One of the most famous Massachusetts hot dog stands, and a favorite of Marc Lind, Aras VP of Marketing. Lawton's has sat precariously on the edge of a canal since 1929. Though the railroad lines and trolley lines that crisscrossed the nearby intersection are pretty much gone Lawton's remains.

In the late 1950s and through the 1960s cruising around the block near Lawton's was standard operation for any older adolescent or young adult, especially those with "wheels." Jay Leno can tell you about Lawton's having grown up in nearby Andover he would join the automotive conga line . Today it's still busy and is one of the holy grails of hot-dog-dom.

You enter from one end. There's not much room inside. You order; Marc of course takes the typical works - with relish and mustard, hold he onions. They also do sauerkraut, chili, and cheese dogs . While the bun is toasted, the all-beef hot dogs are deep-fried in a rectangular pan filled with hot oil. Rumor is they add some secret ingredients to the oil as the dogs cook. The long, thin 8" franks are fried to the point where they rip open. They stick out each end of the bun. Lastly you take your dog out the other door and sit on a bench alongside the canal or in your car.

Lawton's dogs are right up there with the best and it's well worth the time to make a pilgrimage whenever you're in the area.

Don't miss the opportunity to toss a few bun bits into the canal to see the feeding frenzy...