Summer’s coming to a close but there’s still time for one more vacation. Plot out the ultimate pop culture road trip.
Above it this week's assignment for the League of Extraordinary Bloggers should we choose to accept it. I whole-heartedly accept! Have at you!
Okay, so I'm not going to follow any rhyme or reason about logistics and for the massive gaps in drive time I'll be using the magic of green screens, warp drive and the transporter room...sue me, this whole thing is happening in my mind, nitpickers.
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| Make it so |
Let's start close to home...First off, I want to hit up the Monroeville Mall...need I say more? Okay, for those of you uninitiated, this is THE famed mall from George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. My roommate in college was an absolute horror addict and his 15th birthday present was to have his mom take him and his sister to the doomed holdout against the Zombocalypse. He informed me that it was exactly like it was in the 70's and it was really a sight to see and experience. A gigantic chunk of that iconic film was shot there and it's amazing that nearly every shot in this setting was on location and is still there today from the elevators to the access halls and AC vents. Super Cool.
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Very different without 1,000 undead crawling around. |
Next up would be a multi state pair of toy shop stops in New York and Ohio. The first would be the Dragon's Den in Ploughkeepsie, NY. I heard about this one from the documentary on Mark Bellomo called Collectible Spectacle. It seems like a really great place to make some nice vintage finds. After that, I'll zip over to Toys That Time Forgot in Canal Fulton, Ohio. I saw a review of this place on Micahc6v8's youtube account and I have debated in all seriousness the logistics of a day trip to this place. It looks absolutely amazing and both of these stores look like some of the best brick and mortar toy stores around. Below is the review and some bobble heads for your amusement.
Seems like you could get some nice finds at the Dragon's Den!
Very cool haul over at Toys that Time Forgot!
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| You want it, they probably have it. |
Between NY and OH, I'll go very far out of my way to pick up some snacks from the Quick Stop in Red Bank, NJ...while I'm there pick up some back issues from Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Hell, let's hit up the SilverBall Pinball Arcade and Museum at Asbury Park too. Who said Jersey isn't fun?
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| Doesn't quite feel the same in color though... |
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| Got a quarter? |
Then we can drive really fast over to the Lucas Valley and egg the Skywalker Ranch...hell, maybe that's where they are hiding all the Vintage Collection Figures.
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| Hey, these blogs are pretty much built around the suspension of disbelief...I'd approach with awe and wonderment... |
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| And then I'd yell something like this. |
Let's end with some greasy spoons... in the Sunshine State no less!
I absolutely love diners and there'd be no better places to geek out to Tarantino films and get my grub on than these famous eateries...Sadly, I found out with this assignment that the bowling alley from Big Lewbowski was torn down and Stan Mikita's Doughnuts doesn't exist. Merrr.
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| I'd start by getting breakfast at Pat and Lorraine's (the opening shot from Reservoir Dogs) I will leave a tip though. :) 4720 Eagle Rock Blvd Los Angeles, CA |
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| Yep, that's the Hawthorne Grill from the Pumpkin and Honey Bunny Scenes in Pulp Fiction...It's closed. Bummer. 13763 Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne, Los Angeles |
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| As is Johnie's Coffee Shop (famed from Big Lewbowski and American History X) Damn it, I need more coffee! Wilshire Blvd and Farifax, Los Angeles |
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| Good thing I can always count on Jack Rabbit Slim's (Actually Mel's Drive in)
8585 West Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA
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This wraps up my cross the nation trip and I hope you pretend-enjoyed it as much as I pretend-enjoyed writing it. No, I actually learned quite a bit while researching this post and am very much considering a trip to the Pinball Museum in the near future.
Check out Mr GreenPlastic Squirt Gun who speaks of Pez, Comics and a decades old mine fire burning out of control. My kinda party!
or Mr. Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks who gets his kicks on route 66 as well as makes a deposit with Dinny the Dinosaur! "Califorrrrrrnia"
Oh, your greasy spoons reminded me of the time I wanted to plan a cross-country road trip based solely on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives... but only the truly geeky, fun, and decadent places.
ReplyDeleteWell, there used to be (from what I'm told by my wife) a place called Town Perk in Bloomsburg, PA that had trippy paintings of Jesus on the wall, bumper cars, Barber's Chairs and Car interiors for seats and insanely good milkshakes and sweet potatoe fries with a biblical chapter and verse themed menu. I'd love to have ordered the "revalations 7:10" The owners have since sold it and it is now really overpriced and looks like Urban Outfitters took a crap in there. Also used to be a place called Cluckers and Cream in Coal Township, PA where they had an old fashioned Soda Jerk.
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