Some seem to be on the way up, others on the way down. Silver Spring's famous Tastee Diner has been moved north several blocks, refurbished and reopened. On the other hand, I saw a different kind of diner on a recent visit to Pittsburgh. Charlie's is grimy and worn out and looks like it's still standing only because it's in no worse shape than the rest of the decaying neighborhood in which it stands. Kittel's book shows the same dichotomy.
Some diners are polished and well preserved.
N.J. The metalwork is shiny, the windows are clean, a wall of glass block glows in the background. Other diners have obviously had a hard life. Some of them are closed or for sale, but most of the photos depict operating diners. Most are vintage diners, but there are a few shots of the newer fashionable pseudo-diners such as San Francisco's Fog City Diner. The book shows the range of diner architecture.