I come from the generation of kids who grew up gazing photos and videos of Chicago’s finest drifters. Reminiscing on those times, I have fond memories seeing the work of AJ and Tim and thinking to myself, ‘I want to point my camera at what they are shooting.’ Since most of this type of driving occurred after night fall, the darkness and shadows have helped many drivers stay elusive and away from the camera’s lens.

Flash forward a few years, and I find myself at Kuma’s Corner with M and M enjoying what is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Being my first time at this place, I didn’t know what to expect. I have only heard good things and after the first bite, I knew exactly why. From the pretzel buns to the ridiculous proportions between them, everything was perfect. Once we finished our meals, we hung out until X dropped by and said ‘Hello.’

Upon arrival, the amazing spring weather kept pressuring us into driving around the city. And so we did. 

We cruised down LSD to a classic, but undisclosed, location. Many car nerd things were said and done and the aura of the few people present was awesome. Even though I don’t really know the people I was with, everyone was friendly and easy to get a long with. Maybe it’s because this was the rather older crowd of drivers. I can’t sense anything like this with the new generation, and that is a shame.

I remember X saying that the new generation of kids don’t know how to go about certain car related things because the older crowd didn’t really take them under their wings. I think we have to take it upon ourselves to teach the incoming generations style, technique, etiquette, and more. Facebook and Instagram sure are steering new comers into the wrong direction.

After kicking it back at this spot for a minute, we could hear what sounded like drifting taking place just west of where we currently were. So, being the adventures types, we proceeded to go and take a look.

We couldn’t find anyone drifting so we improvised.

The end of the night was here. As the warmer weather is approaching, dormant shadows are coming to life and the realm of spirited night driving will soon be upon us.