The Drive-In

What you say? A drive-in? Yes, boys and girls... drive-in theaters still exist!


I only know of one around here, and it's located in City of Industry. A bit of a trek outside of LA, but it's worth it, IMO. Admission is $7.50 per person, but if you're really cheap, you can sneak someone in via the trunk. That being said, it's pretty sad to rip off a dying genre, and only the most heartless cheap bastard should do it!


We came here late on a Saturday night to watch the last feature - apparently, this place gets pretty happenin'. And maybe not for the reasons you think! ;) We noticed a LOT of families with small kids/babies... and when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense because a crying baby is super annoying at a regular theater but you probably won't even notice if he/she is in a car w/ the parents.

Several awesome things about this place (as well as any drive-in, I would imagine)

• You can bring take-out, snacks, or whatever you want to eat while watching the movie
• Each parking spot is positioned on a sort of a hill so you can angle your car to be facing up towards the screen - no worrying about the car ahead of you blocking your view. OR you can bring a truck and park it backwards and angle it down so you can lie down and watch the movie (and potential for other stuff, but c'mon! There are kids running around here!)
• Warm summer nights - you can bring chairs and set up camp for a nice picnic
• You listen to the movie through a pre-set radio frequency, so you don't have to park in a specific manner - whichever strikes your fancy
• You get to do something very different!
  

Drawbacks:

• The theater is quite old so the restrooms aren't exactly the best things ever
• There can be a really long line to get in, so be prepared to get there early
• Listening to the movie through your car can run down your battery - I saw one car that had to be jump started. You can also bring a portable radio but you're sacrificing sound quality.
  
• It's probably best to have a convertible, which I don't have

If anything, I'd recommend going just for the experience. It's a bit of a novelty, and I wouldn't go watch blockbusters (usually designed with crazy special effects and awesome sound quality that requires the sound system of a theater), but watching a funny or scary movie can be quite fun. We got there near in time to watch the 2nd half of "30 Days of Night" and let's just say that zombie movies are much scarier when you're actually sitting outside and a shadow suddenly catches your eye...

If anyone is interested - you have to call the theater for showtimes, and I think there are 4-5 different screens.
Pacific Vineland Drive-In
443 N. Vineland Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91746
(626)961-9262

Let me know what you think if you end up going there!