Ever since I first saw the movie “American Graffiti” I knew that cruising up and down one of the boulevards in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles was a popular Saturday night ritual. But I never quite realized that Van Nuys Blvd got *this* packed with kids looking for love, trouble, and adventure. The A-framed building on the right is Coffee Dan’s, which was located at 6576 Van Nuys Blvd. I wonder if they did a roaring trade on Saturday nights, or was everyone too busy driving around and around and around.
** UPDATE ** – The caption I found on a forum called Pistolheads said the cruising took place on Saturday nights, but the consensus on my Facebook page seems to agree that it was a Wednesday night thing.
This is how that stretch of Van Nuys Blvd looked in February 2023.
I use to cruise Van Nuys Blvd when I was in high school back in the late 70’s. I would use my parents car which was kind of lame, until I could by my first car. It was a 1969 Nova ss. I think it was Wednesday night we use to cruise and it was packed with kids and cars on a school night.
I went the other direction…learned to drive my bro’s customized ‘68 Merc and then went for the stock classic ‘52 Ford. Both cars had been there on the drag at separate times, but I only drove the V-8 Customline for the cruise. Never got past the front end with the wide whitewalls as I got a hairline in the block, possibly from racing a very mean ‘55 out in Riverside one night. Still have photos of both cars but unfortunately not on the boulevard. (My Nova later was a ‘69 too, but not that mad 350.) Anyone ever find photos of the old In-n-Out for that area?
Those were the days when we could have fun and not worry about having a ton of money in your pocket. Also cars were the thing back then in the 50s and 60s we loved our cars unlike the kids today. We need to go back to a simpler time in our world.
It was Wednesday night. I live just a few blocks from there near what was the southern terminus, and would see the cars on our street as they apparently would use it to go around the block and start back in the other direction. Unfortunately gangs starting showing up and some violent incidents occurred, so they eventually stopped it. But I thought I heard recently that they were going to start it up again. Has that happened? I haven’t noticed any cars going by, but I’m old and deaf now, so maybe I wouldn’t notice it.
Hi Mary, from what I have herd, I don’t live down there anymore, cruise night is every 3rd Saturday each month. It is on different parts of Van Nuys Blvd each cruise night. The cruise section are much shorter, probably not using your street any longer. When I was a teen I would typically get off the 101 at Van Nuys Blvd cruise up and down a bit and head down Victory Blvd back to Burbank.
Oh, that’s interesting. Maybe they feel it can be better controlled that way. Thanks, Mark.
And we shouldn’t forget there were plenty of bikers involved too. I recall they had a spot where they tended to gather together for their break from rollin’. In-n-Out’s history is placing expansion in the ‘70’s to Panorama City and North Hollywood. Anyone know more?