39th street,air depot as well as various spots in edmond and moore. I even recall a cruising/parking area on the west side of overholser.
Was this to keep the kids safe?

Go to NW Expressway from just east of Council Road. It's just migrated...

Ahhh... Memories of the Air Depot circuit. Sonic to McDonalds and back again. And again. And again.

Businesses hated it. People who actually spent money stopped going out on Fridays and Saturdays due to the traffic and idiots (probably including me).

Good times though, parked at Taco Bueno with your hood up trying to find a race.

internet? gameboys?

Who can afford it?

I'm with Penny, when gas costs more than $3 a gallon, cruising is only going to affordable if you're driving a Prius and, well, if you're cruising in a Prius, it's just sad.

Myspace and facebook?

I'm with Penny, when gas costs more than $3 a gallon, cruising is only going to affordable if you're driving a Prius and, well, if you're cruising in a Prius, it's just sad.

Jeff Dunham made a right fair penny lamenting on the downside of driving a prius and playing with dolls.

I remember when the put up the "no U-turn between 10:00pm and 6:00am" signs on 39th st (and started enforcing it). Drove all but the hard-core cruisers away and eventually they left too.

Best thread ever. =)
(except, of course, involving a c.'52 newcomer to the area, riding a c.'65 Pan, c.'75 . . . good times. =)
the world--that is, the immediate perceptual framework/happiness--of the day was much more "free"
nice to know that the grains of Wisdom learned are equal to the "road rash" risked . . . =)

I'll step way out on a limb and say that gas prices and thugs had more to do with it stopping than anything else.

I am not real sure what you guys are exactly calling cruising, parking etc... But there is a small fleet of car people I see frequently posted up at night @ the sonic near Memorial/Portland. Looks like foreign makes mostly.

I really wish OKC had a spot like Ted Drewes in STL, large foot traffic'd frozen custard joint [walk-up window ordering] a great evening hangout area where people come show off their rides. It is surprisingly family friendly everytime I have been to one.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5b/TedDrewes001b.jpg/800px-TedDrewes001b.jpg

As I recall, one of the primary reasons for the demise of the cruise here in Midwest City as well as 39th was: As a result of complaints from citizens and businesses, the police began heavily patrolling the cruise and took a "no tolerance" policy to infractions of the law to discourage participation.

As I recall, one of the primary reasons for the demise of the cruise here in Midwest City as well as 39th was: As a result of complaints from citizens and businesses, the police began heavily patrolling the cruise and took a "no tolerance" policy to infractions of the law to discourage participation.

That's pretty much the way I remember it too . . . (not so much the price of gasoline and thugs)

(in denver, the "american graffitiesque" place to be was the scotchman drive-in on n. federal blvd. growing up thirty miles down the turnpike made 'making the scene' rather difficult, even with 25 cent a gallon gasoline so we settled for 'crusing' the local mountain highways and parking on flagstaff =)

I remember cruising 39th street when I was a teen. Originally in my 1984 VW, diesel, standard, mini pickup truck with a camper shell. We'd pack as many people as we could into the back of that thing.Then they made it illegal to do u-turns along the stretch we cruised (around 39th and Meridian). That pretty much stopped it. Then things moved petty exclusively to Lake Hefner.

Here's some music to "cruise" this thread by . . . =)
(even if you grew up in Oklahoma or Colorado =)
H2x8gJpRtIY

This is an aerial from 1976, when 39th was in it's glory days. About the only thing that remains is the Taco Bueno.

Amazing how this went from peak to bust so quickly:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th76c.jpg

Darn those Carmelite Nuns . . . Darn them . . . and their groundless noise complaints during vespers =)
(from time to time, i feel a bit sorry for the kidz o' today, but i get over it.)

(thanks, pete!)

more music to cruise this thread . . .
(the very first 45--or any other record--that i bought with my own money =)
xKKP_cZuk54

of course, by '76, car-culture had yielded to something more along these lines . . .
jPWNsGFXCZk

is it Taco Bueno or Taco Mayo that a well-known local chef is attempting to kick up a couple of notches vis-a-vis the menu?

