On September 6th Tim and I headed for Vandergrift, Pennsylvania to attend Drive-In Super Monster-Rama, an event that features 8 classic drive-in horror movies over two nights. This would be our 3rd Monster-Rama, and we’d be meeting up with friends from Maryland and Nebraska to enjoy these excellent film prints.
This is part two of my trip diary, in which we get to the drive-in in time.
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Thursday night we met up with Scott and Jessica for dinner. They led us to Green Pepper, a Korean restaurant that was very good but oddly strict. For instance there could only be one check per table; and a note informed patrons that if separate checks were desired, the staff could help locate a restaurant that would do that sort of thing.
Nonetheless, it was a good meal. Also I got to see Scott try to eat an entire chicken in some manner of stew that boiled eternally.
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All six of us met up at a King’s restaurant for brunch. On deciding to head in to Pittsburgh for the afternoon, we abandoned two of our vehicles in the parking lot and piled in Scott’s minivan.
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The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh is largely concerned with geology, for some reason.
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“This imitation Roman helmet was fully formed by natural forces.”
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We had to approach the mounted zebra exhibit carefully, because we weren’t entirely certain when we’d run into glass. The display was a little too clever for the likes of us.
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The Carnegie Museum of Art has so many chairs on display that we decided they were sculptures of Presidents.
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Everything was fine until all five men of our group met up near the modern art. Then security was on us like white blood cells on Raquel Welch. We figured that we’d been mistaken as a small herd of large, clumsy bulls.
We declared Chad lead bull and lined up behind him.
Fortunately Jessica came back and we left before the guards found a red cape.
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It was inevitable that we’d wind up in a book store at some point during our trip. The Caliban Book Shop was close to the Carnegie Museum complex, so that’s the one at which we wound up. The main store is a good collection of fiction and assorted non-fiction, and there’s a corner behind the register where a tiny record store lurks.
Tim found the secret door leading to the basement and disappeared through it. Mike, Chad, and I followed. I’m not entirely certain this lower floor existed in the same building (or dimension) as the main store. There were twists in the stairs that didn’t add up on later reflection, and the building materials changed significantly. The cashier readily took our money for the books we found down there, so it’s probably okay.
Not a single one of thought to tell the others where we went. Scott tried calling Tim to find him, but being in the dimension of pulp fiction Tim’s phone had no reception. Apparently he discovered some interesting stores while looking for us, but by the time we surfaced we were of a mind to head for Vandergrift. Chad and Mike needed to check into the roadhouse, and we all wanted real food before watching eight hours of movies.
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Our window for real food was consumed trying to discover a route back to our cars in rush hour traffic. I’m afraid that it took me a while to overcome childhood lessons and assist, and then I was pathetically passive-aggressive about the whole thing. At least the incident spawned one of our go-to jokes for the week-end. Whenever someone on-screen was travelling or consulting a book, one of us would always assure the others that this road should be merging to 386 soon.
Tales of the Atomic Zombie 
[armsflailing/] ITRIEDTOGIVEITBACK! [/armsflailing]
Best part of the fine art museum tour was when I thought I accidentally stepped on a piece of art and fah-reaked out.
I was in the middle of a snit, man! No way I’d do something sensible like TAKE BACK THE PAD WHEN OFFERED!
In retrospect, the security guards started gathering right after you walked on the floormat in the museum…
Ribbit.
Also, before I forget again, what was the name of the author or book you were recommending to me in the bookstore in Vandergrift. Neo-Noir thing.
Megan Abbott. I especially recommend her Die a Little, which is a murder in old Hollywood.
On it. Thanks!
I really enjoyed the dumpling stew at the Korean place. And I had my first taste of soju (medieval Japanese Windex alcohol) at the restaurant, which marked the first shot of hard liquor I’d drunk in my entire Puritanical life.