Grapefeed

In case you missed the Twitter tweets, facebook statuses and my housemate’s journal entry on the subject, I headed out to Bengie’s Drive-In Theater on Friday night. I’d never been to a drive-in. And yes, it was an experience.

Friday’s show was a triple bill: Kung Fu Panda (better than I expected, but still kinda meh); the Dark Knight (Oh. Hell. Yes!); and Get Smart (which we didn’t see — I had to work the next morning and that movie didn’t start till about 2 a.m.).

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the experience. Despite the heat of the day, the grassy field remained cool allowing for comfortable viewing. The food they offered was decent although I think they allowed the popcorn I bought to sit out a little too long.

The outing wasn’t without it’s problems though. The drive-in’s website proudly proclaims that it’s in Baltimore proper. Well… it’s not. The drive-in is located in Middle River, outside of Baltimore city but still within Baltimore County. When we entered the Baltimore address in our GPS device, it took us to somewhere in the middle of the city. Our complaint at the box office got us a brusque response complete with a reaffirmation that we were indeed in Baltimore.

Whatever. That’s like someone saying they live in Washington, D.C., when they really live in Vienna, Va. (There’s a choice quote about that from David Sedaris’ new book, “When You Are Engulfed In Flames.”)

Someone — we supposed the owner of the theater — also seems to enjoy hearing himself talk. When a movie or a cartoon wasn’t running, dude was running his mouth. As the night wore on, it became less informative and more annoying.

I also had an incident at the concession stand with a nearly empty ketchup dispenser. One pump and I had whatever was left in the can all over my shirt. Fortunately I was able to wash off some of it in the restroom and I had an undershirt on. But that it happened in the first place was enough to put me off for a bit.

I have to admit though that $8 for three flicks is a pretty good deal. Nowadays, you’ll be lucky to pay that little for a matinee in most places.

Would I go there again? Maybe, but I’ll smuggle in my own ketchup next time.