Lake street memories

[Z28SSMAN]

Porky’s Drive-In at 21st and Lake: The king of drive-ins. Specific guys had their own parking spaces on specific nights. This was the place for boys and girls to meet. The best lines were saved for the car hops. A police officer was stationed there.
Mr. Frank’s Drive-In, at Lake and Hiawatha: The drive-in for nerds, although it had better cokes than Porky’s.
Porky’s at Lake Calhoun: The hang-out for “snobs” and “high-rent girls”. Close by was Mac’s Millions (later Altman’s), where a guy would prep a girl for River Road (to see the submarine races) if he sensed that his date was ready for some physical activity.
Cost of gasoline: 29 cents a gallon. For $2.00 you could cruise Lake Street all night.
$1.00 birthday cake: $1.00 of gasoline poured on two blocks of Lake Street and lit.
Drag racing: The Hi/Lake Shopping Center parking lot was the favorite. Cars would race in the lot, hit the brakes at the sidewalk and slide to the curb on the other side of the street. Once in a while a car would go through a storefront. Another speed game occurred between 21st and Cedar Avenues. Cars started at 21st and attempted to make the yellow light at Cedar traveling at 80 mph.

[MR.hp]

Porky’s Drive-In at 21st and Lake: The king of drive-ins. Specific guys had their own parking spaces on specific nights. This was the place for boys and girls to meet. The best lines were saved for the car hops. A police officer was stationed there.
Mr. Frank’s Drive-In, at Lake and Hiawatha: The drive-in for nerds, although it had better cokes than Porky’s.
Porky’s at Lake Calhoun: The hang-out for “snobs” and “high-rent girls”. Close by was Mac’s Millions (later Altman’s), where a guy would prep a girl for River Road (to see the submarine races) if he sensed that his date was ready for some physical activity.
Cost of gasoline: 29 cents a gallon. For $2.00 you could cruise Lake Street all night.
$1.00 birthday cake: $1.00 of gasoline poured on two blocks of Lake Street and lit.
Drag racing: The Hi/Lake Shopping Center parking lot was the favorite. Cars would race in the lot, hit the brakes at the sidewalk and slide to the curb on the other side of the street. Once in a while a car would go through a storefront. Another speed game occurred between 21st and Cedar Avenues. Cars started at 21st and attempted to make the yellow light at Cedar traveling at 80 mph.

Now your telling stories again, All the cars were hanging out in my neighborhood:rlol:

Gas was cheap though.

[Jumpercables]

What about battle of the midway over in St. Paul? Someone even had some t-shirts made up for it back then.

[Tradbuilt]

Porky’s Drive-In at 21st and Lake: The king of drive-ins. Specific guys had their own parking spaces on specific nights. This was the place for boys and girls to meet. The best lines were saved for the car hops. A police officer was stationed there.
Mr. Frank’s Drive-In, at Lake and Hiawatha: The drive-in for nerds, although it had better cokes than Porky’s.
Porky’s at Lake Calhoun: The hang-out for “snobs” and “high-rent girls”. Close by was Mac’s Millions (later Altman’s), where a guy would prep a girl for River Road (to see the submarine races) if he sensed that his date was ready for some physical activity.
Cost of gasoline: 29 cents a gallon. For $2.00 you could cruise Lake Street all night.
$1.00 birthday cake: $1.00 of gasoline poured on two blocks of Lake Street and lit.
Drag racing: The Hi/Lake Shopping Center parking lot was the favorite. Cars would race in the lot, hit the brakes at the sidewalk and slide to the curb on the other side of the street. Once in a while a car would go through a storefront. Another speed game occurred between 21st and Cedar Avenues. Cars started at 21st and attempted to make the yellow light at Cedar traveling at 80 mph.

We must be close in age. I remember all of that. On the St.Paul side it was cruising from Porky's University to the loop downtown and back. Or, out to Roseville to hit Roadside Drive-in or the Frontier or the Rose Bowling Alley. If we felt adventurous we'd cross the river at the Lake Street bridge and go up Lake past Lenny's Used Cars and on up to Porky's.

[Z28SSMAN]

I missed out on quite a bit of Lake Street action, because I didn't move here until '73 and didn't buy my Chevelle until early '74. It took until late '74 early '75 before I got it running good enough to play on Lake Street. Most of the action had died down by the time I got it running real good which was around late '77-'78. By that time, Minnesota Dragways closed then Northstar was ready to close.

Pretty interesting time though. I'm glad I was able to experience what was left of it.

I remember heading over to St Paul and cruising through a White Castle where quite a few cars hung out. Kind of tight space over there though. The largest group anywhere was around Montgomery Wards. I didn't go there much because I thought there'd always be time to go there later. Boy, was I wrong.

[Tradbuilt]

I missed out on quite a bit of Lake Street action, because I didn't move here until '73 and didn't buy my Chevelle until early '74. It took until late '74 early '75 before I got it running good enough to play on Lake Street. Most of the action had died down by the time I got it running real good which was around late '77-'78. By that time, Minnesota Dragways closed then Northstar was ready to close.

Pretty interesting time though. I'm glad I was able to experience what was left of it.

I remember heading over to St Paul and cruising through a White Castle where quite a few cars hung out. Kind of tight space over there though. The largest group anywhere was around Montgomery Wards. I didn't go there much because I thought there'd always be time to go there later. Boy, was I wrong.

White Castle was between the old Gulf station (now a KFC I believe) and the 3 Bears Drive-in (which became Whitaker Buick's used lot for a long time after the drive-in closed). Sandy's drive-in was just south of Uni on Lexington. We only went to White Castle because it was the only thing open after 9pm, and we never wanted to put anything expensive in our stomachs because it's just gonna be coming up anyhow. I was 16 in 1971 and a freshly licensed driver (but had been driving up at the farm since I was about 9 or 10). Those were fun years but I don't think I'd want to repeat them. :laugh_smile: