FACes
& PlaceS
Around
Town May 2005
 Memories
of New Hope (second of a series)
William (Billy) A. Lewis
[Editor’s
Note: Billy was the first to respond when
I sent out a call for help with Faces & Places
articles.He sent a number of articles for our Faces
& Places column.]
____________________
I
remember my first olde english grilled cheese sandwich
and tomato soup at Mel's Coffee House when it was located
on Rt 32 above Centre Bridge. Mel's wife, Millie served
our family. I was 4 years old and didn't know that
some day I would be serving those same sandwiches.
Mel's Coffee House was an institution in New Hope from
the fifties and through the sixties. He started out
near the corner of Mechanic St and Maine St behind
the Plain and Fancy gift shop.
From
the beginning it was the center of all that was Bohemian
in the area.
Beatniks and then hippies would
make this their home away from home. Artists such
as Bill Ney and Harry Rosin would hold court. Bill
Ney would play chess - I don't know if
anyone ever beat him. Writers such as Edmund Schidel
would
come by to find characters for their best selling
novels. Musicians would come by and then sneak out
briefly
to share their herbs. Celebrities
came
from all over to sit and chat in the open air
cafe. One
of the biggest was a chicken who was named Albertine
in honor of the restrauteur across the street.
Unfortunately the hen had the bad habit of leaving
droppings on
peoples' heads who were foolish enough to sit
under the tree
where she would oost. Eventually, though, Albert
had the last laugh when he served a coq au vin special
the
day Albertine
vanished.
Mel's
was the place to go if you wanted to see or be seen
and continued to draw people
from
all over
until
it closed. Mel's most dramatic action though
was the day he raised the price of coffee
to fifty
cents and
though he was scorned at the time, Starbucks
has managed to way out-stage him on this.
William A. Lewis
“I
lived in the New Hope-Lambertville Area from age
4 to 32 when I was lured to Louisiana. I had the
misfortune to drink Bayou water and am stuck here forever.”
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