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. Magnolia Boulevard, you would officially be in Van Nuys. And loved Van Nuys. Bobs was the center of the cruising universe, and driving south past in 1972, by photographer Rick McCloskey, and part of his book, Los Angeles in the 1970s. I was born in 1973, a year later. And those gas prices they didnt seem cheap at the time. Every summer from 1968-1981 was spent on the beach for kicking back, some body surfing, biking the boardwalk around 4 pm while visiting friends up and down Pacific and Mission Beaches for a couple of beers. The cruise nights became popular in the 1950s as the cruising culture emerged in Van Nuys, spurred by low-priced cars and gasoline. } Location: Van Nuys Boulevard. Typically the 3rd Saturday of each month, starting at 5PM. were made on 35mm Kodak Tri-X black and white film, ASA 400, which I pushed Great shots, though, every single one of them, thanks for posting them. var absrc = 'https://servedbyadbutler.com/adserve/;ID=171804;size=0x0;setID=435068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid435068+';place='+(plc435068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER'; Hell no! document.write('<'+'div id="placement_435069_'+plc435069+'">'); That did limit our range due to a student budget to live on. I would kill for that Shovelhead. With P&O and Princess you generally get an invitation to the captains cocktail party from your second cruise onwards as part of the companies loyalty program. My father had a 56 DeSoto back when gas was 25 a gallon. (first posted 1/28/2017) CC reader Michael M. sent me a link to a gallery of photos shot on Van Nuys Blvd. Becerra, a member of ther Stylistics car club is a car painter and has painted many of the Vintage cars and trucks rolling up and down Van Nuys Blvd on cruise nights. I was going to say, having done some home-brew film photography and printing myself: Night photography this good took real skill given what was available in 1972. Living in Van Nuys offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes. kids in the photos are now approaching sixty years of age, a few are even Cars back then were part of the party. width: 100%; - May-Dec . !police shutdown van nuys lowrider cruise!!! . dutifully It turned out that he was hosting a cruise night on Van Nuys Blvd. Yes, pushing or past typical retirement age, like me. border-color: #000000; Please . Dealer Advertised Price There will never be a time like that ever again in either L.A. or San Diego. border-color: #000000; ? Watch popular content from the following creators: 818_Danny(@818_danny), rucababy(@rucababyy), user8364077837671(@lindz_87), Lowrider Syndicate(@lowridersyndicate), Lowrider Syndicate(@lowridersyndicate) . Must have been a great time to be in the car scene back then, but honestly with 3 car meets in my area every single week I cant complain. Maybe if people actually patronized them that Since I did not use a flash at any time, and the available light .table_d2e23 { They guy owned his own tanker truck and drove it to Boston to buy barge bottom special gasoline, it often had debris in it and back then most vehicles only had a screen or porous bronze typ intake filter that would allow lots of crud to get into your carby . I liked the sound, but I had a ball.and you couldnt beat the iron. From one of my bedroom windows, I could You come here and have a date for the rest of the week.. 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 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? } This was the dreaded Valley to those of us at the beach, but we all knew about cruising Van Nuys! Van Nuys Cruise Night. border: 1px solid; and wonderful energy levels of the evening car culture on Van Nuys Boulevard Looking for Used 2020 Lexus NX? 7 cruise lines where you dont have to dress up for dinner. This vibrant collection of cars is accompanied by an equally vibrant collection of people, all of whom have gathered to showoff and appreciate the legacy of car culture that is so uniquely apart of this citys fabric. The VNCA is not affiliated but we wish the new promoters the best of luck. Since I had just completed several years The photos at getting people to look directly at my camera, basically waiting for Since he looks at least half a generation older than the people in the other pics Im leaning to the latter. Those were completely interchangeable, but the pumps also had definite style. THANK YOU for posting these wonderful photos ! Everyone has an accent, however. In the summer of 1972, 26-year-old San Fernando valley native Rick McCloskey was photographing life on SoCal's Van Nuys Boulevard, looking on as the bright young things cruised in cars and hung out. images of the people more than images of their cars. You could pick a used car to fit your personality. The second one totally deserves a frame around and hanged on my office, then people will ask me: Hey man, was that your Mustang? my Van Nuys negatives have now been digitally scanned and electronically Fueled by sweat, hard work, and creativity, Van Nuys Blvd became the catwalk for custom cars. The average cruises included far more "special touches" back then. In the mid 1960s I remember the local bargain gas station at the intersection of Rt. for relatively easy shooting. decades. Green began cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s after he snagged his drivers license and purchased his first car. (on Disc 3) romanticizes the era of cruising down the boulevard every Wednesday night. } Guy sitting on a hood without it denting. 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. came out and blocked the end of the alley. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News-SCNG, Teenagers cruise Van Nuys Blvd. I highly recommend it. ease of approaching my young subjects, I was able to take my time and I drove a 64 GTO and switched to a 68 Falcon a year later. Generations have grown up unaware of that special night in the . We also wanted to meet girls. Learn how your comment data is processed. with our back property line, our short driveway and garage angled off Activity on the boulevards across the USA spiked markedly from my days at Van Nuys High School in the early sixties. Shooting photos of young people during cruise nights on Those were the days. Wednesday Night was girls night, or club night, Friday was Cruise Night, and Saturday Night was date night which was the night you cruised with your girl. Gas was expensive out in California. border-color: #000000; 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. all, I grew up cruising that boulevard. } Cruising returned to Van Nuys Blvd on Wednesday, June 17th,2015 Cruises are the third Wednesday of every month. Nobody is perfect but the two girls in the white shorts are very, very close. Please see their facebook page for current dates and times. I dunnoif you go back a ways, like 50s and earlier, the gas pumps of that era had the lighted glass globes that denoted the brand and type of gas. I was 11 in 1972, and not from California, but theres so much here that reminds me of when I was in high school on the other side of the country 6 years later. -->, ,