Event Coverage GNRS Drive-In RANT

Last one I attended was the 50'th in South San Francisco. Went to probably 25 shows in Oakland before that.Got a hotel in Vallejo because the San Fran hotels wanted 10 bucks an hour to park your car while you were renting a room from them. I don't remember paying to park at the palace but I might have. Got inside, saw a great show. Hung out with Ed Roth for a while. Ran into lots of friends and had a pretty good time. Then I tried to take my niece to China Town, Pier 51, just about everything else in Frisco and couldn't find parking anywhere till we got to the beach. Even all those multi level parking garages were full but they did sell you a 10 buck an hour ticket so you could circle around inside of them hoping someone would leave. I showed her Mavericks and Half Moon Bay and we headed back to Vallejo. Then they moved it to L. A. and I never went back. I'm on oxygen now so I can't travel, but I probably wouldn't if I could. I grew up spending 1/2 my time in California, but it isn't the same place it was when I was younger. Way to many people for me.

 

LUCKY YOU Blue! I would have been THRILLED to park near the Palace, being just across from the tri-5's in Bld. 9. I herd there was a call-out to tri-5 cars, to go in around Bld. 9 - maybe it was ONLY for pre-reg cars, I dunno. I had a GREAT time inside the show - but I damn-sure didn't expect 4 hours for the process, and the lack of even ONE porta-potty for the staging area! Pretty hard NOT to have any expectations after forking over a $100 bill for the weekend.

At the ATFA booth Sunday, there was discussion of a west-coast meet for us members next year at the GNRS. I will GLADLY pay this or any other organization my dough to drive in, but not a single f-ing nickle to the GNRS directly!

My club puts on an annual show in a park on San Diego bay. We arrive at 6am to set-up, begin parking cars by 7am or a little earlier. In the 15 years I've been in the club, we've never had LESS than 300 cars, our record is 410. One of the KEYS to our sucess is the EASE participants have in entering and leaving the show. We are BLESSED to have the same people volenteer year after year for the same functions - the day goes pretty smothly with few issues that we handle promptly without much fuss or hassle. Yup, a LONG day for us, but we all get a lot of GOOD feedback, and have a nice check for our charity to present them at the next meeting! Of course, our board members spend 10 months in planning, and we STRIVE to keep the same date year after year and be CONSISTENT with all we can!!!

 

You guys are all grown men dropping $10k-$20k-$30k-$40k and up on a hobby. What's $100 if it's the equivalent of a Star Trek convention to a trekkie with William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, some live tribbles and a real Klingon?

 

i wish i was a tank full of gas away to drive in........
i wish i had to wait in line to park my car close.......
i wish i could of had to find a place to take a leak while hanging with car guys.........
i wish i could have paid a hundred bucks to see this show for two days........
i want your "problem"

 

Suede Palace was a cluster fuck also. Three cars wide with Six long and roped all around so you cant see the cars in the middle. Dont know who the MORON was that set that shit up.

 

Dam,you really don't know how good you have it ,Spoken from a cripple on the east coast watching snow plows going down the road .I would give my left nut to be in your shoes!!

 

The Suede Palace is Not run by the Rod Shows (GNRS) Staff, it used to be Axle from the Shifters, not sure if he is still in charge or not.....

 

$100 sounds a tad steep, but then again the parking is primo. What I can't understand is why there aren't 5K+ cars in the parking lot alone, besides the big show. Why don't more rods n customs attend? The parking lot could be an event in itself! Gary

 

gee, my 57 Chevy has wipers, Rain X, wax on the body and insurance. Rain? hell yes, I'll drive it the rain to a show. 100 bucks ain't nothing.

put on your big boy pants

 

Who in the fuck complained about $100? No one did. Read what was said for christ's sake. The rant was about not having a place to piss and GNRS not being set up properly for facilities. If you can't read what was written, how in the fuck did you get by in life? Fuck! Get real!

Sent from my SM-G930T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Gary, the parking is limited to the areas between the buildings. Not the entire grounds like the LARS. I think the cut off is 400 cars.

 

THANKS Dave! I ain't bitching about the c-note to get in, just what a BUSH OPERATION the "Grandaddy of them all" is. SAD is a understatement...

 

Yeah I am waiting to see how this pans out.

 

10-4. Ya think the'd let my little red truck in next year if I drove it out from Florida!!! I just might do it, too! Gary

 

They sure would Gary!

 

Well, I have the flyer right here. I think the fact that it says to pre register is a big clue as to how it's going to "pan out" Fuzzy.

 

Flathead Dave:

"Who in the fuck complained about $100? No one did. Read what was said for christ's sake. The rant was about not having a place to piss and GNRS not being set up properly for facilities. If you can't read what was written, how in the fuck did you get by in life? Fuck!"


My reply to Flathead Dave;

"All of these people are bitching about the money in this thread. Fuck. Not everything has to do with fucking original post#1, (in which he does complain about $100 a bit). Fuck. The OP's original rant is just the beginning, the appetizer, the meat comes after when everyone else chimes in. Fuck. Fuck.These threads are a meandering group effort, not a 200 reply discussion about the OP's original post. Fuck. Fuck. Who says I'm even getting by in life at all? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!"


