These really seemed to be the glory days for the San Fernando Valley but similar scenes played out in every area across the country. 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). Times had really changed in L.A. by the early 1970s from just a few years earlier in the mid 1960s. Years before I moved there. . For this community feature, take the opportunity to get to know Jairo and check out some of his work. 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, Teenagers cruise Van Nuys Blvd. Tonight in Jungleland FARM STRONG - Robert Gallery and his 1960 Ford F250 Crew Cab, 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Go Mango Goodness. For those not into bikes, picture #6. 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. border-color: #000000; Forums. Whittier Boulevard and on countless other streets and avenues in cities .table_d2e180 td { 5043 Van Nuys Blvd no longerwelcomes cruisers to come park and hang out. But it comes alive once a month in a parade of classic cars and tricked-out lowriders that defy the laws of time and gravity as they galavant and literally hop along the boulevard. The best of border-color: #000000; Maybe if people actually patronized them that (first posted 1/28/2017) CC reader Michael M. sent me a link to a gallery of photos shot on Van Nuys Blvd. Your email address will not be published. .table_d2e42 { Although all kinds of cars could be found in the lot on any Wednesday, many were lowriders. And technologically, theyre miles ahead of anything we were doing in our twenties. Generations have grown up unaware of that special night in the . In 1972-73, I was running a Sunoco station on the South Side of Richmond, Virginia. Van Nuys Blvd, paved by Isaac Van Nuys in the early 1920's over farm land. I concentrated as much, or more, on making images of the people than their cars. I mainly cruised Whittier Blvd Fridays and Saturday nights. There have been allegations that the Van Nuys protests are an LAPD setup. Enjoy. The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60's and is currently popular again. width: 100%; Occasionally, I got lucky when everyone and wonderful energy levels of the evening car culture on Van Nuys Boulevard .table_d2e150 { On the night I went, it took place between Vanowen Street & Sherman Way. A driver was hospitalized Saturday evening after crashing into a Van Nuys apartment building Saturday evening. } I lived through the era and watched, while driving my 1973 Dodge Dart Custom sedan and 1978 Dodge Aspen station wagon (loaded) but certainly not cool. 18 years of age during the previous half-dozen tumultuous years. Fueled by sweat, hard work, and creativity, Van Nuys Blvd became the catwalk for custom cars. Now we pay a lot more than America. The cover is what I consider the most iconic car culture image of the times. I was at a car show last weekend.A friend of mine told me Van Nuys blvd cruise nights were back. border: 1px solid; At the time, the cruise was taking place on a fat. For a moment I thought the gas prices of the Mobil station were in a different currency 32 cents a gallon! border-color: #000000; of the boulevard scene with a camera. Van Nuys, 7 hour Beginner Digital Camera Class (+ Get OFF of Auto) Sat Jul 30 2022 at 08:00 am Woodley Park Sep13 Cruise Night - Cruisin Through The Village Tue Sep 13 2022 at 05:00 pm Wolverine Park Dundee Mi Aug13 Cruise Night 2022 The good old days vs reality! Without knowing it at the time, Rick shot these historic and fascinating images of California car culture as a personal project. } 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. For women, dresses, or skirts or slacks with sweaters or blouses are recommended. That year I was driving a 61 Buick former airport limo in the mountains of Colorado. ease of approaching my young subjects, I was able to take my time and width: 100%; dutifully It really depends on the cruise line often the captains dinner is by invitation only. You could hear the engines of the hotrods from my room, and I could even Vista Del Monte, a street one block west of Van Nuys Boulevard with large No doubt not everyone in the pictures are still here either. Their 80s and 90s Hondas are just as interesting to them as those 60 Chevys were to us. border-color: #000000; Well, Paul, you touched many a heart and soul with this subject. 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. Too bad Youth is wasted on the Young! Many families and young professionals live in Van Nuys and residents tend to be liberal. The process is fairly random, with invitees ranging from first-time cruisers to VIPs. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The candy paints, the graphics in the side sculpting, low profile white line tires, low stance(hydraulics?) Was 18 in 1972 down in San Diego. But still, those girls in pic 1. Along the way, she picked up awards from the Los Angeles Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. Come join! border: 1px solid; discovering the Golden State one experience at a time. Molina is one of dozens of car lovers drawn to Van Nuys Boulevard for a long-running cruise night. Mute / unmute video . Cruising of this type does not happen anymore. border: 1px solid; Bag your face This is the 80s version of shut up but its much more fun. Then and especially now. Olga Grigoryants is a multimedia reporter focusing on urban development, business and culture. Overview Plans and pricing Premium Access Assignments. 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. var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; Van Nuys Blvd: A Legendary Cruise Night By LRS Staff To celebrate what would have been Arman Jerejian's 22nd birthday, Individuals CC and Arman's foundation, Young Legend, orchestrated a cruise to celebrate his life and there was no better name way to name it than by calling it, "A Legendary Cruise Night." (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, Lamar Hart watches the cruisers roll down Van Nuys Boulevard Wednesday evening from the trunk of his 1964 Chevy. Bobs Drive-In, then making a quick right turn on Magnolia followed by I read a letter to the editor in a mechanics magazine. border: 1px solid; My father had a 56 DeSoto back when gas was 25 a gallon. Van Nuys Blvd! Our home actually had half Driver injured when vehicle crashes into Van Nuys apartment building - Yahoo TV myself. to either ASA 800 or even ASA 1200 during developing, all of which I did document.write('<'+'div id="placement_435071_'+plc435071+'">'); On the gasoline front,, a truly feulish thing was me piloting a 1950 Buick Super in 1980! All you see here are SUVs,compacts,subcompacts,BMWs and Mercedes in all shades of gray HOW BORING. (around $200,000 today). Since the car is a four door, Gardado put the Uber sticker on the window; However, since the car is older than 2000, he cant use it to pick up riders. Do I have to dress up for dinner on a cruise? Its all different now., Vintage cars and trucks once again cruise Van Nuys Boulevard every third Wednesday of the month. life as so many photographers work very hard at doing, and where many The days of $.23 tacos, bean burritos and bell burgers at Taco Bell! AdButler.ads.push({handler: function(opt){ AdButler.register(171804, 435071, [300,600], 'placement_435071_'+opt.place, opt); }, opt: { place: plc435071++, keywords: abkw, domain: 'servedbyadbutler.com', click:'CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER' }}); if (!window.AdButler){(function(){var s = document.createElement("script"); s.async = true; s.type = "text/javascript";s.src = 'https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);}());} border-color: #000000; border-color: #000000; They in fact just look like the older siblings of many of my friends. Hours of Operation: Typically the 3rd Saturday of each month, starting at 5PM. Never filled it up. Grody Is there a word that is more fun to say than grody? Man, I recall when everyone (female) was wearing jeans like that . Morro Bay - Auto Hangout & Car Show - next to the PG&E stacks - 8am-11am: Every Saturday: Car Cruise: Newbury Park - Broadbeck Dr. Van Nuys Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road that runs through the central San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. out, and returned north to Magnolia Boulevard via the short end of Vista During the monthly Van Nuys Cruise Night Van Nuys Blvd. This was not just any crowded six-lane urban thoroughfare but the storied street immortalized in the 1970s film "Van Nuys Blvd." and in folk tales as the place where cruising may have begun.. These pics could have been taken as late as 1978 or 1979. So many cars, so many happy CA night kids. All three are late-`70s teen sex comedies. Those were the days my friend. If you want to get on her bright side, she loves a perfect cup of matcha latte. Will the fuel prices back in the day thread become as virulent as the dreaded Oil Thread ? March 04, 2021. -->,