When I was a little girl, the place to get a burger, and I mean the ONLY place to get a burger, was Bob's Big Boy.
We'd head on over to Van Nuys Blvd. for the great "combo" plate. A burger, fries, and salad with the best blue cheese dressing ever.
And those milkshakes?...woah!
Years later, when I was old enough to drive, my friends and I would "cruise" down Van Nuys Blvd. right by the Bob's Big Boy, and all the way down to Mike's Pizza. (the best rolls imaginable).
We'd stand in the parking lot, teenagers gathered to talk and flirt, really quite innocent.
Last night, Mr. Cruisin came home from work and said: "Let's head over to Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake". Although the one on Van Nuys Blvd. has since been knocked over and turned into a car agency, the T.L. Big Boy remains...declared an historical landmark...alive and kicking.
Friday nights are "classic car night". Lot's of gray-haired baby boomers gather to strut their very old cars, oops, I mean very classic cars for all to see. The parking lot was filled to the brim.
By the way, if you're looking to meet a man?...this is the place to be. If you can tolerate the smell of exhaust and gas fumes that is. (isn't' that always the case with men? sorry, couldn't help myself)
A small price to pay to see people enjoying the California car culture. Boy do we love our cars.
But there is something refreshingly simple and heartwarming about seeing families out on a warm Friday night, enjoying a burger and the beautiful lines of a classic Cadillac or Camaro.
It was so crowded, you could barely move between the cars and the people. Every table was taken, some eating, some observing.
For a moment, it was like stepping back in time. Thoughts of carhops running around taking orders from teens pretending, even if for one evening, that they were totally in charge of their lives.
I couldn't help but laugh when I looked over to the far side of this historical landmark...
only to spy a Starbucks.
Old
and
new
colliding.
8 comments:
The Pizza Cookery or is it connection still makes those same garlic rolls from Mikes.
I used to hit Bobs all the time, Sherman Way and Balboa, Ventura and Reseda...
Believe it or not, I seem to recall seeing Big Boy in Mexico City and I believe Acapulco when I was a young girl visiting family in Mexico. Is that possible?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boy_(restaurant)
Pearl: here is the link to Wikipedia...I can't see that there is one in Mexico, do you?
Jack: I'm afraid to try them...I haven't had them for over 35 years, and something tells me the won't be quite the same as I remember. Ventura and Reseda became a Carrows or Bakers Square I think.
CM,
It hurts me to admit that I remember the rolls from 35 years ago. Mike's Pizza was a frequent stop for my family. I think that you'd find them to be quite close.
They even have sawdust on the floor.
Love the sting in the tail on this post! Good to have you back :-)
Cxx
I used to love Bob's Big Boy! Nice trip down memory lane. (And I was always a sucker for a guy with a classic Camaro!)
hmmm... I'm not much of a classic car fan and not thrilled with the smell of exhaust - perhaps now I have the reasons to tell my Mom that I'm not being attracted to men. Thanks, CM... you're so enlightening!!! ;-D
I tagged you. check my site!
W
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