This is how I remember Iowa City in 1965 when we moved away (the first time). Has it changed? We’ll soon know, at the CC Heartland Gathering on Saturday, May 11, when we stage a panty raid on Burge Hall (something I missed out on as a dropout, but it’s never too late, right?). We’ll save that for late-night entertainment, but earlier in the day, we have other plans, automotive, social and otherwise.
We’ll start with a brisk sunrise morning walk around downtown, to do some serious Curbside Classic hunting.
Then breakfast at the original Hamburg Inn 1. None of this #2 business for me. Eggs, sausage patties and jet-puffed pancakes; no granola on the menu. But plenty of dishwashing-water coffee.
I’ve arranged to rent one of the Iowa City Transit fishbowl buses, and I will be driving you all through the residential neighborhoods in search of more CCs. I’m hoping to find that Corvair convertible that I used to see on my walk to school every morning.
Lunch will be at my favorite childhood restaurant. I’m sure it’s still there. That Rambler is about the only car that made our black Fairlane look good.
After lunch, we’ll take the bus out to my favorite quarry in the country for a nice dip. Clothing not optional.
Then we’ll scour the dealerships for left-over vintage brochures they might have stashed away in their storerooms.
Since I don’t want to hog the day’s agenda, Tom Klockau has asked if we couldn’t also stop in at the Iowa Curbside Classic Car Museum, which specializes in historic cars that are still mostly in original condition, including a ’62 Continental convertible. Here’s the link. Now that wasn’t there back then. But it looks pretty good, so we’ll do it. It’s actually in Coralville, which back in the day was a hick backwater.
And then we’ll socialize, and have some more time to get acquainted, in person instead of electronically. Tom says there’s a Marriott Hotel across the street, where we could party, convenient for those of you incapable of driving afterwards to sleep it off. You think they’d mind if Stephanie and I pitch our tepee in their parking lot? We’ll have to figure out some of those exact details. It might be helpful to get a rough idea of how many are going to make it.
Now don’t think we’re going to fly out; we’re going to make this into a road trip! I wanted to hitchhike, but Stephanie put the kibosh on that idea. So the only question is what to drive. I understand that Furthur is available for rent, and that is rather appealing. We’d have to start pretty soon, though.
That it might be a bit jarring for some of you Mid-westerners, and I’m going to try hard to be sociable and fit in. So I called Domino’s, got a hold of the kid with the green ’71 Ford Galaxie, and cut a deal (it didn’t take much, oddly). Just need to pick up a large bottle of Dramamine, and we’ll be set to go. I have full faith in Henry Ford II’s engineering excellence, but in case we don’t show up, tell the rescue party to just head west on I-80 and look for the smoke signals. See you there!
(Additional details to be announced when we figure them out, but the museum and meet-up afterwards are pretty much set)
I’m thinking this will be a fitting last road trip in Herbie before he goes on Craigslist… See you there!
My wife and I met 9 years ago this month in Coralville while she was attending a regional conference there. So I guess I have a bit of fondness for the Iowa City area. I’m up for a bus tour and camping in the Marriott parking lot 😉 Why not?
Only 1,031 miles and a 16 hour drive away… not too bad!
I will be there as well. Perhaps I might wrestle the keys to the ’89 Grand Marquis away from my son. We can try out that new water pump.
Is this shaping into a trip to feature all of our cars that CC has made world famous? Could be.
Domino’s from a ’71 Galaxie? I’m in!
I lived in Burge as a freshman in 1981. I love those old photos of Iowa City. Brings back great memories from when I lived there. Makes me want to head over to the Hamburg Inn for some breakfast.
The college scene in the first picture ties in well with the Continental Deathmobile from the previous article.
“Has it changed?”
Well, the U of I definitely puts the “party” in party-school.
Not the direction I’d like to see society go, but it’s goin!
I love this idea, now if only I can convince the wife to go along with me on a road trip to Iowa to hang out with a group of guys waxing poetic about a Pontiac 6000. This is not going to be an easy sell…
If she can’t be convinced, you could always keep that old Ford pointed east for another 910 miles or so and I’ll join the trip where you go to re-live the Baltimore experience. That’s only an hour away, and I can tell the wife we’re going to the aquarium. 🙂
We are going to be in Baltimore for a wedding on Aug 3rd. We could do a little get-together, but it would have to be less ambitious than the IC one. Although that time of year, skinny dipping sounds good. I remember a few good places from back then 🙂
This sounds like a good plan to me. As for an itinerary, a quick get together on the inner harbor at a crab shack would be an easy sell to the wife. Preferrably someplace where the drinks are cold on a hazy hot and humid day in August. Probably could convince a few of us east coasters to attend something like that.
I think one of my deathtraps could take me there – count me in.
I’m in Harrisburg, PA-only about 90 minutes or so from Baltimore. I’d definitely be up for meeting our Fearless Leader!
Cool. I’m near Coatesville, in Chester County (Western Philly burbs), but I’ve spent a lot of time in and around Harrisburg in the 90’s. Have friends in Harrisburg too.
