Route 66 Water Bags Were Cool

Route 66 Water Bags Were Cool

For Route 66 travelers trekking across the continent during the twenties and thirties, transportation by car was rife with problems. Tires went flat regularly, if they didn't blow out! Engines threw rods, transmissions seized, and crankcases cracked. Mechanical components were prone to fail. But, nothing inspired more dread than a plume of steam billowing from a hot radiator. There was a good reason: radiators of the era were delicate contrivances. Most were underrated for their applications. They were quick to overheat in traffic, during hot weather, and on steep inclines. The most inefficient…continue reading →
Texas Gives Birth to the Drive-in

Texas Gives Birth to the Drive-in

People in their cars are so lazy that they don't want to get out of them to eat! The proclamation still rings as true today as it did when candy and tobacco mogul Jesse Granville Kirby first uttered the words in 1921. At the time, he was trying to interest Rueben Wright Jackson, a Dallas, Texas physician to invest in a new type of roadside restaurant, one based upon a revolutionary new format that would one day form the basis all “fast food” stands. Kirby's idea was simple: patrons would drive up in…continue reading →
Mel’s Drive-In Restaurant

Mel’s Drive-In Restaurant

Tourists are generally unaware that along with the Golden Gate Bridge and its trolley cars, the city of San Francisco is famous for drive-in restaurants. Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs started it all back in 1947 when they built their first carhop eatery, inspired by similar restaurants serving motorists in the Los Angeles area. With a staff of 14 carhops covering a 30,000-sq.-ft. parking lot, they lured the hungry car owner with a local radio personality broadcasting live. As music reverberated through dashboard radios in the drive-up lanes, the curb-stepping gals of 140…continue reading →
Pepsi-Cola: Twelve Full Ounces

Pepsi-Cola: Twelve Full Ounces

Before the turn of the century, pharmacist Caleb Bradham’s drugstore was a favorite gathering place for the residents of New Bern, North Carolina. In those days of horse-drawn carriages and gaslight, bottled soda refreshment was rare and soft drinks the domain of the neighborhood druggist. There, a stomach-soothing concoction known as “Brad's Drink” became a favorite fountain mix, it's taste energized by Bradham's addition of cola nut extract and pepsin (a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein). By 1898, Bradham realized that a drink capable of calming the gut and refreshing the palate…continue reading →
Brookshire’s Beats the Colonel

Brookshire’s Beats the Colonel

When it comes to the Southern staple known as fried chicken, the Brookshire Brothers deli department has got the Colonel on the run. OK … so they don’t have all the fancy batters like Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy®, Super Crispy®, Extra-super Crispy®, or Extra-super-duper Crispy®, but they have enough of a variety to satisfy the most discerning fried chicken addict. What they do have are two of the most basic, country-style, Wimberley, Texas standards: it’s what the folks around these here parts refer to as “the spicy kind” and “the not-so-spicy kind.” Sorry…continue reading →
Mammoth Orange Drive-Ins

Mammoth Orange Drive-Ins

Orange shaped-and-colored refreshment stands used to be numerous along the highways of California, New Mexico, and Arizona. During the 20s and 30s, they provided the perfect outlet to utilize fallen fruit and sell it in the form of juice. Later, when oranges became synonymous with these regions, tourists were compelled to sample the best local fruit groves had to offer. You see—more than a half a century ago, soda pop was reserved for special occasions. Back then, freshly squeezed orange juice was the real thing and people didn’t mind stopping on the side…continue reading →