Drive-ins – both of the cinema and eatery variety – have become relics of a by-gone era. And that kind of sucks.
(Yeah I know, this image isn’t that old – the A/C, and radio give it away. But you’re still hungry now, right?)
Image source: [Imgur.com]
Last Call- Food Tastes Better When it's Served on Skates Edition
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'57 two door hardtop Belair?
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I would think it's later than that but I'm not sure.
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Nope, it's a '57 – the one big gauge pod with two smaller pods is the giveaway.
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It's a '57, but wasn't that strip along the top edge of the window opening only used on the four-door hardtops? The door length looks about right for a four-door, too.
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Upon further analysis…you may very well be correct.
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This should be playing on the car radio…
[youtube -8qLhWVzqDw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8qLhWVzqDw youtube]-
I prefer the hokier Buffett variation but yours sounds more drive-in-esque.
[youtube OJi4bln-hHQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJi4bln-hHQ&feature=related youtube]
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A Custom Autosound radio.
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Try going to Sonic Drive-In some time. It's a huge nationwide chain (3,500 stores) and they still use carhops on roller skates. Many also host cruise nights too. Their food and fountain drinks (floats, malts, mixtures, etc.) are great too!
http://www.sonicdrivein.com/home.jsp-
As anyone with kids will agree, McDonalds has done this incredible mind-f*ck to all our children that causes them to view any sort of drive-thru fast food (or any other restaurant fare for that matter) that's not Mickey D's to be methadone compared to the China White they truly crave. They don't particularly like the food, the toys in the Kid's Meals are utter plastic crap that will never be played with again even that very day, and if there's a playland it's usually disgusting. Yet the desire burns so fiercely they can't resist or think of anything else.
My oldest has just recently learned that watching girls in short skirts on roller-skates is quite a bit more enticing than some plastic toy and inedible food, so he has become my advocate in persuading the youngers that Sonic is far better. I always tried to get them to go there because the toys were almost always educational or some kind of physical exercise toy like a frisbee, foot-bag, or balsa plane, plus as a bonus I could imagine a little education or physical exercise myself.
So we're there the other day, and out the open window while we're waiting for our roller-skater, I can hear some pretty good tunes coming from somewhere, and I just assume it's coming from the lifted Tahoe on dubs about three spaces away with a bunch of high school kids in it. I'm feeling a little hope for our Youth, and then, "Rudie Can't Fail", by The Clash comes on.
Now when "London Calling" came out in '80-81 it absolutely blew my mind. I was just this punk high-school kid in a rural mining town, but The Clash's message of that this is a political problem that can be changed through action stood in quite a contrast to the prevailing nihilistic view of bands like the Sex Pistols- "Burn The World To The Ground And Start Over!!!!"
As the song is ending, I'm about to get out and go down to the kids and give them a big atta-boy or high-five or something, I'm not quite sure, when a DJ comes on and says, "You're listening to the Worldwide Sonic Network!" I was stunned, Corporate America co-opting my music again, however obscure, or if they are hoping that the Youth will get the message through some sort of osmosis…….-
Hah – "your music" was co-opted long ago. I knew that in 1996 wen I picked up a Time-Life collection of punk music at a used CD shop. It actually was a pretty good, well-annotated set but I'm sure it was not in the spirit that the original artists intended. My recognition of betrayal came when I heard Muzak versions of Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Led Zep's "What Is And What Should Never Be" at a local supermarket.
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I heard a lecture on the history of the muzak corporation a while ago. Muzak was located in Seattle– evidently a number of the early grunge bands paid their bills by playing the instruments for muzak versions of pop songs. I recall that one of the bands that eventually made it big–annoyingly memory fails me which one–eventually got to do the muzak version of one of their own songs.
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Went to a drive-in movie theater up in the North Georgia mountains in 2009 to see Transformers 2. It was sort of different than I remembered from 30 years ago. Most folks just brought lawn chairs and either used a boom box or the car stereo for the sound. The little speaker boxes are long gone. You could bring in your own food which was sort of nice. My wife insisted we take the Z3. Corbeau seats aren't comfortable for 2+ hours and I think only one speaker is working on the Z3 radio. So 2 lawn chairs, an ice chest, and a radio pretty much filled the trunk. My vote was for the Trailblazer with the Bose stereo and reclining seats. At least the drive up was more fun. If you happen to find yourself close to Blueridge, GA The Swan Drive-In is worthwhile: http://www.swan-drive-in.com/
As for drive-ins of the food variety, the world's largest is right in downtown Atlanta. The Varsity still offers curbside service, complete with the little hang on tray: http://www.thevarsity.com/ The only other drive-ins around that I know of are just Sonics.-
There's one in Neosho that is really fun to go to during the summer, fun times.
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There's a drive in movie theater on the North side of Hwy 40 where it meets Hwy 2 and splits off between Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell in Montana.
I'm looking to take a girl there for the first time this summer and I really don't care whats playing in accordance to drive in movie tradition. -
The oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in the country in Burbank, California offers car hop service on Saturday and Sunday nights. (Not to be confused with the cluster-f*** that is "classic car" night on Fridays, where all manner of Harleys, beater '70s cars with for sale signs on them and the odd minivan or crossover take up too many of the spaces.)
No roller skates or anything else interesting about the servers, who are mostly high school and college age young men and woman decked out in the same polo shirts as the inside wait staff, but it's fun nonetheless. Occasionally you'll see something old and interesting backed into one of the car service spaces, but usually it's just parents in modern rides showing their kids how it used to be.
What's funny is that when I was a kid, my folks would take us to Bob's for car hop service on the way to the drive-in movie, and we couldn't wait to see if the movie was any good. Today, many of the kids in back seats are just sitting there watching DVDs on the in-car monitors, kind of oblivious to the experience of the retro-style dining. -
There's still a drive-in theatre about 10 minutes from my house (the theatre's about 45 minutes north of Toronto, in Sharon, ON). Even if I only get out once a year or so, I'm still glad it's there. On the other hand, we don't have any drive-in restaurants. Turns out A&W hasn't done that in over ten years.
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Dammit, how come no burger places deliver? I am at home, and my car is in the shop. I would totally hang that off my desk, and give the roller girl a 200% tip.
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<img src="http://www.daevius.com/piper/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Hawk-3.jpg" width="500">
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Sonic Drive in food is everywhere here in Texas, and Texas has the most operational drive-in movie theaters in the US.
And I love it.-
It's odd – there is not a single Sonic in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. I'd have to drive to West Palm Beach or Naples.
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A few A&Ws still have car-hop service. My wife and I stopped for lunch last fall on our way through Standish, MI. I drove in, looking for the drive-thru, and noticed the food bays. Sure enough, out came a waitress on roller skates! I remember an old-school one in Berkley that had them at least through the early aughts, but I don't think it's there anymore.
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