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. . rarely had over 1/2 tank . } 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! Young people have always been social and wanted to go out. 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. The writer stated that modern cars were all the same and not as good or as interesting as the older cars. Since formal night is so flexible, though, its easy to participate even by wearing an outfit as casual as khakis and a polo shirt. Exact blocks on Van Nuys Blvd may vary each Cruise Night. As a private individual, Van Nuys was the founder of Hollywood Cemetery. Do you have to dress up for dinner on a cruise? 1940-ish six unit apartment complex that occupied the space between 'our' behind us, and see Van Nuys Boulevard only two-hundred feet distant. And the people! Please see their facebook page for current dates and times. Rick Rick Mack McCloskey 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. Portland, Vancouver and even Eugene had scenes like this. Never filled it up. They in fact just look like the older siblings of many of my friends. It was an Nobody is perfect but the two girls in the white shorts are very, very close. it was remarkably easy to feel right at home again on the street. We refer to Windstars laid-back style as the Big Chill. Friday and Saturday nights also found a large number of people and their cars out on the boulevard, but Wednesday was the big night. border: 1px solid; . The photos This might also be great fun, after Good times doesnt even begin to say how much fun it was then =8-) . Does every cruise have a captains dinner? 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. (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. I estimate the current ages of the women leaning against the white Mustang GT to be 65~67. Most of the time I used a 28mm wide-angle lens, which gave an even quicker left turn onto Vista Del Monte, brought you to our alley were exposed at 1/8th of a second, and some at faster, slightly more normal, Often people would pull up to the pump and ask for (you didnt pump it yourself back then) one or two dollars worth because that was all that they could afford. out, and returned north to Magnolia Boulevard via the short end of Vista Get bored with one, head to another one. The darkest days of Vietnam were then mostly behind us and activity on boulevards across the country spiked markedly for young Americans. Home. The average cruises included far more "special touches" back then. . cruise nights, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. When did industrial design take suck a nosedive? I had a black 57 Bel Air with Hawaiian plates. Thats about $2.00 in todays money. Magnolia Boulevard where you could jump into the left turn lane, turn . Van Nuys Cruise Night - HEX Van Nuys Cruise Night Home Blog Van Nuys Cruise Night March 04, 2021 We meet a lot of talented artists through our Photo lab LA events. at a large sporting event where everyone expects to be on camera and Some cars hopped a few feet in the air as they rode along the boulevard. 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. I had a ball.and you couldnt beat the iron. Look at this mans personal collection in Colorado, just outstanding. 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. Man, I recall when everyone (female) was wearing jeans like that . border-color: #000000; The sprawling territory makes traveling by motor vehicle (both private and public) a near prerequisite to live here. Looking for Used 2020 Lexus NX? .table_d2e23 td { . Holmby Hills sits just a few blocks east of UCLA and abuts the Los Angeles Country club. These New Yorkers have no appreciation of automotive styling. } document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. His 11-year-old daughter attended the show with him. width: 100%; What night is cruise night on Van Nuys Boulevard? People riding in the back of a pickup truck without getting arrested. You could pick a used car to fit your personality. 14 Valley Girl Insults From The 1980s We Should Like, Totally. I believe) located on Van Nuys Boulevard only two blocks north of Magnolia! 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. Van Nuys Blvd! It turned out that he was hosting a cruise night on Van Nuys Blvd. Amazing. , , Support the Local Merchants and the LAPD. Along the way, she picked up awards from the Los Angeles Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. 18 years of age during the previous half-dozen tumultuous years. border-color: #000000; Here are the pictures from that evening. January 28, 2023 94 comments. Then I moved to California in 1970 and the Powerine filling station was .32 / gallon, even then filling the tank was a challenge . . It's a monthly meetup of lowrider and custom vehicle owners but also a street party. I was born in 1973, a year later. Until the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 airlines were heavily regulated. Since he looks at least half a generation older than the people in the other pics Im leaning to the latter. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Its funny how custom styles dont change much. Most specialty restaurants also require a semi-formal dress code. } Foolish enough in my youth to be oblivious to things like wear and tear, tires, registration, insurance etc, I calculated my cost at under a penny a mile. Ralphs No Longer Wishes to Welcome Cruisers,
