![]() “The Big Shoe”), 10th & Chester, Bakersfield, California Gering Bakery, 10th Street, Gering, Nebraska, still there! Orange Julep, Route 9, Plattsburgh, New York Still there in Detroit Michigan, but a shadow of its former self.Ĭal Smith’s Barber Shop, Main Street, Galesburg, IllinoisĪmazingly still there at Dexter Avenue, Pawtucket, Rhode Island Wooden Shoe Cafe, Route 22 & 3, Norwood, California The building has not been demolished and its now a deli. ![]() Warsaw Ballroom, Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, prior to becoming Warsaw it was known by many other names including “Ovo” and “China Club”. Still there, in Texas, but now it’s an antiques store! The mid-century modern diners and kitschy roadside attractions have lost their sheen but the vintage signage hasn’t yet found its way to a trash heap. The 1950s pastel paint has faded but the local Mom & Pop shops are hanging onto business. ![]() Mattoon Service Station (pre-fabricated), National & Washington Boulevards, Culver City, CaliforniaĪrchitectural critic, photographer, and author, John Margolies began an American journey in the early 1970s, photographing the country’s novelty and vernacular architecture that he was concerned would soon be displaced by the growing modernist trend. John was later credited with recognising buildings that would be added to the National Register of Historic Places through his extensive documentary work.įollowing his passing in 2016, the Library of Congress created an archive consisting of 11,710 scans of his color slides, which capture this unique “in-between” moment for America. Hoot Owl Cafe, 8711 Long Beach Boulevard, Southgate, Los Angeles, Californiaįord dealership in a now-demolished art-deco building at 1300 Main Street, Klamath Falls, Oregon In my eyes, aesthetics and architecture are among the few things history got right, but it seems that all too often, they pay the biggest price as time goes on… Sure, they might have been looking a little sorry for themselves crumbling, repurposed several times over or abandoned entirely but at least they were still standing. I would have liked to see America during its in-between period– somewhere in the seventies when the whole “Stepford Wives” thing and censorship and social compliance was over with (more or less), but they hadn’t yet starting tearing down all those wonderful and whimsical buildings. This entry was posted in 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, Texas by mrdrivein. Next Stop: Showboat Drive-In, Hockley TX. Despite a special pedestrian crossing and lower nearby speed limit, Shorty passed away in 1963. He was buried in a park across the street from the courthouse, marked by a headstone engraved with his likeness. Only in Tyler: According to Roadside America, the citizens of Tyler were particularly fond of a squirrel named Shorty, who lived outside the Smith County courthouse for 15 years. Really great price, decent little room, and just enough breakfast to get started. Where I Virtually Stayed: The low-price, decent accommodations leader in the 323-69 cluster was the Super 8. The best-sounding name was Jumbo Seafood, and I’m glad I ordered the steak. Nearby Restaurant: Since I was heading south the next day, I went back to Tyler where a cluster of hotels and restaurants sit at US 69 and Loop 323. Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Assassin’s Creed / 11 Miles Today / Total: 406 + 14 / 1733 (rounded to the nearest mile) At least it was better than what the Apache had. The Sky Vue has only one screen, so I was stuck watching Assassin’s Creed again as the early movie in the double feature. The small concession stand had reasonable prices and pizza. The Sky Vue, 14 miles from the Apache and northwest of Tyler, was much more welcoming, tucked behind a field of storage units instead of trees. I’m not telling whether I watched anything there, tucked into the woods near the cell-phone tower, but if I did, I lost interest quickly and moved on. Why? No idea! Anyway, at the drive-in, one eyewitness claimed that the screen was lit by a projection TV. My 2013 Apache story, which is really just a summary of two other sites’ stories, has been the most popular page on Carload for a few weeks this offseason. And the Apache, actually a few miles east of Tyler, is one of two in Texas that specializes in adult films. ![]() The drive from Memphis to the Apache took over 400 miles and six hours, by far my longest trip so far. It’s Day 16 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and this one was strange for several reasons. I visited Tyler TX, one of the few towns with two drive-ins, the Apache Drive-In and the Sky Vue Drive-In. Photo by Don Lewis from the Carload Flickr pool
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