Drive-in's/'ol bars?pre-war diners...Tell me that..

'c mon. NOTHING is kooler than cruise'n to the "1950's"drive-in with your kustom. Or pulling up to a 1920, 30's, 40's?? Gas station, that is owned independantly. Or going to the neighborhood bar in your hot rod, that still hangs a vinatage BLATZ sign, & has a wooden counter. (Blatz neon...Huh...can ya tell I'm From Milwaukee?)

Guys. It's gettin warm, the engines are revin', and the gas pedal's itchin.....to go somewhere.

Give all us Hambers some kool hang outs & Kick-ass stories. Tell us where to cruise to STILL capture & see.....SURVIVING NOSTALGIA!

 

Green Bay, WI....
Diner: Skip-A-Stone

It was the Rockin 50's fest. I was talkin to my friend from the High Noon Rockabilly band. We cruised to this lil joint in my lil 52 chebby. This place is simple. White washed wall, stools with a counter. One stool marked for Paker Neimecke, was his hang-out. The counter is white with gold metallic pattern. The pattern you find from the 1020's or 1930's. Iask the waitres how old is this place..."well....I've heard of people comin here for more than fifty years..." This place has all the style you need. Unless you dig DENNY"S, you'd dig the "down-homeness" of this diner. (ah..I f'ed up the Packer name. oh well, I'm not a jock. go to ESPN for that)

MILWAUKEE, WI
Diner: Nite Owl

Located on Layton Ave. Just south of Howell Ave.
It is on the North side of General Mitchell Int'l Airport. It has been around since 1948. Same family owns it today. BEST BURGERS in town!!! Watch out, be nice to the workers one of them is a hamb member. I've heard he knows the Cheaters. If you cause trouble here, I've heard the Cheaters will come, Kid-nap you, And drop you off on Milwaukee's 2nd ST.---You don't want that.

 

Well, I guess no one drives anywhere????? Or Has has any hangouts.

 

Patience grasshopper! Give them time they will tell.

 

Drove my 52 Chevy to the coffe shop this AM, and I would have gone to the little old bakery in town (been there since about 1900) that used to look like a 1950's set from a movie but some local chump family just bought it and totally redid it in a really shitty modern "country french" style. What a loss of a cool old place, go see em' while they are still around!

 

Narducci's Cafe
I used to wait tables at this place here in Bakersfield,CA called Narducci's Cafe. It was originally the Amestoy Hotel. Been a bar/Basque restaurant and hotel since the 1800's. President McKinley even gave a speech off of it's balcony when he was running for president. It's an old saloon with a great big bar back and mirror, a wrap around bar and creaky ol floors! There is an old telephone booth in a corner, a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling and a jukebox under a naked pinup mirror. Back when it was orignally built, the room with the balcony was called the parlor room. All of the other rooms had brass beds and water basins...nothing else. Men from the railroad would get off work, stroll across the street, have a few beers down below in the bar and then walk into the foyer of the hotel. There, the women would stand down the staircase and you would pick your poison for the night......then up to one of those brass beds you went! The neon sign over the bar door is old and curvy....very retro and beautiful! I'll post pics when I can.

Ethel's Old Corral
I now work at Ethel's Old Corral. It was originally an old 2 bedroom house that was converted into a little hamburger joint just before World War II. In the 60's Ethel needed to expand but couldn't afford it....so everyone pitched in and expanded the house, then layed old wood over the outside and inside giving it a TRUE western feel. There is cement floors, the oldest bar from the 40's with tiny, red diner stools and a very kicked back saloon feel to it. From the ceiling hang spurs and shotgun shells. Out side is a 20 foot Standard Tires Indian statue that was refurbished and mounted. On the front of the cafe is two old buckboard wagons underneath the cafe sign....and behind the restaurant, well, is the hitching post for your horses! Directions for getting to Ethels.....it's half way to the old dump!
xxx
Brandy

 

If you ever get to Columbia ,MO the '63 Diner is a Hotrod/nostalgia themed joint. Damned good food too. Try the "Cadillac" Prime Rib sandwich...

 

Northwest Wisconsin.

Right here (Lake Namakagon area)...

Clam Lake... Cable... Delta...

Some bars/clubs are like stepping back 40-50 years.

FULL SERVICE GAS at a two stall service station. With a hose for FREE AIR.

I love this place... just watch out for DEER!


JOE

 

This is long post. Probably not many want to read it again. I wrote this story about three or four years ago about the passing of my favorite job. Posted it here plenty of times. Not very well written but it's legible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Tahlequah Drive-In Theatre was always crowded on Wednesdays. It was only five dollars per car-load. People with vans became very popular on Wednesdays.

