The Frosted Mug In Alsip Ill. is closed It was one of the oldest cruise spots in Ill. Located at 116th and Pulaski in Alsip ill. There was to be a last Cruise night on March 25 2008 At the Mug But plans have changed They will meet at Pappys located on 121st and Pulaski Alsip Ill On March 25 2008 This is Tuesday
Bummer.When I lived in Chicago,that was my favorite place to go. Liked it better then Duke's. Always made a point to buy food when I went. Somewhere I have some cool pictures with the neon...
really? That sucks. I had my moment of TV glory there when WGN news did a little feature on the Frosted Mug weeknight cruise. The lady doing the segment walks right by my (nonHAMB friendly) El Camino and does some of her talking in front of it. I still have it on tape somewhere.
I have been going to " The Mug " since 78 , every week in the begining and once or twice a season towards the end. Jim used to run a real tight ship back then, usually nothing newer than a 75 or so, no bicycles, skate boards goofing around, etc. BUT, as more people got into the car scene, he opened the flood gates and let anything with wheels in , usually so bad that if you parked in the lot, you were trapped until the end. He packed the cars in so tight that there was usually not too much room between cars. Then came the kids on bikes, boards , people with strollers , it just kind of became a free for all ( my opinion) . It appeared to me that the almighty dollar took over from the love of cars that Jim supposedly had and ruined a good thing. A bunch of the guys that I would meet up there quit going so I quit also, there were other "cruise nites "on Tuesdays to go to that werent so crowded. Also, his food wasnt really that great. Thats what I think happened. Mike
Glenwood Oaks in Glenwood has a real nice cruise-in on Tuesday nights, starting the 2nd week in May. They even give you some food for free. I like the Frosted Mug, but Glenwood Oaks has a huge parking lot (125-150 cars) and I like it a lot better. Stu
When I went there he was very picky about what cars could park in the main lot. No ricers or reg transpo cars allowed. You're right the food wasn't great,but I made a point on buying something to support what he was doing. Mug,Dukes,Flukey's,it was a good time. Is the "Chicago Mob" still a club? Back then saw all the fastest street cars "CARS" Camaro's etc. Street racing late at night. I had a super low 73 Camaro,midnight blue,black 5 spokes,no spoilers or stripes.
He killed it himself.......waaaayyyy too picky on what he allowed to park there.Nothing made after 1972 unless it was a GM! And anything there had to be pretty much owned by anyone 50 or older,or anyone with lotsa $$$. Didn`t give 2 shits about the little guys.
The last time I was there was 15 years ago. So not letting in rusty 76 Mavericks seemed to work ok ? I never parked in the lot,but always had cars that were "worthy" (get it,Waynes world) First true BOYD built car I saw driving was at the Mug.
Don't write this place off just yet. It may be a couple of months, but it will be back with a new owner, better attitude and great food. I have sent this link to him, and hopefully the new owner will chime in on here. He is a real car guy too.
is duke's still around? i remember the car craft article from the 70's, 'home of the fastest street cars' or something to that effect...
Yes Dukes is still around. Thay just started having cruse nights again last year. Thay had stopped having cruse nights in '99 or 2k. The rumor was the nursing home across the street had some kind of legal injunction stopping Dukes from having events because of noise pollution.
Yeah,the old folks home popped up across from Duke`s and the cruise nights ended just as fast....they started them up again but they are nowhere near as good as they were.
I was at Duke's one night with "Pancho" and "Shaggy" Any of you Chicago guys know him? 58 Impala 'vert,lots of Kustoms, south side. And there was this 69 Camaro with Hilborn injected BBC,4 speed,slicks,etc. My pal Pancho knew the guy,Hey when did you convert the car back to a street car? I didn't,I only live around the corner.. It was on alky,no alt. etc.. man did it sound bad ass ..and LOUD.
Eric, the coincidences are uncanny... I knew Shaggy pretty well at one time... when i was building lowriders... i re-did a 64 vert that he "traded" into he had a building over near 87th and stony... he had three 77-79 Le CABS.. real ones.. along with the 58 and a few other jems... last i saw him him he still had a garage over on east 95th, but that was 10 years or better ago... tried to buy a 49 cadillac from him, but he wouldn't sell it... as for the mug my lifted 63 on 13's was NOT welcomed.. but i didn't take it personal... just a different scene.... -THOM
I have been to Dukes quite a few times.....I also went to a place in 93 not very far from there in a smaller lot, with an older crowd (not lawn chair types) that hung out to the early morning hours....they had mentioned it was better then Dukes and the young punks ruining the place (perhaps some trouble at Dukes back then...I don't know).....we were there to about 2 a.m. shooting the shit, but I had to cruise on back home that night.......back to Cincinnati (in a musclecar...not Hamb material) Any idea what that place might have been? It was a very small lot.
Sounds like the hot dog place to me. Fast drag type cars and hot rods? But don't remember the name....
Yeah, it was a bunch of hardcore type of dudes. Very into their cars and their performance, though they were older, they were definately not the "lawn chair sitting, oh no, its getting dark, time to go home" type of crowd. I just saw a bunch of old iron in there, and pulled in. I was supposed to meet my cousin at Dukes that night...we never made it there. Had a great time talking to cars with these guys.
I went to the frosted mug 2 years ago, i drove all the way from Crown point Indiana, to check it out. I took my 55 chevy there, and when i pulled in, i parked a little crooked by accident, well here comes the owner guy, his name was jim i found out later, he comes up to me , not knowing who i was ? meaning i could of been the mayor's cousin, cheif of police's brother, ect,ect, he says to me, either you staighten out your fu%&kin car, or you have to get out ! I could not believe he said that to me ? So i just left because i didnt want any trouble. Was this the way he treated people from out of town, or was he like that all the time ? See Ya Stick Man Joe
I grew up near The Mug and Dukes. I used to like the Mug, as someone said they used to select the cars for the front lot. I was lucky enough to have the types of cars that got in. It was kind of an honor back then. I agree, the imports etc diminished the quality of the Tues event. I really think all the cruise night options hurt them. Too much to do, too many options. The lot got so crowded, I started riding my bike so I could get out when I wanted.I hope the old timers go to Frankfort to meet. A lot of them already do.Lets hope they dont start down the path Skips did with lots of really lame swap meets!
Never been to the Mug, but it sounds like a pain in the ass. I went to Dukes a couple of years ago and there were just stock modern cars with their hoods up. I live down there, so I'm sure I'll go back some day, but I'm not that motivated. It's worth the drive to go to SuperDawg on the northside, or the NW suburbs for the Voodoo Kings' cruise nights.
Stu D Baker has a good one at Glenwood Oaks. I went there a couple times last year and it's a good crowd with a good mix of cars. Got tired of the Mug for all the reasons stated above. Too many kids with no respect for other peoples property. There's just too many cruises.
Roger, They have reopened under the name Demon Dogs and are trying to have a Sunday nite cruise. Haven't been there yet but heard it's just okay.
The Jalopy Journal
