With the monthly draft numbers now down significantly and our military presence in Vietnam diminishing, young people, especially young men, were once again enjoying the freedom and fun of youth without the foreboding that had accompanied turning 18 during the previous half-dozen years. The median household income in Van Nuys is $46,331. Our home actually had half I come here to show off my car. The whole night almost feels like a block party. border-color: #000000; This is like a therapy for me, Mills said, adding that he was not looking for to sell the car. The VNCA is not affiliated but we wish the new promoters the best of luck. At that time I was running a body shop trying to emulate the California Custom styles. Your email address will not be published. during the late spring of 1972. The lot served as both an easy turn-around to cruise back north on Van Nuys, and as a good place to park, show off your ride, and just hang out for a time with your friends. He said Cruise Night has been a way to meet people who share the same passion. Moreno Valley - Cruise Night & Fundraiser @ R Burgers 23750 Alessandro Blvd. border-color: #000000; Its the mothership of all cars, he said. Van Nuys Cruise Night. Guy on the bike looks an awful lot like 1993 George Michael. I was born in 1973, a year later. In the San Fernando Valley, Bob's Big Boy drive-in restaurant opened along Van Nuys Boulevard in the early-'50s and quickly became the center attraction and collection point, the place to be and be seen. At 32 cents a gallon is it any wonder traveling by car was so popular back then? Book the best deals of hotels to stay close to San Fernando Valley Mini Maker Faire with the lowest price guaranteed by Trip.com! Van Nuys also offers a mix of employment opportunities ranging from manual labor to white-collar industries. Van Nuys, CA 91407-3118 [email protected] Subscribe to our agendas on city notification system. Makes an H2 seem like a Chevette! shutter times. To Cruising Their accent is indeed similar to General American, meaning it sounds to American ears like it isnt an accent at all. Molina is one of dozens of car lovers drawn to Van Nuys Boulevard for a long-running cruise night. Endeavor to discover something new everyday, no matter how big or small. To be specific the second Wednesday of every month. Ask the lawyer, Is five enough? - See Flyer for Time: 2nd Sat. graininess in the pictures, I was happy to have accomplished a surprising Most dont get past fart cans, hot air intakes, wings, spray bombing the interior, bolting on some cheesy eBay HID LED light housings, and maybe some Chinese Enkie wheel knockoffs before moving onto a newer faster car after realizing they ruined their last one. Those were the days my friend. cruise nights, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. And the typical American cars got terrible mileage, so fueling a car back then was significantly more expensive than today. out, and returned north to Magnolia Boulevard via the short end of Vista } So glad I read your post about these pics probably being taken on a cruise night. In an action would surely make The Dude unhappy, the only . I drove a 64 GTO and switched to a 68 Falcon a year later. Due to the absolute Took the kids to the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise night yesterday, May 15, 2021. That year I was driving a 61 Buick former airport limo in the mountains of Colorado. Although all kinds of cars could be found in the lot on any Wednesday, many were lowriders. Everyone had someone in the family working in aerospace and entertainment industries, said the 69-years-old resident of Granada Hills. came out and blocked the end of the alley. From one of my bedroom windows, I could Oh, and the girl framed in the Goodyear tire? It was an Since I did not use a flash at any time, and the available light especially young men, were once again able to enjoy the freedom and the For women, cocktail dresses, pantsuits or elegant skirts and blouses are appropriate. Shooting photos of young people during cruise nights on Along the way, she picked up awards from the Los Angeles Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. First Choice Business Brokers. I cant for the life of me figure out if the biker in Pic 6 has his lady with him, or his kid. Also, I deliberately worked Living in Van Nuys offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes. for young Americans. facing in the direction of our house. of anyone reacting unpleasantly, I could wait for the best instant to The first night a friend of mine bought his 67 Corvette 427 tri power he had to fill his gas tank 3 times. Wednesday Night was girls night, or club night, Friday was Cruise Night, and Saturday Night was date night which was the night you cruised with your girl. Does every cruise have a captains dinner? border-color: #000000; New 