Hickman's Seafood (Demolished)
Ocean City, NJ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Now here's a rooftop sign that gets right to the point. A giant fish perched above Hickman's Seafood on Asbury Avenue let everyone passing through Ocean City know exactly what was on the menu. What better way to advertise seafood than putting a big fish on the roof? The oversized fellow even pointed toward the place, just in case there was any confusion.

Hickman's was one of those longtime Ocean City stops that became part of the summer routine. Andy and Joan Merlino took over the seafood market in 1960 and ran it for the next 44 years. Fresh crabs were a specialty, but Hickman's was particularly remembered for its fish cakes, made from a closely guarded family recipe. For plenty of Shore visitors, picking up dinner here was simply part of an Ocean City vacation.

And really, that big fish was all the advertising the place needed. Cruising along Asbury Avenue, it would have been pretty hard to miss a seafood market with its catch sitting right up on the roof.

UPDATE: Hickman's Seafood closed in 2004 after 44 years under the Merlino family. The old building was later demolished and the rooftop fish sign was removed. Residential housing now occupies the site. 08-26

A&LP Foods
North Wildwood, NJ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Hungry? This big roadside sign ought to give you a few ideas. A&LP Foods in North Wildwood advertises everything from steaks and hoagies to pizza and groceries. Looks like there's quite a variety waiting inside for the hungry traveler.

A&LP has been a neighborhood fixture since 1953, when Alfonso and Lina Pizza started the business. More than 70 years later, the Pizza family is still running this combination Italian market, deli and restaurant.

Best of all, the classic freestanding sign still catches the eye at the corner of 15th and New Jersey.

UPDATE: A&LP Foods remains open year-round and family operated in North Wildwood. 08-26

Lucille's Sea Food (Demolished)
Lake George, NY
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

Seafood is no stranger around Lake George, and neither was Lucille's Seafood. The big nautical roadside sign along Canada Street was a perfect fit for this tourist town, complete with neon, a lobster and enough lettering to catch the eye of anyone cruising through.

The restaurant carried the nautical theme right over to the building, with a ship-like front and a second-floor spot called Topside. Lucille's was one of the many colorful restaurants and signs that once made a drive through Lake George almost as interesting as the lake itself.

UPDATE: Lucille's is long closed. The building was demolished and its distinctive roadside sign was removed. 08-26

Ranch House Restaurant (Gone)
Wilmington, DE
Photo courtesy Kevin Powers

Check out the big roadside sign for the Ranch House Restaurant along Concord Pike in Wilmington. With its cowboy lettering, glowing neon and that giant arrow pointing toward the parking lot, there wasn't much chance of driving past this place without noticing it.

The Ranch House opened here in 1967 and became one of those classic Route 202 roadside eateries, known as a no-frills spot for everything from breakfast to late-night comfort food. The building itself survived and eventually became Lucky's Coffee Shop, keeping the old diner tradition going at the same location.

UPDATE: The Ranch House is long gone and its distinctive roadside sign has been removed. Lucky's Coffee Shop now operates from the old restaurant building. 08-26

Dutch Haven Restaurant
Lancaster, PA
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Here's one that's pretty hard to miss along the Lincoln Highway. Dutch Haven comes complete with a bright yellow building, a giant rooftop windmill and a roadside sign pointing travelers in for Pennsylvania Dutch treats. Not sure if the windmill was turning when this shot was taken, but the whole place certainly looks ready for another busload of tourists. 01-01

The roadside landmark traces its roots to a 1920s luncheonette called Franklin's Windmill Inn, with the Dutch Haven name arriving in 1946. Over the years it became especially famous for its gooey shoo-fly pie, along with enough Pennsylvania Dutch souvenirs and roadside goodies to fill the car before heading back onto Route 30.

The restaurant days are gone, but the windmill, yellow building and classic roadside sign are still there.

UPDATE: Dutch Haven continues operating as a bakery and souvenir shop, and yes, that big rooftop windmill still turns. 08-26

Howard Johnson's (Closed)
Asbury Park, NJ
Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf

Here's a Howard Johnson's that looked nothing like the usual orange-roofed HoJo's along the highway. Howard Johnson's Restaurant on the Asbury Park boardwalk had a sweeping circular design, walls of glass and that great curved ramp leading upstairs. It looked more like something from the Jet Age than a place to stop for fried clams and ice cream.

The restaurant opened in 1962 as part of the Fifth Avenue Pavilion and managed to hang on long after most Howard Johnson's restaurants had disappeared. Generations of Shore visitors remember eating beside the windows overlooking the ocean, while plenty of kids apparently found that long curving ramp almost as entertaining as the boardwalk.

Howard Johnson's finally closed here in 2006, but fortunately the unusual building didn't go with it.

UPDATE: The former HoJo's survives on the boardwalk, now home to the Robinson Ale House downstairs and Tim McLoone's Supper Club upstairs. The old Howard Johnson's signs are gone. 08-26

Conty's Restaurant (Demolished)
Bridgeport, CT
Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf

Check out the wild '60s look of Conty's Restaurant in Bridgeport. The sharply angled roof and those big supports give the place a real space-age drive-in appearance. And just in case you forgot where you stopped, there's that giant "C" sitting right at the top of the front pillar.

Conty's opened in 1965 near Seaside Park and the University of Bridgeport, making it a popular stop with students and locals. Along with burgers, fries and shakes, the place was remembered for that unusual New England specialty, the chow mein sandwich.

Conty's closed in 1982, although the distinctive building hung around for years afterward under other names.

UPDATE: The former Conty's building was eventually demolished, taking that unmistakable giant "C" and space-age facade with it. 08-26

Yenching Palace (Gone)
Washington D.C.
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Hungry for lunch and looking for something that won't make you sleepy? Stop by Yenching Palace along Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. With its big neon sign and unusual backwards-looking "Y," this was one Chinese restaurant that was pretty hard to miss. And no election jokes here.

Yenching Palace opened in 1955 and became a longtime Cleveland Park favorite, but there was a lot more going on here than egg rolls and Peking duck. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, ABC reporter John Scali met Soviet official Aleksandr Feklisov at the restaurant for secret discussions that became part of the back-channel diplomacy surrounding the crisis. Not your typical lunch crowd.

The restaurant lasted more than half a century before finally closing in 2007.

UPDATE: Yenching Palace is gone and its familiar neon sign has been removed. The building was later converted for other commercial uses. 08-26