Plus not everyone in their 20s with a modified car is buzzing around in a 80s-90s Honda (raises hand!). Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day, but theyre not appropriate in any public venues for dinner or cocktail hour. Its the engine swap of my era the new regs are designed to circumvent, yes you can still stuff the biggest V8 you can find into the smallest car it will fit no problem,, but if you want to drive it on the road you need it certified as safe. Assuming theyre still alive, of course. Grody Is there a word that is more fun to say than grody? border: 1px solid; Their 80s and 90s Hondas are just as interesting to them as those 60 Chevys were to us. } Cruise nights are evenings during which cars drive slowly. "Every town in America had a strip where kids would take their cars and go hang out whether it was only a block long - big towns, little towns, cities. ? Among other things the government set the ticket prices. easy step to assign myself the task of capturing what I could of the essence The sign? So its no surprise that cruising along Van Nuys Boulevard has been a thing as early as the 1930s (largely due to the fact that Van Nuys Boulevard was one of the first streets in the city to get outfitted with street lights). or presented until now. and wonderful energy levels of the evening car culture on Van Nuys Boulevard I would kill for that Shovelhead. This was before I was born. 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. I was born in 1973, a year later. an even quicker left turn onto Vista Del Monte, brought you to our alley Cruising was back, big time! And, the police were always pulling someone over for a traffic stop, and actually taking one or two people into custody for whatever transgression. border-color: #000000; 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 . Van Nuys Airport on December 03, 2016 in Van Nuys, California. This means that cars have pretty much been a necessity since this citys inception which means that pride in what you drive and its varying degrees of personalization is inherent in the DNA of countless generations of Angelenos. After studying writing in Moscow, she moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and has called it home ever since. Wednesday of the month. Had to look twice to make sure the Bug with 4 guys in it wasnt me and my buddies in my 63 cruising the boulevard. These photos and fine memories are what are left. The letter was from 1953! the alley delivered you to a dusty, dirt section through the walnut trees Jairo - take it away. Unfortunately cruising got a little out of hand in subsequent decades causing law enforcement to crack down on the event. Those short white shorts and the girls wearing them should have been standard equipment with that Mustang. These photos and fine memories are what are left. My wife and I made a few passes up and down the strip and even checked out a speed shop that was located there. Hours of Operation: Typically the 3rd Saturday of each month, starting at 5PM. .table_d2e98 td { The darkest days of Vietnam were then One of the most exclusive communities in the country, Bel-Air has become synonymous with extravagance. This comment, in a nutshell, tells us why things were better and more fun back then ; a little personal responsibility and lots of freedom. Ive just spent the past hour scrolling through an album on his photography site: Scroll down there to click on one of the gallery photos and youll get launched into an album of 180-some pictures, and a real 1972 rabbit hole. These pics could have been taken as late as 1978 or 1979. And it says, Must Sell. He would even take best offer. border: 1px solid; on the street was often very minimal, I needed to hand-hold my camera Van Nuys (Cruise Night) Lyrics Down in the valley something stirs You don't need no Jaguar or Thunderbird Get down under the valley skies And go cruising on Van Nuys It's Van Nuys. In fact, I didnt even notice the car right away, and its my favorite first gen Mustang, a 67 GT! And the people! A similar scene has played out in some form in Van Nuys, where the history of cruising is just as rich. . Tonight in Jungleland On the other side of Disc 3 is the first of a threesome of similar movies that continue on Disc 4. I remember driving and riding to Eugene and back a few times or even to the coast to eat a pizza just for the he** of it doing something different. Reminds me of the old line about I blew most of my money on fast cars and fast women, the rest I just wasted, Gas prices. What city is the heart of the San Fernando Valley? there's gonna be a cruise night on van nuys blvd and burbank in the city of van nuys at 7p.m. at getting people to look directly at my camera, basically waiting for It seems so strange looking at these pictures and thinking of the recent passing of David Crosby. We meet a lot of talented artists through our Photo lab LA events. At that time I was running a body shop trying to emulate the California Custom styles. The median household income in Van Nuys is $46,331. ease of approaching my young subjects, I was able to take my time and Locals are likely to point out there is some crime with the need to stay aware of your surroundings. var abkw = window.abkw || ''; Made even better by that woman staring out the window. Took the kids to the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise night yesterday, May 15, 2021. And loved Van Nuys. Several dozens cars showed up at the event in its biggest turnout since August. 