Baltimore is actually a good location for an east coast get together. It
s within driving distance of most of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
No kidding? I’d argue that Coatesville is the eastern suburbs of Lancaster rather than the western suburbs of Philadelphia, though. 😉
I’m Philadelphia born-and-raised; I came out to go to law school in Carlisle in the early 90s and ended up staying. My mother’s family is from Lancaster County, so I have roots here anyway. Do you do Carlisle or Hershey during the season?
All this Philly talk has me hungry for some scrapple! 🙂
I’m from Southwest Philly and Delaware County originally. I never even heard of Coatesville growing up; and it certainly was a mix of rural farmland and old steel-towns back then. I can get to Lancaster quicker than I can get to Philly, for sure from here. This area is becoming more and more suburban though, and there continues to be a lot of development as people like me keep moving west in search of cheaper property and lower taxes.
I do Carlisle at least once a year. I have a 60’s Mustang, so I’m usually at the All-Ford show, scanning the swap meet for a deal. Hershey is even closer, but have never been to the car show there, believe it or not.
I was at Penn State Harrisburg and lived in Middletown from like 95 through 99. I have friends in Palmyra and Camp Hill, so I get out that way at least a couple times a year. I also make it out to Pittsburgh a couple times a year for work.
We’ll need to send some scrapple out to Iowa City for the Midwest gathering, then.
My father grew up in Rosemont. Over the years the grandparents also lived in Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood, Narberth, and I had cousins in Wayne. One of my cousins is now in Bucks County. Whenever I go back, a couple of those 2 pound blocks of Habbersett Scrapple and some Tastykakes are always on my shopping list. Tastykake has found its way to the midwest, but not the scrapple.
I grew up pretty close to Rosemont. Cool.
Tastycakes can also be sent mail order, if the supply runs low in the midwest…
Scapple is good stuff, but needs to be crispy for me (well done). It’s not a routine breakfast item for me (as I hope to avoid having a heart attack until at least 50), but it’s good. 🙂
Carlo, you’ve NEVER been to Hershey??? We have to remedy that this year. As nice as Carlisle is (well, at least it was before all of the candle, windchime, and slightly-imperfect-factory-seconds-diabetic-sock vendors started to move in), Hershey is ten times the show and not just in size, either.
Where in SW Philly did you grow up? I grew up in Northeast Philly; my folks still live in Rhawnhurst. I went to Central High School 1984-88; a LOT of the guys I hung out with came from SW and West Philly.
JP-I’ll be glad to send some scrapple out your way, but it’ll be Liedy’s or Hatfield….Habbersett’s is what we sell to the tourists so we don’t have to give up the good stuff. ;^)
Only 3166 km (1967 miles) from here to there when did you say this shindig was happening again?
Danger, Will Robinson, Danger…….
It’s actually very close to me…three hundred miles.
Sadly, I have no Curbside Classic to take. Even my Dodge Ram-Van, which was MADE for road trips like that…has been put to retirement, or the shredder…too thirsty to be fashionable.
A springtime road-trip sounds great…but I’m gonna be different. If Paul’s gonna be coming in Further II…I’ll go the opposite direction. Ride in on my Burgman 650…now that my BMW’s sold a year ago…
**sigh** The BMW, too, was made for just such events.
LATE EDIT: Not sure at all the schedule will allow it. I’ll get May’s schedule in a week.
In May I’ll be making a trek from SLC to just outside of Pittsburgh to attend a nephew’s college graduation. My wife will be flying but I’m driving. Why get on an airplane when you don’t have to? My mother graduated from the U of Iowa, and although I’ve been past Iowa City any number of times, I won’t be paying the town a visit. What I will be visiting is the Auburn museum in Auburn, IN; my 3g grandfather’s gravesite in Elburn, IL; and the Allen Co Public Library in Ft Wayne, IN, a must for genealogical research. Before I take off I have to take a trip to the SLC library for a selection of books on tape, or cd. I’ve taken trips along I-80 in May before, so this time I will be equipped with socks, a winter parka, and all wheel drive. Probably some gloves too.
Hello Paul! Is anyone home? Richard Bennett & I have been waiting for the CC Rust Belt Gathering for a long while now! JP might find this more convenient than a trip to Iowa. The meeting could be in either Dearborn, Auburn Hills, South Bend, Flint, Detroit, or some other city in the Rust Belt that has or had either a major or once-major US car company’s manufacturing complex or HQ! “Why do so?” You may ask. But I will reply, “Why not do so? Think of all the historical significance in this meeting!” Would this ever be possible, Paul?
Tustin, MI could also be up for contention. After all, Mazda’s NA R&D ops building is there & both of my maternal grandparents are from there.
Funny you said Tustin. That’s where my little dog Toby came from, as my aunt and uncle live there!
Too bad it’s in the middle of nowhere, though not far from Cadillac!
Cadillac has many nice beaches (from Lake Cadillac, which Paul would probably want to skinny dip in). Tustin, while seemingly in the middle of nowhere, does have some neat (farm)houses & probably some Pre-WWII agricultural equipment somewhere.
