The drive-in is a classic, nostalgic, and sometimes forgotten source of cinema. Arielle Z recently heard about the Solano Drive-In and was kind enough to share her first drive-in experience with us. Here is what she had to say:
Until this week, when I thought of a drive-in, I thought of Grease or my father -- the image of Sandy in her white dress and yellow cardigan sitting with greasy-haired Danny Zuko at a drive-in. Or my dad telling me how when he was growing up, his family used to pack up their van with blankets and watch movies like The Godfather and Star Wars. They would hang small speakers on poles next to their cars and huddle together on lawn chairs on cool Boston evenings to watch movies. Some of his most cherished childhood memories were at his local drive-in with his siblings.
Last week I learned about a drive-in a half mile from my cousin’s house, West Wind Drive-In. I told my parents about it and avid Pixar fans that we are, we decided it would be fun to see Toy Story 4 together. We grabbed some blankets and headed for the Concord drive-in for the 9:20pm showing.
When we arrived, we were greeted at the ticket booth and directed to a large parking area. We parked in front of the massive white screen and headed for the most important part of any theatre experience, the snack bar. I delighted in my frozen mangonada while my mom munched on Cheetos popcorn and a steak quesadilla. My dad stuck with the classic popcorn and Diet Coke. We walked back to our car, pulled out three lawn chairs, tuned our car radio to the proper station, and laughed together with all the other families as Woody chased Forky. It was really nice to take a break from our busy lives and sit together under the stars watching the 4th installment in a series I’ve grown to love.
I hope to go back to the drive-in another time this summer season!
- Arielle Z.
