Drive-in, 1966
So, if any of you guessed that Ian and I were going to the drive-in this weekend, you were right!
I can’t express how wonderful a night at the drive-in can be. I love to pack the car full of blankets and snacks and pull into the dusty lot as the sun sinks lower in the sky.
I love getting out of the car and walking around before the movies start. There are children playing catch and Frisbee and tag. They roll down the grassy hill and crash into each other at the bottom.
The cool kids mill about by the concession stand. This used to be my favorite place to walk by repeatedly when I was in high school.
I love walking up the hill to look at the screen.
And I love looking at the ghosts of drive-ins past. The original screen supports are in the brush behind the new screen.
I love watching people get ready for the movie.
And I love crawling into the backseat of my car, curling up in a blanket and digging into the snacks. My favorite is gummi bears:
It’s very serious business, these gummies. Without them, the entire night would be ruined!
Ian prefers to be classier. He ate homemade bread with brie and chipotle blueberry sauce and drank organic, low-fat chocolate milk. (And he ate pretty much all of the gummi bears so who's classy now?)
I especially love the intermission film from the 1970's. I can't even describe it here, it's too awesome. I can tell you that one of the highlights is a closeup of a burger being fried on a griddle...and then they mash out the grease with a spatula. Delicious!
Here's a terrible picture of them about to drop a basket of what I think are egg rolls into a boiling vat of grease. I can't promise they're really egg rolls...no one really knows what they are and that's my best guess.
As you can tell, I have such an innocent view of the drive-in, normally a place with a bad reputation. I love nothing more than to sit in my car with the sunroof open, watch two movies I wouldn’t pay to see in the theater, listen to crickets chirping and people in nearby cars laughing, see a falling star out of the corner of my eye, have some snacks and feel incredibly lucky to experience it all one more time. I never know if the drive-in will be open one year to the next. Each fall they say it’s the last and then spring comes around and it’s open again.
It’s an unexplainable feeling, this experience only a handful of people have had or will have. Old melds with new and those who appreciate such things feel at home.
I have more to say about drive-ins but this post is already long enough. Tomorrow I'll share my rules for a successful drive-in and also some drive-in etiquette. If you want to see more pictures, click the first for a picassa slideshow or any of the others to check them out at flickr.
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I can’t express how wonderful a night at the drive-in can be. I love to pack the car full of blankets and snacks and pull into the dusty lot as the sun sinks lower in the sky.
I love getting out of the car and walking around before the movies start. There are children playing catch and Frisbee and tag. They roll down the grassy hill and crash into each other at the bottom.
The cool kids mill about by the concession stand. This used to be my favorite place to walk by repeatedly when I was in high school.
I love walking up the hill to look at the screen.
And I love looking at the ghosts of drive-ins past. The original screen supports are in the brush behind the new screen.
I love watching people get ready for the movie.
And I love crawling into the backseat of my car, curling up in a blanket and digging into the snacks. My favorite is gummi bears:
It’s very serious business, these gummies. Without them, the entire night would be ruined!
Ian prefers to be classier. He ate homemade bread with brie and chipotle blueberry sauce and drank organic, low-fat chocolate milk. (And he ate pretty much all of the gummi bears so who's classy now?)
I especially love the intermission film from the 1970's. I can't even describe it here, it's too awesome. I can tell you that one of the highlights is a closeup of a burger being fried on a griddle...and then they mash out the grease with a spatula. Delicious!
Here's a terrible picture of them about to drop a basket of what I think are egg rolls into a boiling vat of grease. I can't promise they're really egg rolls...no one really knows what they are and that's my best guess.
As you can tell, I have such an innocent view of the drive-in, normally a place with a bad reputation. I love nothing more than to sit in my car with the sunroof open, watch two movies I wouldn’t pay to see in the theater, listen to crickets chirping and people in nearby cars laughing, see a falling star out of the corner of my eye, have some snacks and feel incredibly lucky to experience it all one more time. I never know if the drive-in will be open one year to the next. Each fall they say it’s the last and then spring comes around and it’s open again.
It’s an unexplainable feeling, this experience only a handful of people have had or will have. Old melds with new and those who appreciate such things feel at home.
I have more to say about drive-ins but this post is already long enough. Tomorrow I'll share my rules for a successful drive-in and also some drive-in etiquette. If you want to see more pictures, click the first for a picassa slideshow or any of the others to check them out at flickr.
some drive-in etiquetteWhen you come up with those rules, I'll be sure to post them at our local drive in - I've seen some ... "adult only" entertainment going on before the movie even starts (i.e. - when it's still daylight and people [including children] can see what's going on!)
ReplyDelete(In the case of one girl, BSP and I were quite sure that she just wanted to get it over with so she could enjoy the movie in peace.)
But seriously, I love the drive-in too. Ours has a mini-putt, a driving range, and a room full of arcade games as well as a bar and a kiddie restaurant. If you get there early enough, you can sign up for a trapeze lesson too!
Haha! Enjoy the movie in peace...so true.
ReplyDeleteBut really, before it's even dark? I can't believe that! I agree...people, especially kids, do not need to see that.
Wow, your drive-in has so much to do! Trapeze lesson? Have you done it or is it just for the kids?
OMG My best friend and I were just talking about going to the drive in. Neither of us has ever been. its pretty sad really considering there is one only minutes away from my house. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we are going. Thanks for the post and great pics. Couldn't think of a good caption though. I am lame today.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to the drive in as a child. I saw Bambi there! The closest drive in to me is about an hour away now.
ReplyDeleteThe trapeze lessons seem to be mostly adult oriented (there's a circus school just a hop away). And I think the reason our drive in is so comprehensive is because in addition to being close to the circus school, it's part of an entertainment complex (a large, meandering complex that you'd have to drive from one end to another) that includes another high-end restaurant, a nightclub, an ampitheatre, beachfront activities, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedocks.com/
It's not at all like the drive in I used to go to as a kid which is much more like the one you went to. :)
Movie candy is Serious Business!
ReplyDeleteYour description of Ian and your snack foods of choice is really funny. I thought I'd let you know that I found your blog through Ian, and I thought I would keep up with you because I had so much fun at the Riverview with you the other night. I hope you don't mind. If you do, let me know and I'll back off and not be creepy. :) Lisa
ReplyDelete