America and the automobile grew up together in the 20th century. Cars influence a lot how countries grow, dictate where and how people live. It’s likely that no place has been impacted by cars quite like Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, and a new video sheds light on the remnants of the highly influential car culture.
A third of LA is paved, making the car an essential tool for life there. The famous Route 66 passes through the city, which is filled with roadside attractions. Wigwam Motel is located right outside, giving customers a unique stay experience.
Another automotive icon is The Donut Hole, a drive-through bakery, and next on video itineraries. Nearby is California’s first drive-through – an In-N-Out Burger joint that opened in October 1948. That was a year after Red’s Giant Hamburger started rolling out sliders. It is located on Route 66 in Missouri, closed in 1984.
Driving through the goods will also come to the convenience store, which still exists today. This allowed people to drive into stores to collect their items, often with attendants picking up the product the customer requested before they paid and went the other way.
Another car-centric feature marking the LA landscape is the apartment dingbat. They provide a carport at ground level with living space above it, maximizing the use of limited real estate in a world that has to live with a car. Drive-in theaters also populate the area, combining the area’s major TV and film businesses with the ability of cars to provide freedom and privacy.
LA isn’t the only city in America serving cars, as many places have given up their land to the sidewalks. That makes owning a vehicle essential to life in many areas, and cars don’t come cheap. They require insurance, maintenance and registration – all of which cost money. Cars provide freedom, which fuels their ability to influence LA and other cities, but they also come with costs that aren’t always so easy to overcome.