We all have our assigned tasks. Dennis, the owner, runs the box office and starts the projector, if we’re too busy in the concession stand to start it. Jen takes orders and gets drinks, Jon coordinates all of us and runs the register, Andy gets the nachos, hot dogs and the rare ‘Denny Dog’ and I run the Manley popcorn machine. I am the popcorn GOD.

Dennis will open the gates when, from the concession stand, we can see a car or two lined up (that means there were about four in line hidden behind the trees). Usually this is about an hour before the movie is set to begin but sometimes as much as two hours before. As long as they don't get lined up on the highway we we’re safe.

I'll have the Manley loaded with popcorn in about ten minutes (I am the popcorn GOD). The cheese and chili are just right and the dogs are barkin hot. We’ve left the gates and doors to the concession stand closed so we can finish setting up but, we can hear the line growing longer and longer. When we've got the final task done, the ketchup and mustard 'udders', we let the people in.

The first words spoken are always a nice, pleasant greeting, either from us or the customer, and are always said with a smile. Thanks to our little vent fan in the ceiling of the concession stand, the smell of the popcorn has gotten to all corners of the lot. And people are hungry for it. They come in hungry and there’s the Manley, packed full of the golden, fluffy stuff, which just entices them further. "I'll take the special.", says the first customer. The special is THE seller, large popcorn and large drink for $3.25. It'll tide ‘em over ‘til the movie starts. Some get the nachos and hot dogs before but most wait until the movie is in progress and the night air has cooled enough to make ‘em more enjoyable.

When the sun has set I run over to the projection room to start the film. First things first, turn on the rectifier and power up the bulb, ZAP! Turn off the outside lights and turn on and film platters. Step in between the projector and the platters, turn off the radio and open the little, creaky, wooden door so I can see the screen. Start the projector and give the platters a little start by hand. Wait for the mark on the film, aaaaand.......here it comes.....almost.....now! Open the shutter, start the sound bulb and focus. The scratchy, familiar movie soundtrack begins and all is right in the world. One quick check to make sure everything is running smoothly, turn on the A/C and dash back to the stand.

After Dennis locks the gate he walks back to the stand. We ask how many cars and Dennis tells us about two hundred. Only two hundred? The way they packed in the stand you'd think there were five hundred. Well, at any rate we have about ten minutes before the next rush so we need to get the cups stocked and make sure we have enough chili, cheese and dogs. Dennis goes back to the projection room to keep an eye on things. The Manley is a bit empty looking, even though it's been running for an two hours straight. I just need to get caught up. The next rush isn't nearly as bad as we'd expected so we pop out back in pairs and have a smoke break.

A few more customers drift through every once in a while. Another hot dog or more popcorn, another drink. Not much to do so Jen, Jon, Andy and I sit around and talk about the current social scene. Being a college town it’s usually pretty funny to discuss.

Well, now there’s only about twenty minutes left in the movie and it’s really slowed down in here so we start cleaning up. Not bad tonight, I didn’t get too much popcorn or butter flavored topping on the floor. Jen kept the drinks in their cups and Andy made sure not to slosh the chili and cheese all over the steam table. It’ll take about twenty minutes to clean up. We always start with the food and then close the gates. The popcorn machine is the biggest clean up but, I’ve got it down to a science. While everyone else is sweeping, mopping, washing dishes, I’m just taking care of the Manley.

Dennis is very generous as far as paying us, he appreciates the work we do. After a really big night he gives us a twenty to show some of that appreciation. He doesn’t have to, we love working there. Dennis is the greatest boss in the world. It’s more like going to help a friend and getting paid for it. He’s always been a good guy to us and he never lets anyone down. Originally Dennis’ sons bought this place and the whole family ran it. Dennis at the box, the younger son and his daughter ran the stand and his wife helped when they needed her. The oldest son, Randy, ran the projector. They even sold beer there for awhile.

Randy had been sick for some time. Cancer. It took him from Dennis in February 2000. The Drive-In still opened but not with the same enthusiasm. Dennis was pretty down for obvious reasons, Jon, Jen and Andy had moved to Tulsa starting careers and we had competition. A new four screen theatre had opened during the past winter. It was just me and Dennis at first. Then we got Walt back, who had worked there before I started. Walt is huge, about six foot -four and three hundred pounds. He’s an amateur wrestler. Ashley was fifteen and a sweet kid. Dennis was a friend of her family, so she got a good start in the working world. It didn’t last long.

The rushes weren’t as rushed and the outdoor venue didn’t pack ‘em in like before. We were down for the count.

ONE..........Dennis couldn’t turn around without being reminded of Randy

TWO..........The new theatre

THREE..........Rumors that Dennis had died and we were under new management

FOUR...........The heat

FIVE...........