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic S in Van Nuys, CA SALYT2EU3PA360491 You do not have to participate in formal night on a cruise, but your dining options in the evening will be more limited. Best cruise night in 20 years. You could go cruising in any one of those vehicles (except the camper) and still be seen as having a current, popular and competitive ride. border: 1px solid; We meet a lot of talented artists through our Photo lab LA events. Van Nuys Airport on December 03, 2016 in Van Nuys, California. at a large sporting event where everyone expects to be on camera and } What city is the heart of the San Fernando Valley? Cruise Night: Van Nuys - Park & Chill @ Tacos Al Gusto - 8:30pm - Flyer: Every Monday : Cruise Night: Eastvale - Cruise Night @ In-N-Out Burgers - 7pm-9pm - (800) 786-1000 . older! Corky's, (first posted 1/28/2017) CC reader Michael M. sent me a link to a gallery of photos shot on Van Nuys Blvd. Hundreds of motorheads have converged on Van Nuys Boulevard in Los Angeles for a lowrider cruise night.. Lowriders - customized vintage vehicles featuring extravagant paint jobs and wire-spoke . Bobs was the center of the cruising universe, and driving south past border: 1px solid; 43.8k Followers, 385 Following, 629 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Los Angeles Cruise Night (@losangelescruisenight) It is gone, probably forever. Oh mother may I? /p Please, protect me from myself. Due to popular demand, Cruising has returned on the 3rd } Cruising was back, big-time! Van Nuys never disappoints. Watch the video to understand better; weve got more pics to come shortly. victim of the big earthquake in 1993? for relatively easy shooting. Why Wednesday? I read a letter to the editor in a mechanics magazine. We didnt know just how good we had it. On the gasoline front,, a truly feulish thing was me piloting a 1950 Buick Super in 1980! The other side of the alley had a line of single garages . While we did see a Plymouth or two, a Dodge Daytona, and a ham sangwich at the Four 'N 20 Grill & Bakery, we did not experience any negative waves whatsoever at this cruise night back in April. It would have been about the same in Australia too. I too was there in 1971, I had a battered old VW Beetle with the canvas sun roof, Either with my XYL or filled with three buddies . One those who has become a regular is Jairo Morales. Nobody is perfect but the two girls in the white shorts are very, very close. Cars back then were part of the party. look east out over our backyard, over the vacant lot with the walnut trees YouTube. Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day, but theyre not appropriate in any public venues for dinner or cocktail hour. 14 Valley Girl Insults From The 1980s We Should Like, Totally. Dealer Advertised Price We hope you enjoy these images as much as we have. In 1981 I went to California for a work convention and, since it was our first trip there, decided to take an extra week to take in the sights and visit my uncle in Bakersfield. It turned out that he was hosting a cruise night on Van Nuys Blvd. Those pictures and gas prices remind me of what I got to drive in the early 70s, after I got my license Dads 67 Chevelle hardtop. Powerglide, combined with a V8 and burned valve made for horrible gas mileage. Greene located same car model, bought it, and now cruises the Blvd again on Wednesday cruise nights. The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60s and is currently popular again. Add in some creativity and less damned governmental intervention and voila! With a starting time of 5 pm, the cruise may have started off at a snail's pace, but by 7 pm, it was in full effect with many of the usual suspects on the Blvd. forever. DFO. There was a time several decades actually when cruising Van Nuys Boulevard at night to see and be seen was a major youth culture tradition in Los Angeles, and especially for teenagers (the real kind and the ageless kind) in the San Fernando Valley. Vista Del Monte, a street one block west of Van Nuys Boulevard with large border: 1px solid; Gas was expensive out in California. Van Nuys Blvd In The 1970s, By Rick Mack with our back property line, our short driveway and garage angled off everyone hit the gas as they spun left in the dirt and dust section, some United States. Apr 4, 2013 - This last June Cruise Night returned to Van Nuys Blvd. Van Nuys Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road that runs through the central San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. So many cars, so many happy CA night kids. A selection of McCloskeys photos has been compiled in a wonderful hardbound book titled Van Nuys Boulevard 1972. Our friend, fellow journalist, and photographer David Fetherston recently gave it this glowing review: Heres the most fascinating book on California car culture in the 70s ever produced. Valleyspeak. .table_d2e42 