When I was a kid going through the car wash was a big treat.  Of course in the 70’s it was way different than it is now.  They had these giant blue mop things that would ineffectively swish the dirt around from side to side on the windows, creating an immediate sense of claustrophobia.  Next orange rolling brushes would come pounding down so hard I was convinced the roof of our station wagon would collapse right on top of our heads.  All the while I would be happily sitting on my father’s paint cans in the back “playing the drums.”  Not only could I ride backward (which I LOVED) there were no car seats in the back, no seat belts, or even seats for that matter!  I only vaguely remember 8-tracks but I do remember always singing the song, “Car Wash” by Rose Royce the entire time we were there.  Then to dry they had these yellow strips which would ineffectually flail at our sides as we drove out.  We did not have air-conditioning so by the end it was sweltering hot.  I could not wait to roll down my still wet window to let in “fresh” blowing pizza oven hot air.  Now I take my little one as a treat and I cannot help but compare our experiences.  She sits in her plush car seat with dual cup holders, drinking filtered water and having a snack as ice cold air blasts directly on her, all the while dictating what song she’d like next as I play DJ for her in my own car.  Most car washes use jets now and we both always stop and look up with awe when the pink, blue and yellow foamy soap comes squiggling down the sides and over my panoramic sunroofs.  It’s just cool.  Soon we are enveloped in a sort of psychedelic green haze and one of us never fails to remark on how good it smells.  As I write I realize I have a disco playlist in my music on my iPhone; I should add “Car Wash” to it and surprise her the next time we go.  The British photographer Cecil Beaton once asked and answered, “What is elegance?  Soap and water!”  I shall remember we are striving to maintain elegance the next time I can no longer see through the windshield and we take a trip to the car wash.