The cruising problem

[Grumpy]

When I hear the word Cruise I automatically think of Woodward Avenue and Somerset, Kentucky, both of those are a lot of fun and you actually Cruise your Hot Rod, I'll Cruise the car for a while and then pull into a lot and BS and tell stories for a while then go back out and Cruise some more. I also hope to make it out to the Van Nuys Blvd. Cruise one of these years.

[squirrel]

Four of us showed....we didn't actually cruise anywhere. One of the guys is having some health problems, it took about all he could manage to get his car there at all. But it was fun, we stood around BSing till well after midnight. One of the younger gearheads stopped by, but had his family with him so he couldn't stay.

[BigBlockMopar]

My carclub's monthly 'Saturday Night Cruise' consists of about half a mile of blocked off road with 3 side streets. It's the oldest and largest monthly meeting in the country. Only US-cars are allowed on.
Officially it starts at 19.00hr but most folks turn up at 5 or 6 in the afternoon, (some) find their (usual) parking spot, hang around till more car show up and then walk up and down the 'cruise', ahum 'meeting'-area and eat/drink/chat for the rest of the evening.

[Cyclone03]

TC did you cruise Main/Apache Trail in the early '80's?
Seems it shut down in the Fall of '82,I was stationed at Williams AFB 82-86 and made it out once or twice.
I was at Central Park Mall the night the baracades went up,and the "twice past same spot" ticket books came out.

Cental seemed to get blocked around the same time frame.

IIRC Pavillions started up around '88, is that still going on?

[TC]

TC did you cruise Main/Apache Trail in the early '80's?
Seems it shut down in the Fall of '82,I was stationed at Williams AFB 82-86 and made it out once or twice.
I was at Central Park Mall the night the baracades went up,and the "twice past same spot" ticket books came out.

Cental seemed to get blocked around the same time frame.

IIRC Pavillions started up around '88, is that still going on?

I didn't start driving until '85 so I never did the Main/Apache cruise, it was probably '86-'87 when they closed Central down, and I think before that they cruised the Metro Center Mall loop.......

The Pavilions is still going on, it's every Saturday night starting at 4:30 and going until everyone leaves.....

[MadmanMark]

Four of us showed....we didn't actually cruise anywhere. One of the guys is having some health problems, it took about all he could manage to get his car there at all. But it was fun, we stood around BSing till well after midnight. One of the younger gearheads stopped by, but had his family with him so he couldn't stay.

Sounds like you had a good time. I'm surprised you didn't get more people to stop by.

I saw something on TV about a CA bike club that had a cruise night where they hit up multiple spots staying for only about an hour at each. I like this idea for a car cruise. Kind of like a local mini-Power Tour.

[Blazerteam]

I didn't start driving until '85 so I never did the Main/Apache cruise, it was probably '86-'87 when they closed Central down, and I think before that they cruised the Metro Center Mall loop.......

The Pavilions is still going on, it's every Saturday night starting at 4:30 and going until everyone leaves.....

Strange this,is that the cruising died around here too around 86-88..we where the last ones.

[Ron Ward]

As is the case so many times, a few bad apples spoiled the cruising scene in Topeka. Man, this place was hoppin' from about 1975 through 1985. Topeka Boulevard was one of the biggest rolling car shows around. Hundreds of cars, cruising nearly bumper to bumper. The parking lots along side the road were filled with cars and people doing nothing more than socializing and watching the cars roll up and down the street. I met a lot of really cool people during that time and saw some of the baddest iron pound the pavement.

And then a few people got stupid...

Business owners were greeted by broken bottles and trash in the parking lots on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Fights started breaking out and people started getting hurt, for no other reason than stupidity and lack of respect. The city just flat shut down the cruising scene due to the pressure of local business owners.

Ron

[SuperBuickGuy]

As is the case so many times, a few bad apples spoiled the cruising scene in Topeka. Man, this place was hoppin' from about 1975 through 1985. Topeka Boulevard was one of the biggest rolling car shows around. Hundreds of cars, cruising nearly bumper to bumper. The parking lots along side the road were filled with cars and people doing nothing more than socializing and watching the cars roll up and down the street. I met a lot of really cool people during that time and saw some of the baddest iron pound the pavement.

