Gone are the days of cruzing and hanging out

[ACUDANUT]

 It's against the law to even stop, just for a minute at empty parking lots. They call this Loitering and trespassing.
What ever happened to the good ole days of just hanging out, showing off cars and flirting with the girls ?
Man things have changed...and for the worst. 

[Smokey Bear]

From what I've seen it appears that the entire cruzing and hanging out scene is no longer necessary. The girls just give you oral sex behind the gym in between classes and then you can sit in your room and play X-box Saturday night.

Better or worse 

[ChgrSteve67]

It's against the law to even stop, just for a minute at empty parking lots. They call this Loitering and trespassing.
What ever happened to the good ole days of just hanging out, showing off cars and flirting with the girls ?
Man things have changed...and for the worst. 

Thats been against the law where I live since 1984.

Also if you drive down the same secton of road more than twice in a 10 minute period its called cruising and against the law as well.

You don't want to know what happens if a cop says your road racing.

[BrianShaughnessy]

   
Used to get hassled in the Detroit burbs parking along Gratiot and Woodward almost 30 years ago...   it's nothing new. 

Less hassles going to organized cruises at ice cream joints and pizza parlors where I live now.   Hang out, have some pizza or a burger, listen to the crappy DJ,  maybe have a beer and watch the numbnuts peel out leaving early.

[chargergirl]

Clearwater, FL passed a law where you aren't allowed to pass the same area more than three times or you get ticketed, arrested, towed. Well what can you expect from an area that won't let a male jogger run with their shirt off. It's disgusting to see a persons sweaty body...REALLY! Cruisin' used to be a way of showing off your car; now it comes with shootings and gang violence. Back when there were fist fights, not shootings...maybe that's what has made the difference in the law. Can't wait to cruise my car to the local spot, pop the hood, and grab a bite!

[Belgium R/T -68]

As long as you don't cruise around in the "red light district" nobody bothers you here.

Per

[41husk]

The problem is they only have organized cruizes on Friday and Saturday.  Thats fine for most of us.  The young kids in my area need some thing to do to stay out of trouble.  Maybe some burger joints or auto parts stores should look into mid week cruizes.  I also think many young car enthusiast would rather be in there own parking lot impressing friends and girls, than sitting at an organized cruize with 40 - 70+ year old guys with big bucks in there cars, sitting around making fun of the kids Ricer Rust buckets and primmered grocery getters.  I have listened to people make comments like " if that were my car I would be ashamed to show it"  I always wanted to be one of those guys who hung out at the car wash Friday and Saturday night.  My wife says, it's because I didn't have a car in my high school days, that I waste so much time and money on them now.

[dodgecharger-fan]

As long as you don't cruise around in the "red light district" nobody bothers you here.

Per

So, you get out and walk, then?         



Just kidding!

[73chgrSE]

When i lived in Va. beach they had an anti-cruising law at ocean front that stated if you drove past the same spot more than twice in a 30 min span they could ticket you. What if you forgot something? I knew some people that got tickets for it though.

About 10 years ago they did the same thing here in the Buckhead area of Atlanta which has one of the busy bar districts. It's rarely enforced due to grid-lock traffic on the weekends.

[68charger383]

I remember cruising Hempstead Turnpike and Deer Park Ave in NY the 80s.

They just started a cruising Van Nuys Blvd in SoCal once a month. Just like the old days, they let you park and cruise the Blvd!

I haven't gone, but I was thinking of going this month.

Problem is it's on a Wednesday night, 30 miles from the house, have work the next day and I need to get the tail lights working. Here's pics of the cars, looks pretty cool (70 charger and Daytona).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20988369@N07/sets/72157622330959716/show/

[SFRT]

no problem here, you just have to pick the right spot. Saturday afternoons down by the bottom of Potrero hill, we can hog up a whole street next to Thee Parkside Bar and Grill. Cops always stop...to talk cars.

[Ponch ®]

  The girls just give you oral sex behind the gym in between classes and then you can sit in your room and play X-box Saturday night.

damn...where is this again? 

[Mike DC]

   
The average voter doesn't want taxes raised, doesn't want services cut . . . but also doesn't want the deficits to continue. 


The average adult doesn't want teens unsupervised in public, doesn't want teens unsupervised in private . . . but still doesn't wanna spend money & resources to give them decent things to do. 

