# Back to the 50s in St. Paul this weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202 "2024-06-21T19:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/82 "2026-02-26T19:45:50Z")
That is likely the one we went to. Sometimes cruise all the way from the river to Lake Calhoun. As I remember there were two Porky’s on Lake along with an A&W and a White Castle. The sixties were a long time ago! A buddy had a 67 or 68, was the year it was completely restyled, his was one of the first available El Camino, few options, 283 with three on the tree. He would air up the air shocks, replace Chevy dog dish wheel covers with baby moons. We got a lot of attention. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/83 "2026-02-26T19:52:53Z")
More like back to the ‘70s, a local restaurant had a classic Z club dinner when I happened to be there: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/4/e/4e62d0d533b3968f8ff2db4a5ab7ad558f087c9a.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/c/3/c37e68b0b5911fee33f303fbfcbb49d405a0d70f.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/84 "2026-02-27T03:27:40Z")
There really is a Porkys? Which came first, the restaurant or the movie? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 5:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/85 "2026-02-27T05:32:37Z")
Porkys was a drive in with real car hops in Minneapolis. Don’t know when they started business but we were there in the early 50s as best I can remember. Several locations. Don’t know anything about the movie but seemed like the movie was more of a dance hall in the outskirts of a southern locale. Maybe named after porky pig. Just a good place to stop after shopping. At some point I think they had car shows. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/86 "2026-02-27T08:58:55Z")
Movie was set in the fictional town of angel Beach Florida in 1954. porkys club was aways out in the everglades. Drive in still exists on Ohio as farcas I know. Porky in the movie was the Boss Hogg type and nemesis of the high school kids for the first and third movies. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/87 "2026-02-27T13:46:24Z")
Yep, the first Twin-Cities Porky’s Drive-In opened in 1953. The first Porky’s movie was 1981. I do like the Porky’s movie franchise. The drive in restaurant is more like American Graffiti. Our level of fun did not quite make it to Hollywood Knights level​😁 Lake Street in South Minneapolis and to a slightly lesser degree, Central Ave in North East Minneapolis were the streets we cruised in the 60s. On Central it was from the White Castle to the Sun Drive In. Sun was so popular they charged $0.25 to enter the lot , about $3.00 today. ![IMG_0013](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/0/1/018300b3def4eb10c381a003fbdf76d12a37b541.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/88 "2026-02-27T18:17:04Z")
We didn’t live in the city so missed that scene. After church on Sunday we would sometimes head to the Sweden haus for their smorgasbord or other time shop at Atlantic mills on 494 then hit porkys. Pretty sure that’s where Jon kosmosky of house of color would have spent some time as a teenager. Long long time ago, when the music died. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/89 "2026-02-27T19:23:30Z")
> [@bing](#): > > head to the Sweden haus for their smorgasbord or other time shop at Atlantic mills Something I haven’t heard for 50 years… ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/90 "2026-02-28T18:07:18Z")
> [@bing](#): > > We would always go to the one on lyndale. Good malts and burgers. Sure, but did they offer a gravy-filled hot tub, like this motel does? ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/7/3/73747e1622886f274b9258dcb20aad265a5d1731.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/91 "2026-02-28T20:46:20Z")
Oh man waffles. I ran across a Waffle House in Kissimmee and took the bride there. I was a little surprised at the price. Two waffles, oj eggs and coffee cost me $32 plus a $5 tip. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Not to change th3 subject. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/92 "2026-02-28T21:08:22Z")
![Screenshot 2025-10-06 070133](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/c/7/c79b4f3873eff8eb0e6716f39bc93a2ea5e23ab6.png) lol Oh, I have 3 Waffle House’s within 7 miles, had 4 but I guess they finally closed it, their are 15 within about 25 miles of me, and 1 is about 1 mile away… ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/93 "2026-03-05T18:55:17Z")
This is from 1962, rather than the '50s, but I think it’s laughable that GM referred to these Buick Wildcats as “sports cars”. Their _Advanced Thrust_ design moved the engine even further forward than it had been previously, thus making their understeering even more extreme. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/b/9b1cec0fd582abb59c098832673ee390e3f9b413.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ChrisTheTireWhisperer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/christhetirewhisperer/32/34798_2.png) [@ChrisTheTireWhisperer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisTheTireWhisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 11:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/94 "2026-03-05T23:40:39Z")
I’d be most proud to drive one of those early 1960s Buicks around, either that Wildcat, or a '64 Skylark like my grandpas. The Cat looks big enough to have shared platform, some sheet metal with the contemporary Impalas. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202/95 "2026-03-06T00:07:03Z")
The Wildcat was built on the GM C platform. Impalas were built on the smaller, lighter B platform. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/back-to-the-50s-in-st-paul-this-weekend/195202.md?page=4)