History Cruising: Then vs. Now

Reno had a popular cruising scene on weekends in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Downtown was popular with a loop through the drive-in restaurants and back again. They banned cruising in the early ‘70s because the casinos did not like it. Ever since it has been dead as a doornail downtown at night. I did a few pieces depicting local places one would see in a night of cruising which are on my site. www.hotrodartwork.com

 

It was such a different time and kid's today will never get to experience it. On Long Island we cruised the Wetson's burger chains. There were three Wetson's and a diner and we made a loop and stopped at all four and by time we got back to the first there were different cars. Occasionally a couple of cars would face off and it's a wonder no one was killed. If we were lucky and the weather conditions were right, we could pick up Wolfman Jack on the radio. I want to go back!!!

 

We had renewed a cruise spot in Dallas a few years back - Forrest Lane - think there is an old thread here somewhere. Anyway the merchants welcomed us back to the area again after about 20 or so years - lots of fast food places and parking lots. Pretty sure it was the new Camero bunch doing donuts in the street that got us barred again there and almost at one of our long standing car hop places.

 

One of the cars I cruised in was this 396/4 speed 64 SS and had a 69 convert SS with a 427 auto....fun times.

 

As I remember in the mid 60’s, it was very much like American Graffiti. Good Times!!!!

 

Late 50s-early 60s, Vernon, BC. Small town of about 10,000. We would sometimes park in front of the pool hall on the main drag, to see who was cruising. There were two drive ins, Graces, on the South end of town, and The North End at either, and we would hit both at least a couple of times to see if there was any action.
Any racing would take place north of town, there were a couple of excellent country roads.
Bob

 

I grew up in Tulsa, OK and we cruised Brookside, a neighborhood along South Peoria Ave known as the Restless Ribbon. There is a website dedicated to the memories of those who grew up cruising the Restless Ribbon. Hopefully, some of you will find it interesting reading.
http://www.restlessribbon.com/

 

I grew up in Santa Rosa Ca.
We crused 4th street and if we left town we hit Petaluma.
Petaluma was were most of American Graffiti was filmed .
It all ended in the late 80' when the cops became beyond rediculas.
4th street got turned into a two lane with stupid crap in the middle of the road . They ticketed you if you went by to many times in a hour .
In 79 car craft came to town and there were cars cruising clear out past Flamingo hotel . It was like 2 hours 2 make a loop.

We went to Petaluma for racing.
The old Adobe road were the American Graffiti race was shot was a real thing clear into to late 80's

There was also a dead end south of Petaluma along the river that guys would hit race and get out before the cops came.

I was just a punk kid but had a pretty fast car for a bit .
No real street rods in my time.
It was mostly muscle cars .

A few cars like the Bad Hemi were know to be fast . It was about a 69 cuda .

There used to be a 302 powered Chevelle that was damn fast .

It was about ,cars and girls and being young.

Apparently the cities felt drugs alcohol and video games were better.

I remember getting a bald tire ticket for a set of three day old MT tires.

I lugged both front wheels into court with the receipts and pics of the car a day earlier.
Cop didn't know what to say.

We did some stupid stuff back then racing wise but at least it wasent fentanyl laced heroin.

I need to dig out the 79 Car craft my Vette was in it a Cruse ( previous owner)
The Article was called A Religious Experience. The editor got taken for a little ride in a 10 second street legal 57 Vette with a 3 point cage .
There is some great cruzing pics in that month.

I had a tunnel rammed 67 Chevelle then .
It was a high 12 second car on a old set of MT sprint car tires.

 

Missed the 60's, too young, but in 76-77 we cruised downtown main street. Cars were mostly 60's stuff, not many daddies bought JR a new car back then. Some were hand me down 4 door family cars, but most were 60's pony cars and muscle cars. We did some stop light block long drags, but nobody got carried away with it. For serious racing, we went out of town on the back roads. Even went back a few times in 78 after I got married, was still fun.

Then a few years later, we just happened to be through there one Sat night, nothing going on. All the kool kids were now going to the malls in other towns, our big town in the county didn't have anything to offer high school kids. No movie theaters, no game rooms, only two fast food places, a Sonic and a now closed Hardees. Sometime in the mid 80's it all just died. It wasn't the cops, they never really bothered anyone unless there were complaints, which was seldom. It wasn't the stores, they were mostly all closed up when we cruised, so we never bothered them. It wasn't drugs, we never had much of a problem until the last few years around here with drugs.

Somehow, the flame died. Kids didn't get older cars anymore, their parents bought them new or nearly new econoboxes. Oh, there were still a few that got Fox Mustangs and IROC Camaros, but they were the exception. One thing that has killed it is the internet and smart phones. Nobody goes out and has a good time anymore, they are always on their phones. It was a simpler time back then, and I miss it....