[mauve66]

I remember cruising Hempstead Turnpike and Deer Park Ave in the 80s.

They just started a cruising Van Nuys Blvd in SoCal once a month. Just like the old days, they let you park and cruise the Blvd!

I haven't gone, but I was thinking of going this month. Problem is it's on a Wednesday night, 30 miles from the house, have work the next day and I need to get the tail lights working.

i just read an article on that in car craft or hot rod or something, 1500 cars the first night (a WEDNESDAY too boot) out and that was only spread by word of mouth, sounds awesum

[Rolling_Thunder]

I plan on doing the Van Nuys thing once my Charger is on the road...     haven't been yet but should be fun   

[bull]

I used to cruise 82nd Avenue here in Portland in the mid 80s and I think we were part of the reason it got banned. There used to be so many cars on both sides of the road (two lanes per side) that we basically had it shut down on weekends. One Saturday night it took me an hour to cruise four blocks but it was sweet. Cudas, Challengers, Chargers, Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs, Corvettes, AMC Javelins and AMXs, you name it, as far as the eye could see. They shut down 82nd so we moved to 122nd and then that got shut down so everyone moved to downtown Portland. I did that cruise once or twice but it was a PITA so I quit. Those were the days.

[Charger440RDN]

Cops just can't stand the idea of people gathered together having fun, even if no laws are being broken.

[ACUDANUT]

 I am far to old to go cruzing around now, but I think we should be able to "pass it down" to the next generations.

[Dadscharger]

Cruisin was dead here in Arizona for a long time but within the last year or so it has come back. The last Saturday of ever month is a Memories on Main Street cruise night and a couple time a year the Central Ave cruise is back. Central Ave cruise was last Saturday night man I had a blast telling my daughter and nephew what is was like ever Friday and Saturday night around here.

[TexasStroker]

I spent every Friady and Saturday  night of my life just cruising around Amarillo back in high school.  During the day I'd just hit the backroads and have some fun.  I only stopped because I didn't have time due to college, work, gf, papers etc.  

I never really stopped and parked, just kept driving.  We get to have the Polk Street Cruise once a year, first Saturday of August.  Polk was THE PLACE back in the earliest days of rodding and stayed that way thru the early 90s I believe when the cops shut it down.  Everyone moved to lots along 45th and got chased off there as well.  We luckily have Sonics which allows you to park and get out, although it is supervised by a deputy (45th only).

In my opinion, the kids out at Sonic or even driving around are not near as big a problem as the kids you don't see cruising.  I can tell you first hand, I was out having fun checking out cars, meeting new people, and just enjoying life (not to mention the fact I had to stop for gas, get a bite to eat, etc. (which all stays local and supports businesses)).  The kids who were not out cruising were either living in a bubble, or off parked in an alley at some house drinking and/or doing drugs.

I would much rather have kids out in plain sight sitting on the hood of their car or a tailgate drinking cokes and eating burgers than have them all out-of-sight ruining their lives and the lives of others with drug and alcohol abuse.  I know trash becomes a concern, but peer pressure is powerful and 98 kids aren't going to let 5 or 6 ruin a parking lot hang out.  Furthermore toss in a cool and laid back cop and the kids will leave the lot in better condition than when they arrived  

The progression never really changes...In high school it is the out of control party at whoever's parents are out of town.  In college you have the bar experiences (which for some never end), and even for those who kick those habits aside you will have "couples" gtgs which are really just more mature hybrids of the first-party.  Even in older folks you will see the trend, the drinks and bedtimes change but the intent remains the same.  For most car guys they either burn out, get consumed by family obligations, or just continue living their life carefree.  They may not have the free time to devote to their past time, but that doesn't mean they have forgotten about it.

Although I don't get to spend near the time cruising that I used to, it is still what I look forward to and why I spend so much time wrenching to get to that point.  I don't need a "crowd" to show off in front of or draw stares from as much as I just want an open road and no one in sight  

That said when it really bit me around age 14 there were TONS of cars out...not Mopars, but lots of car people out running around, having fun, showing their ride off at sonic, or even getting in a little stoplight action.  I have noticed a huge drop in the number of cruisers and car folks out and about.  A few years ago you could have blamed the gas, now you can blame the economy, but the truth is the decline was there and progressing long before there was a legitimate excuse.  I suppose I'll be one of those that just continues to drive their car every chance they get...Not to impress anyone else or let folks know old cars still roam the pavement, but just because it is what I like to do.

