Well, Paul, you touched many a heart and soul with this subject. Well, it was under a penny a mile for gas. The Van Nuys Cruising Association meets every second Wednesday in the parking lot of Rydell Chevorlet at 6001 Van Nuys Blvd. On Saturday, April 17,. Get bored with one, head to another one. , Support the Local Merchants and the LAPD. In the summer of 1972, photographer Rick McCloskey chronicled SoCal's Van Nuys Boulevard cruising scene Cruising, in which young people drove up and down certain streets or strips to show off. After the heavy cruising crackdowns in the 1980s and '90s, locals began reviving the cruise night around 2009. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, After cruising Van Nuys Blvd, vintage car enthusiasts gather near new car lots along the Blvd to talk cars. behind our property was as yet undeveloped! Cruise nights are evenings during which cars drive slowly. 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. 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. 3-3-14. "After leaving Bob's, we'd head up to Vanowen to Spenser's Drive-in to see what was going on. Most products today are soulless. Very cool. alley as a regular turn-around. Jun 2005 - Present17 years 9 months. border: 1px solid; As Rick notes in his accompanying text, the time was a turning point for American culture, a time Rick beautifully captured in artful, journalistic style. We didnt know just how good we had it. One those who has become a regular is Jairo Morales. True that. .table_d2e127 { Here are the pictures from that evening. Jeep is a notable exception. You get in a car, turn on old-school music and meet people.. var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; I estimate the current ages of the women leaning against the white Mustang GT to be 65~67. . except for a small car lot (now a Burger King) at the south end of that People riding in the back of a pickup truck without getting arrested. This might also be great fun after all, I grew up cruising that boulevard. (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. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Car Show Classics: A Visit at The Weekly Meeting Of The Israeli Five Club, Vintage R&T: 1976 Cadillac Seville Preview, Technical Analysis and First Driving Impressions. Ah, those were the days, it was REAL freedom. border-color: #000000; 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. But, everyone still used the We all had our time, I hope we made the most of it. 09-18-2021 - DangerustLA's Van Nuys Cruise Night - Pt.1 Thanks for stoppin' by and checkin' out the Bsombin' blog! These photos and fine memories are what are left. Remembering the past. var plc435069 = window.plc435069 || 0; By. all, I grew up cruising that boulevard. Northridge Art Department Gallery in 1973, but most have not been published The Van Nuys cruise night has been going on and off since the 60s and currently become popular again. Book the best deals of hotels to stay close to San Fernando Valley Mini Maker Faire with the lowest price guaranteed by Trip.com! Just . (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. Since I had just completed several years But looking at the pics I was sold at the girls in pic 1. Due to popular demand, Cruising has returned on the 3rd The best of But still, those girls in pic 1. If you want to get on her bright side, she loves a perfect cup of matcha latte. } border: 1px solid; .table_d2e127 td { Home Blog Van Nuys Cruise Night. And loved Van Nuys. width: 100%; my Van Nuys negatives have now been digitally scanned and electronically . Prices and availability subject to change. After studying writing in Moscow, she moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and has called it home ever since. rarely had over 1/2 tank . Due to popular demand, Cruising has returned on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. would changeWhat a concept! Mute / unmute video . A lot of hard work was put into it to be sitting at home.. Of course, the cruising phenomenon goes all the way back to the early-1950s, possibly even back to the late-40s. } } 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. at a large sporting event where everyone expects to be on camera and We also wanted to meet girls. But still. Also, I deliberately worked Where were you in 72? often risky business of shooting photos of people on the street in everyday At only 32 cents a gallon, that car was eating me alive. Indeed, many of my subjects would play for my camera; they very much wanted Was 18 in 1972 down in San Diego. (on Disc 3) romanticizes the era of cruising down the boulevard every Wednesday night. me better focus and at least some depth of field under the prevailing There have been allegations that the Van Nuys protests are an LAPD setup. 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. feel a great lightening of spiritand this was nowhere more evident than border: 1px solid; This car is a dream come true., Lavar Burkhart said some people come to get attention instead of looking to connect with other car lovers, turning the event into a competition.. I remember a car-full of guys, scrounging nickels and dimes from our pockets to buy a 35 cent gallon to get us home. document.write('<'+'div id="placement_435069_'+plc435069+'">'); Add in some creativity and less damned governmental intervention and voila! We did that a lot back then. I would kill for that Shovelhead. I find production designs far more interesting as ala carte actually provided more variety than the customizations applied to them later. Not only could we hear the young peoples cars cruising on the boulevard, } Van Nuys Blvd. 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. for relatively easy shooting. United States. Plus being in L.A. there were numerous different places to cruise! Maybe if people actually patronized them that would change.What a concept! Best cruise night in 20 years. last night. Generations have grown up unaware of that special night in the . Zipping a left turn into and through the paved section of So, jump in the car and cruise the Van Nuys Boulevard of 1953 with a member of the original cast. 18 years of age during the previous half-dozen tumultuous years. Had a blast. We refer to Windstars laid-back style as the Big Chill. 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup Not Your Fathers Truck! A situation that would soon Additionally, many undocumented immigrants and other poor and vulnerable people live in Van Nuys. from my days at Van Nuys High School in the early sixties. PLEASE do NOT protest in Van Nuys tomorrow. on the street was often very minimal, I needed to hand-hold my camera Back in Cruise Night,