History Cruising: Then vs. Now

Anyone have any stories or pictures of what it was like back when that was a normal thing? Or what it should be like now? It sure would be nice to get out on a Saturday night and Cruise without getting cut off every 30 seconds by an Asshat in a 17 Camaro! Tell me about the cars, people, and the shenanigans.

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17 Camaro's cut you off? Was it a Ass Hat Camaro Car Club?

 

Just an example haha. It's not a bad time now, but I feel like I have to worry more about my car getting rear ended by a Honda than enjoying driving itself. In the pictures I've seen, it looked like a lot more fun back then.

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I know what you mean by those "asshats" on cruise nights.

It was fun in the day. A few miles of cruiser's on Magnolia Blvd. showing off what they had and for the girls.

In Riverside, CA, we had Magnolia Ave, E. Street in San Bernardino, Whittier Blvd in Whittier and more in the Valley if you wanted to drive that far. So, we could go any place we wanted. Our cruises were mostly tame. Just circle the Blvd. but someone always had to race. The races were fun.
The Police were always on the cruising Blvd's and I think that's what kept most of us line. They weren't hardcore but they would cite for power launches, skids, dangerous showing off. The music would blair on our 4 tracks and 8 tracks and some of us had cassette players to load our music into.

The girls were always out on the cruise nights. I met a few girl friends on those nights. I almost always had a date or would cruise with my buddies. I married one of those girls.

We would hang out at Tuxie's Burgers, Georges, the arcades, Magnolia and Van Buren Drive In Theaters and Brockton Ave. and the Dairy Queen on California.

In Riverside, they ended cruising around 1988. The community said no more due to the element that causing the trouble. The gang bangers ruin everything for everyone else.

I guess our cruise nights were the typical American Graffiti cruises.

 

We did it in 'small-town-South Ga.' Highway 1.........Sam's Drive-in Restaurant. Mid 60's-70's.
Sam's was the last place in town so we would drive from Sam's to the Dairy Queen (DQ)....which was about 1 1/2 miles or so, cruise thru and then back to Sam's. Just far enough between to really 'wring-out first and second gear'! Fri...Sat..Sun nights about 7 o'clock to midnight/one am.
There was a long canopy cars parked under (facing each other) with a jukebox in the middle of the canopy. Other cars parked along the other side of the drive and the other side of the restaurant. (A few "darker spots" for trying to 'get to second base' with your date.) Curb-hops to take and deliver your order. (they were colored kids back then...not sure how to describe them today, black/african american/non whites/brothers/homies whatever is the latest accepted term). They had as much fun as we did with each other. Cars/guys/girls/music/tips.
There were NO shootings, rarely the occasional fist fight that was over in less than one minute, very little bad language, NO drugs, maybe the occasional bootleg liquor mixed in the coke. (ALL sodas were a 'coke') usually in the little short bottle.
Most times after 9 o'clock traffic would be backed up down highway 1 with cars waiting to cruise Sam's.
Here was the routine .....turn in from the highway....roll down the windows(both no matter how cold!)....idle thru(usually bumper-to-bumper)...maybe rev the engine a few times (especially if a hot car)....circle around the canopy.....maybe stop and do a 'dry hop' if security/owner wasn't around.....roll up windows while waiting for clear traffic..... light'em-up when swinging out into traffic....go to DQ and do it again.
All three nights cruis'in usually consumed 2 tanks of 100 octane gas @ .29 per.
Millennials-will-never-be-as-cool-as-Boomers.....never!
6sally6

 

Some of the folks out have a real love for hot rods even if they don't have one. Others will do it out of spite, I think because of the scene difference. It may be because they haven't had any of us talk to them out of the car yet, that opened up my eyes and showed that the people were pretty cool and the street rod motivations haven't changed too much. Maybe more will start cruising, even with the jap cars.

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Here in Springfield we go from Glenstone to Kansas Expwy and it's still packed, but a lot of newer cars like the mustangs and Subarus. Stop at the McDonalds and drive around a couple laps, around all the parked customs and hot rods. They have us limited to 11pm, then the younger kids with the jap cars will go out and street race by the factories. It's still pretty cool, it seems like on weekends you can hear engines roaring no matter where you are in town. I bring out the 50 Pontiac in the occasional weekends it actually wants to run.

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The A & W on Hawthorne Blvd in SoCal in the mid 60's was the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night!