I think I mentioned it when this pic was posted in another thread. My first job at 13 was as a dishwasher at Monterey House on 39th. Then I left and went to work at Roy Rogers across the street. I still have nightmares of having to greet every guest with "Howdy Partner" and when the left.... "Happy Trails."

For me it was the International House of Pancakes (a.k.a. IHOP) followed by Kentucky Fried Chicken (a.k.a. KFC).
Nightmare stuff for sure . . . But provided enough money to buy records and chip in on the gasoline! =)

(casey kasem overdub):
". . . and this one goes out to all the youngsters making a carbon footprint out on Route 66 in OKC . . ."
0janfcZ8LUw

" . . . along with a word of caution, brought to you by The Meridian Order of Carmelite Nuns as a public service (PSA). . ."
s1HOYUj3W_s

Warr Acres cops heavy enforcement and no U-turns ruined 39th street cruising. I still see some wanna be highschoolers and their mom's old car hanging out there though, but not what it used to be with classics and suped up imports.

i suppose that a partial answer to the OP's question might be thugs with badges then?
nah . . . there are no thugs with badges . . . =)
so . . . 'zackly what is a 'suped up import'? . . . is it, like, a beemer?
and what is a "wanna be highschooler"? . . .

Semantics: Don't Be Anti-

I don't know many people who would want to be a highschooler, or pose as one.

Me neither. No sh*t. =)
as i said . . . Semantics: Don't Be Anti-

(and here's yet another "crusin'" tune to dispute the premise that it has stopped . . .
despite the best efforts of thugs and nuns with badges all gassed up and nowhere to go . . . =)
UHbcU5ArqBQ

Sure hope that rated the METROpolitan (barking) Seal of Approval . . . =)
(just kiddin' dude . . . we're from about the same "Decade Matrix" . . .
only a little "payback" fer bein' all crabby and whutnot on that much more important issue. =)

so . . . 'zackly what is a 'suped up import'? . . . is it, like, a beemer?

There used to be a couple 280zs on 39th that were very quick. One black and one red. I never did find out what was done to them to make them so much faster than most; turbos, most likely. One non-import I vividly remember was a Chevy LUV pickup that had a V-8 squeezed in under the hood; then there was this late-60s Mercury Cougar that could pull the front wheels off the ground. That was impressive.

Yeah . . . i'm sure that it was . . . (sigh) . . . sorry i missed it in real life . . . (i was way too far out on the east side . . . and The Man was messin' up the action on Midwest Blvd . . .) I did get to see the drag races out on . . . NE 63rd, maybe Britton or Wilshire? . . . a few times . . . everyone referred to them as The N-word Nationals, with a smile and without regard to race, creed or color. yes . . . it was a much more free time . . . a time when everybody seemed to know that you pointed a shotgun up in order to shoot skeet whether you were the president or not . . .=)

I remember cruising 39th street when I was a teen. Originally in my 1984 VW, diesel, standard, mini pickup truck with a camper shell. We'd pack as many people as we could into the back of that thing.Then they made it illegal to do u-turns along the stretch we cruised (around 39th and Meridian). That pretty much stopped it. Then things moved petty exclusively to Lake Hefner.

Oh yes, cruising 39th in 1974! I was 17 y/o with my 73 plymouth, gorgeous cragar SS mags, 60 series tires on the back, air shocks to lift the back, and on the inside, an 8 track tape player. Top it off with 25 cent/gal gas and man, oh man, those were days!

Now, 39 years later, a prius would be more to my choosing although I'd still need to keep the pickup to cary the feed sacks. Got to keep those chickens fed! Gas up to $3.45 or so here in POrtland, Or.

Mike

. . . and here's a crusin' tune for Plymouth Mike of OKC, out there in Portland, Oregon . . . =)
2OR4QLHnLF0

I think nowdays they save up all their cruising for down on Meridian when the Street Rod Nationals are in town.

