Queen's Grocery

A bit of Metro history: this stop was originally supposed to be called “Chillum,” but with a homerun like “West Hyattsville,” why would you think to name it anything else? Well, we might have a better option. One landmark of the Chillum neighborhood is (or was) its Giant Food Store. However, this wasn’t just any Giant; it was a royal Giant. The now defunct supermarket, which used to be off of Queen’s Chapel Road, opened back in the mid-50’s. In 1957, during Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to the United States, she and Prince Philip took in a University of Maryland football game. On their way back to the White House, the motorcade made a surprise stop at the Chillum Giant; maybe President Eisenhower just didn’t feed his guests enough. The trip was very short, and while Prince Philip snacked on some cheese and crackers, Queen Elizabeth spent her time fixated on the child seat-equipped shopping carts.