By John Salak –
Late in May WellWell helped flag the growing interest in driven-in movie theaters, which was spurred on because they were one of the few out-of-house entertainment options allowed during the full COVID-19 lockdown.
Apparently, we were on to something. While most of the immediate interest in drive-ins was focused on the limited number of these iconic operations still in business—usually out in the space-friendly suburbs and rural areas. Now, however, new drive-ins our spouting up all over the country, even in some unexpected places like New York City where space is always at a premium.
In the last month alone, new and modern drive-ins have popped up in Staten Island at Juicy Lucy’s ,Brooklyn at Skyline Drive-in, and Queens at the Bel-Aire Diner.
Some spaces are even being turned into temporary drive-ins while a mix of concerns and restrictions remain in place, like the parking lot at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the Hamptons Classic Horse Show Grounds in Bridgehampton.
Will these tributes to bygone theater viewing experiences remain in the long-term? Perhaps. As WellWell’s previous story pointed out, drive-ins may offer all sorts of benefits that go beyond simply providing a mix of outside entertainment and adequate social distancing in the time of COVID-19.
