9 of the Handiest Drive-Thrus You Never Knew Existed
We’ve all been there: late-night taco cravings, midnight burger quests, and ill-advised stop-offs for copious quantities of fried chicken. But fast food isn’t the only thing you can pick up at the drive-thru window. At these nine off-kilter drive-thrus, it’s possible to score everything from medical care to library books on the go – just don’t expect all that with a side of fries.
1. DRIVE-THRU HEALTHCARE: One-on-one doctor time without even having to park? Several hospitals around the country have started to offer drive-and-dash medical services, including Stanford Hospital, which used this new style of care to treat patients back during the swine flu scare. As a bonus, that means you won't have to scare the rest of the waiting room with your unfortunate 'disheveled zombie' vibe.
Photo courtesy of PeterTG/iStock/Thinkstock
2. DRIVE-THRU WEDDINGS: If a stint at the Graceland Wedding Chapel (with Elvis officiating, natch) isn't quite thrilling enough for you, you can always say "I Do" at the drive-thru. An authority in mobile nuptials, Vegas Weddings offers three packages to couples on the go: Fast, Faster, and Fastest. A word of advice, though: The in-laws won't just stay in Vegas.
Photo courtesy of Vegas Weddings
3. DRIVE-THRU VOTING: What if, instead of having to line up for ages in your local school gym, you could fill out a ballot from the comfort of your own car? Whether you're registering or casting a vote, electoral bureaucracy is that much easier from behind the wheel, as several districts have figured out. Does that "I Voted" sticker come in bumper size?
Photo courtesy of Erik (HASH) Hersman/Flickr
4. DRIVE-THRU ART: If you thought your culture-by-car options started with podcasts and ended with the license plate game, it's time you rolled up to a drive-thru art show. Galleries in Massachusetts to Vancouver have experimented with the format in the past, and those heading by rural Seale, Alabama, today can stop off at the totally quirky drive-thru gallery there.
Photo courtesy of Butch Anthony
5. DRIVE-THRU LEGAL COUNSEL: Remember that Vegas wedding? If you find yourself in need of some, ahem, legal counsel, then it's time to buckle in (literally). One law firm in Connecticut decided to keep the drive-thru option after moving into a building that once housed a fast-food joint, and the window is now staffed by a paralegal, with documents at the ready.
Photo courtesy of Fuse/Thinkstock
6. DRIVE-THRU DONUTS: Okay, so donuts and drive-thrus isn't the most outlandish of pairings. But head to the aptly named Donut Hole in La Puente, California, and it isn't hard to see why this is far from the typical drive-thru experience. Like the fact that you're literally motoring through a pair of colossal donuts to get your sugary fix. (Mmm, donuts.)
Photo courtesy of The Donut Hole
7. DRIVE-THRU GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: In news that's bound to make pretty much anyone with a pulse ecstatic, Girl Scout cookies may soon be available by drive-thru...if you happen to live in New Hampshire, that is. There, one thrifty troop has transformed their cookie-dispensation methods (no more door-to-door for these kiddos) in order to up their sales. Rumor has it a few other cookie drive-ins are being set up around the country. Road food has never felt so wholesome.
Photo courtesy of Girl Scouts of America
8. DRIVE-THRU LIBRARIES: When it comes to drive-thrus, most of us don't associate them with personal edification. But that's only because most of us have yet to visit our friendly, local, drive-thru library. That's right: A number of libraries around the country are starting to offer drive-thru book loans – simply let the librarians know your picks an hour in advance, and then swing by for literary takeout. Just don't read and drive, kids.
Photo courtesy of Sue Smith/iStock/Thinkstock
9. DRIVE-THRU ESPRESSO: Your first thought may be, "over-roasted coffee," but we're talking real lattes and freshly roasted espresso here. And for quality beans, it's best to head to the West Coast. Big Foot Java in Washington State and Cuppa Cuppa in San Diego are only two of many espresso shacks that are drive-in only. Your morning pick-me-up just got even snappier.
Photo courtesy of monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Thinkstock
1. DRIVE-THRU HEALTHCARE: One-on-one doctor time without even having to park? Several hospitals around the country have started to offer drive-and-dash medical services, including Stanford Hospital, which used this new style of care to treat patients back during the swine flu scare. As a bonus, that means you won't have to scare the rest of the waiting room with your unfortunate 'disheveled zombie' vibe.
Photo courtesy of PeterTG/iStock/Thinkstock
2. DRIVE-THRU WEDDINGS: If a stint at the Graceland Wedding Chapel (with Elvis officiating, natch) isn't quite thrilling enough for you, you can always say "I Do" at the drive-thru. An authority in mobile nuptials, Vegas Weddings offers three packages to couples on the go: Fast, Faster, and Fastest. A word of advice, though: The in-laws won't just stay in Vegas.
Photo courtesy of Vegas Weddings
3. DRIVE-THRU VOTING: What if, instead of having to line up for ages in your local school gym, you could fill out a ballot from the comfort of your own car? Whether you're registering or casting a vote, electoral bureaucracy is that much easier from behind the wheel, as several districts have figured out. Does that "I Voted" sticker come in bumper size?
Photo courtesy of Erik (HASH) Hersman/Flickr
4. DRIVE-THRU ART: If you thought your culture-by-car options started with podcasts and ended with the license plate game, it's time you rolled up to a drive-thru art show. Galleries in Massachusetts to Vancouver have experimented with the format in the past, and those heading by rural Seale, Alabama, today can stop off at the totally quirky drive-thru gallery there.
Photo courtesy of Butch Anthony
5. DRIVE-THRU LEGAL COUNSEL: Remember that Vegas wedding? If you find yourself in need of some, ahem, legal counsel, then it's time to buckle in (literally). One law firm in Connecticut decided to keep the drive-thru option after moving into a building that once housed a fast-food joint, and the window is now staffed by a paralegal, with documents at the ready.
Photo courtesy of Fuse/Thinkstock
6. DRIVE-THRU DONUTS: Okay, so donuts and drive-thrus isn't the most outlandish of pairings. But head to the aptly named Donut Hole in La Puente, California, and it isn't hard to see why this is far from the typical drive-thru experience. Like the fact that you're literally motoring through a pair of colossal donuts to get your sugary fix. (Mmm, donuts.)
Photo courtesy of The Donut Hole
7. DRIVE-THRU GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: In news that's bound to make pretty much anyone with a pulse ecstatic, Girl Scout cookies may soon be available by drive-thru...if you happen to live in New Hampshire, that is. There, one thrifty troop has transformed their cookie-dispensation methods (no more door-to-door for these kiddos) in order to up their sales. Rumor has it a few other cookie drive-ins are being set up around the country. Road food has never felt so wholesome.
Photo courtesy of Girl Scouts of America
8. DRIVE-THRU LIBRARIES: When it comes to drive-thrus, most of us don't associate them with personal edification. But that's only because most of us have yet to visit our friendly, local, drive-thru library. That's right: A number of libraries around the country are starting to offer drive-thru book loans – simply let the librarians know your picks an hour in advance, and then swing by for literary takeout. Just don't read and drive, kids.
Photo courtesy of Sue Smith/iStock/Thinkstock
9. DRIVE-THRU ESPRESSO: Your first thought may be, "over-roasted coffee," but we're talking real lattes and freshly roasted espresso here. And for quality beans, it's best to head to the West Coast. Big Foot Java in Washington State and Cuppa Cuppa in San Diego are only two of many espresso shacks that are drive-in only. Your morning pick-me-up just got even snappier.
Photo courtesy of monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Thinkstock