SIX...........

SEVEN...........

EIGHT...........

NINE............God we’re closing aren’t we?

ten..............

 

Granada Theater...


Friends of mine own a true blue theater that was built in the 20's and redone in the 50's. NICE place, they've done butt loads of work to it. Installed the original 50's snack bar and built a 20 ton working organ. If I can figure out how to post links or pics I will!
xxx
Brandy

 

I'll be watching this post, everything around here older then the early/mid 90s has been torn down and had new buildings replace them.

If you want to cruize to Freeport IL 61032, about 3 hours from you. We do have some kool parks that have many of the 30s depression hand laid stone work intack. One park has a man made waterfall that still functions, a band shell, a restored 30s marri-go-round, got to check out Krape Park. Theres an Ice Cream place that has been around for a very long time that serves up a huge single dip cone for $2.00 (double dips are $3.00 and they have a tripple dip, but you better be a fast eater and you better be hungry!) The Union Darie Ice Cream has very kool neon signs, you can park right in front of. There is an antique engine club that has a running restored steam locomotive that you can take a 3 mile ride on for a few bucks on many week ends. I'm sure theres many I'm not thinking of right now, but they will be coming to mind all night... There are several historic sites in this area, kind of kool the first few times, but I've been here all my life, they get kind of boring after a few visits. Galena IL, an antique town is about an hour west of here, Rockford Il has lots of stuff too and its about a 1/2 hour east of here. Guess you just have to figure out what you are looking for.

If ya wanta come this way, check out our local convention center and see if there's anything you would like to see, let me know what you would like to see, My wife and I can cruize our pickup along with you and I'll be your guide. Could make a neat long day, or a nice weekend adventure, there are a ton of things in this area. The Union Darie Ice Cream place and a tour of Krape Park would be worthwile trip for a day's ride.

If we put together a small group, that would be really cool. Probably the hardest part would be getting workable dates together. Gene

 

Eddie's Drive-In in Harrison Township, Michigan...on Jefferson just off Shook Rd.

It's an old style drive-in burger joint, just like the one in "Hollywood Knights". Back when the original owner, Eddie was still alive, it was a HOPPIN" hangout. (This was the mid-late 80s). It's still there, and retains it's 50s flavor and atmosphere...with car hops on skates and everything.

Not nearly the hot spot it once was, and only open 'seasonally' nowadays, it's still fun to roll through or stop for a bite to eat while out cruisin. It's on Lake St Clair, so you'll catch a nice waterfront breeze on those warm Summer nights as the oldies play over the P.A. and the moths bounce off of the yellow lights. Fish flies, window trays, and curly fries punctuate the experience and make it worth the stop in!

Years ago, I'd drive across town every nice Friday and Saturday night to hang out there and see some of the East Side's coolest steel. Everything from 427 SOHC powered Galaxies (yes, John Vermeersch used to frequent that place!) to V8 powered sandrails and chopped Model A high boys. The variety of cars and people on hand were incredible, and the underlying nostalgic vibe was magic!

Gonna have to drive my 49 through there one weekend night this Summer...for a few pictures, and for old time's sake...a fitting tip of the hat to Eddie, who is no doubt still cruisin' at the Drive In in the Sky!

Thanks for the memories and the Good Times, old friend!

 

Welp, there's a dandy little drive-in resturaunt we sometimes cruise to in Independence, Mo.....

 

..........and if we're in the Kansas City area in the morning, there's always the Trolley Diner for B'fast with da boys.....

 

There's a world-renown rib joint on the outskirts of Kansas city that ocassionally brings some cruisers and even some HAMBers in for a bit of supper. Ravin, Choprods, Ryan, Dusty, Reggie and a few others can be seen chowing-down there....most excellent food but I forget the name of the place...

 

NOt to be a name dropper but KCTA Chris, Blak Merc, WZ junk, MO Junk and Grimlock have cruised in to eat also....and even me, Jangle guy and T-man.

 

Dropping in at The Peckerwood Road house [real name] outside Kansas City for a nice steak usta be a great way to pass a Sunday afternoon/evening but I don't think it ever opened again after closing for renovations. The parking lot is a little "iffy" but the clientele is great! Sorry, my computer crash of '03 claimed the one and only photo I had of the sign....

 

But if it's photos of gas stations you want? I shot this somewhere in southern Colorado last summer. Had a great stash of 40's and 50's cars and pickups out back for parts. It was abandoned and had been for a number of years....

 

it's a real shame that diners, theatres, etc, etc are being replaced with Starbucks, Wal-Marts and the like. the closet thing to a drive-in we have here is Sonic, which is a cool place but it's not the same.

 

Kool! Rocky-Great shot @ the CO gas station!