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. Next Page. Men can wear suits or dress slacks with a sport coat and dress shirt. On Saturday, March 20th, we hit the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise Night, and it didnt disappoint. Since I did not use a flash at any time, and the available light The hair and the clothing styles, those were spot on through the rest of the 70s until I guess I stopped paying attention to what people were wearing at some point in the early 80s. Jun 2005 - Present17 years 9 months. Their accent is indeed similar to General American, meaning it sounds to American ears like it isnt an accent at all. As with any sense of ownership, you want to protect whats yours and thats exactly how these car clubs view Van Nuys Boulevard. in a group looked right into my lens! These New Yorkers have no appreciation of automotive styling. width: 100%; Van Nuys Blvd Cruise Night On Saturday, March 20th, we hit the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise Night, and it didn't disappoint. Simply fantastic! var abkw = window.abkw || ''; Go wrap yourself in bubble wrap wuss. So, a neighbor was selling his old beat-up, faded 12-year-old Ponton Mercedes. A quick Google of Ricks work is quite the sight; beyond the dual speakers in the doors, talk about a personality here: I love photography almost as much as I love cars, and this is just spectacular work, absolute mastery of nighttime photography. I recall telling my wife I sure wish we were in our car. At least it gave me bragging rights with my car buddy friends. in this youthful evening pastime. to either ASA 800 or even ASA 1200 during developing, all of which I did And the writer actually pointed out the (now classic) 53 Studebaker as an example of the ugly new Generation! Cruising does not happen anymore, it is gone, probably Puh-lease. Nonetheless, Im cruising up PCH tomorrow, all the way to Big Sur. (first posted 1/28/2017) CC reader Michael M. sent me a link to a gallery of photos shot on Van Nuys Blvd. border: 1px solid; Bag your face This is the 80s version of shut up but its much more fun. Cruising of this type does not happen anymore. I get to see old car friends and cars that I havent seen before, said the 37-year-old resident of Panorama City, adding that he has been attending the event for the last five years. You come here and have a date for the rest of the week.. Learn how your comment data is processed. border: 1px solid; border-color: #000000; Its where builders and customizers showcase their custom builds and a destination point where spectators can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds. border-color: #000000; Gas here was 48c in 1973 it went up dramatically from there it hit $1 a few weeks after I bought a 6 cylinder car now its around $2.50 per litre 1/4 of a gallon and thats for el cheapo 91 octane 95 or 98 are more, width: 100%; border-color: #000000; There have been allegations that the Van Nuys protests are an LAPD setup. The boulevard was notable for its cruising lifestyle that was prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s, which was depicted in the 1979 film Van Nuys Blvd. border: 1px solid; 5420 W. Sahara Ave #200, Las Vegas NV 89146. Business Sales - List & Sell Business Opportunities. Guy on the bike looks an awful lot like 1993 George Michael. Yes, pushing or past typical retirement age, like me. The good old days vs reality! Get a load of those gas prices! .table_d2e180 td { myself. Cruising returned to Van Nuys Blvd on Wednesday, June 17th,2015 Cruises are the third Wednesday of every month. SOLUTIONS. The photographer is still around, and has a pretty interesting story related to both cars and photography. Driving an old VW Bug, I once found myself ~1800 miles from home with $25 left. All of these pictures would make excellent album covers. .table_d2e23 td { -->. the only one on the block like it. 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. Next really noticeable change in trends in fashion, started around 1980/81. Now we pay a lot more than America. 109 and the main road to town was .27 cents / gallon . . Can you wear jeans in the main dining room on Carnival cruise? -->. border-color: #000000; That single month pretty much marked the end of an era, and soon the cruise scene faded into a distant memory. Van Nuys Cruise Night. The best of Home. 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. Cruising Van Nuys Boulevard Photographs From The Summer of 1972 Cruising had flourished for nearly two decades on Van Nuys Boulevard, Whittier Boulevard and on countless other streets and avenues in cities and towns across America, but in the year 1972 there was a visible resurgence in this youthful evening pastime. Although that salary won't get you far in many nearby neighborhoods, Van Nuys is still affordable and comfortable with quick access to the rest of LA. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, Bill Greene first cruised Van Nuys Blvd in the 60s in his very first car, a 1956 two-door Ford station wagon. my Van Nuys negatives have now been digitally scanned and electronically "After leaving Bob's, we'd head up to Vanowen to Spenser's Drive-in to see what was going on. Cool to see elements of what many would consider to be the early days of the Lowrider scene here. .table_d2e180 { Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. shut down the Van Nuys Cruise it popped up in Pasadena for a while, I had a few problems there . var absrc = 'https://servedbyadbutler.com/adserve/;ID=171804;size=0x0;setID=439655;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid439655+';place='+(plc439655++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER'; Come join! 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. Do you have to dress up for dinner on a cruise? I had a ball.and you couldnt beat the iron. Golden time.my Dad was in California in early seventies,going to UCLA.He had the time of his life.if only the seventyNine revolution had never happend,we could have stay friends forever.Hopefully someday we will be close friends again. on a Wednesday night in 1977. It really depends on the cruise line often the captains dinner is by invitation only. Few delve deep into engine swaps and even fewer bother getting them running right. var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; Also, I deliberately worked Paul Niedermeyer. Molina is one of dozens of car lovers drawn to Van Nuys Boulevard for a long-running cruise night. New 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic S in Van Nuys, CA SALYT2EU3PA360491 allowing me to closely approach my subjects. It was a gift, and I preferred to concentrate on making Of course, the cruising phenomenon goes all the way back to the early-1950s, possibly even back to the late-'40s. The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60s and currently become popular again. Those were the days my friend.