AN ICONIC RESTAURANT IN THE MALL CLOSES FOREVER TOMORROW

Let me be 100% transparent here: I do not like hot dogs. When I was a kid there was something in them that always made me sick and I have no idea what it was. Whether there was a gathering of friends in the valley, a 4-H cookout, or waterskiing and swimming at the river it seemed like the go to was always hotdogs. Why not? They’re cheap and easy to make. But I grew up in the time of “you eat what there is or you don’t eat” and I know my mother cringed every time she saw me eat them. The funny thing is I don’t hate them and have had them as an adult and been fine. There’s something about the smell of real hotdogs cooking that spurs the senses. Every time I would go the Valley View Mall as a kid we would eventually walk past, or at least close to an iconic place to eat there – Coney Island Station Hotdogs. I never ate there for obvious reasons, but I had friends that insisted on going. Back then there wasn’t a food court to meet at a table in the middle after you each chose your own meals. The arcade was in its own space on the east side of the mall. You either went to Coney Island, Mc Donalds’s, or Orange Julius none of which were close to the other. Coney Island was always this place I wanted to go because you could smell it wafting through the air from down the hallways and the name just sounded fun. I know many people loved eating there and getting chili dogs or cheese dogs and would argue that the Mall location was better than the downtown location. I think it was just the fact that malls were the place to be back then. Over the years things have change at Valley View. McDonald’s is gone and so is Orange Julius and the arcade was closed with just a few games at the food court last I looked. There is a big food court there now where you don’t necessarily have to fight with anyone in your group over where to eat. However, it seems that Coney Island has decided it’s time for them to move on as well. This is your warning that tomorrow is their last day of being open at the mall and if you want to get that last gasp of nostalgia. It’s funny how restaurants closing can feel like you’re losing something close when it’s really just the memories you had there of birthday parties, family moments, first dates, or just hanging out at the mall that you’re pining for. Hope you get to have one last dog before they close up!

Coney Island’s last day Friday at La Crosse’s Valley View Mall