5 Unusual Drive-Through Spots

A burger and fries or a cup of coffee aren't the only items you can get at a drive-through window. Here are five more unusual services offered on-the-go.

1. EMERGENCY ROOM

When you're going to the emergency room, the last thing you want is to sit next to someone who's coughing and sneezing. Who knows what they're coming in for and how contagious it is? Luckily, Stanford has a plan to ease those worries. Earlier this summer, researchers experimented with a drive-through emergency room to ease congestion during the busy flu season. Patients drove in and were first registered and given paperwork, because it wouldn't be a trip to the hospital without paperwork. At the next stop, they went through the triage and had their vital signs checked. Finally, they were seen by a doctor and diagnosed, where they were either admitted to the hospital or told to drive away. The organizers hope the drive-thru ER would help cut down on wait times and quickly move along patients that didn't need extensive treatment. Too bad this happened after the opportunity to write an ER/Taxi crossover.

2. LEGISLATIVE VISIT

Over the last month, when politicians have been meeting with their constituents, it hasn't gone well. So adding road rage to the equation wouldn't seem to do much to help. Luckily, Pennsylvania state representative Kevin Murphy hasn't reported any of those problems with his drive-through consultation window. He says the drive-up window at his Scranton office allows more people to see him and makes submitting paperwork more convenient for the elderly and disabled. When he can, he even staffs the window himself two days a week.

3. WEDDING CHAPEL

In Las Vegas, where you can get married on a whim, doesn't it just make sense that you should be able to do without getting out of your car? Enter the Little White Chapel's Tunnel of Love. The Chapel, which hosted such celebrities as Michael Jordan and George Hamilton, opened up a drive-through window for weddings in 1991 after the owner saw a handicapped couple having difficulty getting into the chapel. The tunnel has been tricked out with a decorated ceiling. The Little White Chapel doesn't have Vegas's only drive-up window, though. Based on pictures, couples riding anything from antique cars to scooters have gone for convenience for their ceremonies.

4. CONVENIENCE SHOPPING

It seems incredibly misguided to offer a drive-through liquor store, what with our whole effort against drunk driving. But the ultra-convenience stores have been springing up across the country. Some offer more than just alcohol; recently stores offering groceries have been abandoning the parking lots and opening the aisles up to cars. People can drive up, place an order with a staffer, and have it delivered to their car at checkout. In some chains, you can even just pop the trunk and have staffers put your bags right in there for you.

5. TREES

Like the forest, but don't want to get out of your car? Then head down to California, where people have been carving tunnels through the giant Redwoods since cars became popular. A popular site is the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree in Legget, which has been in business since 1930. But there are plenty of other drive-through trees, including the Drive-On Tree, which allows you to go up a ramp onto a fallen tree and pretend your car conquered nature.