Monday, May 28, 2012

Digital Drive-In

When I was a kid, I remember waiting in the long car line to get into the Drive - In just off of Merivale Rd. in the (then) outskirts of Ottawa.  Now the scene at that intersection is long gone, and the fields have been replaced with rows and rows of new homes and busy streets.  That Drive-In nostalgia still stays with me though, and now in my mid-forties, those memories bring back the smell of popcorn and that 'open-air' experience when life was just a little bit different than it is now.  Drive - Ins are few and far between, and even though there has been a wave of Outdoor Movie showings in parking lots, run by new companies like (Outdoor Movies - ONT AND Outdoor Movies - BC), the ACTUAL drive-in atmosphere is completely different.  This is something I've tried to keep alive in my family, and fortunately, they are just as eager for the experience - it's just that there aren't very many of them around anymore.   So, when you find one - hold onto it, and go often!  The cars, the kids, the dogs, the playground in front of the screen, the smell of the outdoor food, the setting sun, the mosquitoes, and the honking in anticipation...AND, these days..the drive-in ain't your Momma's drive-in. 

The Port Elmsley Drive In was AweSomE! 


In car stereo sound and now digital picture has made the visual and sound experience rival any indoor movie theatre - the difference .. fresh air and lounging comfort!

Impossible to describe in words the incredible difference the digital picture has made, you will have to go and see it for yourself!.  It is crystal clear, (we watched the Lorax first) bright and, I might be mistaken, but the movies seem to start earlier.  At dusk (8:50pm) it was still very light in the sky, but the picture was not muted by the sunset at all.   And there is not a bad seat in the field .. all have excellent views.

We settled in, seats waaaay back, with our twizzlers and drinks, and sonney snoring in the back.  He didn't seem interested in the movies, but The Seven Year old Apprentice was wrapped in his sleeping bag and pj's, ready to honk the horn!

Back to the mosquitoes...they aren't that bad, and there are some serious remedies people have come up with to avoid the pests.  While walking around the parking lanes at intermission, I admired the ingenuity, from taped on mesh to full out mosquito nets that covered entire cars.  We didn't have anything, and we did not suffer, even with the windows partially open.  And there were many die-hards sitting out on their lawnchairs enjoying the exterior view with their pets throughout both movies that we stayed for.

Next to try : The Twilight Drive-In

Insight :: Rustic Benches Studio

1 comment:

  1. Absolutely love the Port Elmsley Drive In, pretty sure that is us parked in front of you under the X in Lorax! It was a great picture and I believe you are right, it started earlier and the clear picture was not affected by the sunset.

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