The first time I saw an Airstream was in Florida in the mid-'80s. I was instantly smitten with the silver orb hitched to a station wagon and desperately wanted to see what it looked like inside. I imagined it to be very funky with fuzzy leopard-print pillows and a beaded curtain, much like the 1970 Land Yacht Safari Airstream now parked in my backyard.
You either understand Airstream love or you don't. On the road, I often receive honks, peace signs and smiles from other drivers, but some simply don't get it, saying things like, "You own a TRAILER?" (For the record, I prefer the word "camper.")
Lee Shauer definitely gets it. She and her husband, Doug Friedrich, own Latte Da, a drive-through coffee shop that's inside a 1979, 23-foot Airstream. "The Airstream has so much history," says Shauer, who lives on Milwaukee's North Side. "The shape, the sleekness, it's all so retro-American."
Parked on HWY C in Cedarburg, Latte Da recently announced its two-year anniversary by placing a huge coffee cup with two candles atop their shiny bubble-shaped camper.
Although Shauer wishes she and her family could stop the bean grinding and milk steaming for a few weeks and take their Airstream on the road, she recognizes this is unrealistic with three kids and a new business. However, when the couple purchased the Airstream off of the Internet six months before opening Latte Da, they had lots of fun camping in their driveway.
"The Airstream really has a cult-like following," says Shauer. "You really have to own an Airstream to understand it."
Airstreams, often referred to as the Rolls Royce of RVs, have gained popularity in Hollywood, too. Sean Penn, Anthony Edwards, Tim Burton, Francis Ford Coppola and Andy Garcia are all avid Airstreamers, and Martha Stewart recently vacationed in one.
Airstreams have also appeared in many films, including "The Right Stuff," "Independence Day," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "Raising Arizona," "Space Cowboys," "Leaving Normal" and "Rocky and Bullwinkle." Although it doesn't feature an Airstream, Lucille Ball's "The Long, Long Trailer" is also a favorite among silver bullet owners.
{INSERT_RELATED}The Airstream was invented in the 1930s by Wally Byam when his wife refused to go camping unless she could take her kitchen with her. Today, the Ohio-based company has manufactured more than 100,000 trailers, with 70,000 still on the road.
Byam, who was an articulate advertising executive, is most famous for the quote, "It was impossible, so it took a little longer." He traveled all over the world in Airstreams, including Africa and Egypt.
Airstreams are made from aluminum and therefore don't rust, one of the reasons why they are so poular with Midwesterners. They range in size from 16 feet to over 30 feet and most include a table, two benches that double as twin beds, a sink, fridge, stove, small bathroom and sleeping area.
The cost of a high-end Airstream is around $60,000, but most enthusiasts find them on the Internet or parked at the side of rural highways for under $10,000 and desperately in need of TLC. But for many, fixing up the 'Stream is half the fun.
"I just think they're cool and fascinating," says Richard Kirchen, an Airstream enthusiast from Milwaukee. "They're very '50s futuristic."
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
