Arrive Magazine - July/August, 2009

Your Oasis in Manhattan.

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Back in 1933, during that other period of economic unrest, auto parts salesman Richard Hollingshead Jr. had a brainstorm: If Americans love movies and they love cars, why not show them movies in their cars?

Hollingshead opened the first driven movie theater in Camden, N. J., and although it didn’t last long, his big idea did. Drive-ins became part of the American landscape and continue to capture our imagination today.

“There really isn’t anything similar to hem these days,” says Kipp Sherer, who runs the website drive-ins.com. “All age groups can enjoy them, you can meet a lot of people from your community, and it’s a whole experience you just don’t find when you go to an indoor theater ... it’s unique.”

Our popular complimentary amenities include an expansive European breakfast, daily New York Times, wireless internet, business center, conference & meeting rooms, cardio fitness room, Black Duck Restaurant and weekend live jazz. Present Amtrak ticket at check-in to receive refund of cab fare from station.

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Drive-ins Were History

At their peak around 1960, there were close to 5,000 drive-ins across the country. Today the number is holding steady at around 400—older drive-ins are still closing but many have reopened, and there have even been some new ones constructed in the past few years. Although theories about the demise of drive-ins run the gamut from the negative effects of daylight saving time to the rise of home entertainment, the most important factor has been urban sprawl. Drive-ins occupying sizable chunks of real estate on what had been the outskirts of town became attractive targets for Wal-Mart and other big box stores looking to expand. Many aging owners took the money and retired. Those that remained endured some dark days during the ’70s and ’80s, and many began showing adult films to make ends meet.

Luckily, before all was lost, audiences ound the drive-ins again.

“I think parents and grandparents who loved the drive-in when they were kids decided to bring their children and grandchildren before it was too late,” says Cindy Beck Deppe, owner of Becky’s Drive-in in Berlinsville, Pa. “Now we have people coming here from miles away.”