Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot…

These words, penned by legendary recording artist Joni Mitchell in 1970, seemed hauntingly fitting when we jumped into the Prius and drove down to Wally’s Burgers on Sunday. And as the cruisers and hot rods started taking over the lot around the iconic green building, we realized that the end of Wally’s marks the end of an era, not just for the old-time cruisers but for Vancouver as a whole.

Angela and I only recently started going to Wally’s and were annoyed when we discovered it would be closing shop on March 27th (tomorrow!). For us, it was a great alternative to the crappy fast-food chain burgers, and the quaint little building was a rare glimpse into a time long gone. What we didn’t realize was just how historically important this burger joint was until the announcement started dragging people out of the woodwork. In a matter of days, the Wally’s Burgers post became the hot topic on Dabbler and information about someone putting on one last cruise-in surfaced. And being the diligent citizen journalists that we are, we decided to drop in and see what the fuss was all about. Check out the pictures!

In between the classic cruisers and hot-rods, I found Bill Larson, the man behind the event. He told me that next year would have been the 50th anniversary of Wally’s, but since it was closing shop he decided to throw one last cruise-in one year early. “We used to cruise up and down Kingsway in the 60s,” said Larson. “You see, when this place opened in 1957 it used to be a Harvey’s. Then Wally bought this one out in 1959 and made it Wally’s Burgers instead. If you look at the sign out front, you can see how it used to be a big yellow “H” before Wally attached a new sign on top.” He went on to tell me that there used to be many such joints along Kingsway and how the different “crews” hung out at different places. But over time they were all closed down and in the end, only Wally’s Burgers was left. So with it’s closing, an era has come to an end.

To mark the solemn occasion, the hot-rod community of Vancouver and the lower mainland came out en force to pay their respects by packing the restaurant to the limit, showing off their amazing rides and chatting up old friends. At my count there were at least 50 classic cars parked in and around the old hang-out and their owners were readily sharing stories of times past. I found several cars that dated back to the good old days and Larson told me that the event had even been attended by a beat cop, now in his 90s and blind, who wanted to experience the past one last time.

Not that a reminder is needed, but walking among the old cars and nostalgia more than anything emphasized the fact that the world is changing, and changing fast. I can’t imagine seeing scores of my peers showing up outside a downtown Starbucks in their old suped up Civics and well cared for Chrysler 300ds fifty years from now. They just don’t build them like they used to – whether it be cars, burger joints or even relationships.

Who knows what will happen to Wally’s Burgers come Friday morning. Larson told me a neon light society is looking to procure the sign to keep it for posterity. After all, Vancouver was once world famous for its neon lights. And the Wally’s Burgers brand is up for sale for the small sum of $22,000 (we’ve got the contact info if anyone’s interested). As for the building and the lot itself, I’m assuming it will all be torn down and turned into a condo, which I guess is fine considering the need for new dwellings in the city. I would really be fine with anything just as long as they don’t turn this cruiser’s paradise into a parking lot.