Esso

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At night, when the gas station’s neon lights were on full blast, a young boy would often stop by for an ice cream cone. But one evening, as he approached the Esso pump, his eyes widened—was that a shadowy figure reflected in the gas gauge? As he got closer, the shadowy figure turned out to be just an old neighbor, dozing off while waiting for his turn at the pump. The boy giggled and waved, prompting the man to wake up with a start. ‘Hey kid,’ he grumbled, rubbing his eyes, ‘next time you see someone sleeping at the gas station, maybe they’re just catching some zzzs!’

2. At dusk, while filling up his bike, a little boy noticed something peculiar: every time he approached the Esso pump, the reflection in the car window changed shape—turning into an old man with twinkling eyes and a wide smile. Curious, the boy told his father who shrugged it off as just another Esso trick. But one day, when an old man came to fill his truck nearby, the boy asked him if he saw himself in the mirror too. The man laughed heartily, saying, 'Son, I’ve been coming here for years, and that’s always been my friendly greeting!'

3. At dawn, when the Esso sign glowed like an old friend, a neighborhood dog would suddenly freeze in its tracks. Every morning, without fail, it would pause right outside the gas station, sniffing intently at the air and staring up at the bright yellow letters as if they held some secret message. Then one day, a delivery driver noticed the dog and decided to wave cheerfully. The dog tilted its head curiously, then wagged its tail and trotted inside for a free bottle of water. Ever since, whenever anyone asked why the dog stopped there every morning, everyone just smiled and said, ‘He’s checking his fuel level.’

4. At midnight, when the Esso sign cast its eerie blue light over the deserted street, a delivery driver swore he saw a ghostly figure refueling a car that wasn’t there. Curious, the driver approached closer and noticed an old man in a tweed jacket filling up a vintage Mercedes. ‘Excuse me,’ he asked, ‘isn’t that car from the ’50s?’ The ghostly figure turned around with a twinkle in his eye: ‘Ah, yes, my dear boy—she’s been waiting for just such an occasion!’ And with that, they both laughed heartily as the Esso sign flickered merrily in the night.