Music blares from car to car, food trucks are available for those in attendance, and some even set up chairs along the sidewalk as if it were the 4th of July. Cruising does not happen anymore, it is gone, probably !police shutdown van nuys lowrider cruise!!! Do you have to attend formal night on a cruise? Was I lucky to be one of the cool kids, driving a cool car? Times had really changed in L.A. by the early 1970s from just a few years earlier in the mid 1960s. Old-timers will be sure to remember the crackdown on cruising that happened in the early 90s. Do you have to dress up for dinner on a cruise? var plc435071 = window.plc435071 || 0; Now we pay a lot more than America. Same as it ever was! . 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. Guy on the bike looks an awful lot like 1993 George Michael. Since I had just completed several years of photography in the Art Department of California State University at Northridge, it was an easy step to assign myself the task of capturing what I could of the essence of the boulevard scene. To be specific the second Wednesday of every month. Occasionally there would be some kind of dustup between a couple of guys, and the police would come and scoop them up. 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. Blue Collar Americans, College Students etc. Yes; me too. Portland, Vancouver and even Eugene had scenes like this. I wouldnt say that, modern (post-80s) cars are plenty interesting to my generation. -->. Please . It turned out that he was hosting a cruise night on Van Nuys Blvd. On the night I went, it took place between Vanowen Street & Sherman Way. The median household income in Van Nuys is $46,331. Endeavor to discover something new everyday, no matter how big or small. out, and returned north to Magnolia Boulevard via the short end of Vista when we bought the house, this particular alley was absolutely critical Made even better by that woman staring out the window. in this youthful evening pastime. Among the clubs in attendance were Ruthless Ryders, Low Bottomz, Westside, and Majestics, to mention a few. Valleyspeak or Valspeak is an American English social dialect and accompanying vocal features, best associated with Valley girls, though elements of it have spread to other demographics, including men called Val dudes. Manual everything, feeble heater, not even a radio for $200. THERE'S GONNA BE A CRUISE NIGHT IN THE CITY OF VAN NUYS ON VAN NUYS BLVD AN BURBANK' THERE WAS A ESTIMATED 500 CARS LAST MONTH' IT WILL BE HELD EVERY 2ND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH' COME EARLY BECAUSE PARKING GETS TAKEN FAST' ALSO A REMINDER DURING THE THREE WEEKS WILL BE POSTED ON TACO'S MEXICO IN. Hypermiling before it was a thing, I made it home with $10. Plenty chicks and a light to light race anytime you wanted. } The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60s and is currently popular again. Had a blast. Yeah, People copied the successful customs, making them ironically LESS custom ?. of that alley. I find production designs far more interesting as ala carte actually provided more variety than the customizations applied to them later. THANK YOU for posting these wonderful photos ! from my days at Van Nuys High School in the early sixties. in the boulevard scene since the beginning of 1966, I knew it well, and Took the kids to the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise night yesterday, May 15, 2021. Green began cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s after he snagged his drivers license and purchased his first car. 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. Its where builders and customizers showcase their custom builds and a destination point where spectators can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds. My TV is a black rectangle, my fridge is a black rectangle, My PC is a black rectangle. ? 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. width: 100%; var plc435068 = window.plc435068 || 0; Far cry from todays plasti-dip craze. Simply fantastic! potential subjects react adverselyeven angrily. width: 100%; Forty-two years have passed, and most of the beautiful My folks were just thrilled. Rick McCloskey spent the summer of 1972 chronicling the vibrant and bustling cruising scene on Van Nuys Boulevard, a part of the booming suburban San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles. Doug Nelsons 64 Impala, Doug in the drivers seat, Mark Gershon in the tanktop. Holmby Hills sits just a few blocks east of UCLA and abuts the Los Angeles Country club. As with most accents, the vowels are what really set Californians apart. graininess in the pictures, I was happy to have accomplished a surprising Great shots, though, every single one of them, thanks for posting them. The best of low-light conditions. Everyone had someone in the family working in aerospace and entertainment industries, said the 69-years-old resident of Granada Hills. "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. border: 1px solid; Exact blocks on Van Nuys Blvd may vary each Cruise Night. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, Vintage cars and trucks line Van Nuys Blvd on Wednesday cruise night in Van Nuys. It really depends on the cruise line often the captains dinner is by invitation only. dutifully Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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! Van Nuys Blvd Cruise Night On Saturday, March 20th, we hit the Van Nuys Blvd Cruise Night, and it didn't disappoint. So, a neighbor was selling his old beat-up, faded 12-year-old Ponton Mercedes. From a purely technical standpoint, all of these images That thing could shoot 50 feet or more! .table_d2e23 { Special Update!!! Ah, come on now, that camper is awesome! Id forgotten about Hughes Markets; they were bought out by QFC, yet another Seattle biz enlarging its borders. The Van Nuys Cruising Association meets every second Wednesday in the parking lot of Rydell Chevorlet at 6001 Van Nuys Blvd. Background Van Nuys, CA 91407-3118 [email protected] Subscribe to our agendas on city notification system. border: 1px solid; Former NBA player Chris Mills sat next tohis 1959Chevy. We didnt have rivals back then, he said. Van Nuys never disappoints. Photographs From The Summer of 1972. The VNCA is not affiliated but we wish the new promoters the best of luck. To see the entire set of Rick's photos, click HERE. Van Nuys - Spring Fling 35 - Woodley Park - Info - V: 15: Carson . We refer to Windstars laid-back style as the Big Chill. 