Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

Feb. 10: Electric Dusk Drive-In, Los Angeles CA

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It’s Day 41 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I finished the Los Angeles area with the only drive-in within the city limits, the Electric Dusk Drive-In.

I drove almost an hour to the heart of LA, or at least to the LA Community College District’s Van De Kamp College Campus. That’s where the Electric Dusk folks have been holding eccentrically scheduled drive-in nights since last summer, after moving from a downtown building.

There’s a retro-themed “Snack Shack” for decent food, and fake grass in front for pedestrians to sit on. The part I liked the least was the prospect of getting wedged in with other cars; every guy in the middle has to wait for his neighbors to go before he can leave. And portable toilets, though sometimes cleaner than the worst permanent drive-ins I’ve visited, just aren’t as good as the real thing.

I was so disappointed to have come all this way only to just miss one of the relatively rare active nights at the Electric Dusk. It’s going to show The Notebook on Feb. 11 as a Valentine’s weekend theme, but nothing on this Friday night. Just as well, they probably would have canceled it because of the rain.

Miles Today / Total:  36 / 4913 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 30

Nearby Restaurant: Well, the Electric Dusk is behind a Denny’s; it even cautions drive-in patrons not to park there. But just a block or two away is the Eagle Rock Brewery, a well-hidden source of beer and food trucks. Probably anything tastes good while drinking an
Ümläüt.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Staying on theme, I got a room at (take a breath first) the Comfort Inn Near Old Town Pasadena – Eagle Rock. So it had that Eagle Rock, but it was, dare I say it, near Old Town Pasadena. Much quieter than downtown Los Angeles, and the breakfast was actually pretty good.

Only in Los Angeles: Less than three miles from the Electric Dusk is the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale. The MONA includes the original neon sign from The Brown Derby at Hollywood and Vine, an animated Hofbrau beer pourer, and Route 66 Winchell’s Donuts neon sign. Needs more drive-in signs.

Next Stop: Santa Barbara Drive-In, Goleta CA.

Feb. 9: Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre, Montclair CA

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It’s Day 40 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I continue to comb the Los Angeles area, driving a half hour due east from the Vineland to the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair CA.

This is the fourth California drive-in run by the same folks who also run the South Bay in San Diego and the Rubidoux and Van Buren in Riverside. I’ll get to visit one of their place just once more when I reach the Redwood in suburban Salt Lake City UT.

The Mission Tiki opened as the single-screen Mission Drive-In in 1956, when the city was known as Monte Vista. They replaced the original screen with four new ones in 1975. The name changed to the Mission Tiki in 2006 during major refurbishing, including FM transmitters and Technalight projection system. The parking lot was repaved, the ticket booths were remodeled to look like tiki huts, a Maui statue garden was added, and the concession stand was remodeled to match the tiki theme.

My week of repeated viewings continued. Again, I had four screens from which to choose. Again, I had already seen each early movie. I couldn’t bear Resident Evil: The Final Chapter for the four time in a week, so I picked the relatively inoffensive A Dog’s Purpose.

Miles Today / Total:  18 / 4877 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: A Dog’s Purpose / 30

Nearby Restaurant: Across the street, there’s a Dairy Queen, Little Caesar’s, and Panda Express. So you can tell that it was worth driving about two and a half miles to reach something more authentic, the Mix Bowl Cafe in neighboring Pomona. Real Thai noodles, spicy sauces, and a price that wasn’t much more than Panda Express.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Another LA-area three-mile drive brought me to the Best Western Pine Tree Motel in nearby Chino. For a fairly modest price, I got a coffee pot, a refrigerator, a very nice breakfast in the morning, and a lovely setting with lots of palm (not pine) trees around.

Only in Montclair: In nearby Ontario CA, Logan’s Candies exhibits the World’s Largest Handmade Candy Cane. It’s six feet long and weighs 30 pounds. If that’s too large for you, there are plenty of smaller, warm, freshly made canes for sale in the shop.

Next Stop: Electric Dusk Drive-In, Los Angeles CA.

Feb. 8: Vineland Drive-In, City of Industry CA

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Vineland Drive-In marquee and main screen

photo by jericl cat, from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 39 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I stayed in the Los Angeles area, driving just a few minutes northeast till I reached the Vineland Drive-In in City of Industry CA.

The Vineland opened in 1955 and has stayed active ever since. It switched to digital projection in 2013.

Good news: The Vineland was open on a February Wednesday, and had four screens to choose from. Bad news: I had already seen all four early movies. Good news: One of them was Hidden Figures, an Oscar-nominated film that I hadn’t seen for over three weeks. Of all the movies to watch a second time, that would be my choice.

Miles Today / Total:  17 / 4859 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Hidden Figures / 29

Nearby Restaurant: It’s about three miles away, but I had to experience a perfect example of roadside Americana at The Donut Hole in La Puente. It’s open from early morning to late, late night, and the donuts are great, but the important thing is to be able to say that you drove through two donut holes to order and pick up your donuts.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Less than three miles away on Puente Avenue was the Courtyard Los Angeles Baldwin Park, which was of course in Baldwin Park. There was a microwave and mini fridge in my room, so I could save drive-in leftovers for breakfast with the coffee I brewed.

Only in City of Industry: According to Wikipedia, City of Industry is a narrow, mostly east to west suburb that hosts over 2,500 businesses but only 219 people. It was incorporated in 1957 to prevent surrounding cities from annexing industrial land for tax revenue. Its few residences either existed before incorporation, or are on properties near Industry Hills Golf Club, Industry Hills Recreation Center, or City Hall. There are also a few people who live at the city-owned nursing home.

Next Stop: Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre, Montclair CA.