Event Coverage Cool cars and stuff in a restaurant

I'll have to go across the street to Cheeseburger in Paradise.

 

Cool Cat Cafe on Maui has a '50s diner kind of vibe. And the best burgers too.

 

Years ago I had a girlfriend who owned her own hair salon. I gave some serious thought to going partners with her and building a car/highway themed hair salon (probably best in a busy mall setting). The idea was to decorate the walls with hubcaps, grills, headlamps and other vehicle paraphernalia, and do the vinyl tile floor green with a scaled down 2 lane blacktop from the front door to the back. Add a couple of car bench seats in the waiting area, etc. You get the idea. I was thinking of calling it "Express Waves" but maybe something else would have occurred to me.

Anybody that wants to can steal my idea. I'm retired a long time ago and the girlfriend is long gone. The only thing I have to do with hair anymore is growing whiskers, which I may or may not shave.

 

Sounds fun. I used to ride my Harley all over that area, Farmington Laurelwood etc. Ever been to Laurelwood? Truly a weird place. I'm about to pick a date for my picnic. I usually have it the same day as the Rickreall Swap meet but I'm not sure if they are going to have it this year. Regardless, it will be the first part of June. See ya there.

 

Hello,

We visited the Corvette Diner in Point Loma, San Diego years ago on a short vacation there. The food was pretty good and the atmosphere was the kind of place that goes a little overboard with the theme of cars, especially the Corvette. We were able to get a seat for two in the “Corvette Room” where our seats were right next to a super nice (green and white inserts) stock 58-59 model. The service was pretty good considering all of the diners there. But, there were so many guys and girls in waiter/waitress outfits that every minute, someone was coming by to refill our drinks.

By the end of the summer, we took our granddaughter there to check out the restaurant, again. There were things we did not see the first time around. Immediately, she loved the colors and all of the activity going on in the restaurant. Our (hers) favorite room was the Black Light Room. The Love posters, Jimi Hendrix, and the Peace posters all glowed under the black light as well as anything we were wearing that was white. Dining there was fun in the dark, plus, the music was loud.

The black light walls actually looked like our bedrooms back in the 60’s.

Jnaki
My favorite display, other than the Black Light Room walls, was the flamed, front clip, 65-66 Stingray hanging from soda fountain wall.

 

Hello,

For years, there was this burger joint that was a popular hangout for the cruising cars, surfers, and locals. The hamburgers and fries were fabulous, the music was excellent and the easy access to the restaurant in South Laguna Beach off the Coast Highway 1, made everyone stop. The draw was the big name on the restaurant, Duke’s. A family owned it since the beginning. It served great hamburgers and giant homemade fries. These hamburgers were at least, the largest buns and meat combo in all of Orange County. For breakfasts, there were huge portions of eggs, toast, and bacon, the local favorite.

When the surfers traveled up and down Highway 1 to all points north & south this was the place to stop for great food. There were always cars and wagons with boards stacked on top at all hours of the day. Great food? The word always spread fast or surfers just checked out the display of surf vehicles out in front.

It was a great place to park your hot rod or cruiser as everyone going up/down Highway 1 could see your car from the road. Our 40 Ford Sedan Delivery was a mainstay in that parking lot.

Jnaki

photo: Ruby's Diners So Cal
Now, many years later, there is a Ruby’s Restaurant in that same location. The draw of the name, Ruby’s, is well known in So Cal, but this is the only place that has a bevy of 1950’s cars parked out in front.
(CHAINED DOWN AND FULLY ALARM EQUIPPED. LET ALONE A CLOSED CIRCUIT TV AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY AND NIGHT.)

The sight of those great looking cars draws people to stop and look. By then, you are hooked for some old time, great food synonymous with the Ruby’s chain. If it is a great, sunny, So Cal day, you might want to try out the "newish" rooftop dining area for a peek ocean view. When the neighboring city, Dana Point, has their hot rod shows displayed in their old town section, you can believe there are plenty of hot rods parked in this lot, up the coast, too.

To top off a great cruise down the coast from Los Angeles to San Diego, you will drive down some of the best coastal views in all of California. Now, midway between those two big cities, there is a cool spot to stop and enjoy great food and So Cal scenery. If you are more inclined to use the myriad of So Cal freeways, it is still freeway accessible, down that same winding canyon road that has been around since the early days...

 

Hello,
As an aside, while you are visiting the Ruby's Roadside Diner in South Laguna Beach, just up the Coast Highway 1, about a mile is one of the oldest music stores around. The Sound Spectrum was started in 1967, in the heyday of "The Summer of Love." The LP record prices were a little above the cost of the ones in Los Angeles, but you did not have to drive all the way to West L.A. to get the best deals on those fabulous rock music LP albums, posters, and paraphernalia. It was the Sunset Strip version right here at the beach in Laguna.

Jnaki
This record store is still standing and STILL doing good business all of these years. A visit here is a step back in time to a fun era in Laguna Beach history, 1966-76. A history of Timothy Leary, rock concerts in the canyon, wandering teenagers looking for the next best thing, etc. Home prices were not out of control and but, the tourists still clogged up the highway all weekend long.
The Sound Spectrum:

Parking your cruiser can be had on the busy Coast Highway 1, but there is safer, public parking in the back of the building.

 

Used to have the Hot Rod Café in Post Falls Idaho. They had a lot of neat stuff, food was good, not pricey. Unfortunately it is no more.