(Wheww, that felt really good. I needed that. Feel ten times better. A lot of tension off my back. Can think strait now. I see why people do angry rants, I like it. Good talk Dave.)

 

That doesn't sound particularly promising. The LAR website (which contains the 2016 flyer) under the '2017 news' says 'there will be some big changes in 2017'. Enquiring minds........

Chris

 

There are proper bathrooms along the fence south of the show entry gate near the trailer parking. I've used them every year. It's a good walk, but they are available.

Also, there is no point in showing up before 7:00am when they open up the gates to the fairgrounds. If you show up early, you'll just be waiting in line to go wait in another line.

By showing up early you increased your wait time by 2 hours.

 

Have to agree w/ clunker on entry fee $$$, here in Wi. GOODGUYS, NSRA and now Street Rod Nationals have given up on us due to poor participation,(we have LOTS/TONS of eligible CARS), they are a business in business to make money, I get that, But I know Alot of men that will not pay the $30/60 entry to hang out w/ friends for a few days, yet they come and walk around to visit. I can't understand the logic of this as there is not much logic in the Hobby, it's a Hobby/Passion, All Hobbies/Passion cost $$$. The cost per mile of enjoyment is silly to begin with. OP talked about cluster F getting in and shortage of portapotties (all big shows are, some worse than others) and when you want to park w/friends/group, that's the price you pay at big shows, though he said he was alone, myself, not going to park w/ friends at big shows anymore, have done this in past, come later, can always find a spot for 1 car and find friends, (cell phone) personally I'm not the guy gaurding my car all day anyway. The Positive is, Hobby has grown, the Negative is, the Hobby has grown

 

It was 75 degrees under clear, blue, cloudless skies for the three days of the show. Some folks' glass is always half-empty. Mine is always overflowing ... thanks for the reality check and perspective

 

over 2,500 stopped by to visit this train wreck rant - we all need to get a life and move on to constructive stuff

 

For the drive-in the only qualifier is there is a cut-off point for year of car, I think it was pre-'73, that's all. You don't have to apply or be accepted, just drive it in. While there were plenty of very nicely finished cars that could've been in the show, there were also lots of poorly, or unfinished cars like mine. The show is held inside several buildings, or halls. The drive-in cars are all parked around those buildings. It's actually a pretty sweet deal IMO. I really don't get the complaints of the OP.

Re his rant about having to wait to get his Sunday tickets, the show information on the website said the Saturday & Sunday package deal at $100 was not available for the drive-in. So the show bent the rules to help him out, and he bitches about it online.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA....You're right. Others chimed in about the $100 fee which wasn't part of the OP's rant. So why bring up $100 and harp on it like some did? I'm not talking about the ones who used it as a part of their conversation. I am talking about the ones who did chew the OP out about $100. Reading comprehension begins in the first grade and it should last through life. Unless anyone is slobbering on their cookies or doesn't have an education equivalent to Jethro Bodine, everyone should be able to comprehend the situation. To chew the OP out because of a perceived notion doesn't cut it. Reading is fundamental in this country and it does include drawing and interpreting pictures with or with out crayolas.

 

Word. I know exactly what you mean. My comparison to trekkies was aimed in their general direction too. Oh I did like Ellie though.....

 

When the GNRS moved to the LA County Fairgrounds, the secret deal was to go to the NHRA museum and through the backdoor to building 4 at noon. Last Friday, the museum parking was $30 and the tickets for the museum and show were another $30. Not a real issue until I had to pay $10.00 for a beer!

 

My son and I did the Saturday drive-in with my '32 Pickup. I pre-registered a month ahead. Left my house at 8:20am and pulled into the grounds at 8:30. Was parked (right next to the OP, ironically!) and looking at the AMBR contenders by 9am and talking to the owner of the winning Packard. Brought my own food & water. Bought an ice cream cone. Got in my truck and left at 4:30. Saw dozens of friends and acquaintances. Had an awesome day!

Saturday drive-in was $60, same as two general tickets and general parking. I got to drive my hot rod and park inside the show, in the middle of it all. Weather was perfect. People just like to complain.

 

Well, looks like I screwed up by NOT asking here FIRST what the drill was for drive-ins.

With only ONE decent day to primp on the car, I had a lot on my mind to pack and prep for 4 days!

Sooo, I thought EARLY was BEST to get in line... Now I know for the next time, which still remains a BIG maybe. OK, roll in around 7am!

Just seems TOO EASY to me to have tickets for BOTH days in hand when the gates open - then the attendants ask - "Today, or both days?"

How hard could it be to fire-up a fork lift and move a crapper over to the staging area the night before, so everyone has a place for RELIEF - including the folks directing traffic?

The intent for my RANT was to give a 'heads-up' for other nubies, and MAYBE someone with the GNRS would read this and improve upon the entry process next year. I don't come here to start shit-storms. PERIOD. Bummed this thread hit the bowl like it did.

OK, I'm 10-OUT. -Tim

 

Every year it sucks to drive in. I quit taking a car..

 

ain't that the truth

go by bus now?