Jan. 2: Thunderbird, Fort Lauderdale FL

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It’s Day Two of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I arrived at Fort Lauderdale’s version of the Swap Shop, a south Florida institution. Since Google Maps called it that way, I have this place listed as the Thunderbird theaters. Do I need to fix that?

Fort Lauderdale’s Swap Shop is the drive-in theater heavyweight champ with up to 14 active screens. (When I checked today, there were “only” 9 unique movie start times, so perhaps they give some of them a rest on weeknights.) What’s just as impressive is the everyday swap meet, farmers market, video arcade, car museum, and optical center that runs during the day. It’s so big that there’s a second parking lot south of busy Sunrise Boulevard, connected by an overhead walkway, all just for the Swap Shop. Concentrated raw commerce and all-day entertainment!

As I mentioned, I had several movies from which to choose, but I need to catch up on the latest Star Wars story so I can stop worrying about spoilers.

Miles Today / Total: 32 / 32 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rouge One: A Star Wars Story / 1

Nearby Restaurant: Since I don’t count the KFC across the street or the many choices inside the Thunderbird / Swap Shop, I’ll go with some authentic Jamaican at The Dutch Pot two miles away in Plantation.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are some frightening choices closest to the drive-in, so I’ll drive 10 minutes to the Hampton Inn that’s in neighboring Tamarac by the Florida Turnpike.

Only in Fort Lauderdale: In October, a 350-pound man was accused of stealing two televisions from the Fort Lauderdale Walmart, according to The Smoking Gun. He was identified because the perp’s pants, containing his ID, fell off as he ran away through the parking lot.

Next Stop: Swap Shop, Palm Springs FL

Jan. 1: Blue Starlite, Miami FL

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On Day One of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, I chose the US’s southernmost drive-in, the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In, which recently declared that its Florida “full time location” is in Miami.

Since I want to catch as many drive-ins on nights when they’re showing movies, that means that I’ll start 2017 with a drive across the southern states. Since I don’t want a lot of wasted miles, I’m starting in south Florida and working my way north before I turn west.

Although the Blue Starlite was dark tonight (its next film is Jurassic Park on Jan. 14), I love its location – by the beach at David T. Kennedy Park in the Coconut Grove neighborhood.

Miles Today / Total: 0 / 0 (I just got here.)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 0

Nearby Restaurant: Berries, less than a mile away. The perfect place for a healthy, relaxing Sunday brunch.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Hampton Inn Coconut Grove. Rated one of the best hotels in Miami, yet one of the least expensive within two miles of the drive-in.

Only in Miami: In 2011, NPR ran a story about the invasion of house-eating giant African land snails. Four years later, the Miami Herald wrote that detector dog teams were making a dent in the problem, resulting in 156,253 snail casualties.

Next Stop: Thunderbird Drive-in Theatres, Fort Lauderdale FL

Blue Starlite needs help to move Austin drive-in

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Cars at a drive-in at twilight

The Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive In at its old location in Austin. Photo courtesy Blue Starlite.

It’s a commonly sad story. Development expands near a drive-in theater, and its landlord cuts off its lease. What gives that script a happy ending in Austin TX is that the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive In already knows how to relocate, and it plans to reopen just south of town in February.

Blue Starlite owner Josh Frank has a fundraiser going on Kickstarter to improve the new location with a larger screen, “fancy” bathrooms, a 35mm projector, and much more. With 19 days to go, the drive still needed almost $10,000 more in pledges.

When the Austin American-Statesman wrote about the move, it mentioned a specific location on the outskirts of Buda with “a 10-year lease”. Frank told me that’s not so certain. “The exact address has NOT been officially announced,” he wrote, “we are still considering a lot of variables.”

What is certain is that the new location will be significantly south of Austin, albeit within 15 minutes or so. Frank told the Austin Eater, “our small business can not afford the incredible rent rates for 3 acres of land in Central Austin.”

The history of the Blue Starlite is a testament to flexibility in overcoming obstacles. It started seven years ago in an alley that fit only about a dozen cars. That was successful enough for a move to a larger lot, then again to an even larger lot next to the Austin Film Society. But the landlord now wants that spot to build condos, so the Blue Starlite will have to set up elsewhere after the first week of January. Fortunately, Frank has had enough warning to scout out alternative locations.

I asked Frank if a permanent location would change the Blue Starlite’s quirky culture. He said that the chance to offer more services would only improve it. “The Blue will always be a bootstrapped business, no matter what. That IS its charm and what I think people find endearing, But it is time to think about the future, to think about sustainability. Because in the end what people want most out of a business they love is that it will stick around forever, and that is what we are trying to do.”

There are some nice incentives on the Kickstarter page. If you want to support this unique drive-in vision, you ought to go check it out!