I think cruising died after gas prices went up. I remember in high school we had $1.20 gas and we were complaining about how much it cost to fill a tank. 12 years later with $3.xx gas, I can see why its dead.

Here's some music to "cruise" this thread by . . . =)
(even if you grew up in Oklahoma or Colorado =)
H2x8gJpRtIY

I don't mean to change the subject, RM, but I thought I'd mention that I'm going to see the LG in concert next month when I'm in Palm Springs. I'll let her know that she has more than one fan at OKCTALK.

Please do. I was a big fan of hers when I was a little kid . . . all the way back to "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry." =) In fact, I seem to recall having a crush on her . . . I would have been about 11 years old. Geez, it seems like only yesterday.

I saw a "kit version" of one of these in a parking lot recently . . .
oc6FmZCT0Zc
The interior looked about as luxurious as the cockpit of a WWI biplane.

. . . and then there were these chick magnets . . .
D4W7oZBhAJg

Lots of good memories in this thread... thanks :)

RM, if you are going to post a video post one we can all get behind.:D

vKqd_9Xx9IQ

Can't argue with that example of excellence in broadcasting . . . =)

39th streets heyday was in the late 60's and early 70's. I wasn't old enough to drive yet, but I remember when they used to block off the the intersection at Ann Arbor so two cars could race flat out towards Meridian. Burger Chef was were Roy Rogers was later and McDonalds was a walk in restaurant only, with no dining room, just some benches on the sides of the building. There was a gas station at the corner of 39th and Tulsa that sold racing fuel, and the big dogs would fuel up there and breathe fire down 39th. That was back when 39th street made 60 Minutes.

Don't use the word "heyday" unless you mean it . . . =)
It reminds me of BurgerKing . . . unless you spell it rite.
Sorry . . . i confused "crusing" with "Pops" out there on Old 66 . . . entirely different deal . . . fuggedabouit. =)

btw, rezman, don't take any of those little symbols on a screen as an insult or any form of disrespect .
thank you for remembering (play Jingo again, and re-read =)

perhaps the "founding fathers" out there on that stretch of highway might have considered naming the burg: Culture War Acres instead of Warr Acres?

nah . . . that ain't gonna happen . . .=)

Ahh, the days of cruising Air depot in the 80s.

Ah, cruising in Edmond. There was a standard route, and you had to pull through the McD's lot (which is now an auto parts store) down to Whataburger, then into the strip mall with the Godfathers, back up to Taco Bell, and turn around again at 15th and repeat. When I was in high school in Edmond, (late 80's early 90's) cruising was about the only way to figure out what was going on that night and to talk to lots of folks. Cell phones would have made all of that a lot simpler. You add in facebook, and I expect that the concept of cruising would be so foreign to kids today, they wouldn't even understand why we did it.

I don't know how far back some of you go but I loved the curcuit in the 60's of Bixlers,(23rd and Penn Or was it Classen?) Quicks at 32nd and Classen, and the drive-in down on 39th and Classen (could that have been one of the first Sonics? It's an OKC company after-all) I'm talking 35 cent gas, BeachBoys car songs, 57 chevys and convertable summers.
Anybody go back that far? Old timers? Anybody??

Ah, cruising in Edmond. There was a standard route, and you had to pull through the McD's lot (which is now an auto parts store) down to Whataburger, then into the strip mall with the Godfathers, back up to Taco Bell, and turn around again at 15th and repeat. When I was in high school in Edmond, (late 80's early 90's) cruising was about the only way to figure out what was going on that night and to talk to lots of folks. Cell phones would have made all of that a lot simpler. You add in facebook, and I expect that the concept of cruising would be so foreign to kids today, they wouldn't even understand why we did it.

And more's the pity. To think there are kids out there that would rather type than cruise and show off in real time. What a pack of know-nothings we've raised.

