I do like the dual-light models and have written about several of them, but the later models with four lamps just look smarter to me, somehow.ġ980 Chevrolet El Camino. The first thing that struck me was how much the squared-up, quad-headlamp look introduced for ’82, which lasted through the end, effectively modernized its front end. It had caught my eye from the sidewalk, and unlike the ’73 Ford LTD Brougham I had spotted and photographed in a different parking garage in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, there were no cars parked immediately adjacent to it, which enabled me to get a few decent shots of it. I felt pretty good about not bringing home one more physical object that would take up space in my home, but rather a special treat I could enjoy as part of the memory of that day’s explorations and meeting new people.īefore I made it to the candy boutique, though, I stumbled across a parking garage in which this El Camino was parked. Noir d’Ébène (French for “black of ebony”) ended up having exactly what I didn’t know I needed (not wanted, but needed) that afternoon, which was a super-delicious, handcrafted, dark chocolate candy bar of single-origin, Peruvian cacao beans, embedded with various fruits and nuts. I had set out for a used clothing store I found online that I had never been to before, but ended up going to the small, locally-owned, gourmet chocolatier that had taken its place in the same storefront. It’s often true that the less something of good quality costs relative to how great, delicious, or unique it is, the more satisfied I am, especially if I get to keep more of my hard-earned money. Things don’t have to cost a lot of money to bring me joy. I had to do a little internet research to find out where I wanted to go and what I felt like doing, but my basic goal was to find something small and relatively inexpensive with which to treat myself at the end of a week of tasks well executed. It was still pretty cold outside that Saturday, but I was determined to leave the house after spending most of my day being responsible and getting my personal work and chores out of the way. I came across this El Camino at the end of this past February while in Evanston, the city just north of Chicago.

Custom 1980 el camino