THE BEST DAYS OF AMERICA

[malibuss67]

New york mid 70s cruising

 

[cage2592]

Not because i was still in the single digits in the 70's, but I would like to have been in the 50's and 60's as a teenager driving. Cars, Music, Girls !

 

[77cruiser]

People used to cruise up here in the 70's, if you can believe it. Can't remember who but there was even a Hemi Super Bee, lot's of 442's GTO's, Roadrunners.

 

[bikeron]

I remember when the cops were instructed to "clamp down" on those "teenage hooligans" who were "cruising" at all hours...Santa Clara CA had signs up saying you would be sited if you crused..
This didn't happen until the 90s. 60s and 70s we're a time of great freedom..

 

[hkalin]

In Waterbury CT. and around the area there were certain spots where the hot cars gathered. Back then people would hang out at the Colonial Plaza. When you went out cruising you would enter at one end of the plaza and drive past a row of cars and either find a spot to pull into or continue down the row of cars exit the plaza and then cruise through the center of town and then back to the plaza. While people were at the plaza different people would set up races on the highway and all of a sudden everyone headed out there. The side of the highway was lined with cars waiting for the race to go down and after it was over everyone headed back to the plaza. Those were the days I wished we still had today.

 

[Pete 67]

In Waterbury CT. and around the area there were certain spots where the hot cars gathered. Back then people would hang out at the Colonial Plaza. When you went out cruising you would enter at one end of the plaza and drive past a row of cars and either find a spot to pull into or continue down the row of cars exit the plaza and then cruise through the center of town and then back to the plaza. While people were at the plaza different people would set up races on the highway and all of a sudden everyone headed out there. The side of the highway was lined with cars waiting for the race to go down and after it was over everyone headed back to the plaza. Those were the days I wished we still had today.

When I'm on 84 driving to my eye doctor, I pass through Waterbury & it looks like it was probably such a cool little town in its heydey. I'm told it's not very nice in its current state.

Are you in that part of the state, Hank?

 

[hkalin]

When I'm on 84 driving to my eye doctor, I pass through Waterbury & it looks like it was probably such a cool little town in its heydey. I'm told it's not very nice in its current state.

Are you in that part of the state, Hank?

Yes, I live in Waterbury in one of the better areas. I grew up in Naugatuck and after we got married we lived in both Naugatuck and Waterbury. My wife wanted to buy a house and I only wanted to buy something that was brand new and if you bought in Waterbury you paid half the price the same house would have cost you in another town. There used to be a lot of manufacturing plants in Waterbury but just about all of them are gone.

 

[L78fanatic]

My small town in Illinois had a Steak 'n Shake on one end of town, a Marty K's in the middle of town (similar to McDonalds), and a A&W Root Beer on the other limits of town. It was a "cruise town" in the 60's on Friday nights and Saturday nights similar to American Graffitti! It didn't get any better than that! Oh, there was a 1/4 mile strip "marked off" outside town in the country too...dead level, straight, and very little travelled! Perfect!

 

[77cruiser]

Next town down the line, population maybe 1000, they had a 1/4 mile marked off & they had a 1/2 doz. or so locals out there every Sunday. 440 6 pack 4 speed purple Super Bee, Boss 429 Torino, couple of 428 CJ mustangs, LT1 Camaro , 396 Chevelles. Lot more stuff going on in the 70's than now.

 

[PHX396]

I was 16 in mid 90s and we still got away with a lot then. I grew up in suburbs of Kansas City… Overland Park area and we would all cruise Noland Road in North KC and we would go to outskirts of town in OP to 119th St to meet up and then head to 135th and 151st to street race out in boonies all by ourselves . No one ever got hurt or killed .

 

[cage2592]

We were the same way in Central Florida. Kids were still cruising. hanging out in the mall or movie parking lot (across the street from the mall) about 11pm heading out to the rural roads for racing. It was still a good time.