td { } Yeah, People copied the successful customs, making them ironically LESS custom ?. On the night I went, it took place between Vanowen Street & Sherman Way. Indeed, many of my subjects would play for my camera; they very much wanted Back then in NY we still had fun street racing on Francis Lewis Blvd with our GTOs,SS 396, Mustangs and the like. . My wife and I made it out to the Valley from South Bay once in a while in my 56 Chevy with its 66 327: it did DRINK Premium quite rapidly! Green began cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s after he snagged his drivers license and purchased his first car. Pic 3 immediately immediately had me thinking of Wooderson (Dazed and Confused) and his musings on what he liked about high school girls, to wit: I keep getting older and they just stay the same age.. there's gonna be a cruise night on van nuys blvd and burbank in the city of van nuys at 7p.m. The VNCA is not affiliated but we wish the new promoters the best of luck. This isnt just a good ol days rant either, quality car customization is, and always has been, few and far between. You could pick a used car to fit your personality. Modern gas pumps are literally hard edged boxes crudely fitted with hoses and plastic buttons. .table_d2e98 td { United States. border: 1px solid; Too righteous for VN Blvd, besides, going to school, working and protesting the war, I didnt have time for it! Nearly 50 years have passed, and most of the beautiful kids in the photos are now approaching 70 years of age a few are even older! March 04, 2021. Cruising had flourished for nearly two decades on Van Nuys Boulevard and on countless other streets and avenues in cities and towns across America, but in 1972 there was a visible resurgence in this youthful evening pastime. .table_d2e23 { From a purely technical standpoint, all of these images border-color: #000000; document.write(''); Get the Fuel Curve Insider and get the top posts delivered to your inbox each week. CONTENT. on Van Nuys Boulevard at night. 8244 Orion Ave, Van Nuys, CA, 91406 Fully refundable Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Still cruisin: A Valley tradition is alive, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Still cruisin: A Valley tradition is alive and well on Van Nuys Boulevard, Is there a problem with paying cash for a car? How does one get an invitation to the captains table? Of course, the cruising phenomenon goes all the way back to the early-1950s, possibly even back to the late-'40s. ease of approaching my young subjects, I was able to take my time and cruise night She earned her masters degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and has published articles with Reuters, Bloomberg, the Los Angeles Business Journal and LA Weekly. Exact blocks on Van Nuys Blvd may vary each Cruise Night. Your email address will not be published. Everyone has an accent, however. I was also still in the boulevard demographicalbeit barelymid-twenties border-color: #000000; in 1972, by photographer Rick McCloskey, and part of his book, Los Angeles in the 1970s. Bag your face This is the 80s version of shut up but its much more fun. alley and Magnolia Boulevard about two-hundred feet to the north. Where were you in 72? Enjoy. To see the entire set of Rick's photos, click HERE. Young Lady directly smiling into the camera in the dark tee could be Butterfly from Quentin Tarantinos Death Proof: That hottie in your picture cjiguy plays a supporting role in a current TV show, NCIS: New Orleans, just in case you were curious. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, Chris Mills 1956 custom Chevy Implala is one of the hottest cars on the Wednesday cruise night in Van Nuys. Do you have to attend formal night on a cruise? The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60s and currently become popular again. which, with another quick left in the dust, took you right back out onto I love how people wait breathlessly for the newest cellphone and make ridiculous unboxing videos as if were going to see something AWESOME.., No its a black rectangle. Panel paint, slotted mags, and Wide Oval tires like what you see on this Nova pretty much epitomized the street machine scene of the era. I had read in some car magazines that people still cruised on Van Nuys on Wednesday nights so we stayed an extra day just to check it out before flying back to Indiana on Thursday. +1 on that observation, FSO. Mostly we would run the Sunset Strip, but cruising with the door windows down (rears were fixed) and the radio blasting was the thing to do. Rise & Shine Breakfast - A Morning of Inspiration, Service, and Celebration, Full Moon Grounding Fire Ceremony and Sound Bath, Better Body Better Life Ladies` Breakfast Meeting, The Return of La Palomas Hot Wednesdays Series, Creative Thinking Workshop / For Individulals &Teams. Back in Cruise Night, ,