Cruising back in time on the Valley’s iconic Van Nuys Boulevard
Green began cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s after he snagged his driver’s license and purchased his first car. Over the years, thanks to his passion, he was able to meet new friends and witness how the familiar neighborhood has changed.
“Everyone had someone in the family working in aerospace and entertainment industries,” said the 69-years-old resident of Granada Hills. “But they all moved to other places. It’s all different now.”
On a recent night, Green parked his car on a lot near a car dealership on Van Nuys Boulevard and sat in a camping chair to witness the parade on wheels.
The latest edition of Van Nuys Cruise night, a San Fernando Valley tradition reborn on the third Wednesday of every month, drew several dozen vintage cars and many spectators last week. Several dozens cars showed up at the event in the biggest turnaround since August.
After cruising Van Nuys Boulevard, some drivers pulled over their cars and posed for photos with friends. Some drivers hopped up a few feet in the air as they rode along boulevard. A yellow Volkswagen bus, parked along the road, drawing smiles and waves from the the spectators.
The cruise nights became popular in the 1950s as the cruising culture emerged in Van Nuys, spurred by low prices on cars and gasoline. In 1979, William Sachs shot “Van Nuys Blvd.” movie with actress Cynthia Wood about cruising the famous boulevard.
Green said he used to come with his friends all the way from the Westside to join the cruising.
“We didn’t have rivals back then,” he said. “We just came here because we loved cars and cruising. We also wanted to meet girls. You come here and have a date for the rest of the week.”
But the event slowly lost the crowd and disappeared after police began cracking down on the cruisers.
Then in 2009, a group of car enthusiasts decided to revive the event, promoting it on social media and spreading the word among friends.
Chris Mills, a former NBA player, cruised in his 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible made a few rounds along the boulevard.
“This is like a therapy for me,” Mills said, adding that he was not looking for to sell the car. But if he was willing to see the car, its price tag could reach over $200.000. “You get in a car, turn on old school music and meet people.”
He brought the the car from Alabama and named it “mothership,” speding several years repairing and adding new features, including a racing motor, batteries and hydraulics.
“It’s the mothership of all cars,” he said. “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.”
Hugo Guardado sat in a camping chair next to his 1957 Ford Fairlane, his 11-year-old daughter attended the show with him.
He purchased the car from his cousin a few years ago and “put a lot of work in to it,” repainted it and posted an Uber sing on it, just to “get people talking.”
He is at the car show has been a way to meet people who share the same passion.
“I get to see old car friends and cars that I haven’t seen before,” said the 37-year-old resident of Panorama City, adding that he has been attending the even for the last five years. “I come here to show off my car. A lot of hard work was put into it to be sitting at home
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