 

The general public is not the same as back then. Now, everyone is in a hurry to get someplace, sealed up in their comfort controlled bubble, insulated and oblivious to the concept that a piece of history might be rolling along right next to them. I remember in the pre-television days, my pop would sometimes load the family in the car just to take an evening ride, maybe get an ice cream or a rootbeer float, or no particular place in mind. For young owners, their car was a prized possession, washed, waxed and accessorized best as could be afforded. Good weather was the only excuse needed to roll that bad boy/girl out to show the world and not hide it all lonely behind the house.
Again, it wasn't the destination; it was the ride.

 

Back in the day they were not organized.

 

My time was the late 60's, westside of Columbus, Ohio. We were based in Grove City, hung out at Green Gables on the point at Central Point Shopping Center, corner of Mound & Central. Lots of hot cars and hot girls at the time. It was the kind of place that if you didn't have something than ran pretty damned good you better keep your big mouth shut as the street racers didn't fool around, put up or shut up! We would usually head over to West Broad street after hanging at Green Gables a while. Lots of stop light action on West Broad and then hit The Big Boy for a few laps before we found a spot to back in and watch the cars and chicks go by.
I was sitting at the Big Boy one night after work and a buddy pulled up in his 66 396 Chevelle, he said jump in , lets see whats out on the street. I got in and he had a beer in his hand and a couple empties in the sack. We pulled up beside a Mopar at the first light we came to. I looked over to my right and there was a cop hiding in the lot, about that time the light turned green and the Chevelle was hooking up hard, the guy in the Mopar must have seen the cop and took off real slow. I was yelling COP , COP !! Too late, when we got pulled over the first thing my dumb-assed buddy told the cop was" Sorry officer, I usually don't drive like that but I have been drinking" Needless to say he got a string of tickets, omvi, reckless op and I don't know what else. The cop asked if I had been drinking too and I said no, just got in with him two minuets ago. So I drove the Chevelle home for him and got to hear his Dad raise 9 kinds of hell with him. The Chevelle got sold, he lost his license for a couple years and I for once didn't get into any kind of shit, that night anyway. I could relate many stories of the stupid shit we done 50 years ago and got away with most of the time. We had the best of times back then before all the crazy stuff that goes on now days.

 

We cruised on High Street in Pottstown from Tropical Treat in Stowe to Hilltop in Sanatoga . Had the occasional light to light run till the cops would show up. At times the Treat would get so full of rods they filled the lot across the street . One night we were at the Treat and cars would go to bypass to run em off . Then we got invaded by local and state cops , they brought a bus to take the guys away after they were arrested . I was not going so I crawled under my 53 Ford rag top . I watched a cop walk up to my car and ask if anybody seen the owner . When the bus left I got out and took off to Boyertown where the local cop asked me to get out of town and followed me to the borough line . Then went to Pheasant Land Roller Rink to check out the action .

 

Well, here's what bugs me about the current cruising/hanging out scene. It's too damned early! The best cars, it seems, go to the local donut shop on Saturday morning. But, they start leaving by 8:30 or 9:00 am. I didn't work my whole life, and retire, so I can get up in the predawn hours. So, I seldom see the local hot rods, customs or the fine full classics that show up. Too damned early!

 

Early to mid sixties was the hay day of hot rodding. Cruising, street racing and looking for hide. American Grafitti was not a myth. Fell sorry for the young rodders that neverhad a chance to expeience it.
Wouldn't know any location inmy area where there even is Cruising. Closest thing would be a local lawn chair event.

 

We have early meets happen here in town too, for Cars and Coffee. I never do seem to go to those, mainly because I just don't want to get up early in my day off to do something I could be doing that night. I love going out late though, when everyone gets off work and watching the cruises. Seeing the old guys rumbling along and the young guys having fun, everyone taking pictures. We have a couple cars come out that are city famous and kind of help keep things alive late.

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Big Difference , in '62 a gal. of gas was about $.20 ,4 people each pitch in $.50 , 10 gal . Drive all night.....

 

My dad would always get $2 worth of regular. Drive forever on that.

 

Anyone got a picture of an asshat and do they come in sizes and styles?

