Today I came across these photos which I took back in 1987. If you look closely in the second pic you can see my old turquoise AMX parked next to an Eagle which I don't even remember. Although this cruise-in has changed plazas a couple of times, it still happens on Saturday night in the same city. But there are some major differences now.
Notice that there are very few folding chairs. Today, many cruisers sit beside their car and don't move the entire time, unless it's to get some food. Back then people came to walk around and
look at the cars as well as visit friends.
You can't tell from the pics but there is no DJ playing the same loud '50s music week after week. Then you could actually hear the cars and talk to your buddies without having to shout. There were no sponsors or commercial exhibits either.
Do you see any 1986 or 1987 cars in the pictures? A couple but not too many, back then most people brought older hot rods and muscle cars. Today? Fully 50% of the crowd is new (2005-08) Mustangs, C5 and C6 Corvettes, new Chargers, and FWD ricers. While some of these cars are nice enough I'd much rather see the older stuff.
Back then cruisers didn't use chairs or road cones to save entire rows of prime parking spots for their late arriving friends. If you got there early enough you could park wherever you wanted, or with your friends if you arrived together.
People used to stay out a lot later too. Back in the '80s we regularly stayed 'til midnight or even 1:00 AM. On some weeks we would hit more than one cruise-in, sometimes arriving at the second one well after dark. Sometimes we would drop off our girlfriends
then go to the cruise-in, which would still be well populated even after 11:00. Today, many people leave even before the sun sets, like a drop of dew or some bug guts might destroy their car.
This summer with gas at 3-4 dollars a gallon I cut way back on cruise-ins. I went to this one only twice and that was enough. I truly miss the golden age of cruising, when it was just a bunch of outlaw car guys gathering in a parking lot after the stores closed. I got to experience the very end of this era and for that I feel fortunate. Does anyone else miss the "good old days" or do you like the cruise-ins as they are now?