The Walter P Chrysler museum will be open on June 8th for one day as a part of a Chrysler employee motorsports event. Lots of classics will be there.
http://www.freep.com/article/20130418/BUSINESS0103/304180029/chrysler-auburn-hills-museum-classic-cars
Plus, you could have self-guided tours of the old Packard Plant.
I just saw this in the free press this morning, I’m planning on going. It’s downright silly that I’ve worked a mile from that place for 7 years and never got there.
The WPC Museum would be an awesome venue! Also, When I listed Detroit, I was thinking about self-guided tours of the abandoned Packard factory. Lastly, South Bend would be a nice area to visit to complement the Packard plant tour because it was the home of Studebaker, who bought Packard late in life.
I’m up for South Bend someday! Can’t make Iowa (bummer) but would love to do the Studebaker museum with all y’all.
Indeed, between the Studebaker Museum in South Bend and the ACD Museum in Auburn, northern Indiana is a treasure chest of old cars. Both of them are about a 3 hour drive or less for me. I am dialed in for Iowa in May, but maybe either this summer or fall . . . .
Just in IC two weekends back for my Father’s #90. Place of my birth&upbringing&education–on the SUI Campus Fall’64May’70. Interesting times to be at the University. Hamburger Inn#1 long gone, unfortunately. Fairly sure the Dairy Sweet is also no longer. Downtown also greatly changed: Malled buildings&closed streets. Burge is multi gender. And which quarry was suits optional for you? There’s more than one. Damn cold this time of the year there; i.e. severe shrinkage. And weren’t you still a child there then? Did drive past the Curbside Classic, which was closed. Looks like you’ll have a good time.
I should have clarified; I was back in IC on and off between 1971-1976. Went to several quarries, but I’m struggling to come up with the names right now. I know one was turned into an official park later. It and another were east; a few exits east on I-80, then either north or south. A small one was close to town, on private farm land. It probably got closed off later.
Flying to Maine on the 13th and then on to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Will wave when I think we are at the closest point. Have a good time.
Lots of neat stuff in that first pic, Corvair Monza, Riviera, Healey……
Plus a ’59 or ’60 full-size GM car in the left foreground, not a Wide-Track. 1960 Olds?
Alas, as much as I would LOVE to do this, my work schedule will not make this a possibility. Now if it was in Michigan, or at least in northern Indiana or Ohio, I might could figure something out. Unfortunately I live about four hours north of the state line, so I’m kinda stuck in The Corner Of Nowhere 🙁
But like I said, if you all would like to look into something in the Great Lake State,AKA the World’s Motor Capital, let me know and I’ll see what I can come up with…
As I added to one of the earlier comments, WPC museum on June 8th is another possible venue.
As much as I would love that, the Walter P closed to the public at the first of the year. However, as an alternative, I would propose either The Henry Ford in Dearborn, or just spending an afternoon in Ypsilanti’s Historic Depot Town, which is where the Ypsilanti Automotive History Museum, AKA the last Hudson dealership is located. Lots of lovely historic buildings, restaurants and just a nice place to hang out (I think).
EDIT, I just saw the comment about them opening for a day. Sadly I can’t do it then because it’s the week before the Oldsmobile Homecoming in Lansing that I am planning on attending, and I can’t do two trips back to back 🙁
1,100 km for me to get there from home, but I’ll be in Finland at the time so I must sadly decline..
Still waiting for that trip to the Auburn museum…
Paul, Any plans to visit the Alps anytime soon? ((There is a Baggersee bei me!))
It’s a 22 hour drive for me from Calgary. And I’m even considering it. I HAVE been looking for an excuse to see Mt Rushmore for a very long time. You might have to count me in. I’ll be in the white Suzuki Swift GTi 😉
Burge Hall in Iowa City? Could this be the ancestral home of Iowa native, conservative humorist, and hot-rod liker David Burge, AKA “Iowahawk”?
http://iowahawk.typepad.com/
Paul, thanks for adding the photo of The Hamburg Inn! Many a hangover was nursed at that place in 1982-84.
Wish I could be there on the 11th but I’m already locked down for that date.
Sorry-wrong Iowahawk here-but I did attend The U 1972-1974, had the distinction of being in one of I think about two counties in the country that voted for McGovern. We were so surprised when he lost! Going full-circle, if you go to Hamburg Inn (which was conveniently located next to our favorite bar, across the street from the Psych Dept.-we were more the late-night-chocolate-shake-burger-and-fries club), be sure you reserve a seat at the Ronald Reagan Memorial Table, complete with presidential seal. Dutch got his start faking radio broadcasts of baseball games (think of the announcers from Bull Durham) in that area.
Don’t know if I can make it-busy time of year for evaluations-but my heart will be with you. If you post a picture of a Vega GT Hatchback I might cry!
Hey, we sat at the Reagan table last summer! Their cheeseburgers are dynamite.
Needless to say I will be there, as I’m only an hour away. Looking forward to meeting you all in person!
Please keep the rest of us posted. Might be the perfect weekend to take out the ’82 Prelude and drive down from St. Paul.