Art & Inspiration Dating Rituals in a Car-Centric World

^^^^^ What Tommyknocker said ^^^^^ Still have the car hops that bring out your food.

 

You might have known my Mom's younger sister, Linda Cox. She still lives in the area, too, in Puxico.

 

In Minneapolis in the 60's we cruised Lake Street between the West Lake Porkies drive in by Lake Calhoon to the East Lake Porkies by the Hi Lake shopping center. In between the 2 drive ins on Lake Street we would drag race at every stop light and try to pick up girls in the other cars or walking down the side walks. I was stuck at a stop light on a Saturday night on Lake Street and this long haired Hippy chick who was obviously stoned walked into the center lane and was starting at the purple metalflake paint on the door of my Safari wagon gasser. She opened the door and just got in saying "this paint is far out". Boy did I have a good time with her that night!

 

STOCK , FROM FORD, YOUNGSTER,,!!!

 

'56 Corvette. Very rare. Only about 3500 total made that year

 

We do have a Chuck-a-burger still going and the sonics. We used to have Steak and Shakes that were drive up that everybody hit heavy on Friday and Saturday nights. Good times and good food.

 

Many fond memories of cruising the A&W in little ole Alma MI in the sixties. I was such a big spender that I took my homecoming date there in '65.

 

Still take my girl to the Minnetonka Drive Inn! Randys Drive Inn in Lacrosse WI.is great. Car hops on roller skates.

 

@Thommyknocker I've wondered where you've been. Now I know, up there eating all them gizzard baskets and drinking root beer!

 

LMAO!
JB's is open again, time to get some grub!

 

Where's JB's located? I'll have to check it out on one of my Colorado trips.

 

Here in Wisconsin we have a place called Kiltie Drive-In. Best thing on the menu is a thing called the Pike's Peak.......a milkshake in the flavor of your choice with huge scoop of vanilla custard on the top.

 

Its in Greeley, They used to be seasonal and close in the winter. Perhaps now theyre not. I love the gizzards basket, and whenever Im in town I pick up a gallon of root beer to go (they make it on site)
@Thommyknocker, let me know when your next cruise night is, ive got some buddies ill drag along

 

Will do @Gearhead Graphics, next month or so.

Edit: here is the address
2501 8th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631

http://jbsdrivein.com/

 

Hello,

“Car centric” could not be more descriptive of the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach. Located on the borders of Carson to the West, Compton/Paramount to the north, Lakewood to the east, and the Belmont Shore area of Southern Long Beach. Our high school and a couple of years of local college ended up in Bixby Knolls. An area known as the “hot bed” (no pun intended in the dating thread) of hot rodding in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

A lot of big names (and small names) came out of this hot rodding area all the way through to the 70s. (It was a Lions, Who’s Who of Drag Racing) This whole area fed into our high school and the auto shop/metal shop worked overtime during these early times. It helped that Lions Dragstrip was just 3 miles to the west.

In the early 2000s, Bixby Knolls put on car shows and Cacklefests on the closed major streets of the cruising area. They were the biggest hits of the year, although, they were eventually shut down as the city council changed hands. During this time, the wife (councilwoman) of famed hot rod/drag racer/Bonneville driver, Gary Gabelich (a Bixby Knolls resident) was responsible for instigating the whole show.

It was not hard to see why the whole dating scene transformed this area to the central location of most local teenagers’ activities. Grissinger’s Drive-In was the most famous and highly crowded nightly, especially during Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday night, cruise times. There were other places locally, like Ken’s Restaurant located just around the block and Hof’s Hut, also nearby.

But, Grissinger’s drew crowds for all of the different generations of teenagers since the place first opened. The food was great, (gravy and fries/cherry cokes were a favorite) and the location was outstanding. The cruising parking lot was perfect for front row dining, a wide cruise lane, and a back row parking dining/viewing area where most of the hot rods congregated during “cruise nights.” If something was going to happen, the local “Cherry Avenue Drags” was just a few blocks east, toward the lonely and dark cemeteries.

Jnaki

Our teenage high school era was one of many groups, that gave their hard earned money to this drive-in restaurant. Many older group’s own history from our local high school, during “their” cruising era in this long timeline, was just as important to them and had their own stories.

It was interesting to go there when I could not drive, cruising in the 58, then the 671 SBC 40 Willys, and after we left our local high school. The attitude was different each time as were the hot rods. Our time came and went in 5 years of stories and hours of cruising. What a great era and place full of memories.

The dates were fun, but it was the era of hot rods, drag racing and cool, hang out times for all of us, anxious teenagers.

Current owner , George Alvarez, worked at Grissinger’s in the 50-60 era. The place is in a rebuild from an earlier fire from 2016. It will be rebuilt, but the era is long gone for us.

 

My wife's cousin, good friend and hot rodder, John lives just up the road form there near Atlantic and Wardlow. I've been to the cruise night at that diner a few times while visiting.