 

When I lived in southern California in the '50s and '60s, cruising was never anything organized. Dependent on where you lived, would dictate where you cruised as a rule. I grew up in the eastern end of San Gabriel Valley, my main cruising place was on Arrow Highway in Covina and we hung out at the In N Out on Arrow Hwy. during the week. Weekends would usually include cruising the other two In N Outs and Bob's Big Boy in West Covina, occasionally we would head over to Whittier Blvd. or in the summer months it would be Balboa Island and/or Huntington Beach.
I was into the lowrider scene so racing was never an issue for me although I did go out to our local racing spot when an outsider would challenge one of the locals.
Pretty much like the cruising scenes in A.G., that's the way it was.

In N Out on Arrow Hwy.


Parking area was to the left of this picture. On the weekends the parking lot would be full, never once were we asked to leave!

 

In most of the towns around here, cruising as I knew is almost outlawed. Many places have made it illegal to drive by the same location more that a couple times in an hour. The towns are not big enough to drive completely around town and take more then a 1/2 hour to do it. If the locals see you drive past too soon they are pulling you over to see what you think you are doing.
Only the organized Cruise nights that some big companies have put up money to cover allow you to actually cruise, but then the traffic is so heavy on the closed loop, it takes nearly a 1/2 hour to do one 15 block loop.
Times are different for sure. Gene

 

Back in the 60's you could cruise around all the drive inns with a 6 pack in the front seat and never have a problem. Didn't have to wear seat belts or have a problem with the police. Boy have the times changed.

 

I drive my old stuff all the time
No issues
Just smiles and waves.

 

Cruise'n Ahhhhh I remember it well. { A STORY } When I was in high school in early 70's. We cruised the small towns. It was not like the cruise nights that we have today. Where no one really cruises. Back then we didn't even call it cruise'n. But we loved it. We hung out at town's Tasty Freeze lot. We would then cruise main street. The town cops were okay, as long as you didn't get too squirrely. A small charp when catching second gear was about it. We had some Cool Hot Rods, and a few muscle cars. Than there were the cheaper 50's @ 60's sedans of most high school students. This was done normally on Friday and Saturday nights. After midnight some of us would meet at a couple of the different stright strips just out of town for some Drag race matches. Everyone would talk Monday morning at school about who's car, or Rod was the fastest. But a few cars didn't survive. note my old photos. Ray's 68 Firebird, and Slother's SS 396 Chevelle conv. No one was killed. P.T.L. Ron......

 

This.


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San Diego cruiser’s did El Cajon Blvd from 30th to the La Mesa city limits. Lot’s of drive in’s Like Oscar’s

 

I usually find that if I walk into a room full of people and start looking for the asshat and I can't find him I better leave cause I'm it.

 

Got my license in March'70 in Michigan and lived in Lake Orion, a small town north of Pontiac and Woodward Ave. Cruised my '65 Buick Special (hey, I installed rear speaker with fader, and it had a glass pack and baby moons)on Woodward till we moved to Florida in August.
Down here I cruised my Duster 340 1/2 hour down to Clearwater,out to Clearwater Beach, to the Steak and Shake where everyone backed in and carhops, then back home.
We also raced at Twin City Drag Strip, a small hayseed track just northwest of Tampa
All I see is lawn chair events now days

 

https://www.pinterest.com/plumstchili/asshats/

 

Another good cruise area was Pomona, Ca. There was Mel's Hamburgers, in Pomona that my parents would cruise to when they left us with a sitter. And sometimes take us along for the cruise/drive and get burgers at Mel's.
It was good food. Simple. Bun, sauce, a pickle and shredded onion.
Nothing like the Mel's in American Graffiti.
I believe it was on Holt Ave. and Palomares. I could be wrong. There was also a Veteran's Thrift Store down the street from it.

Anyone remember it?

 

Lived on Penninsula South of San Francisco. About 16 years old had a buddy few doors down with a fenderless chopped 5 window deuce. Running tri power on 322 Buick nailhead. Lots of fun. Cruised into San Francisco to Mel's occasionally.
There was a Pontiac club used to cruise to Hillsdale Shopping Center and park side by side with just their parking lights on. Those mid sixty Pontiac park lights were pretty similar with a distinct look whether full size or GTO/lemans. Looked cool.
Went up to Calgary Alberta Canada for a visit. The cruise was downtown on one way streets that made a big square. Saw cops in street clothes with "walkie talkies wrapped in a newspaper radioing racers info ahead to marked cars.