Drive-In Saturday Friday Night

This past weekend was a fun one. Nice and relaxing. We did not end up going antiquing or on a canoe trip, both because of the on again/off again rainstorms we had all weekend (and the laziness you all know we suffer from). But Friday night, we did do something fun. Something neither of us has ever done before. (Please, please, please pardon these awful pictures. It was IMPOSSIBLE to get good ones because it was just so dark.)

About 30 miles outside of Chicago is the Cascade Drive-In. Each week, they show two movies and for $9, you get to see both. A.P. and I had never been to a drive-in before. I mean, given that it's 2011, that's probably not too surprising. But I'm such a sucker for nostalgia and all things retro and awesome (hello, photobooths!), that it's only natural I'd be drawn to checking this out. I called up my brother and the three of us headed out to West Chicago (not the west side of Chicago) for a double feature of Crazy, Stupid Love and The Change-Up.

Once you arrive at the Cascade, you are asked to turn off your lights. Then you drive and park your car. We got there late, so most of the good, center spots had already been taken, but we still found a good spot near the center front. Once you pull into your spot, you get these gigantic speakers that you hang on your window. No one was parked next to us, so we took two, one for the front seat and one for the back. Old school surround sound, bitches!


At first, my brother was worried he wouldn't be able to see in the backseat. After arriving, we quickly realized that many people brought lawn chairs and coolers full of drinks and food. Oops. Now we know for next time. We also know to bring mosquito repellent; my brother and I got a million bites on our arms. My brother had to slink down, but he said he could see alright. He had the whole backseat to himself, and eventually he and A.P. had their feet hanging out of the windows. We were also able to bring the dog, which was a treat. We jump at the chance whenever we can do something with the dog. Mostly, he slept on my lap.

Truth be told, we were excited to watch Crazy, Stupid Love, but thought we would watch a few minutes of The Change-Up, not like it, and head home. WRONG! Crazy, Stupid Love was not that great, but The Change-Up? Well, I almost died it was so funny. I'm not even kidding. I was drinking some soda and I started laughing so hard, I started choking. I had to spit out the soda, but I couldn't catch my breath. A.P. and my brother thought I was just laughing, they didn't realize I was DYING. So yeah, it's THAT funny, people. So funny you might die from the laughter. Needless to say, we stayed until the end. A.P. fell asleep, but my bro and I laughed until the end.

(The dog was none too pleased to be awoken for a picture.)

The vibe of the place was so fun, too. There were all these adorable teenagers hanging out with their friends, walking from car to car and watching the movie. They have an old school concession stand and between the shows, they play those old concession stand movies with the dancing popcorn. We all decided we'd totally go again. Even with the cost of gas to drive all the way out there, it's a cheaper date than going to the regular theater! Plus, it's way more fun. Next time, I think A.P. and I will go alone and make a proper date of it.

(Photos by me!)