 

Cruising as when I was a teenager doesn't exist today.
Unfortunately todays youth will never have that experience of a time that by todays standard was a far simpler, safer time..a time when the only organizing was talking with your buddies at school, or actually using a dial type land line finding out where you're going to meet up (not that it was a mystery it was almost always the same place).
My home town was Puyallup, Wa..time was early seventies (graduated High School in '73), place was Herfy's Drive in, which had a big parking lot and a great location amongst the one way loop around town. If it was a slow night we would head over to Tacoma's Highland Hill, and farther away yet was the Renton Highlands.
Plenty of opportunities for an optimistic teenager hoping to hook up with a member of the opposite sex, find a party, or pick up a race.
I feel extremely fortunate to have experienced that era, and am glad I'm not a teenager in today's world.

 

I did a lot in the 70s and rolled right on thru to the early 90s. Not many of my exploits were in HAMB friendly cars and my focus was always illicit racing. Yeah, I did, but I'm sure there's a statute of limitations on that shit. My worries were always cops because the crew I ran with later on were all really good folks, some of whom I still associate with today. Night time was the right time. There's something about that warm air turning cool, street lights tweeking the colors, the general mood of the others doing it. Our gig was the west side subs of Motown. We haunted the usual suspects that hung out at the White Castle, Dunkin Donuts, "Naps", and Corvettes even long after it wasn't. The names just stuck. We got faster and faster as time rolled on and the smart thing was get off the street and keep it on the track. I already told the story of the big bust that happened one night in Redford and I was lucky enough to destroy a BBC with excess juice at Detroit (the "Dirty D") Dragway that night and missed out. Undaunted I still ventured out now and then in other cars. A couple notable nights were with an 11 second C@#!ro with a conservative blue bottle tune up, and another night in a Ferarri. There was a push in the local news media drawing attention to the racing on Plymouth and Outer Dr. We were there when cops and news cameras rolled in. I always tried not to run, maybe just a some extra spring in my step,but I was "slow" enough that the camera man zoomed in on my Tshirt with "Inkster Tire" in white on black. Clear as day, phone number and all, part of the 11:00 o'clock news report the following Mon. The late Gene Buckles was a friend of mine and ran that place so I was sure to call and remind him that any press was good press, but that it was me in the Inkster Tire shirt. We both got a kick out of it. I don't do much lately but admit to having a major itch for it again and it's been pushing me to rock on the 39 a little harder. I'm guessing other than weekly "cruise night" events not much happens like it used to around here. I think we need to change that. Who's in? And if there is some actual driving fun to be had here around Motown beyond the few weeks before Woodward then spill it. Never too old to just drive around, right?

 

Can you post or shoot me a link to the Redford Bust? I must have missed that one.

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Doesn't say too much more but...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/walts-auto-supply.803880/page-2#post-8926254

 

In the '50's as well.

 

s. simon
“Longevity — many strive for it, only some achieve it.”

“And among those aged few, the rarest of all: The Balboa Island Ferry, which celebrated 100 years of nonstop service this month, making it “the oldest continuously operated business in Newport Beach,” owner/operator Seymour Beek explained. The centenarian ferry service has been family-owned since Joseph Allen Beek obtained rights from the city to provide ferry service across the harbor in 1919. Running across the bay 365 days of the year from 6 am to 12 midnight, that’s more than 100,000 crossings every year for the fleet of ferries. Last year, according to Seymour Beek, they carried about 1.7 million passengers.”


s. beek

Hello,

How many times has the Rendezvous Ballroom been mentioned in any history of So Cal? It was part of teenage & twenty something gatherings until it was closed down for good. It is well documented in Custom Car Chronicles by Rik Hoving. Today, a condo development stands where the outrageous ballroom held tons of teenagers from all over So Cal for weekend dances and performances.

That Pacific Coast Highway ran through some of the nicest beach towns and oceanfront views in all of California. There were two ways to get to the famous ballroom. One was the street driving from all points north or south to Newport Blvd. and PCH. Then towards the ocean until one goes past the Newport Beach Pier. Then Newport Blvd. turns into West Balboa Blvd. A short distance down the Peninsula a right turn at the Washington St brings anyone to the sandy beach and parking.

The other was getting on to Balboa Island from Coast Highway 1 and driving to the bay front landing of the Balboa Ferry. The short bay cruise and a measly sum for a car was all it took to get across the bay to the Peninsula and W. Balboa Blvd to the Rendezvous Ballroom.

