The Lost America Blog

The Burlingame Drive In

Back in September 2001, less than a week before 9/11, I snuck into the Burlingame Drive in one last time . . . to take pictures, not see a movie. This was my hometown drive in. I saw movies here that changed my life: Mad Max, Monty Python’s Holy Grail, Sleeper, Soylent Green, Harold & Maude, Animal House, Star Wars about 14 times–dozens of movies over the course of 15 years. It was as Jetsons futuristic as local architecture would ever get. Being a space age kid, I loved it. I loved everything about this place.  Watching the non-stop stream of airliners landing at SFO was endlessly entertaining.  I even loved the crappy pizza. All those memories came flooding back as I shot here . . . and when I dug these slides up the other day. I remember feeling really happy to make one more trip and give it a good send off.  It was razed a few months later, and the site is still a vacant lot. Shot with outdated, possibly overheated Kodak 160T chrome film through a Canon T90. Lit by the full moon and gelled strobe. A couple of these are in my 2003 book “Lost America,” but none have been online since then.

CL

CL

Concourse

Concourse

Six Minutes "til Showtime

Six Minutes “til Showtime

Four Fields

Four Fields

Free Water

Free Water

Projectionists Booth

Projectionists Booth

Trunk Check

Trunk Check

 

Blank Signs

Blank Signs

Severe Tire Damage

Severe Tire Damage

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