Do people cruise O'Donnell Square?
Back when I was a young pup growing up on the Eastern Shore, there wasn't much to do at night.
In the whole county, there was (and still is) only one movie theater -- the Chester 5. This movie theater, while small and dinky, was the closest one to my house. It was 18 miles away.
The only thing a teenager could (legally) go out and do in Kent County was see a movie.
So as you can imagine, I saw pretty much every movie that came out while I was in high school ...
The Chester 5 sat in this shopping plaza. On Friday and Saturday nights, every teenager who didn't have anything else to do would either see a movie or hang out in the plaza.
The rednecks would pull up their pickup trucks and shoot the breeze with each other. And pimply young teenage boys used to drive their cars in a circle around the plaza, revving their engines and blasting their music. Since I had a muscle car (exactly like this one) and I looked just like this, I was one of them.
The only similar place I can think of in Baltimore where people might do this is O'Donnell Square. But I'm sure there are more places where this goes on.
Do you know of any?
I'm just asking for curiosity's sake. I'm not going to cruise the plaza any more. Those days are behind me. But I must confess -- every once in a while, I'm in Chestertown on a Friday or Saturday night, and I still get the urge to see who's hanging out there.
(Photo by me)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Heh, I thought you meant the other kind of cruising.
Posted by: pomme de terre | February 25, 2009 8:46 AM
Lots of people cruise in Baltimore, but they are not looking to watch movies, if you know what I mean.
Posted by: cruising | February 25, 2009 8:47 AM
Ha! I remember Chester 5. I'm trying to remember if its the shopping center with Acme & Roses or the one with Superfresh. Also, I thought the cool hangout was Downey's!
Posted by: Laura | February 25, 2009 8:54 AM
Chester 5 is the only movie theatre I've ever been to that didn't have a slope.
Posted by: Tyler | February 25, 2009 9:39 AM
Laura, the Chester 5 is in the shopping center with Superfresh.
Funny you bring up Downey's -- it used to be a Tastee Freeze, and when my parents were growing up, they used to "Breeze the Freeze." The more things change ...
Tyler, I mean, stadium seating may be standard in movie theaters over here, but in Kent County, it's still a glimmer on the horizon. It's ... the wave of the future, which has yet to break on the shores of the Chester River.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | February 25, 2009 9:45 AM
dundalk avenue @ the Circle BBQ (chek the Sun archives)
Posted by: redman | February 25, 2009 10:40 AM
The only things missing are the aviator sunglasses and braids! Wow....thanks for the memories!
Posted by: Damom | February 25, 2009 10:43 AM
redman,
The Circle became a car lot, :-( and then went out of business.
Posted by: RayRay | February 25, 2009 11:30 AM
The only reason to drive slowly around O'Donnell Square is to stalk somebody for their parking spot.
Posted by: Grundy | February 25, 2009 11:39 AM
Where there's smoke there's fire. To look for cruising, look for anti-cruising signs. I recall a bunch near the Hippodrome, and I think there were some up on Greenmount.
Posted by: Patchen | February 26, 2009 11:54 AM