Category Archives: Texas

Revamped Mission sits, waiting

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I was in San Antonio TX last week for reasons that, for a change, weren’t very much about drive-in movie theaters. But of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to revisit the locale that essentially inspired the creation of this web site. Plus, I got tired of grabbing other folks’ photos of the place.

The site of the old Mission Drive-In Theatre is in a depressed neighborhood in the middle of the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. I never saw its sign look as good as it looked last week, with bright colors and faux neon lights on the lettering.

The drive-in screen on the other side was also restored to its original appearance, a framed white screen with two long arms at its base extending to the sides of the viewing area. Where the projection stand used to be, there was a fresh little building with rest rooms and storage. But it was all fenced off, quietly resting in the warm Texas sun. The drive-in site was meant to be seen, not enjoyed, at least not that day.

I had been encouraged by reports of a new library on the site, and there it was. When I went in, I looked for anything that celebrated the history of the Mission, but there was nothing. I asked the guy behind the counter whether there were any movies or activities planned, he shook his head and said, “We don’t have anything to do with that.” Then he reached into his drawer and handed me a pre-cut scrap of paper with the phone number and web address of the city agency in charge. Not only was he indifferent to the drive-in next door, his indifference was premeditated.

Its nice that this touchstone of drive-in history has been restored to remind us all what it was like. Let’s hope that someone in San Antonio does something with it now.

Two great Texas photo albums

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Coyote Drive-In logo on woodHere’s an odd case. This past week, I’ve run across two stories about drive-ins in Texas. Each story is brief and unremarkable, but each also includes an excellent photo gallery.

Over at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, they ran a story about the soft opening of the Coyote Drive-In there. It’s wonderful news to hear about a brand-new drive-in theater, but there weren’t a lot of new details except that only about 150 cars were allowed in what will be a 1300-car, three-screen complex. But check out that album of a dozen photos, especially #2 with the downtown skyline behind the screen.

Meanwhile at the San Antonio Express-News, what’s cool is the soft opening of the sort-of drive-in at the site of the old Mission Drive-In. (I already told you why I care so much about this one.) The Express-News had a decent story about it, but what was really great was that it offered a 30-photo journey into the history of the Mission. Photo #10 matches how I remember it. Go see for yourself!

Update: The Dallas Morning News added a lengthy story about the opening of the Coyote, and it included this video. Enjoy! (Edit: I used to have the video embedded below, but the darned thing would auto-start whenever this page was loaded. Don’t ya just hate it when that happens?)Placeholder linking to video of the Coyote Drive-In

Outside food: feature or menace?

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Popcorn machine

© Depositphotos.com / SanHe83

I was doing my usual web prowl, searching for fun stuff and news to share here. I stumbled on the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In (Austin TX), and first of all, I’m unclear whether it “counts” as a real drive-in. As I mentioned a while ago, there are lots of things that aren’t drive-ins that pretend to be drive-ins, and I don’t like to talk about them. Is the Blue Starlite a real drive-in? Is it a worthy facsimile? I’ll have to return to that question in a later post.

When I visited the Blue Starlite web site, I found a quote that inspired me to write down something that’s been bouncing around in my head. On the Blue Starlite FAQ page is the question: “can I bring my own food and drink?” If I were feeling fussy, my reply would be that it’s likely that you have that ability, but perhaps you’d prefer to ask whether you may bring your own food and drink.

But the Blue Starlite FAQ answer is much nicer. “Yes. We don’t like to limit our customers options and enjoyment. As well as their creativity. However we do ask that you patronize our concession stand as well at least for your popcorn, candy and soda’s (sic) if you do not buy a concession package in advance. It really does help support our ability to keep bringing you quality nights of entertainment as only the drive-in can in Austin TX.”

That’s beautiful. I know that when I go to the drive-in, which is as often as I can, I love to bring food and sometimes something to drink. It’s a great benefit and incentive that I can create my own experience in my car while I watch the movie. But I would never visit without buying at least a large soda and a large popcorn from the concession stand. The incremental cost of a large soda is maybe a nickel, and the popcorn probably costs a dime or two, so I figure my cash should go straight to the operator’s payroll and profit.

I’ll make some enemies for saying this, but hey you drive-in operators, instead of treating customers as thieves and cheats for wanting to bring in the food they like, maybe you should look to your own kitchen to make sure you’re cooking something they want. It’s a good idea to explain the economics of running a drive-in as you encourage patrons to buy your food, and if you give your customers a good alternative, your convenience (and sufficient quality) should win their dollars more often than not. The Blue Starlite gets it, and you should too.