airmenair
Well-Known Member
On Saturday night I took my girlfriend to the drive in movie theatre in my town. For those who don't know much about drive ins, they have been apart of Americana for decades, most glorified in the 50 and 60s era by movies, music, and pop culture alike. But, for as long as I remember the drive ins have been extinct, replaced by brand new movie theaters boasting 30 screens with state of the art equipment. I don't know much about the history of drive in theatres, when they started to fade, why they had to be boarded up and abandoned, what caused them to fail, but the legacy they had in the America during those times.
Sometime, maybe 2-3 years ago, I saw construction of 4 large screens off the main interstate just north of the town I live in. I wondered in amazement what in could be. Never did the thought of a drive in theatre pop into my head, it didn't actually hit me until they actually put up a sign saying "Galaxy Drive in Theatre." :lol: I hadn't really ever considered how many/if any were still in existance. It seemed just like a distant tradition that had passed by long ago. From what I've heard and some brief little research, there are hardly any in the state, I've heard of one other. For a state as large as Texas, that is a huge rarity, and to think one is in this small town I'm from of ~15,000 people. Once it opened for business, this place has been a massive hit. Cars line up in long lines every night of the week, yes it's open 7 days a week. Weekends during the summer are even more packed. I'm sure some of the members on here from the North Texas area have heard of it, if they haven't gone and visited yet. Only 30 miles south of Dallas after all. People travel 60+ miles just to come and watch a movie here.
For more info on the theatre and drive ins in general, here is it's website.
http://www.galaxydriveintheatre.com/
Back to the present. In deciding which car to take based on what would be the most comfortable and provide the best viewing area we chose her car. I've been to this theatre at least five times, but it was the first time I had taken her car. So while we're waiting in line for tickets I say outloud, oh you have automatic lights (You're asked to dim/turn off your lights when entering the screen area to be polite) to which she says oh you can turn them off just rotate the indicator stock to the right and hold it. They'll go off. Turn the off and now we've got the tickets and we're headed to the screen area to find a good spot. The whole time I have the lights off on the way to the screen the car is beeping at me "alerting" me my lights are off. I know they're off! I want them off! Lights on at a drive in are very annoying to me, and are considered rude by drive in etiquette. I liken it to talking on a cell phone in a movie theatre. We situate near the back and ready to watch.
I turn the car off and then realize, oh wait, we need the windows down. It is summer after all in Texas, it'll get stuffy. I put the key in the 'on' position and then think, wait don't the lights come on when I put the key there? Ah but no matter, I turned the auto lights off. I see light in front of me but I can't tell if its coming from the car I'm in or not. It happens to be shining right in the eyes of some people in front of us. So I ask my girlfriend about and she says she thought it did. Well I figure a little experiment might be in order. I turn the key off and the light is still there, "ah well its not this car." Then it goes out, "hmmm" I put the key back in the 'on' position. Light comes back on blinding the people again, "shit! yea it is this car." I forgot the damn light stays on for some amount of time after the key is taken out. Then I think, well how did that happen, I turned the auto lights off a just a minute. Damn thing resets itself once the car is off, annoying. If I want the lights off, stay off!
About 10 minutes later she decides she wants to go to the bathroom before the movies starts but being unfamiliar with the area and it being dark she wants me to show her where it is. Being the world we live in today, I think it's smart to roll up the windows and lock the car. Well this time I'm smart, I hold the indicator stock in position to keep the auto lights from coming on when I turn the key to roll up the windows, and it works. Then I have to lock the car, I decide to be nice and lock from the inside and not use the keyless which will make a very loud noise once it is locked. We trot to the bathrooms and she decides the line is too long and can hold it for the movie. Getting back to the car I realize that if I unlock the car using the remote the lights will again come on and blind the people in front of me. I figure just using the good old key and lock will do the trick. Turn the key, door unlocked. I go to open the door and as soon as it's open it starts honking at me. Apparently it didn't like that method entry. In a huff she tells me to hit the panic button to shut it up. I do and it only makes it worse and louder, I hit it again and it finally shutup. I get in the car and am pretty annoyed at all these gizmos working against me. I then realize I have to go through the kafuffle of holding the indicator stock and turning the key to roll the windows down to keep the lights from coming on. Finally I pull the key out and am ready to watch the movie as I watch the interior lights stay on and finally start to dim as if I were willing them to turn off with my annoyed stare.
Rest of the movie went ok, but all this just made me dislike even hate a little all these modern contraptions that are everywhere in life. In my mind simpler is better and I know alot of you see different. My girlfriend likes her car alot and that's cool and I'm sure alot of you like your cars that have alot of these conveniences. It's just not for me. Oh, and for all you pickup truck haters out there, there is no better vehicle out there for a drive in movie than a pickup. Park it backwards, open up the tailgate, bring some pillows and blankets and stretch out and enjoy under the stars. Well, aside from my Mustang that is.
