[Alumni-chat] Antiochiana! -- The location of the "68 Cafe!":in Yellow Sp...

[Sistersara at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/22/2007 7:00:56 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
davidallenusa at yahoo.com writes:

Thanks for kind words I received about Antiochiana and Antioch history I  
described on the Antioch College alumni chatline, and also for asking about  the 
location of the 68 Cafe!




Yes -- the 68 was quite an institution in the late 1950's.  The thing  to do 
in those days was to take your portable typewriter to the 68 and write  
Literature Papers.  The scene was dominated by lit majors -- in my first  year, most 
of them were the last of the Korean War Vet Classes.  The coffee  was awful, 
but the burgers were fine (I dislike cheese on my burgers, I prefer  mayo, 
tomato and lettuce).  I remember a small campaign to get them to  acquire seeded 
buns, you know sesame seed or something like that.  
 
My Senior Year (62) I lived in Drake -- a house on the corner of Xenia  
across from Mills Lawn School, and 68 was just below my window.  About  10:30 
everynight, the avenue would be filled with used cars being driven south,  tandem, 
one car with driver, another hooked on behind.  In those days there  was 
apparently a huge market down south for Used Cars from the Detroit Area --  mostly 
big buicks and mercurys and all, and the 68 was one of the stopping  points on 
the drive.  Some nights as many as a hundred tandem hook-up's  went down the 
pike in half an hour, and they would turn in around Mills Lawn and  park, and 
walk down to the 68 for the rotten coffee and whatever.  Got so  you could not 
find a place to plunk down a portable typewriter if you wanted  to.  Anyhow, 
the drivers were all "good ole boys" from the south, paid  minimum wage to 
drive these rigs down to Tennessee and Alabama, where the late  50's cars fetched 
a price from the locals.  (Oh yes, the days when price  was connected to the 
size of the tailfins).  From what we could gather, YSO  was the first stop out 
of the Detroit Area, and they were allowed about half an  hour for eats and 
coffee -- they got a fill-up in Cincy, and then it was on  South, with a return 
by Greyhound the following day.  Whereas in the late  50's, the 68 Juke Box 
had a rather eclectic music selection, suitable to  Antiochians, when these 
tandems were running, they changed it to country western  and Elvis materials.  
(actually they had a larger Juke Box).  And yes,  when I 75 was finished, I am 
certain that the tandems moved to the Interstate,  or at least to old route 25 
through Dayton.  Or maybe the market for big  old cars dried up in the South. 
 
 
Some of us actually found it interesting to go to the 68 when the good ole  
boys were stopping, and listen in to the conversation.  



************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com