I don't know how far back some of you go but I loved the curcuit in the 60's of Bixlers,(23rd and Penn Or was it Classen?) Quicks at 32nd and Classen, and the drive-in down on 39th and Classen (could that have been one of the first Sonics? It's an OKC company after-all) I'm talking 35 cent gas, BeachBoys car songs, 57 chevys and convertable summers.
Anybody go back that far? Old timers? Anybody??

I certainly go back that far but I was a Normanite so didn't hit your circuit.

Please do. I was a big fan of hers when I was a little kid . . . all the way back to "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry." =) In fact, I seem to recall having a crush on her . . . I would have been about 11 years old. Geez, it seems like only yesterday.

I saw a "kit version" of one of these in a parking lot recently . . .
oc6FmZCT0Zc
The interior looked about as luxurious as the cockpit of a WWI biplane.

. . . and then there were these chick magnets . . .
D4W7oZBhAJg

RM,

I saw Lesley last Tuesday and she said to tell you hi.

3567

She is still a striking woman but looks every bit of her 66 years.

Thanks, Amigo! (very few "cyberfolk" are as kind and consciencious as you seem to be =)
XQmBXEZEYtg
(btw: a ski bus isn't really an appropriate vehicle for "crusing" any local/metroplex boulevards. =)

Thanks, Amigo! (very few "cyberfolk" are as kind and consciencious as you seem to be =)
XQmBXEZEYtg
(btw: a ski bus isn't really an appropriate vehicle for "crusing" any local/metroplex boulevards. =)

That was the opening song of her performance.

Good pick . . .
Yet, perhaps, for the opening number, I might have preferred this rendition of a classic that puts Rick Nelson's version to shame. =)
s1HOYUj3W_s&feature=related
Although that is more of a "parking" song than a "crusin' tune" . . . =)

Curfew laws that allow arrest on the first violation, zealous enforcement of traffic laws allowing for fines into the hundreds of dollars at one time, an Internet that allows you to make friends without the risk of these things....

I remember when the put up the "no U-turn between 10:00pm and 6:00am" signs on 39th st (and started enforcing it). Drove all but the hard-core cruisers away and eventually they left too.
The overbearing police presence had much to do with it, gas prices really weren't that much different than now when you consider what we made back then. My Ranchero GT got 8 mpg on leaded premium gas which was around $1.25 a gallon at Fill-Ups where the Shell station is across from Taco Bueno when leaded regular was around 75 cents a gallon. To that I had to add a pint or quart of Moroso Octane Booster to keep it from pinging, I was making anywhere from $2.90 to $3.35 an hour at Skaggs. My group mostly parked at Cable Mazda in the driveway after they closed, we had the general manager come out and talk to us one time. He asked us if we usually parked there and we told him that we did, he thanked us for not leaving trash and not bothering the cars. We did find keys on the hoods of some cars from time to time and put them in the mail drop. The ones that did create the problems were the ones who would leave the parking lots at Big L and Pancho's looking like a dump. If people did a better job picking up after themselves, the businesses probably wouldn't have complained as much. I know that we ate on 39th most every night and walked over to Arby's to buy drinks when parked at Cable.


I really wish OKC had a spot like Ted Drewes in STL, large foot traffic'd frozen custard joint [walk-up window ordering] a great evening hangout area where people come show off their rides. It is surprisingly family friendly everytime I have been to one.
Ted Drewes has great concretes.....


There used to be a couple 280zs on 39th that were very quick. One black and one red. I never did find out what was done to them to make them so much faster than most; turbos, most likely. One non-import I vividly remember was a Chevy LUV pickup that had a V-8 squeezed in under the hood; then there was this late-60s Mercury Cougar that could pull the front wheels off the ground. That was impressive.
A baby blue Chevy Luv? I went to high school and worked at Skaggs with the guy who owned/built that. His dad had some rail dragsters that they raced, I was trying to remember his name, I think it was Brett Fisher.

This was my ride out there most of the time.
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/397223_2331542099043_506785821_n.jpg

bluedog ... nice ride back in the day.

bluedog ... nice ride back in the day.
One of these days I want to build a Torino GT (coupe or convertible) similar to my old Ranchero.