a calming aesthetic.

I took my mom here for the first time a few weeks ago. We had great food and conversation with each other and with the server. A small and gentle snow came down that day as well. I can’t remember a time when I just felt at home outside of home. Not to mention in a diner.

I bring everyone who will go. I remember my own experience with Angelo’s as a hangover cure, just chatting with friends and sharing a meal. I’ve gone on a date at the diner, and even brought a professor for lunch.

It almost feels as if it doesn’t belong. With Rowan’s expansion sprawling into every corner of Glassboro and surrounding towns it can, Angelo’s feels like an escape. It’s somewhere I can forget the business and the hectic nature of the world, even if Angelo’s itself is a hectic place to be.

It reminds me of a charming and romanticized version of its original time of the 40s and 50s. An aesthetic treat of times I’ve never experienced, nor would really want to.

I’ve built memories here with the people I’m closest to. When I graduate, I’ll surely miss it as a hangout spot. And the prices, which are still rather low.

At this point, I finished my omelette and was cleaning the rest of my scrapple and toast. As I finished, I wondered again about nostalgia.

What really makes Angelo’s a nostalgic place? Is it the physical nature of the small space and paying in cash? Is it the old-school design of the building and the idea that it’s kept that way for a long time?

I may not really know why the place is so appealing to me and others, but I will continue to enjoy the place I’ve gotten closer to so many people in.

The feeling itself is enough for me, and I’ll enjoy it as long as it’ll last.

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