Jnaki

THEN:
Either of those scenes was repeated constantly during our teenage years and for thousands of teenagers from all over So Cal. For a while, it was “THE” place to be. Cruising on any street, like PCH was the road to having fun in So Cal. It was a built-in coastal cruise with beaches comparable to any in the world.

NOW, the drive to Balboa for some beach time and just strolling around, relaxing is one way for us. From the time our granddaughter was 1, we all have been spending beach time right next to the Balboa Pier. She now knows the area, as it was a weekly or, at least two times as week for our “sunny day outings.” We always took the Balboa Island Ferry.

We have been coming to this ferry since we were teenagers with our friends. My dad used to purposely take the ferry to get to the relatively secluded beaches in front of those homes, for some quiet surf fishing time. We drove down 101 or PCH from Long Beach. But he knew my brother and I liked the motion of the quaint, 3 car ferry that putt putts across the Newport Harbor Channel, so he drove a few miles to get onto the Balboa Island area and then the ferry.

So, Happy Birthday, Balboa Island Ferry. It is still part of today’s cruising route down along the shoreline and across the bay. (warning: Lowered cars may not be able to fit on the odd angle ramp, going in and out on both sides of the ferry and landing ramps… check your clearances and ramp angles)

Modified from a Custom Car Chronicle article.


“Since 1919, Balboa Island Ferry has provided continuous service for drivers and passengers in vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians between Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California. Crossings are approximately 900 feet. Via bridges, an alternate route is possible; but the traveling distance increases up to six miles. Many choose the ferry's direct route and scenic crossing.”

 

Now that's pretty cool to hear. And that it's still around today, sorry about the dance hall though! Sounds like it was a pretty good time and some good experiences though, wish I could have seen it.

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I didn't get to do a lot of cruising around town being in a band we were playing most Friday & Saturday nights and by the time we wrapped up there was very little going on, Anderson was a small town and they figuratively rolled up the streets by 11 PM, Dennis, one of our band member was a assistant manager at Besto and we would go there after we played and he would cook all of us a burger and fries.

The few times I was able to take cruise in Falcon I felt as though I had a target on my back, I got stopped for all kinds of violations, from loud mufflers to failure to give a proper signal to change lanes.

Mid 60's and any teenager that hadn't visited a barber shop in a year was always fair game for the local police, if you didn't have a flat top or a crew cut you were a low life hippie and fair game for their shenanigans.

Cruising here was driving around the square and back down the main drag to drive around McDonalds. HRP

 

Cruising has evolved into Cruise In's. I really miss the late 50's and 60's.

 

Hey L,

If you watch a home show called Cristina on the Coast, they will show the big Newport Harbor and bay in a drone shot. That is a fun show that has a Wheeler Dealer guy on the show, too.

There is also a crappy Netflix program called Dirty John, a ripped from the headlines style of show, (LA Times) that shows the bay in a close up programming. The show is crappy as the characters portrayed are awful and as the saying goes... "you want to just shake them up" to make them see reality. No one should be that awful. It was just a terrible, creepy, family life and history... But the location shots were pretty good. The locals like seeing the community in any background shots... there are plenty of shots.

We could not continue watching the show and quit. But, the aerial shots and the local scenes are true to life. The main house is right down the street from the Ferry Terminal and old Rendezvous Ballroom (no ballroom, but historic monument) location across main cruising highway, on the beach side.

So be forewarned... The location shots are good, the storyline is awful.

Jnaki
The ferry ride is part of the old/new So Cal cruising scene. It still rings true every time you cross the bay to the other side.
(@da34guy and @Ron Funkhouser ) added, extra information for you guys...

 

I am a youngster compared to most on this thread, but even in the early 80's we were still cruising. A whole lot of street racing going on here. I guess the young guys call it the 405 now. It was a lot of fun. My wife and I crossed paths but never knew each other. We always talk about how the kids now don't cruise, they just text each other. What kind of reminiscing will that provide in 30 years?

 

In Sunland Tujunga Ca. it was the Frosty next th the movie theater and across from the Liquor store, hang out drink some Ripple or "T" Bird, find out who was having a party and make it. Or cruise down to the other end of town to Winchells and back. Our Frosty was like this one, very cool hang it was.

 

I did this same cruising as a teen in the 80's. It would take almost 2 hours to get from Kansas Expy to Glenstone back then... Kearney loaded full of killer cars and pretty girls with tall hair It was amazing in the heyday.

By 1990 the police had cracked down so hard on cruising that I could not even drive down Kearney in my 55 after dark without getting pulled over. I worked nights downtown and went through there going home. It was sad to see it's demise.