Milwaukee SUCKS! for Hot rod hangs-outs, Well at least there is not one place that all the gearheads meet. Except for the McDonald's cruise nite...that's not a historic place, its new & kinda tacky.

I remember a place by my gramma's. Thorp, WI. It is called the dairy bar. It has not changed since 1920, & my gramma even recalled meeting her first husband there in wartime, but he later died in WWII.
they had great, simple, home-cooked food. I even had a PHOSPHATE soda there. It is great, just like stepping back 75 years!!!!

 

See i told ya they will tell!.......

Ya think Milwaukee sucks! Everything around here gets torn down on a regular basis, All the old diners and drive ins are long gone...........Progress....Phooey!

 

what happened to the mels diner in the SF (hayward?) area??not that shithole eatery in the city , but the real, drivethru n drive in movie joint...

 

there is a place in Beatrice , Nebraska called Gibbs Place. A real ol timey bar. Hey speaking of Gibbs Place, on Aug 20 there is a little music and hotrod happening going on there .

 

Heres teh sycamore in bethal, ct.As you can see alot of Billet cars!!lol
The other one is our local Honey dew donuts on fridays or sunday nite.

 

We started havin' cruise ins last month at Skip Garage in Russelville, OH. I posted the flyer on here for the first one and then a second one was supposed to go last night. Last night cancelled because of heavy storms.

Skips Garage is a 1949 Shell station owned by a guy named Doug Andrews. Has gas pumps and oil pump on the island outside. Pumps gas prices are around $0.36 on the dials. Doug has a lot of memorbelia (sp?) in the old office with some autographed pictures of some old drag racers and customizers. The lift in the service still works; we laid plywood over it with paper tablecloths and raised it about 32" for a table to eat on for the cruises. Part of the office was turned into a deli. Doug cooks pork tenderloins in a smoker for the cruises and serves a sandwich on bun with about 3/4" slice of pork;mmmmmmmm, good!

Kinda neat to have about 50 nice rides in a town of about 650 people right along highway 62.

Hope to have another cruise the second Saturday of June!

 

Seriously. this thread needs to be saved/updated as a publication or tech thread: HAMB Travel Guide to Bars, Restaurants & Roadside Attractions, or something. Here's a few suggestions...

CHICAGO

Green Mill - awesome 40s era jazz club
California Clipper -- classy '40s style Sam Spade bar with live music
Hala Kahiki (River Grove) -- 60s survivor tiki place, consider one of the best
Fitzgeralds (Berwyn) -- best place for live roots music in Chicagoland
Superdawg -- best drive-in in City

AUSTIN

Continental Club -- duhhhh. THE HAMB bar.
Matt's El Rancho -- classy Mexican chowhouse from the 40s
Broken Spoke -- Best place for Western Swing & chicken fried steak
Rudy's -- landmark Eastside place for migas and huevos rancheros
Chuys/Hula Hut/Shady Grove -- Mike Young's trinity of food funhouses
Huts -- vintage burgers on 6th
Threadgills -- Down home chow, Austin music museum
Salt Lick (Driftwood) -- great drive out to badass Tex BBQ, BYOB

MILWAUKEE

Nite Owl Drive-In -- official Cheaters burger joint
the "Spy Bar" -- can't remember the name of it, 007 theme

SAN FRAN

Buena Vista -- SF landmark restaurant/bar, invented morning drinking with the Irish Coffee and sloe gin fizz
Bigfoot Lodge -- Northwoods Yogi Bear style bar, owned by HAMBer (also in LA)
Bottom Of The Hill -- venerable live rock club

NEW YORK

Rodeo Bar -- slice of Texas on 27th & 3rd
Martelli's -- ancient Greenwich Village place, favorite of Italian prizefighters
McSorleys -- oldest bar in US; must-see
Union Pool -- live roots club in Bklyn in 30s era pool chemical building

 

check this out, B-O-B http://www.magazineusa.com/us/states/show.aspx?state=wa&doc=50

 

There's an old gas station a couple miles up the road once you get off the marceline exit of Hwy 36 that my dad bought, because it was sitting there, and now he's had it painted and gave it to a friend of his who uses it as his office. It's also where my Biscayne is. Zack(dad's friend) has a '57 chevy hood hanging on the wall, some vintage gas pumps, and other very cool pieces of hotrod memorabilia in there. I have a coule pics of it, but my car is in the way.

There's Winstead's in KC, but that's not really a drive-in, but it's a nostalgic 40's looking restaurant, and a good place to get a damn good old-fashioned steakburger and a malt.

 

Winstead's kicks ass. U had a nice photo of T-man stuffing his face with a burger at Winstead's but lost it in a computer wreck...