And then a few people got stupid...

Business owners were greeted by broken bottles and trash in the parking lots on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Fights started breaking out and people started getting hurt, for no other reason than stupidity and lack of respect. The city just flat shut down the cruising scene due to the pressure of local business owners.

Ron

I wonder if the business were any safer. IMO shutting down the cruise could make the businesses more vulnerable to theft and break-ins because no one is around. I grew up in Portland and there were 2 cruising spots, 82nd Ave, and Broadway. 82nd was were races happened - it was wide open and few cars; Broadway was were everyone went to be seen. On 82nd, they shut it down because the area was full of drug deals and prostitution - so when the police came to shut those things down, they also targeted the cruisers. Broadway, business complained that there was too much traffic (nevermind that this is Sat. night and they're closed) - so they made an ordinance that made it illegal to drive the same street 3x in 45 minutes - then the cops stood on street corners and watched.... both cases, the problem wasn't solved, it became different. 82nd is renown for a place called felony flats (10% of the crime, .01% of the population). So when the cruisers went away, thefts skyrocketed. On Broadway, it simply changed the demographic but the traffic problems remained.

[squirrel]

When I was a teen in Tucson in the late 70s, Speedway on Friday and Saturday night was car heaven....and you could park anywhere and sit and watch the fun. I moved away in 83, by the mid 80s the cruising was gone. The story I heard was that the gangs and drug dealers on the south side of town were getting pretty bad so they banned cruising there, but of course they had to be fair about it so they had to shut it down on Speedway too.

All these years later, the guys who remember cruising when they were young are old geezers, and are content to sit in a lawn chair and go home at 7. Most of us...not all of us.

[JOES66FURY]

When I was a teen in Tucson in the late 70s, Speedway on Friday and Saturday night was car heaven....and you could park anywhere and sit and watch the fun. I moved away in 83, by the mid 80s the cruising was gone. The story I heard was that the gangs and drug dealers on the south side of town were getting pretty bad so they banned cruising there, but of course they had to be fair about it so they had to shut it down on Speedway too.

All these years later, the guys who remember cruising when they were young are old geezers, and are content to sit in a lawn chair and go home at 7. Most of us...not all of us.

Jim, back when I moved here in 94 cruising was still going on pretty good (especially compared to where I came form)...there were tons of people cruising Speedway...there were a few spots (Super Speed Shop) where folks would park and hang out...seemed there were certain spots where the cops wouldn't mess with you because the owners allowed us to park there. But even the old timers that did come out said it was nothing like the old days...Now there is nothing.

Bryan and I hit 1 place on Friday and 2 on Saturday...attendance was low...and there was no cruising...I want to get some folks with cars together and do a charity poker run...even if I just get modern performance cars to show it might be fun

[TC]

Jim, back when I moved here in 94 cruising was still going on pretty good (especially compared to where I came form)...there were tons of people cruising Speedway...there were a few spots (Super Speed Shop) where folks would park and hang out...seemed there were certain spots where the cops wouldn't mess with you because the owners allowed us to park there. But even the old timers that did come out said it was nothing like the old days...Now there is nothing.

Bryan and I hit 1 place on Friday and 2 on Saturday...attendance was low...and there was no cruising...I want to get some folks with cars together and do a charity poker run...even if I just get modern performance cars to show it might be fun

Joe you and Bryan should come to Phoenix on Oct 8th for the big cruise on Central, it starts during the day and goes into the night, with a big ass car show at Park Central mall. I guarantee you'll have a great time!!!!!

[JOES66FURY]

If I am not in Vegas during that time I may just do that.

A very old friend of mine is getting married in October and lives in Vegas...he has not set the exact date yet tho....

[SpiderGearsMan]

vegas was pretty ant i cruising last time I was there

[455 LeMans]

We cruise Woodward all the time in the summer....Staying out til 1 or 2 am.....no lawnchairs for us....Some of the best times of the year. Great fun.

Seth

Hey Seth, let me know the next time you're down here, you probably owe me a ride in the Bu...