Event Coverage Hard to see great old places pass-a-way

Some places an eat goody's spots, are also spots we think will be around forever! There so good, just think how can it ever close. Super milk shakes,giant best sub an seem like been there forever!
Made the last of many stops at Norman's Saturday for lunch with my buddy LEE an his red 28A and my black 28A, turned into a 3 hr. stay talking with old friends an made some new ones.
What have you lost.?

 

It is sad losing old landmarks and stomping grounds, one of the downsides of growing old. Don’t remember Norman’s but spent many summers in 60s and 70s staying with my cousins around Sunniland, just love that part of the world.

 

Loosing old places (Land Marks ) is ruff. For myself, I have a hard time knowing the old way wasn't that bad. I'll miss that.

 

Hello,

It is a sad day when neighborhood icons have run the course of time and energy for its owners. With no one to take over the business, the scenario is to shut down the store and hope the memories last for a lot of people. Sometimes, a new owner can take over, but the history is what lingers, while the pandemic makes things struggle a bit more.

It is/was a sad finality of the episode for the demise of the famous Bixby Knolls Grissinger’s drive-in restaurant. Countless teenagers from the local high school since 1953 flocked to this center point of activity for the cruisers, hot rod kids and teenagers intent on showing off their latest creation for the Friday and Saturday night gatherings. Just down the street was the proving grounds to showcase who was the fastest in Bixby Knolls. The historic spot had a great number of Long Beach city’s famous automotive/drag racing/car guys attending a weekend showing or two over the years.

Near the local “Cherry Avenue Drags” location, was a couple of block long arrays of specialty hot rod shops and dealers of all wares for the consumer. Chrome shops, welders, tire shops, alignment centers, mufflers and specialty manufacturing companies like Henry’s Machine Shop and Jocko’s all in this area location. Teenagers and 20 somethings from 4 different communities all flocked to the area to get work done on their hot rods/customs.

But, back down the street was the center of all 1950-60 teenage activity.

Grissingers:
Atlantic and San Antonio Drive, Bixby Knolls

The main draw at Grissingers, besides the hot rods was the famous Gravy and French Fries. YUM! But, while we were all waiting for that scrumptious meal, the back row hot rods and cruisers were the topics of the evening. The cool thing was the head turning, when a cool sounding hot rod or fast sedan came into the driveway and rumbled in front of the back row admirers.

Around the next big corner, at Ken’s Burger was the inexpensive burger and fries for multiple orders throughout the evening’s gab sessions. If one parked in the back row of Ken’s Burgers, as anyone drove by on Long Beach Blvd, they could see all of the hot rods/cruisers in a panorama shot. Yes, teenagers went from one place to another during the nights.

George’s 50s Diner:

When the original owner decided to close Grissinger’s, an old employee’s family decided to purchase the business. They renamed it and today it is called George’s 50s Diner. There have been plenty of hot rod/custom car activity culminating with the Long Beach Historical Society’s “CHROME” event back in 2019. They even tied in a tribute to “Legends of Lion’s Dragstrip” event to commemorate the contribution of the generations of teenagers that went to Grissingers and Lion’s Dragstrip several miles to the West.

@LBCD photos

Jnaki

But, for the countless hours during high school that we “lived” at Grissingers Drive-In on the weekends, like the old saying rings true:

“You can’t go home again.”

It just was not the same feeling or atmosphere. So, the craving for French Fries and Gravy menu item will just have to be a home concoction with current flavors.

Although driving by the current location, it was just a street leading up to an episode for an acceleration run down the old area between two quiet cemeteries to bring back some great times in Bixby Knolls.

Cherry Avenue acceleration