Tuesday's List: Old Drive-In Theaters and Dog Tracks in South Florida

When I was growing up in south Florida...specifically Hollywood...during the 1960s and early 70s, there were two prominent features that no longer figure into the equation in today's world: drive-in movies and greyhound racing.  When my family went out to see a movie, it was always to the drive-in: we never went to indoor theaters.  And although I never wagered at a dog track, my father became quite an enthusiastic, studying the races and visiting the different locations...and he would fill my ears discussing his betting strategies, to my consternation.  Still, I have a soft spot in my heart for these old times, and although its probably a good idea to eliminate pari-mutuel dog race betting (Amendment 13 is on the ballot in November to this effect) due to the abuse of the greyhounds involved in it, it's still yet another relic of my youth fading into obscurity.  As for drive-ins, though, we had to contend with the heat, humidity, scratchy sound from the speakers, annoying people in other cars, mosquitos, and noisy planes passing overhead...it was great!!!  There are movies I sometimes come across that I remember first seeing in a drive-in, films like A Hard Day's Night, The Ipcress File, Modesty Blaise, Psycho, and others.  Well, I no longer live in south Florida and both drive-ins and dog racing have largely sunk into the past.  Here are a couple of very short lists of the drive-in theaters and dog tracks that made an impact on me during my young years...

DRIVE-IN THEATERS
ARROW DRIVE-IN....North 441, Hollywood...probably went here the most often
GOLDEN GLADES DRIVE-IN...near Palmetto Expressway in Miami Shores, twin screens
HI-WAY DRIVE-IN...US 1 in Dania...I actually worked here at the concessions stand in 1969-70
THUNDERBIRD DRIVE-IN...Sunrise Blvd in Ft. Lauderdale...my dad once was part-time manager of both the HI-WAY and THUNDERBIRD: the latter still exists with 14 screens

DOG TRACKS
MIAMI BEACH KENNEL CLUB...I could be wrong, but I think this closed with the area's renovation, I never went there
FLAGLER KENNEL CLUB...closest to downtown Miami, ran its final race a few months ago
BISCAYNE KENNEL CLUB...in Miami Shores, I went there with my dad a few times, but not to bet
HOLLYWOOD KENNEL CLUB...in Hallandale, I went there a couple of times...

Casinos have taken over organized gambling in south Florida...Flagler and Hollywood dog tracks became only parts of Big Easy Casino and Magic City Casino, respectively.  I never did care for gambling on dog races...like my mother, I just enjoyed watching them chase the "bunny" around the track.  As for drive-in theaters, I think I've become completely spoiled by the lush comfort nowadays in indoor theaters, with their reclining, cushiony seats and all...