Sometime, maybe 2-3 years ago, I saw construction of 4 large screens off the main interstate just north of the town I live in. I wondered in amazement what in could be. Never did the thought of a drive in theatre pop into my head, it didn't actually hit me until they actually put up a sign saying "Galaxy Drive in Theatre." :lol: I hadn't really ever considered how many/if any were still in existance. It seemed just like a distant tradition that had passed by long ago. From what I've heard and some brief little research, there are hardly any in the state, I've heard of one other. For a state as large as Texas, that is a huge rarity, and to think one is in this small town I'm from of ~15,000 people. Once it opened for business, this place has been a massive hit. Cars line up in long lines every night of the week, yes it's open 7 days a week. Weekends during the summer are even more packed. I'm sure some of the members on here from the North Texas area have heard of it, if they haven't gone and visited yet. Only 30 miles south of Dallas after all. People travel 60+ miles just to come and watch a movie here.
For more info on the theatre and drive ins in general, here is it's website.
http://www.galaxydriveintheatre.com/
Back to the present. In deciding which car to take based on what would be the most comfortable and provide the best viewing area we chose her car. I've been to this theatre at least five times, but it was the first time I had taken her car. So while we're waiting in line for tickets I say outloud, oh you have automatic lights (You're asked to dim/turn off your lights when entering the screen area to be polite) to which she says oh you can turn them off just rotate the indicator stock to the right and hold it. They'll go off. Turn the off and now we've got the tickets and we're headed to the screen area to find a good spot. The whole time I have the lights off on the way to the screen the car is beeping at me "alerting" me my lights are off. I know they're off! I want them off! Lights on at a drive in are very annoying to me, and are considered rude by drive in etiquette. I liken it to talking on a cell phone in a movie theatre. We situate near the back and ready to watch.
I turn the car off and then realize, oh wait, we need the windows down. It is summer after all in Texas, it'll get stuffy. I put the key in the 'on' position and then think, wait don't the lights come on when I put the key there? Ah but no matter, I turned the auto lights off. I see light in front of me but I can't tell if its coming from the car I'm in or not. It happens to be shining right in the eyes of some people in front of us. So I ask my girlfriend about and she says she thought it did. Well I figure a little experiment might be in order. I turn the key off and the light is still there, "ah well its not this car." Then it goes out, "hmmm" I put the key back in the 'on' position. Light comes back on blinding the people again, "shit! yea it is this car." I forgot the damn light stays on for some amount of time after the key is taken out. Then I think, well how did that happen, I turned the auto lights off a just a minute. Damn thing resets itself once the car is off, annoying. If I want the lights off, stay off!
About 10 minutes later she decides she wants to go to the bathroom before the movies starts but being unfamiliar with the area and it being dark she wants me to show her where it is. Being the world we live in today, I think it's smart to roll up the windows and lock the car. Well this time I'm smart, I hold the indicator stock in position to keep the auto lights from coming on when I turn the key to roll up the windows, and it works. Then I have to lock the car, I decide to be nice and lock from the inside and not use the keyless which will make a very loud noise once it is locked. We trot to the bathrooms and she decides the line is too long and can hold it for the movie. Getting back to the car I realize that if I unlock the car using the remote the lights will again come on and blind the people in front of me. I figure just using the good old key and lock will do the trick. Turn the key, door unlocked. I go to open the door and as soon as it's open it starts honking at me. Apparently it didn't like that method entry. In a huff she tells me to hit the panic button to shut it up. I do and it only makes it worse and louder, I hit it again and it finally shutup. I get in the car and am pretty annoyed at all these gizmos working against me. I then realize I have to go through the kafuffle of holding the indicator stock and turning the key to roll the windows down to keep the lights from coming on. Finally I pull the key out and am ready to watch the movie as I watch the interior lights stay on and finally start to dim as if I were willing them to turn off with my annoyed stare.
Rest of the movie went ok, but all this just made me dislike even hate a little all these modern contraptions that are everywhere in life. In my mind simpler is better and I know alot of you see different. My girlfriend likes her car alot and that's cool and I'm sure alot of you like your cars that have alot of these conveniences. It's just not for me. Oh, and for all you pickup truck haters out there, there is no better vehicle out there for a drive in movie than a pickup. Park it backwards, open up the tailgate, bring some pillows and blankets and stretch out and enjoy under the stars. Well, aside from my Mustang that is.
), and he insists that auto-lights are the greatest invention ever. After the automatic transmission. Thankfully, Ford thought of me when they made the 1995 Taurus SHO, and they made it quite easy to turn them off.