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? . (first posted 1/28/2017) CC reader Michael M. sent me a link to a gallery of photos shot on Van Nuys Blvd. Dealer Advertised Price You could pick a used car to fit your personality. Maybe if people actually patronized them that Never filled it up. 7 cruise lines where you dont have to dress up for dinner. Living in Van Nuys offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes. Typically the 3rd Saturday of each month, starting at 5PM. 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. The candy paints, the graphics in the side sculpting, low profile white line tires, low stance(hydraulics?) Theres a very American Graffiti vibe to these photos which is interesting because the film was set in 1962, but was produced closer to the time these photos were made. came out and blocked the end of the alley. Add in some creativity and less damned governmental intervention and voila! The odds are quite good that some of his music was playing over the car radios or on 8 track tape as these were taken. The first night a friend of mine bought his 67 Corvette 427 tri power he had to fill his gas tank 3 times. I sold Sunoco 190 for 24 cents a gallon, and 260 for about 35. Del Monte, our street. Wish I had pictures of the same melded with those of the surfing scene and the young women on the beaches. the only one on the block like it. Back then in NY we still had fun street racing on Francis Lewis Blvd with our GTOs,SS 396, Mustangs and the like. Dont underestimate what the kids are doing today. You could hear the engines of the hotrods from my room, and I could even 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. Olga Grigoryants is a multimedia reporter focusing on urban development, business and culture. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. push the button. Copyright 2014 - All Rights Reserved I cant for the life of me figure out if the biker in Pic 6 has his lady with him, or his kid. But thanks to a cooperation between local government officials, the police department, and the various attending car clubs, the event has been revitalized in recent years. And it says, Must Sell. He would even take best offer. - May-Dec . . The public schools in Van Nuys are above average. Exact blocks on Van Nuys Blvd may vary each Cruise Night. Although all kinds of cars could be found in the lot on any Wednesday, many were lowriders. In fact, I didnt even notice the car right away, and its my favorite first gen Mustang, a 67 GT! border-color: #000000; Long Beach - Underoath Car Club Cruise Night - 6522 E. Spring St. - 4PM - 7PM - Flyer: 3rd Sat. So glad I read your post about these pics probably being taken on a cruise night. at getting people to look directly at my camera, basically waiting for .table_d2e127 td { It would have been about the same in Australia too. Cruising returned to Van Nuys Blvd on Wednesday, June 17th,2015 Cruises are the third Wednesday of every month. Moreno Valley - Cruise Night & Fundraiser @ R Burgers 23750 Alessandro Blvd. We lived out of cars in those days. block, the entire length of the treed block along the boulevard directly Jeans are welcome in all dining venues during the day, but theyre not appropriate in any public venues for dinner or cocktail hour. Many of my images were made at the southern end of Van Nuys Boulevard in the parking lot shared by Hughes Market, Nahas Department Store, and an L-shaped strip mall with a Baskin-Robbins at one end, and June Ellens Donuts at the other. var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; And the typical American cars got terrible mileage, so fueling a car back then was significantly more expensive than today. Without knowing it at the time, Rick shot these historic and fascinating images of California car culture as a personal project. He had to sell it because he couldnt afford to feed it. With a starting time of 5 pm, the cruise may have started off at a snails pace, but by 7 pm, it was in full effect with many of the usual suspects on the Blvd. Thats very true, the crossover between lowrider Impalas in particular are striking. Too righteous for VN Blvd, besides, going to school, working and protesting the war, I didnt have time for it! 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, One could feel a great lightening of spirit, and this was nowhere more evident than on Van Nuys Boulevard at night. Back in Cruise Night, . (around $200,000 today). 18 years of age during the previous half-dozen tumultuous years. You come here and have a date for the rest of the week.. Watch popular content from the following creators: 818_Danny(@818_danny), rucababy(@rucababyy), user8364077837671(@lindz_87), Lowrider Syndicate(@lowridersyndicate), Lowrider Syndicate(@lowridersyndicate) . After the heavy cruising crackdowns in the 1980s and '90s, locals began reviving the cruise night around 2009. Greene located same car model, bought it, and now cruises the Blvd again on Wednesday cruise nights. If you want to attend a cruise elegant evening, bring a fancier, more formal outfit. - Posted on January 28, 2023. victim of the big earthquake in 1993? On the other side of Disc 3 is the first of a threesome of similar movies that continue on Disc 4. I come here to show off my car. border: 1px solid; .table_d2e189 td { To quote the Beach Boys: I wish they all could be California girls. 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. I like older chicks. 2021 | LOWRIDER SYNDICATE | PRIVACY POLICY | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. border: 1px solid; Occasionally, I got lucky when everyone Im not from the California area, but Ive been in the LA area a few times in the 60s & 70s and Id enjoyed every minute of it.California is a far cry from from here in New York City. concentrate on composition and on timing. } Some LA County Board of Supervisors propose expanding the board, Some California cities cant stop apartment projects as developers use builders remedy, Longshore union, shippers offer rate update on labor talks, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, DA Gascn suspends attorney who prosecuted transgender child molester, Southern Californias mountain towns remain buried under snow with more on the way, Reports: Kings trade Quick to Blue Jackets, acquire Korpisalo, Gavrikov, Killer keto? Prices and availability subject to change. It was a gift, and I preferred to concentrate on making see them through the walnut trees if I looked. This all went to jacked up mini-trucks in the next couple of years. Your email address will not be published. For women, dresses, or skirts or slacks with sweaters or blouses are recommended. Today Im paying 94 cents a litre for regular. forever. myself. Ralphs No Longer Wishes to Welcome Cruisers,
