Rainey Blogs on Some Days

Swim meets have always been magical, and in recent years we had a run of several years with three girls swimming for the Leonia Swim Club team at once. But all good things come to an end, and after the first meet of the 2010 swim season in Oradell, we drove to our special, post-meet restaurant to eat in Paramus: The Fireplace . We had eaten there a few years earlier after a meet and were hooked on this retro 1950s-like hamburger and French fries joint with a wood paneling interior. They don't use plates; instead, they give what looks like a paper coffee filter and put each item on a filter. We all loved the quirky, old-fashioned feel and it became a special place we would go to eat once or twice each year after an away swim meet in the Paramus area. This time, though, the magic had worn off. Maybe it was the week of 100-degree weather we were having that had everyone on edge. Maybe it was the realization that a cheeseburger, fries, and a vanilla milkshake is just not that goo...