In front of South Station, things are quite uniform. Skyscrapers and office buildings rise above the streets, while men and women in suits dominate the landscape of pavement.

Like any location, though, there are certain places that add flair and pizazz to the area. They have created a reminder of the time when the streets were bustling with travelers at the station’s most active transportation spot.

At the end of Atlantic Avenue, around the corner from South Station, one of those places can be found – a reminder in chrome and pink. The South Street Diner rises above no building, but its presence towers among the rest.

In a city that usually winds down around 10 p.m., this exceptionally small locale stays open all night long. They clearly benefit from the business, even at 3 a.m. tables are still occupied.

“It’s great to be able to meet up with people late at night,” said Kendra Levasseur, a recent Northeastern graduate and current employee of the admissions office at Northeastern.

Walking in, the common patron feels transported to another time, as ’50s paraphernalia hangs by a thread from the wall, a jukebox blares past chart-toppers, and a lifesize figure of James Dean overlooks the diner from the bathroom door.

Actually, the current title has only been held on the building for seven years. Previously it was known as “Boston’s Original Diner.” The building, as its look would indicate, has been there since the 1920s.

The mood is generally bustling as tattooed waitresses in bright blue shirts race back and forth between tables. Once you take a seat, though, customers are free to stay as long as they’d like – or have as many cups of coffee, depending on how they wish to measure it.

The people-watching is first rate to perhaps any other place in the city. Many beat-looking young men wander in from their train with duffel bags, while other regulars trail in for a drink, or students from around the city stumble in for a bite after all other restaurants have closed.

That’s not to make this place sound lavish, though, because it’s as no-frills as they come. The food is cooked before your eyes on a huge fryer. During the day, there’s likely to be a mountains of eggs and home fries piled up.