 

cops killed the cruising here too
now our local mall is empty
I guess they got what they wanted
There is still a group of newer and tuner cars that hang out and do stupid stuff. The 4x4 guys still play in the mud.
so its still around but not as prominent.
the local old guys with cool cars only drivem on cruise nights.......if it aint raining
sad

 

I think whats killed cruising is the stupidity of some of the attendees. Anyone from the lower mainland (B.C.) will remember the number of places in Langley there were to pull in and chat before going to the next one. UNTIL the parking lot big power fools decided to turn the asphalt even blacker than it was, so much so that the merchants got the landowner to close the parking lot and end the area of happy times. There were great times to be had, cars from all over, every friday and saturday night from dinner till midnight most nights. I live in a little town now, cruising doesn't happen here, too bad, a fun way to relive your youth.

 

There is nothing in my area comparative to the cruising we did back in the day. I feel sorry for those who missed it. Now its cars in a parking lot and folks sitting in lawn chairs.

 

In the 60's and 70's in Rochester, NY we had neighborhood spots around town where people would show up with their cars. In our neighborhood the choice was "Cruising the Dew" (named after the street Dewey Ave) and the spot we called Ace Drags which was a parking lot in front of an Ace Drycleaner store. If you were not out on a date parking by the Aquinas Stadium or down at Durand Beach watching the Submarine races, most Friday or Saturday nights our neighborhood spots would draw a crowd. My Brother was a regular and was known for routinely cleaning his engine compartment with Lemon Pledge. During the summer from here we would cruise to another groups neighborhood hangout or go down by the lake for an Abbotts Custard and hang out in the beach parking lot. On the cooler nights we might head downtown and late at night if your car was dirty some of us found the Civic Center Underground Garage had hose hookups where we would wash our cars. One of our friends tells a story how he used to cruise real slow down Main St. A Cop once stopped him and asked what he was doing. He said "I'm profiling". The Cop looked confused until he showed him how cool his car looked in the night lights as he drove past the big glass storefront windows. Still confused the Cop shook his head and drove off. To this day there is a large glass wall on one of the Kodak buildings near me and thanks to my Grandsons I often do a little profiling of my own when I pass by in one of my cars.

 

Up the road, in the next town, there is a Cabela's sporting goods store with parking to spare where the lot wrapped around almost to the back. They allowed a local car club to have regular Saturday meets and hold their car show right there. Well, new owners bought the place and basically kicked the car guys out.

Have you ever been out to sea and every couple of weeks you might see an Albatross cruise by with no place to land?
.

 

N, that's crazy. I knew there had to be people from Springfield on the HAMB, just never met any. I really do like the cruise nights and looking at the barked cars, but to me driving mine is a lot more fun than sitting around looking at them. That's why we grew up and bought ours, you know? Wish it hadn't died off.

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1962 I was 14. My buddy, Ken and I would sneak out of our bedroom windows and meet up to walk the mile downtown and walk around, watching the cruisers in their 40s-50s cars. One deuce 5 window, a 34 Plymouth coupe, a purple ford 34 sedan and a handful of painted up, shortened 30s, 1-1.5 ton "cherry trucks".
When I turned 16, I had my own cruiser, a 50 ford crestliner with a 53 merc motor my dad and I built but it still needed some work and I needed a car to get to work in NOW! Got a 56 Olds convertible and had a blast cruising the 15 block long
"gut" ...that's what we called it, cruising the gut. We drank beers, picked up girls and hung out at the Handout drive in at the end of town. One night my buddy, Dan and I were in his 55 hardtop, [301/3 speed] sitting in the Handout parking lot trying to devise some way of getting some gas money. I spied a small tortoise crossing the road 50 yards away. We drove to Dans' house and drilled a small hole in the edge of it's shell, grabbed some fishing line and returned to the handout. We charged 50 cents to let the girls walk the tortoise for a few minutes and then another half-buck for another one. We got enough $$$ for some gas and beer.
Met my first wife cruising downtown Portland, Ore. Now THAT was some very serious cruising! By now it was '69 and early 70s and the streets [Broadway] were 3 lanes wide for a mile or so. then a mile back on the next street over and all lanes were full and hunderds of cars parked on both sides...some coupes and roadsters but mostly pony cars and factory hot rods....chevelles, torinos, 'cudas, GTOs, GTX's, fairlanes, roadrunners, firebirds, camaros AMX's...man! All shiny with loud exhaust. They'd bust em off after sitting through a traffic light or 2 to clear the way.
I'd clean and maintain my 64 'vette to get it ready for Saturday nite on Broadway...what a blast! I truly wish I'd taken some photos of it all.