As long as there are people like us it will never die.  Laws may come and pass, styles will come and go, friends will drop out of the scene, but as long as some of us contine to pursue our passions and have clean, good old fashioned fun cruising will survive.  

You may not realize it and it may go unspoken, but when you pull up to a stoplight the guy or gal next to you in the "practical" camry probably has a flashback to his or her first car or a fast car they once owned.  Similarly the soccer mom in the minivan, years removed from such a sight, will remember back to "so and so" who had a 68 Charger.  She probably even remembers the engine specs, idle, and smell of the exhaust (not that she lets that be known).  Most importantly, the little kid in the back will raise his head at the low rumble of a cammed 440 and ask his parents, "What is that orange car and why is it so loud?"

No dobut cruising has dropped off and will likely contine the decline.  I fear it may even get pushed to only "special" social occasions or town events    But as long as a few of us contine to live our lives and have our fun it will never completely die.  And perhaps most importantly our actions are sure to inspire others to pursue similar fates  

[Cooter]

Well, the problem here in Va is instead of the "Cruising/parking/bullsh***ing being done by the older, faster, sometimes wiser guys, we have to let Everybody in on it as well...Here-in lies the problem. You will not be out for more than 20 min. before the import/wannabe Vin Deisels are out in force and are NOT content with admiring their cars..They want to "Up the an-tee" by drifting, racing, squaling tires, burnouts, etc...

This ruins it for the older guys that are probably faster and have nothing more to prove, that just wanna hang out...When I was cruising the local Wards Rd here in the late 80's, we would meet up at the spot and look at everybody's handywork then, if someone wanted to try 'em out, they went out of town...Now, they just try 'em right there in front of "The spot"...I'll admit, some of the things I done were a little dangerous, but they were done out in the middle of nowhere and NOT on the main drag with 100 people standing around....

[SG1022]

I used to cruise 82nd Avenue here in Portland in the mid 80s and I think we were part of the reason it got banned. There used to be so many cars on both sides of the road (two lanes per side) that we basically had it shut down on weekends. One Saturday night it took me an hour to cruise four blocks but it was sweet. Cudas, Challengers, Chargers, Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs, Corvettes, AMC Javelins and AMXs, you name it, as far as the eye could see. They shut down 82nd so we moved to 122nd and then that got shut down so everyone moved to downtown Portland. I did that cruise once or twice but it was a PITA so I quit. Those were the days.

Wish I could of seen that

Down in Wilsonville the only things you see cruising are beamers and wrx's

pretty sad to see kids putting 22 inch lime green rims on hatch back subaru outbacks, and 3,000+ in to a 800 dollar honda

[Khyron]

We had a problem with the rice powered ass jockeys so we went to a local Firehouse... some of the Firemen are car guys so they let us police it and kick out the undesirables, if they give us a hard time, several Firemen are a few houses over and we just make the call

They let us use the bathroom, put out garbage cans for us, we're right on the main drag and there is a Mobil and Ice Cream place across the street. What more can You ask for

[The70RT]

We have cruise nights around here like three times a week now but it just isn't the same. We use to cruise a 2 mile strip on the weekends till the late 70's. They eventually had these security guards in 6 cyl. Valiant's run us out. We had fun doing burnouts in front of them then going to another lot. Eventually the police got involved and it all went away. That was the good ole days that when you out ran the cops it was a misdemeanor ....if you got caught. We do have a different mall strip that we have mostly teens in ricers and a little older guys in Mustangs. Every once in awhile you see some old iron. I do notice some kids in parking lots late but lots are still open for bizz but I don't go out there enough to even notice the policing. We also use to cruise our local lakes in the day on the weekends but that's gone too. There's not enough old bastards out there to bunch up any more.....A lot of them that I know go to bed about 10 and are taking Geritol and Viagra. 

[71ChallengeHer]

We can still cruise the circuit here. The cops go after the ricers. Pretty much leave us alone. We can hang out in the one parking lot. The security guard lets us and chases the ricers off.